"Columbo" The Conspirators (1978)

Director:

Leo Penn

Writers:

Howard Berk (written by)
Pat Robison (idea)

TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

13 May 1978 (Season 7, Episode 5)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

An IRA terrorist executes an arms dealer he considers traitorous; Lt. Columbo is on the case.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Arms Dealer | Weapon | Irish | Murderer

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Clive Revill	...	Joe Devlin
Jeanette Nolan	...	Kate O'Connell
Bernard Behrens	...	George O'Connell
Michael Horton	...	Kerry Malone
Albert Paulsen	...	Vincent Pauley
L.Q. Jones	...	Gun Dealer
Deborah White	...	Angela
Sean McClory	...	Captain
Michael Prince	...	Michael Moore
Donn Whyte	...	Leach
Johnny Silver	...	Tow Truck Driver
Carole Hemingway	...	Herself (as Carole Hemmingway)
Tony Giorgio	...	Harry
John McCann	...	Brandon

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:11 (2007) (DVD) | Denmark:15 (2007) (DVD) | Sweden:15 (2007) (DVD) | Finland:K-18 (2007) (DVD) (self applied)

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

Final episode of the original "Columbo" series. Peter Falk would return to his most famous role in 1989.

Goofs:

Continuity: Also in the scene at the hotel room Columbo's cigar disappears from his hand while he takes out the sliding drawers from the suitcase that contains the guns. After he places the drawer back into the suitcase his cigar magically reappears in his left hand.

Quotes:

Lt. Columbo: There once was an old man from Lyme. He took three wives at a time. When asked why a third, he said, "One is absurd, and two, my friends, is a crime."

Movie Connections:

References San Francisco (1936)

Loved it!!!

This is one of my favorite "old Columbo" shows. There certainly is a real chemistry between Lt. Columbo and Joe Devlin. The Irish music is superb. Clive Revill (Devlin) is very entertaining and a likeable killer - I really didn't want him to get caught!!! The "dueling limericks" were terrific - I even repeat the one about the pelican numerous times on every family visit to the beach/ocean. And, as always, Peter Falk is magnificant as the bulldog detective Columbo. If you like the Columbo shows - especially the "old" ones - this episode is a must see. As for a rating, I rarely give out a 10, but this one is among the best and rates 9.75 out of 10!!!