In trying to convey the tone he was looking for in his latest motion picture, director Alfred Hitchcock stated drolly to his composer, “Mr. Williams, murder can be fun.” With this in mind, John Williams, who had just won an Academy Award for his music to “Jaws,” turned to the harpsichord.

Because of its use in mysteries and thrillers, the harpsichord – in context, a fusty-sounding instrument – had taken on a certain mischievous quality.

This week on “Picture Perfect,” we’ll hear selections from “Family Plot” (1976), a neglected score from the dawn of Williams’ widespread popularity, alongside Ron Goodwin’s music for “Murder She Said” (1961), the first of Margaret Rutherford’s Miss Marple films; John Addison’s “Sleuth” (1972), an adaptation of Anthony Shaffer’s play, with Sir Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine engaged in a perilous battle of wits; and André Previn’s “Dead Ringer” (1964), starring a post-“Baby Jane” Bette Davis as dysfunctional twins whose fraught relationship leads to murder.

The order has been placed for ham on wry. Join me for an hour of wicked fun with arch harpsichords, on “Picture Perfect” – music for the movies – this Friday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.