WHEN A CHAMPION HORSE IS HELD FOR RANSOM AND ITS TRAINER IS MURDERED DR. JONATHAN MAXWELL IS OFF TO THE RACES!

EMMY� WINNER DICK VAN DYKE RETURNS IN MURDER 101 'IF WISHES WERE HORSES,' A HALLMARK CHANNEL MYSTERY MOVIE PREMIERING AUGUST 18

Three Generations of the Van Dyke Family, Including Son Barry and Grandson Shane, Also Star

Television icon and Emmy� winner Dick Van Dyke returns as Dr. Jonathan Maxwell, a criminology professor whose interest in crime-solving isn't strictly academic, in the Hallmark Channel Mystery Movie MURDER 101 "If Wishes Were Horses," which premieres Saturday, August 18 (9/8c). As in the previous MURDER 101 mysteries, Barry Van Dyke, Dick's son, costars as Detective Mike Bryant. But this installment, the third in this series of Hallmark Channel whodunits, showcases three generations of the Van Dyke family in prominent roles, thanks to the addition of Barry's son, Shane Van Dyke, to the cast.

In "If Wishes Were Horses," private detective Mike Bryant (Barry Van Dyke), with assists from Professor Maxwell and Mike's law-student nephew Ben (Shane Van Dyke), investigates the theft of Heaven Sent, one of the great champions in horse-racing history. The stakes are high indeed when the horse's owners receive a $100 million ransom demand and the trainer is found dead. Professor Maxwell may not remember where he put his keys in the morning, but his keen crime-solving mind may be the only thing standing between Heaven Sent and the glue factory!

The three Van Dykes are old pros when it comes to working together: Dick and Barry Van Dyke costarred for eight seasons (1993-2001) in the hit series "Diagnosis Murder." Shane also appeared frequently in "Diagnosis Murder" in a recurring role.

"We're spoiled when it comes to working with my dad," Barry says. "He always likes to have fun on the set and it's contagious."

Guest stars include Stacy Edwards ("Chicago Hope") as Diana Brawley, Brad Beyer ("Jericho") as Jake Brawley, Ray Abruzzo ("The Sopranos") as Bernard Alger and Erica Gimpel ("Fame") as Joanne Matteson.

MURDER 101 "If Wishes Were Horses" is an RHI Entertainment Presentation of an Alpine Medien Production in association with Larry Levinson Productions. Robert Halmi, Jr. and Larry Levinson are executive producers. Dean Hargrove is executive producer. Nick Lombardo and Michael Moran are co-executive producers. David S. Cass Sr. directed from a script by Bridget Terry.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of 83 million subscribers. The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,300 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel consistently ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks in Prime Time and Total Day household ratings and is the nation's leading network in providing quality family programming. Crown Media also operates a second 24-hour linear channel, Hallmark Movie Channel.