A Trace of Murder (15 May 1997)

A beautiful wife and her forensic expert boyfriend try to frame her very rich husband for murder.

Director:

Vincent McEveety

Writers:

Richard Levinson (creator), William Link (creator),

Stars:

Peter Falk, David Rasche, Shera Danese

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Falk	...	Columbo
David Rasche	...	Patrick Kinsley
Shera Danese	...	Cathleen Calvert
Barry Corbin	...	Clifford Calvert
Raye Birk	...	Howard Seltzer
Will Nye	...	Officer Will
John Finnegan	...	Barney
Franklin Cover	...	Harry Jenkins
Alice Backes	...	Harriet Jenkins
Dion Anderson	...	Stuart March
Donna Bullock	...	Tracy Rose
John F. O'Donohue	...	Doherty
Dyana Ortelli	...	Colenari
Kymberly Newberry	...	District Attorney (as Kymberly S. Newberry)
Maury Sterling	...	Store Clerk

Storyline

A millionaire's being threatened with a lawsuit by a man he did business with. When he gets into a fight with the man, his trophy wife is more embarrassed than concerned about her husband. Now she can't divorce her husband because of a pre-nuptial agreement. And if she kills him, she would be the prime suspect. So she along with her lover decides to kill the man who is using her husband and frame her husband. Which they do. When Columbo investigates the murder, one of the forensic people helping him is the woman's lover.

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Plot Keywords:

lawsuit | millionaire | police | murderer | crime investigation | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1997 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 92 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was one of the primary locations used for filming. "Columbo" was visiting a mortician's convention. Sitting in an adjacent lobby-hallway, outside the ballroom was a vintage Cadillac Hearse. The Construction Coordinator, Doug Vlaming and his "hammer tones" had to pull the hotel's Hollywood Boulevard Entrance double-doorways, in order to drive the hearse into the hotel's hallway. Replacing the entrance for filming, afterwards removing the entry, again, to back the Hearse out of the hotel, and re-installing everything that they had removed. The Hotel Management, approved any production request, because management was familiar with the "Columbo" Art Department team, (Hub Braden, Mary Dodson, Bill Gregory, and Doug Vlaming). They had been the same staff on the "Murder, She Wote" production crew which had used the hotel facility for many repeat location filming for the MSW yearly series schedule.

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Goofs

When Columbo is showing Pat a map, he starts to lay the map out on a desk and says "This first". In the very next shot he once again says the same thing, "This first".

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Quotes

Lt. Columbo: Three eyes see more than one.

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Connections

Follows Columbo: Undercover (1994)

User Reviews

Great!

This Columbo-episode must be one of the best ever. The plot is simple: Mrs. Cathleen Calvert (played by Shera Danese, Peter Falk's real-time wife!) has a rich husband, Clifford (played by Barry Corbin), but she has also a lover, Patrick Kinsley (played by David Rasche). To get rid of her husband, Cathleen figures out a great plan: they make him responsible for a murder. All evidence leads Columbo to him. Will Clifford ever be free or was the plan perfect? Watch the movie to figure it out!

I loved the plot: it was interesting. It was fun to watch Barry Corbin as Clifford, his character was funny. Shera Danese again in a Columbo-movie, but this is good: she can act, whatever character is needed. Peter Falk as Columbo is perfect as always.

I can recommend this movie for everybody looking for a good mystery.