"Columbo" Death Lends a Hand (1971)

Director:

Bernard L. Kowalski

Writers:

Richard Levinson (written by) &
William Link (written by) ...
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TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

6 October 1971 (Season 1, Episode 2)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

When the CEO of a private detective agency threatens the wife of a publisher with blackmail and she threatens to expose him, he accidentally kills her.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Investigation | Private Detective | Suspicion | Murder Investigation

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Robert Culp	...	Investigator Brimmer
Pat Crowley	...	Mrs. Lenore Kennicut (as Patricia Crowley)
Ray Milland	...	Arthur Kennicut
Brett Halsey	...	Ken Archer
Eric James	...	Denning
Don Keefer	...	Medical Examiner
Len Wayland	...	Capt. Of Detectives
Lieux Dressler	...	Ceil Gentry
Barbara Baldavin	...	Brimmer's Secretary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bill Hickman	...	Traffic Cop (uncredited)
Mark Russell	...	Brimmer Agency Detective (uncredited)

Directed by
Bernard L. Kowalski		(as Bernard Kowalski)

Writing credits
Richard Levinson		(written by) &
William Link		(written by)
Richard Levinson		(creator) &
William Link		(creator)

Produced by
Richard Levinson	....	producer
William Link	....	producer
Robert F. O'Neill	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Gil Melle		(as Gil Mellé)

Cinematography by
Russell Metty		(director of photography) (as Russell L. Metty)

Film Editing by
Edward M. Abroms

Art Direction by
Archie J. Bacon		(as Arch Bacon)

Set Decoration by
Richard Friedman		(set decorations)

Production Management
Henry Kline	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Barry	....	assistant director

Sound Department
David H. Moriarty	....	sound

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Burton Miller	....	costumes

Editorial Department
Richard Belding	....	editorial supervisor
Steve Johnson	....	colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Henry Mancini	....	composer: theme

Other crew
Steven Bochco	....	story editor
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer: main titles

Production Companies

• Universal TV (uncredited)
• Universal Studios

Distributors

• MCA-TV (1971) (USA) (TV) (exclusive distributor)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1971) (USA) (TV)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (Included in "Columbo: The Complete Season One")
• DeAgostini Japan (2007) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Universal Title  titles and opticals
• Deluxe Digital Studios  DVD transfer (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

76 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (2004) | Australia:PG (video rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (2004)

Filming Locations:

Beverly House - 1011 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

The first regular Columbo episode filmed, after two pilot movies. It was the second episode aired, however.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the beginning, Brimmer is shown driving his black Cadillac Eldorado at night with the body of Lenore Kennicut in the trunk. For 3 seconds, we then see Lee Grant from "Ransom for a Dead Man" driving a green Lincoln Continental. Then the film cuts back to Brimmer.

Quotes:

Teddy:[being pushed on the swing] I said higher!
Columbo:Okay, you go higher and I'll eat your ice cream.

The accidental murderer

After Culp's character, a private detective named Brimmer, inadvertently kills Kennicut's wife, the lieutenant must show how, and even why. This is going to be interesting, because Brimmer himself isn't sure why: this is the first accidental killing in Columbo.

Not that it matters: it's Brimmer's temper — he's … well, brimming … with it — and there would certainly be a legal situation here, anyway. And in fact there is.

Because Brimmer had already been trying to blackmail the missus, who was making time with someone who was not the master. Culp's character hopes to use this as leverage against her, or more precisely with her for leverage against her husband, who owns newspapers.

He looks that part, too: much more Charles Foster Kane than the goofy dude in the first episode of next season — a guy who also supposedly owns a newspaper.

So when Mrs. Kennicut makes the classic TV mistake of telling the major bad guy everything you're going to do, well her trajectory is set. Of course she didn't know he would … well watch.

In this episode, I think Columbo suspects the killer fairly quickly: he seems "on" immediately … he gets a sense of Brimmer's temper … and really, there aren't many other options.

Culp's Brimmer merits special mention: he's excellent. The terseness in speaking, in actions — he is precise, cutting, and careful, and not careful enough. And you'll like watching him try not to bust out laughing when Falk is into his patter.

Meanwhile, Columbo is always noticing, always asking questions — and he's funny about it, as in the palm reading scene, and he's audacious, as when he's riffling the golf pro's appointment book.

He keeps moving forward — what's the other guy going to do? Resist?

Culled from The Columbo Case Files: Season One.