Negative Reaction (15 Oct. 1974)

A photographer murders his wife and blames her death on a bungled kidnapping. But Lt. Columbo has an even sharper eye than the Pulitzer Prize winner.

Director:

Alf Kjellin

Writers:

Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson (creator),

Stars:

Peter Falk, Dick Van Dyke, Don Gordon

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Dick Van Dyke	...	Paul Galesko
Don Gordon	...	Alvin Deschler
Larry Storch	...	Mr. Weekly
Antoinette Bower	...	Frances Galesko
Joyce Van Patten	...	Sister of Mercy
David Sheiner	...	Ray
Michael Strong	...	Sgt. Hoffman
JoAnna Cameron	...	Lorna McGrath (as Joanna Cameron)
Vito Scotti	...	Thomas Dolan
Alice Backes	...	Mrs. Moyland
Harvey Gold	...	Harry Lewis
Bill Zuckert	...	Capt. Sampson
Adrian Ricard	...	DMV Clerk
Thom Carney	...	Manager

Storyline

Paul Galesko is a famous photographer married to Frances, a nagging woman and a grumbler. Paul is moreover in love with his assistant, Lorna, so he decides to stage a fatal abduction of his wife. Everything seems to go very well to Paul, and the police accept his version of the events, but Lt. Columbo has some doubt.

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Plot Keywords:

photographer | ex con | kidnapping | police | pulitzer prize | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 1974 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios, Hollywood, CA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 95 min (dvd release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Hanlon's distinctive fireplace fan in "Negative Reaction", which was also in Nelson Heyward's house in Columbo: Candidate for Crime.

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Goofs

The fastidious driving examiner Mr. Weekly tells Columbo about a driving exam accident he had had "yesterday". This contradicts the DMV clerk's earlier statement that Mr. Weekly had come back to work that morning after having been out of town on previous days.

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Quotes

Lt. Columbo: You know what bothers me?

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Connections

Featured in Brilliant But Cancelled (2002)

User Reviews

First class murder mystery

Dick Van Dyke plays a crafty murderer with a well thought out plan to kill his termagant wife. His affable surface appearance contrasts shockingly with the cool calmness with which he commits first one murder and then another one to make sure of his own safety. Along with the serious murder story, this episode has some of the funniest little interludes of all the Columbo movies. I particularly liked the one where Columbo goes to a Catholic soup kitchen for information, and is mistaken by a well-meaning nun for an especially pathetic derelict. Naturally, the first thing she wants to do is to fix him up with a decent raincoat! The conclusion of the movie is almost perfect, but in the final analysis it relies on tricking the murderer into making a slip, and this time it seems a little too pat to be believable. However, that is a minor flaw, and this movie on the whole is one of the best Columbo mysteries.