A summary by Helen Chavez

Cast

Kate Jackson (Arly Hanks), Ron Perlman (Jim-Bob Buchanan), Dolly Bergen (Ruby), Olivia Cole (Estelle), Ray McKinnon (Hobert Middleton), Nancy Youngblut (Miz Jim-Bob), Raynor Scheine (Raz Buchanan), Harrison Page (Larry-Joe), Chambers Stevens (Kevin), Patrika Darbo (Dahlia), Julie McCullough (Jay-Lee)

Plot Summary

The small town of Maggody, population 775, Stump County, Arkansas, has a new Police Chief – Arly Hanks (Kate Jackson), who has returned home from New York City after a messy divorce, her former husband having been shamefully found in bed with a foot model.

A high number of the inhabitants of Maggody carry the surname of Buchanan, which does tend to lead to a certain amount of confusion amongst visitors, especially as the most prominent member of this prolific and devious clan is Jim-Bob Buchanan (Ron Perlman), gas-station owner and larger-than-life Mayor of Maggody.

But Maggody is under threat. A strip-mining company is trying to set up business just outside town, and while Jim-Bob is a slippery character, his heart is in the right place – after a fashion. He and his two cronies, car salesman Hobert (Ray McKinnon) and teacher Larry-Joe (Harrison Page) begin to scheme and plot to prevent the company claiming the land. And so Jim-Bob approaches the delightfully scatty, good-hearted but beautiful Jay-Lee (Julie McCullough), a lady with a weakness for male company – any male company. Jim-Bob appeals to her sense of honour by telling her that she has to distract the company representative long enough for him to miss filing the claim, and then the town would be safe.

But things go dreadfully wrong when poor Jay-Lee turns up dead. Jim-Bob and his two friends kidnap the poor mining representative Drake, and it takes all of Arly’s deductive skills to solve the murder, involving - among other things – Withers, an escaped convict with a sugar buzz, a missing-presumed-dead hound dog, a skunk, and a desperate Drake in a dress ….

Jim-Bob Buchanan (Ron Perlman)

Jim-Bob Buchanan is a conniving, manipulative, relatively successful small-town businessman with a penchant for gas-guzzling convertibles and a pretty girl. He has worked his way up from the bottom of the pile, and isn’t frightened to let people know it, and is proud of the fact he is the Mayor of the small Arkansas town of Maggody.

He has a sharp mind, an even sharper mouth, a huge, frighteningly insincere grin and a devious streak a mile wide.

When Drake, the mining company executive, appears at his gas station (Jim-Bob having siphoned the gas out of the man’s vehicle just minutes before) Jim-Bob bullies his none-too-bright station attendant Kevin into cutting one of the belts in the engine. Poor Kevin’s brain is slow to comprehend, and Jim-Bob glowers menacingly at the lad.

"Thinkin’ with your mouth closed would be somethin’ of a challenge for you, wouldn’t it boy?" he growls.

But Jim-Bob hasn’t finished with Drake yet. He goes to see his friend and crony Hobert, and while he waits for Hobert to finish selling a customer a pick-up with a free gun-rack, Jim-Bob concentrates on checking out which pair of sunglasses suit his charming features best, gazing at himself intensely in the wing-mirror of a convenient truck. His other crony Larry-Joe turns up, and Jim-Bob takes not a blind bit of notice as Larry-Joe – forever the teacher – corrects Jim-Bob’s grammar, irritated that the mayor insists on finishing a sentence with a preposition …

They decide the best way to keep Drake occupied is to render him incapable by introducing him to the beautiful Jay-Lee, a lady with whom it soon becomes obvious Jim-Bob has a little bit of history. But that doesn’t hold back Jim-Bob, and he turns on the Buchanan charm, big grin flashing, as he cajoles the good-hearted Jay-Lee into ‘entertaining’ the mining executive.

But when it looks as though Drake may need to be detained a while longer due to the deductive attentions of Arly, Jim-Bob is brought up short, momentarily stumped. Ruby – Arly’s mother – and her best friend Estelle, who are also aware of Jim-Bob’s scheme, ask him what he’s going to do.

Jim-Bob frowns.

"Damn. We gotta keep him hid for two more days. Looks like we go to Plan B."

"Which is what??" asks Ruby.

Jim-Bob is not easily daunted. "I’m workin’ on it …"

‘Plan B’ turns out to be kidnapping Drake and taking him to Jim-Bob’s deer camp, where the due care and attention of the kidnapee falls to Larry-Joe. Jim-Bob is not a man who likes to get his hands dirty, and is more than willing to delegate chores like escorting Drake to the out-house to his minions.

But Jim-Bob does have an Achilles heel, and her name is Miz Jim-Bob, Jim-Bob’s devoted, elegant, and mightily devout wife. Jim-Bob is patently terrified of her. Miz Jim-Bob is convinced the only thing Jim-Bob needs to cure him of his errant and licentious ways is a healthy dose of that ol’ time religion. And so Jim-Bob finds himself on his knees in his office, Miz Jim-Bob right beside him, the local pastor kneeling with them and praying fervently for Jim-Bob to be forgiven his adulterous habits.

Poor Jim-Bob is a lost cause however, and is enticed away – somewhat reluctantly – by Hobert. Jim-Bob sneaks out of the room, scowling ferociously at his friend – he knows Miz Jim-Bob is going to have his hide for a duster …

"This better be good!" he hisses. "’Cause my wife’s gonna be so mad she’s not gonna calm down until I pay to have the whole living-room re-upholstered!"

Hobert tells him that the escaped convict Withers is trying to blackmail him regarding a used-car scam, and so Jim-Bob orders a bewildered Kevin to hold the door shut against Miz Jim-Bob’s determined attentions while he skedaddles into the foothills.

Needless to say, the whole mystery is solved, the escaped convict Withers is recaptured, Arly gets her man – with a bemused Jim-Bob, Hobert and Larry-Joe looking on – and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Except Jim-Bob Buchanan.

He stops dead in his tracks as he sees a familiar car drive towards them – Miz Jim-Bob has come looking for her errant husband. Jim-Bob grabs Hobert by the arm.

"That’s my wife’s car – c’mon …"

Jim-Bob turns and begins to head off back into the woods.

"Jim-Bob – where the hell are you goin’?" Hobert is confused.

"Back to the deer-camp. Your truck’s still there." Jim-Bob is obviously wishing he could be anywhere else but here.

"Jim-Bob, there’s four miles of rough timber and mud and rocks out there - "

Jim-Bob looks positively nervous.

"I’d rather walk that than face my wife right now …"

And so Jim-Bob Buchanan, successful businessman, mayor, kidnapper (not proven) and adulterer, sneaks off into the woods while his wife complains righteously that sooner or later he must atone for his sins …

Trivia

The screenplay was based on the book Malice in Magoddy, by Joan Hess.