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IMDb > "Columbo" Étude in Black (1972)
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"Columbo" Étude in Black (1972)



Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   632 votes
Writers:
Steven Bochco (teleplay)
Richard Levinson (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Étude in Black on IMDbPro.
TV Series:
Original Air Date:
17 September 1972 (Season 2, Episode 1)
Plot:
An amoral conductor murders the gifted pianist with whom he is having an affair. Lt. Columbo is on the case. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
love it more (14 total)

Cast

  (Episode Complete credited cast)

Peter Falk ... Columbo
John Cassavetes ... Alex Benedict
James Olson ... Paul Rifkin

Blythe Danner ... Janice Benedict
Anjanette Comer ... Jenifer Welles

Myrna Loy ... Lizzy Fielding
James McEachin ... Billy
Don Knight ... Mike Alexander

Pat Morita ... The House Boy
Michael Pataki ... Sam
Michael Fox ... Dr. Benson
Dawn Frame ... Audrey
Charles Macaulay ... Durkee
George Gaynes ... Everett
Wallace Chadwell ... TV director
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Additional Details

Runtime:
90 min | USA:120 min (including commercials)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Finland:K-7 (2005)
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The jazz club in "Etude In Black" reappeared later as the basement of the wax museum in "Columbo: Dagger of the Mind (#2.4)" (1972). more
Goofs:
Continuity: Alex Benedict has long hair, in the Maestro tradition: curling over his ears, covering his neck, flipping up in back and generally flying around in disarray. But there is a memorable (and largely irrelevant) scene where Columbo visits Alex Benedict's home, and ends up asking about how much he pays in taxes, how big the house is, etc. In this scene, John Cassavetes' hair is visibly shorter than before or afterwards - trimmed farther up on his ears, neatly poufed all around, and shaved in back to expose his neck. The likely explanation is a bit of "Columbo" history: this scene was probably part of the extra footage added after the network ordered director Cassavetes to lengthen the episode, from 90 minutes to 2 hours, and Cassavetes apparently got a haircut before the additional scene was shot. more
Quotes:
Lieutenant Columbo: Can I ask you a personal question?
Alex Benedict: Please.
Lieutenant Columbo: What do you pay in taxes on this place?
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FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful.
love it, 10 September 2005
10/10
Author: blanche-2 from United States

This is another of my favorite Columbos. It sports a top-notch cast, including John Cassavetes, who was never handsomer or sexier, Anjanette Comer, Myrna Loy, and Blythe Danner. Now here's something I've always wondered - had Gwenyth Paltrow been born when this episode was shot, or was Danner pregnant at the time? Thanks to IMDb, I have my answer - she was five months' pregnant. Now I can really feel ancient.

Cassavetes plays a brilliant conductor whose marriage to Danner was apparently to use the social connections of her mother (Loy). He has a mistress on the side, Anjanette Comer, a prominent pianist, but she announces she wants more. She's sick of being back street. On the night of their concert, he gets rid of her and makes it look like suicide. Columbo picks up a few problems immediately. One thing he notices: "You have a beautiful woman here - bedroom eyes - she has money, a body, and a career. Where's the man?" It's wonderful to see Falk and good friend Cassavetes together. There's a very funny episode at the vet with Columbo's Bassett. Everyone in the cast is great.

This is one of the episodes that made Columbo the classic series it became.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for "Columbo" (1971)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What piano pieces are played? savedabears
The Lieutenant had a tail on Benedict old_tv_guy
Best Murderer Reaction Pearl_Jade
Dawn Frame lordhack_99
One of the best!! dorite48
What does the orchestra play? Rita314
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