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IMDb > "Columbo" Ransom for a Dead Man (1971)
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"Columbo" Ransom for a Dead Man (1971)



Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   577 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Richard Irving
Writers:
Dean Hargrove (teleplay)
Richard Levinson (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Ransom for a Dead Man on IMDbPro.
TV Series:
"Columbo" (1971)
Original Air Date:
1 March 1971 (Season 1, Episode 0)
Plot:
A lawyer comes up with a clever plan to murder her husband. After the deed is done, a seemingly slow-witted... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Primetime Emmy. more
User Comments:
A classic Columbo more

Cast

  (Episode Cast overview, first billed only)

Peter Falk ... Columbo
Lee Grant ... Leslie Williams
John Fink ... Michael Clark

Harold Gould ... Agent Carlson
Patricia Mattick ... Margaret Williams
Paul Carr ... Hammond
Jed Allan ... Phil
Charles Macaulay ... Richard
Hank Brandt ... Attorney (as Henry Brandt)
Jean Byron ... Pat (as Jeane Byron)
Richard Roat ... Perkins
Norma Connolly ... Celia
Harlan Warde ... Paul Williams
Bill Walker ... Crowell

Timothy Carey ... Bert
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Additional Details

Runtime:
120 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:K-7 (2004) | UK:PG | Sweden:11
Company:
Universal TV more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Produced as a second pilot for the Columbo TV series, three years after Prescription: Murder (1968) (TV). Its success led to Columbo being made part of a rotating Mystery Movie wheel of programs for most of the 1970s. more
Quotes:
Agent Carlson: Let's understand this one thing: if you start harassing this woman, I'm going to take it upstairs.
Lt. Columbo: Ah, just one minute, uh, Mr. Carlson. You see, it's like this: this is not just a kidnapping; this is a murder now... and I kinda figure that's my department. I'll see ya 'round.
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Movie Connections:
Features Double Indemnity (1944) more

FAQ

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14 out of 16 people found the following comment useful:-
A classic Columbo, 22 December 2004
10/10
Author: Dphilly521 from United States

"Ransom For a Dead Man," one of the earliest episodes in the entire "Columbo" series, is also one of the best. Lee Grant is terrific as the arrogant and confident Leslie Williams who is sure that she has succeeded in fooling investigators into thinking that her husband was murdered by kidnappers. Even after Columbo subtly implies that he is on to her plan, she coldly and gloatingly dismisses him in true classic Columbo killer fashion.

Everything comes to a very desirable end with that incomparable seen in the airport. Columbo gives us a wonderful conclusion as he smoothly but surely makes that smile disappear from Leslie Williams' face. Her tribute to him after being nailed serves as very memorable and very uplifting to our hero.

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