Memphis Beat, “One Night of Sin”
Originally Aired July 20, 2010
Disappointingly, this was probably the least “Memphis-y” episode of Memphis Beat yet, and since that’s what we care about here, this recap will be shorter than most.
Episode Named After: “One Night (of Sin),” in its original version, is a gloriously hung-over 1956 New Orleans R&B gem from Smiley Lewis. Elvis Presley recorded it a couple of years later, both in Lewis’ version (which you can hear on the compilation Rockin’ Bones: 1950s Punk and Rockabilly) and in a cleaned-up version. Elvis’ altered “One Night” (“with you” replacing “of sin”) was released in 1958 on a single opposite ” I Got Stung,” hitting #4 on the pop chart and #10 on the R&B chart. Elvis later did a killer version of the song on this 1968 “comeback” special for NBC.
Plot Synopsis: Detective Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee) and his mama (Celia Weston) are attending a public memorial service for Memphis music legend Darlene “Ma” Boswell. There, the remaining members of the performing Boswell family — husband Doc and daughters Sadie and Delilah — perform a bluegrass-inflected tune and manager Frank Dixon delivers a eulogy.
Afterward, while Dwight is doing a man-on-the-street interview with a documentary filmmaker, Dixon is found dead behind the theatre where the memorial service was held, having fallen from the building’s third-floor balcony. Lt. Rice (Alfre Woodard) suspects grief-based suicide but Dwight’s advanced detecting skills lead him to assume foul play.
As Dwight sifts through multiple suspects, including a “super fan” played by guest star Giovanni Ribisi, a “B” plot about partner Whitehead’s inappropriate tall tales on the job doesn’t go much of anywhere.
