Any Old Port in a Storm

Episode aired Oct 7, 1973
TV-PG
1h 36m

IMDb RATING

8.3/10

YOUR RATING

Cop Drama Police Procedural Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.3/10

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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
The wine that Carsini and Columbo drink at the conclusion is a white dessert wine. No white dessert wines are ever marketed in a fiaschi or straw-covered bottle.

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 reviews62

Review

Featured review

10/10

Classic Columbo

This was another episode that I saw recently and I am still mystified at how I missed this episode for so long. Any Old Port in a Storm defines the term classic Columbo and has next to nothing wrong with it.

While it is a slow-paced episode, Any Old Port in a Storm is never dull. The script is excellent, with some very snappy lines and some of the interactions are among my favourites in a Columbo episode. The story lives up to its great premise and is always interesting and absorbing, the ending is tricky but not confusing as it is paced and explained very well.

Any Old Port in a Storm looks striking too, the photography doesn't jar in any way and the location shooting still looks pleasing on the eyes. The music is atmospheric and is careful not to intrude too much. The direction is top notch, as is the cast. Peter Falk is spot on and Donald Pleasance is so classy in an equally strong performance.

All in all, a classic Columbo episode with very little to fault it. 10/10 Bethany Cox