"Columbo" A Friend in Deed (1974)

Director:

Ben Gazzara

Writers:

Peter S. Fischer (written by)
Richard Levinson (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

5 May 1974 (Season 3, Episode 8)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A police commissioner provides a false alibi for a wife killer, but then expects an alibi in return.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Murder | Crime Solving | Detective | Nude Woman Murdered

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Richard Kiley	...	Mark Halperin
Rosemary Murphy	...	Margaret Halperin
Michael McGuire	...	Hugh Caldwell
Val Avery	...	Artie Jessup
Eric Christmas	...	Bruno Wexler
Eleanor Zee	...	Thelma
John Finnegan	...	Lt. Dreyer
Arlene Martel	...	Salesgirl (as Arlene Martell)
Victor Campos	...	Doyle
Joshua Bryant	...	Dr. MacMurray
John Calvin	...	Charlie Shoup
Byron Morrow	...	Amos Lawrence
James V. Christy	...	Sharkey
Alma Beltran	...	Mrs. Fernandez

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (2005) (DVD) (self applied)

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

We hear Columbo being paged over his car's police radio, and for the first and only time, Columbo's call number is revealed: it is "194".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Provided we see the bathtub murder of the commissioner's wife in real time, it seems impossible that she drowns within 2 seconds. That is the time it takes for the murderer to look satisfied. Drowning seems a little more complicated than that.

Soundtrack:

Jesus, Joy of Man's Desiring

Another solid entry

This episode is unforgettable as Columbo matches wit and suspicion against none other than the police commissioner, played brilliantly by Richard Kiley, who as you know by now murders his wife and covers up a friend, who also murders his wife, albeit accidentally. Val Avery is once again solid as a grumpy character playing a jewel thief who may or not be connected to the 2 murders, and Columbo has to sort through this mess, while being led astray by the macho commissioner. There's hardly a boring moment, save for the unremarkable wife of said commissioner, as many strong performances abound in this stellar episode. The real gem(no pun intended)is Kiley's portrayal of Mark Halperin, who's rugged exterior and temper clash against Columbo's personal persistence that something is afoul, and perhaps the thief isn't responsible for either murder, and something fishy is evident. Halperin does everything in his power to divert Columbo any which way plausible, and this is where Kiley shines, and basically steals this episode and leaves a memorable dent in the viewer's mind.