Even if I didn't know Edward J Lakso wrote the script, it would have been easy to guess. The motivation for murder is so flimsy that it defies all belief. "He/she didn't like my music", would only be uttered by a complete psychopath. Most murderers are smart enough to not leave bodies lying around at their place of work. Psychopaths typically work on the edges of society among the down and out. But the characters in Dancing Angels are social beings, not outcasts. Murder would not be so casual an act.
So that's one strike. The second strike is the dance contest itself. It's advertised as a contest, but it's really just a marathon. You'll note there doesn't appear to be any judges, and all the couples are dancing at the same time, and for much of the episode the dancers seem to be hanging on each other in order to stay on their feet. That's not a dance contest, it's a test of endurance. Whether the contestants excelled at different types of dancing seemed to be irrelevant. They may all have been drunk, foxtrots and tangos were not on the menu.
The third strike is the reason given by the men running the dance contest for why they did what they did. Imagine being innocent of murder but moving a dead body to a different location because you were concerned about public relations? That's Ed Lakso logic in a nutshell.
On the plus side, the Angels looked good in their 30's and 40's costumes. On the downside, this being a Lakso script, he gave Shelly Hack almost nothing to do except dance with Bosley, and we barely saw any of that. Kelly and Kris got the bulk of character interactions.
There were some decent supporting actors in this one, Lindsey Bloom as the slain dancer Sally, Brad Maule, best known for being on General Hospital, played her brother Joe.
Cesar Romero as the band leader Eldon Mills is the biggest guest star, and it's interesting to watch him, looks like he could break into the Joker at any minute.
Norman Alden and Lee Delano play PJ Wilkes and Al Norman, tough guy owners of the dancehall with criminal records. Delano makes his third CA appearance after 'Angels on Ice' and 'Angels on Vacation', and Alden his 2nd (he was a Sammy Davis Jr kidnapper).
Jason Kincaid and Dawn Jeffory play Billy and Jenny, two young dance partners who want that $30,000 prize and will seemingly do anything to get it. Well, Billy at least, Jenny's underage.
Unfortunately the cast alone is not enough to elevate the material, there's really not much going on, and most of the important stuff, the murders, are awkwardly staged. On the plus side, I don't recall any saccharine and cloying Edward J Lakso tunes!
So that's one strike. The second strike is the dance contest itself. It's advertised as a contest, but it's really just a marathon. You'll note there doesn't appear to be any judges, and all the couples are dancing at the same time, and for much of the episode the dancers seem to be hanging on each other in order to stay on their feet. That's not a dance contest, it's a test of endurance. Whether the contestants excelled at different types of dancing seemed to be irrelevant. They may all have been drunk, foxtrots and tangos were not on the menu.
The third strike is the reason given by the men running the dance contest for why they did what they did. Imagine being innocent of murder but moving a dead body to a different location because you were concerned about public relations? That's Ed Lakso logic in a nutshell.
On the plus side, the Angels looked good in their 30's and 40's costumes. On the downside, this being a Lakso script, he gave Shelly Hack almost nothing to do except dance with Bosley, and we barely saw any of that. Kelly and Kris got the bulk of character interactions.
There were some decent supporting actors in this one, Lindsey Bloom as the slain dancer Sally, Brad Maule, best known for being on General Hospital, played her brother Joe.
Cesar Romero as the band leader Eldon Mills is the biggest guest star, and it's interesting to watch him, looks like he could break into the Joker at any minute.
Norman Alden and Lee Delano play PJ Wilkes and Al Norman, tough guy owners of the dancehall with criminal records. Delano makes his third CA appearance after 'Angels on Ice' and 'Angels on Vacation', and Alden his 2nd (he was a Sammy Davis Jr kidnapper).
Jason Kincaid and Dawn Jeffory play Billy and Jenny, two young dance partners who want that $30,000 prize and will seemingly do anything to get it. Well, Billy at least, Jenny's underage.
Unfortunately the cast alone is not enough to elevate the material, there's really not much going on, and most of the important stuff, the murders, are awkwardly staged. On the plus side, I don't recall any saccharine and cloying Edward J Lakso tunes!
