Suitable for Framing (17 Nov. 1971)

Noted art critic Dale Kingston kills his uncle for his valuable collection of paintings. Despite Columbo's suspicions, all the clues point to the dead man's ex-wife. Can the lieutenant reveal the true culprit before it is too late?

Director:

Hy Averback

Writers:

Jackson Gillis, Richard Levinson (creator),

Stars:

Peter Falk, Ross Martin, Don Ameche

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Ross Martin	...	Dale Kingston
Don Ameche	...	Frank Simpson
Kim Hunter	...	Edna Matthews
Rosanna Huffman	...	Tracy O'Connor
Joan Shawlee	...	Mitilda
Barney Phillips	...	Captain Wyler
Mary Wickes	...	Landlady
Vic Tayback	...	Sam Franklin
Sandra Gould	...	Matron
Curt Conway	...	Evans
Claude Johnson	...	Policeman
Dennis Rucker	...	Parking Boy (Joe)

Storyline

Lt. Colombo investigates the murder of Rudy Matthews, an art collector who is found shot to death in his home. The killer is the dead man's nephew, art critic Dale Kingston who, with the help of his accomplice Tracy O'Connor, tries to mask the time of death and then give himself an alibi by attending an art exhibit From the outset, Colombo can't quite understand why one of the two missing paintings was by a lesser artist and why a thief wouldn't have taken something more expensive. Kingston tries to point Colombo in the direction of his aunt, Matthews ex-wife Edna. The fact that Matthews left everything, including his entire art collection, to her seems to support that idea. Colombo isn't buying it and sets a clever trap for him.

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Plot Keywords:

art critic | murder | painting | alibi | landlady | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1971 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The barely-glimpsed actor playing Dale Kingston's uncle is B-movie icon Robert Shayne, who played Inspector Henderson on the "Superman" TV series.

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Goofs

Whilst in the TV studio, after having his make-up removed, Kingston buttons up the collar of his shirt and adjusts his tie. A few seconds later he again buttons up his shirt collar and arranges his tie.

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Quotes

Lt. Columbo: You know that gallery you went to? Checked out. Hope you don't mind.
Dale Kingston: Oh, that's your job. And?
Lt. Columbo: Oh, the parking lot boy, he remembered when you got there, all right. So that if Mr. Matthews was killed at eleven o'clock, then you sure didn't do it.
Dale Kingston: Now isn't that a shame, Lieutenant? And here I am, your best and most obvious suspect, too. Tch, tch, tch, tch.
Lt. Columbo: Oh, don't say things like that. Really, you got me all wrong.
Dale Kingston: [sarcastically] Oh, yeah.

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Soundtracks

"Etude in E major op. 10 No. 3"
by Frédéric Chopin
Heard during the murder sequence

User Reviews

Simplistic but entertaining Columbo adventure

A very brisk, hastily edited and somewhat more simplistic Columbo that we've become accustomed to: some scenes have untidy editing or continuity errors in them (the pictures that are on or off the wall after the murder; the scene where the murderer does up his tie in the make-up chair; and the removal of the fruit bowl off the table near the end of the film, which results in one piece of fruit falling on the floor etc.).

Nevertheless, this story is entertaining enough for the undemanding viewer and the resolution is not predictable in any way.

Ross Martin is quite aggressive in his role as the murderer and he seems to get perturbed by Columbo's persistence extremely early on, but his performance satisfactorily illustrates his characterisation's misplaced self-confidence.

Not vintage Columbo, but pleasing viewing nonetheless.