One of Columbo's most elegant opponents appears in this episode. It is Louis Jourdan well known gourmet and food critic who's gotten himself quite a nice racket. For a good review he takes nice kickbacks and one fine day restaurant owner Michael V. Gazzo decides he's not paying any more and is going to expose the whole thing. After dining with Jourdan at his own restaurant, Gazzo takes sick and dies within minutes.
A rather rare and exotic poison that only someone like Jourdan would know about is used. But this particular Columbo is about how it was administered. Jourdan is even helped by the fact that originally suspicion falls on busboy Anthony Alda from the old country who speaks no English. Columbo has to communicate with him in Italian.
The final confrontation scene between Jourdan and Peter Falk is about 20 minutes and it's a classic. Columbo wants Jourdan's professional opinion on his veal scallopine and it's over some fine dining that Falk tells Jourdan how he did it. The dialog is some of the best ever done for a Columbo story and both the players are superlative.
You ought to see this episode for that alone.
A rather rare and exotic poison that only someone like Jourdan would know about is used. But this particular Columbo is about how it was administered. Jourdan is even helped by the fact that originally suspicion falls on busboy Anthony Alda from the old country who speaks no English. Columbo has to communicate with him in Italian.
The final confrontation scene between Jourdan and Peter Falk is about 20 minutes and it's a classic. Columbo wants Jourdan's professional opinion on his veal scallopine and it's over some fine dining that Falk tells Jourdan how he did it. The dialog is some of the best ever done for a Columbo story and both the players are superlative.
You ought to see this episode for that alone.