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

The position and amount of the plastic string in Columbo's hair changes from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Roger Stanford: [Annoyed] Lieutenant, you take an inordinate length of time coming to the point.

User Reviews

Great script and ending, sometimes a bit predictable

I always enjoy watching Columbo, and this one was quite believable, with some rather real characters. I especially liked the ending...