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"Columbo" The Most Dangerous Match (1973)
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Overview
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TV Series:
Original Air Date:
4 March 1973
(Season 2, Episode 7)
Plot:
A chess player murders his opponent before a big match. Lt. Columbo must out-maneuver this crafty, but craven, killer. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
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User Reviews:
Wonderfully tense throughout
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Cast
(Episode Cast) (in credits order) (verified as complete) | Peter Falk | ... | Columbo |
 | Laurence Harvey | ... | Emmett Clayton |
 | Lloyd Bochner | ... | Mazoor Berozski |
 | Jack Kruschen | ... | Tomlin Dudek |
| Heidi Brühl | ... | Linda Robinson (as Heidi Bruhl) |
| Paul Jenkins | ... | Sergeant Douglas |
| Michael Fox | ... | Dr. Benson |
| Oscar Beregi Jr. | ... | Proprietor (as Oscar Beregi) |
| Mathias Reitz | ... | Anton |
| Richard Drout Miller | ... | 1st Reporter (as Drout Miller) |
| Manuel DePina | ... | 2nd Reporter |
 | Stuart Nisbet | ... | Dr. Sullivan |
| Abigail Shelton | ... | Nurse |
 | John Finnegan | ... | 1st Workman |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Jeffrey Sayre | ... | Chess Match Observer (uncredited) |
| Episode Crew |
Directed by | |||
| Edward M. Abroms | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Jackson Gillis | (teleplay) | |
| Jackson Gillis | (story) & | |
| Richard Levinson | (story) & | |
| William Link | (story) | |
| Richard Levinson | (creator) & | |
| William Link | (creator) | |
Produced by | |||
| Edward K. Dodds | .... | associate producer | |
| Dean Hargrove | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Dick DeBenedictis | (as Dick De Benedictis) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Harry L. Wolf | (director of photography) (as Harry Wolf) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Larry Lester | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Archie J. Bacon | (as Arch Bacon) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| John McCarthy Jr. | (as John McCarthy) | ||
Production Management | |||
| Kenny Williams | .... | unit manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| David Dowell | .... | assistant director (as David M. Dowell) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Edwin S. Hall | .... | sound | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Grady Hunt | .... | costumes | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Richard Belding | .... | editorial supervisor | |
| Steve Johnson | .... | colorist (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Hal Mooney | .... | music supervisor | |
Other crew | |||
| Charles Clement | .... | technical advisor | |
| Wayne Fitzgerald | .... | title designer: main titles | |
| Jackson Gillis | .... | executive story consultant | |
Production CompaniesDistributors
- National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1973) (USA) (TV)
- Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
- Universal Title titles and opticals
Additional Details
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
74 min | Italy:70 min
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Did You Know?
Trivia:
During his simultaneous exhibition, Clayton says that Frank Marshall once played 155 games simultaneously, losing only eight, and later having complete recall of all the moves from all the games except two of them. This actually happened, in 1922.See more »
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: As killer chess-champ Emmett Clayton sneaks into Dudek's apartment for the second time (to mess with the medication), he sneaks past a room where you can clearly see two figures: an older man with mustache in a white shirt, and a woman sitting on his front left side. The apartment is supposed to be empty.See more »
Quotes:
Emmett Clayton:Well, chess *is* the ultimate test of the human mind, isn't it?
Tomlin Dudek:You think so? I always thought it was women.
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Tomlin Dudek:You think so? I always thought it was women.
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FAQ
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It is a delight to watch Laurence Harvey as a neurotic chess player, who schemes to murder the opponent he cannot defeat at the chessboard. This movie has wonderful pacing and several cliffhanger moments, as Harvey's plot several times seems on the point of failure or exposure, but he manages to beat the odds yet again. Columbo wages a skilful war of nerves against this high-strung genius, and the scene where he manages to rattle him enough to cause him to make a mistake while playing chess is one of the highlights of the movie, as Harvey looks down in disbelief at the board, where he has just allowed himself to be checkmated. The climax is almost as strong, and watching Laurence Harvey collapse completely as his scheme is exposed brings the movie to a satisfying finish. Highly recommended.