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Columbo
S3.E2
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IMDbPro

Any Old Port in a Storm

  • Episode aired Oct 7, 1973
  • TV-PG
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
Any Old Port in a Storm (1973)
Cop DramaPolice ProceduralCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

A winemaker and connoisseur kills his half-brother in a fit of rage to prevent him from selling the family winery to a merchant company, and Lt. Columbo has to be very creative to solve this... Read allA winemaker and connoisseur kills his half-brother in a fit of rage to prevent him from selling the family winery to a merchant company, and Lt. Columbo has to be very creative to solve this one.A winemaker and connoisseur kills his half-brother in a fit of rage to prevent him from selling the family winery to a merchant company, and Lt. Columbo has to be very creative to solve this one.

  • Director
    • Leo Penn
  • Writers
    • Stanley Ralph Ross
    • Larry Cohen
    • Richard Levinson
  • Stars
    • Peter Falk
    • Donald Pleasence
    • Joyce Jillson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.3/10
    4.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Leo Penn
    • Writers
      • Stanley Ralph Ross
      • Larry Cohen
      • Richard Levinson
    • Stars
      • Peter Falk
      • Donald Pleasence
      • Joyce Jillson
    • 64User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos41

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    Top cast34

    Edit
    Peter Falk
    Peter Falk
    • Columbo
    Donald Pleasence
    Donald Pleasence
    • Adrian Carsini
    Joyce Jillson
    Joyce Jillson
    • Joan Stacey
    Gary Conway
    Gary Conway
    • Enrico Guiseppe Carsini
    Dana Elcar
    Dana Elcar
    • Falcon
    Julie Harris
    Julie Harris
    • Karen Fielding
    Vito Scotti
    Vito Scotti
    • Maitre d'
    Robert Donner
    Robert Donner
    • The Drunk
    Robert Ellenstein
    Robert Ellenstein
    • Stein
    Robert Walden
    Robert Walden
    • Billy Fine
    Regis Cordic
    Regis Cordic
    • Lewis
    • (as Regis J. Cordic)
    Reid Smith
    Reid Smith
    • Andy Stevens
    John McCann
    John McCann
    • Officer
    George Gaynes
    George Gaynes
    • Frenchman
    Monte Landis
    Monte Landis
    • Steward
    • (as Monty Landis)
    Walker Edmiston
    Walker Edmiston
    • Auctioneer
    Pamela Campbell
    • Cassie Marlowe
    Holger Bendixen
    • Auction Patron
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Leo Penn
    • Writers
      • Stanley Ralph Ross
      • Larry Cohen
      • Richard Levinson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Peter Falk has stated that this episode is his personal favorite. He said that this was the first episode in which Columbo developed a sincere fondness for the murderer. Speaking of Columbo and the Donald Pleasence character, he said that "the two men shared something in common: an admiration for excellence." This was discussed in a 10-minute interview by Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)" three days before the original broadcast of the episode, in which Falk praised the skills and performance of Pleasence.
    • Goofs
      All the stunt with the overheated port proved is that the temperature in Carsini's wine room got so hot that it ruined his wine. It didn't prove Rick died there or was even in there, at all.
    • Quotes

      Officer: [seeing Columbo's unlit cigar] Hey-ay, can I light that for you?

      Columbo: No, no thanks. Tryin' to cut down. All I do is chew 'em lately.

      Officer: Why don't you chew a cheaper cigar?

      Columbo: I don't want to cut down on my standard of living.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Peter Falk/Robert Klein/Victoria Principal/Linda Monteleone (1973)
    • Soundtracks
      This Old Man
      (uncredited)

      English children's folk song

      Whistled by Peter Falk

    User reviews64

    Featured review

    A vintage old port...

    An accomplished Columbo adventure with a well-written script that shrewdly fine-tunes the basic, well-established Columbo formula.

    Donald Pleasence is magnificent as a wine fanatic who is horrified to learn that his impetuous and irresponsible brother (Gary Conway) is planning to sell off the family-owned vineyard. The sequence of increasingly antagonistic banter between the brothers, prior to the murder set-up, is powerful and ingenious. Pleasence renders Conway unconscious in a fit of rage in his office - does he immediately think of making it into a murder or does it become a gradual thought? In any case, the "eventual" murder is resourcefully constructed to be made to look like an accident; better than any other "made to look like an accident" scenario in the series.

    Whilst there is not the typical plethora of circumstantial clues, the ones that are included are nicely inserted to achieve a decent impact.

    The script-writer intriguingly develops the relationship between detective and murderer, as a mutual respect becomes apparent, especially as Columbo starts demonstrating his new-found knowledge on the subject of wine. Without contradicting myself, this is a remarkably positive element to the whole proceedings, given that my usual personal preference is for the Columbo-villain relationship to be more fractious.

    Several later scenes uphold the high standard of the episode, primarily, when the murderer's grip over his secretary is "turned on it's head"; in the restaurant, when the murderer ironically complains about the over-heated wine; at the beach cliff-top, when the murderer is forced to throw away all of his wine from the cellar etc.

    There is hardly a dull moment in this Columbo adventure; the pacing of the story is not frenetic, rather it is all executed in a calm, controlled manner which is symbolic of its subtleties.

    It is one of Peter Falk's favourite episodes and one of mine - highly recommended viewing and an episode that would be great for newcomers to the series (if there are any) to watch, in order to endear themselves to the Columbo character.
    • The Welsh Raging Bull
    • Sep 7, 2004
    • Permalink

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 7, 1973 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • French
      • English
    • Also known as
      • "Columbo - Wein ist dicker als Blut" (1975)
    • Filming locations
      • Mirassou Winery, 3000 Aborn Road, San Jose, California, USA(Carsini Winery)
    • Production company
      • Universal Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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