Short Fuse (19 Jan. 1972)

A chemical plant's director gets threats and issues threats, and one of the employees develops and plants a bomb in his car. When the car turns out to be missing, Columbo is called to find out what happened.

Director:

Edward M. Abroms

Writers:

Jackson Gillis (teleplay), Lester Pine (story),

Stars:

Peter Falk, Roddy McDowall, Anne Francis

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Roddy McDowall	...	Roger Stanford
Anne Francis	...	Valerie Bishop
James Gregory	...	David L. Buckner
Ida Lupino	...	Doris Buckner
William Windom	...	Everett Logan
Steve Gravers	...	Sergeant
Lawrence Cook	...	Quincy [Murphy in credits]
Rosalind Miles	...	Nancy
Lew Brown	...	Farrell
Jason Wingreen	...	Policeman
Eddie Quillan	...	Ferguson
Stuart Nisbet	...	Pinstripe
Annette Molen	...	Girl
Jim Neumarker	...	Plainclothesman

Storyline

Stanford Chemicals CEO David Buckner wants to sell the business, but he is overruled by several people: his wife Doris, company lawyer Everett Logan, and his nephew Roger, the lighthearted young genius whose late father founded the company. But he has a plan: he has uncovered some very embarassing and illegal past activities on the part of Roger. He demands that his nephew change his aunt Doris's mind about the sale, or he'll tell Doris about all the nasty things her precious Roger has done. But Roger is one step ahead of him, and initiates a plan to murder his uncle with dangerous explosives. Unfortunately for him, he didn't count on Lieutenant Columbo investigating Buckner's "car accident." The Lieutenant quickly suspects Roger, and puts together a web of evidence to trap the young scientist in his own lies.

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Plot Keywords:

threat | murder | chemical plant | bomb | aunt nephew relationship | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 1972 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Palm Springs, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Roger's car is a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona.

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Goofs

In the limousine as David Buckner is opening the cigar box, he removes the piece of tape on the left side. As he removes the piece on the right side, the piece that was on the left side reappears.

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Quotes

Doris Buckner: Well, you certainly don't LOOK like a police officer!

User Reviews

A poor quality Columbo

This is not one of Columbo's finest hours. Roddy McDowall plays a manic and over the top villain. The plot is thin and the ending is bizarre. Columbo uses all his trickery to ensnare the killer, and when the killer is found out he begins laughing his head off.