Broadway Malady (1985)

Grady Fletcher invites Aunt Jessica to be his guest at a Broadway show he's doing the bookkeeping for, and meet both his girlfriend and has-been movie star Rita Bristol, whose prima donna attitude endangers the show that was to be her comeback, and the launch of daughter Patti Bristol. They all dine with others including son Barry Bristol, director Marc Faber and banker Si Parrish, the principal investor. On the way home, Patti is shot in the spine by street mugger Manny Farkus, who gets a fatal bullet from Barry. To Barry's surprise, the show isn't canceled, but director Marc Faber has L.A. star Lonnie Valerian flown in to take over recovering-Patti's part. N.Y.P.D. Detective Sergeant Moreno didn't feel the need for investigating further, confident he had his shooter, but Jessica digs into the past and present of the Bristol family, the members of the play's production, and the mugger who she recognizes as unemployed actor Morley Farmer and some New York street witnesses.