Columbo

EPISODE: 3. SAISON: 9.

AGENDA FOR MURDER is a fine instalment of the late-stage Columbo series and another that features Patrick McGoohan giving a stern and authoritative performance as the murder suspect. McGoohan directed the film too and certainly knows his business, creating a well-paced and snappy production in which the detection and the humour go hand in hand. These elements combine to make AGENDA FOR MURDER one of the strongest of all the latter Columbos.

McGoohan plays a high-flying lawyer who murders... (suite)

EPISODE: 5. SAISON: 5.

This the third Columbo that Jack Cassidy has played the villain and sadly the last before his tragic death. Cassidy plays the Great Santini who is on a US tour for his magic act. Santini's boss is aware that the Great Santini used to be an ex-Nazi named Stefan Mueller during the end of World War II and the exposure of this leads Santini to perform the " perfect murder."

In my opinion this was one of the most clever murders of the entire series due to the beguiling tricks up Santini's... (suite)

EPISODE: 7. SAISON: 3.

Johnny Cash's limited acting ability is remarkably offset by his semi-autobiographical portrayal of a gospel crusader who wishes to use half of the concert earnings to finance his lavishly reckless lifestyle, rather than plough all of the monies into building an ornate tabernacle. His blackmailing wife and one very young concert group member are killed off so that his reputation remains unblemished and his lifestyle can be maintained.

Everything you would want in a Columbo story is in... (suite)

EPISODE: 3. SAISON: 10.

COLUMBO AND THE MURDER OF A ROCK STAR is a pretty good entry from the second incarnation of the raincoat-wearing sleuth. It features Dabney Coleman (Wargames) who offs his cheating partner in an ingenious way, only to perplex the cops by offering a cast-iron alibi and a seemingly obvious suspect.

Sometimes these later stories can feel a little strained due to the lack of enough plotting to sustain a 100-minute running time, but that's not the case here. The murder is a complex one that... (suite)

EPISODE: 5. SAISON: 2.

REQUIEM FOR A FALLING STAR is one of the more efficient Columbo episodes I've seen. The short running time means that the plot is very fast paced and the viewer has barely been introduced to the main cast members before the murder plot is set in action. Overall this is a professional-looking production with slick photography and a fine little script that gets to the heart of the characters involved while offering up more than a few surprises as the running time progresses.

The notable... (suite)

EPISODE: 2. SAISON: 4.

Dick Van Dyke does a very good job at portraying a hen-pecked photographer who develops a nastily effective plot to dispose of his wife and implicate a recently-released prisoner.

Virtually flawless in plot and script, Columbo is at his most irritatingly mischievous here as the clues start accumulating in a crisp, well thought-out and well-timed manner (the newspaper clippings which are presented later in the episode is priceless).

As with all vintage Columbo episodes there is wonderful... (suite)

EPISODE: 4. SAISON: 1.

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... (suite)

EPISODE: 2. SAISON: 5.

Interesting episode. A man from Suarian is killed by a bomb. Lots of money is stolen from the safe. Another Suarian is blamed but it looks like he was framed and then shows up dead.

There are lots of men with head gear. Some are lopsided, some of the men have sideburns that are not covered and some have long curly hair that sticks out near their ears, really silly looking.

As usual Columbo examines everything and finds things that no one would find or put together. Columbo annoys the... (suite)

EPISODE: 1. SAISON: 10.

This episode of "Columbo" features a pretty clever twist. The two murderers are college kids that aspire to be lawyers, so they get to 'help' Columbo throughout his investigation and throw in as many fake leads as possible. These are really well-written villains, because they clearly show no respect for a character the viewer has been respecting for twenty years. They're just seeing how far they can go, barely able to contain their laughter while talking to Columbo. It makes the inevitable... (suite)

EPISODE: 3. SAISON: 3.

Columbo at his inquisitive best again when a political candidate is caught up in the murder of the campaign manager. Various humorous sequences in the lead-up eventually sees Columbo surprise the murderer.