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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

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 Columbo admits to disliking the murderer.

---

Goofs

When the killer (Mr. Gerard) advises his lover Eve to travel to Europe they hug. Several continuity errors with position of her arms from shot to shot.

---

Quotes

Lt. Columbo: Oh, I do a little cooking, sir. Nothing fancy. Mrs. Columbo, she's a remarkable woman. She has lots of interests... but cooking isn't one of them. She gives me plenty of encouragement.

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

An "entree" that is truly satisfying!

With a script by Robert Van Scoyck and direction by Jonathan Demme, later to go on to direct Oscar winners "Philadelphia" and "The Silence of the Lambs, "Murder Under Glass" is, without a doubt, one of the best acted in the show's history. Louis Jourdan makes a rare television appearance as a popular food critic with a penchant for blackmail, that, ultimately, leads to murder. The witty script allows for some marvelous banter between "Paul Gerard" (Jourdan) and the ever-inquiring "Columbo" (Falk).

Rounding out the cast are some familiar faces of stage, screen, and television: Mako ("The Sand Pebbles", "Conan the Barbarian"), Richard A. Dysart (TV's "St. Elsewhere," "The Hindenburg"), France Nuyen ("Flower Drum Song," "Diamondhead"), veteran character actors Michael V. Gazzo, and Larry D. Mann. Alan Alda's younger brother, Antony, has a small part as Gazzo's "nephew".

Topping off the fine production is an "appetizing" score from Jonathan Tunick.

This is one television "meal" that comes highly recommended by this viewer.