"Columbo" Swan Song (1974) (1974)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Nicholas Colasanto

Writers:

David Rayfiel (teleplay)
Stanley Ralph Ross (story)
(more)

TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

3 March 1974 (Season 3, Episode 7)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A gospel singer wants to be rid of his zealous wife. But a murder made to look like an airplane accident does not fool the wily Lt. Columbo.

Plot Keywords:

Gospel Singer | Murder | Airplane | Plane | Pilot

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Johnny Cash	...	Tommy Brown
Ida Lupino	...	Edna Brown
John Dehner	...	Roland Pangborn
Sorrell Booke	...	J.J. Stringer
Bill McKinney	...	Luke Basket
Vito Scotti	...	Mr. Grindell
Janit Baldwin	...	Tina
John Randolph	...	The Colonel
Lucille Meredith	...	Lady
Richard Caine	...	Bennett
Don Mantooth	...	Phil (as Donald Mantooth)
Jefferson Kibbee	...	Frank
Bonnie Van Dyke	...	Maryann
Douglas Dirkson	...	Jeff (as Doug Dirkson)
Larry Burrell	...	TV Reporter
Mike Lally	...	TV Cameraman (as Mike Edward Lally)
Tom McFadden	...	Police Pilot
Harry Harvey	...	Manager (as Harry Harvey Sr.)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
W.S. Holland	...	Band member (uncredited)
Bob Wootton	...	Band member (uncredited)

Directed by
Nicholas Colasanto

Writing credits
David Rayfiel		(teleplay)
Stanley Ralph Ross		(story)
Richard Levinson		(creator) and
William Link		(creator)

Produced by
Edward K. Dodds	....	producer
Dean Hargrove	....	executive producer
Roland Kibbee	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Dick DeBenedictis		(as Dick De Benedictis)

Cinematography by
William Cronjager		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Bob Kagey

Art Direction by
John W. Corso

Set Decoration by
Bill McLaughlin		(as William McLaughlin)

Production Management
Brad H. Aronson	....	unit manager (as Brad Aronson)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Phil Cook	....	assistant director (as Phillip Cook)

Sound Department
Wallace R. Bearden	....	sound (as Wallace Bearden)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Grady Hunt	....	costumes

Editorial Department
Richard Belding	....	editorial supervisor
Steve Johnson	....	colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Henry Mancini	....	composer: "Mystery Movie" theme
Hal Mooney	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer: main titles

Production Companies

• Universal TV

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Universal Title  titles & optical effects

Runtime:

99 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:

Uses footage from an actual Johnny Cash concert.

Goofs:

Continuity: The wreckage of the airplane is obviously a tubular structure, meaning it was fabric covered. It was also a tandem cockpit. However, the airplane they were flying in was clearly a Cessna 172 with bulkheads, formers, and aluminum skin. It has side by side seating.

Quotes:

Lt. Columbo: Any man who can sing like that can't be all bad

Movie Connections:

Follows "Columbo: Dagger of the Mind (#2.4)" (1972)

that's squirrel meat

Johnny Cash, the man in black who wears black again in this episode, stars as himself basically, and is the driving force behind another solid Columbo entry in which the singer/performer has the detective on his trail about a possible murder, which is extremely hard to prove. Props to the innovative type of murder, which I'm certain is common knowledge on here by now, of killing his wife and his lover by way of small air plane, with Cash as the the pilot. Although it's assumed pilot error was the cause of the crash(he survived), he is lauded for at least surviving considering the circumstances, which eventually Columbo questions anyway, thus leading to his suspicions on why murder may have been committed.

There is hardly a tedious scene, as both Falk and Cash play off each other and are both having fun; we even get to hear Cash sing a few songs and meet a some interesting characters along the way, such as the funeral director, Ida Lupino and Sorrell Booke. The murder idea may be a tad far-fetched, but it adds to this solid episode.

Perhaps the only moment I didn't totally buy or accept was when Cash finally gets caught; Columbo seems to think that he would have admitted to the murders anyway, and Cash agrees with him. I beg to differ, considering that he was very smug and cocky, and couldn't stand his wife or the predicament she had him in; therefore, I don't believe he would have admitted anything.