Columbo: Plein cadre

Dale Kingston (Ross Martin) is a TV personality and art critic who knocks off his uncle in order to inherit his art collection. To do so, he enlists the help of a bedazzled, untalented art student, whom he promises to help with her career. The two make it look like a robbery, Kingston intending to frame his uncle's ex-wife (and heir), played by Kim Hunter. It might have worked, but guess who's assigned to the case.

This is very entertaining, and of course, the original Columbo episodes like this one were the best. A couple of the plot points are similar to the pilot for the series, which starred Gene Barry. Dangling the prospect of marriage, Barry uses his girlfriend in a plot to kill his wife.

Ross Martin was an effective actor who died too young, and he's marvellous as the critic, and Kim Hunter is fabulous as the frail, ditsy, ex-wife. One of the posters seemed to know her from Planet of the Apes. She has a few other credits, including the role of Stella in the original "Streetcar Named Desire," which she repeated in the film version and won an Oscar. She would be blacklisted during the McCarthy era, but she overcame this and continued her career.