Murder Under Glass (30 Jan. 1978)

Food critic Paul Gerard, who has been extorting money from restaurant owners in exchange for good reviews, murders one when threatened with exposure.

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers:

Robert Van Scoyk, Richard Levinson (creator),

Stars:

Peter Falk, Louis Jourdan, Shera Danese

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Louis Jourdan	...	Paul Gerard
Shera Danese	...	Eve Plummer
Richard Dysart	...	Max Duval
Mako	...	Kanji Ousu
Michael V. Gazzo	...	Vittorio Rossi
Larry D. Mann	...	Albert
France Nuyen	...	Miss Choy
Antony Alda	...	Mario
Todd Martin	...	Sgt. Burke
Fred Holliday	...	Crawford
Alberto Morin	...	Chef Louis
Jimmy Murphy	...	Charlie (as Jim Murphy)
Carolyn Martin	...	Lady Cashier
Miyako Kurata	...	1st Geisha

Storyline

Paul Gerard is a famous gourmet and his books about restaurants can decide the fate of a chef. In his way, Paul is a very powerful man. But Paul is threatened by Vittorio Rossi, the proprietor of a renowned restaurant and one night, after a fight with Paul, Rossi is poisoned by a bottle of wine he himself had uncorked. Lt. Columbo begins to investigate and we have no doubt that, between a steak and a Chinese dish, he will find out who killed Rossi, his motive and the way he did it.

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Plot Keywords:

chef | gourmet | food critic | restaurant owner | book | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

30 January 1978 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Perino's Restaurant - 4101 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min 75 min (US dvd)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the few episodes where the murderer attempts to kill Columbo.

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Goofs

The bottle of "Margaux" the nephew brings to the table by Vito's request is incorrect. A "Margaux" is a Bordeaux and would come in a Bordeaux shaped bottle. The bottle the nephew brings is a Burgundy shaped bottle.

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Quotes

Lt. Columbo: That dim sum reminds me of the kind I used to have at home.
Miss Choy: At home, Lieutenant?
Lt. Columbo: Right around the corner from Chinatown was an Italian neighborhood. When I was a kid, I bet I had more eggrolls than cannelloni.

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Soundtracks

"This Old Man"
(uncredited)
Traditional children's marching song.
Heard on sountrack during two restaurant scenes and whistled by Peter Falk.

User Reviews

Really classic!

For those who might think, that television productions could never touch the glory of Hollywood productions, this Columbo episode is one of the best examples to doubt. Even Columbosists, I think, would agree, that this is one of the best episodes of the confused detective and the best thing about it, it's absolutely timeless!

There's not much to say about Peter Falk's performance... GREAT as in each minute, we've seen of Columbo. But fortunately, the producers were able to capture an outstanding guest star: Louis Jourdan. While many musical stars, who had problems to get engagements after the breakdown of the studio system, were featured as guests in Columbo episodes, Jourdan probably gives one of the most outstanding performances. (Sure, he wasn't one of those who had problems to get other engagements) I also recommend this episode to those people, who know Jourdan only as Gigi's lover Gaston. No, he was able to do much more!

In its length of just 75 minutes, the production is as attractive as a major Hollywood production. Highly recommended to anybody, not only to television buffs!