*MERRY MURDER* Doris sees a Santa climbing into a chimney in broad daylight, then immediately hears gunshots inside the house. When she runs inside to investigate, she finds Santa standing over a corpse, smoking gun in hand.
Yes, you read that right. Squeaky-clean Doris Day actually did an episode of her self-titled sitcom where a murder takes place at Xmas with Santa as the perp. This episode deserves a couple extra points for the sheer bizarreness alone. Watching it today, it comes across as a weird mashup of MURDER SHE WROTE and THAT GIRL. The writer of this one is most notable for 74 episodes of THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW so that explains things a bit. This could have originally been a skit expanded into a sitcom episode.
It features some reliable character actors like Cliff Norton and Charles Nelson Reilly. It's amusing when Cy is angry because Doris called the cops first instead of him. He wants to replace the Racquel Welch cover story with a new exclusive about the murder. Doris thinks the resolution from the cops is too pat and decides to continue the investigation herself, which ends up with both her and Cy in danger of being shot. But quick-witted Doris saves the day with a trick phone call and a remote-control flying saucer. Speaking of, what the heck would a 97-year-old man be doing with one of those in the first place? Anyway, it's all so insane, just go with it!
The gauzy close-ups in this show are ridiculous! And Doris isn't even really in close-up. Was she that desperate to hide the sun damage and freckles??
Nothing fantastic script-wise, but there is surely no other Xmas episode like it from the time period. 7/10.