Double Exposure

Episode aired Dec 16, 1973
TV-PG
1h 10m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

2.8K

YOUR RATING

Cop Drama Police Procedural Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

An advertisement expert uses subliminal cues to help him commit a murder. Lt. Columbo is on the case.An advertisement expert uses subliminal cues to help him commit a murder. Lt. Columbo is on the case.An advertisement expert uses subliminal cues to help him commit a murder. Lt. Columbo is on the case.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

2.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
The term "subliminal advertising" referred to and used by the murderer was actually invented by market researcher James Vicary. Vicary claimed that for a movie called "Picnic" playing at a theater in Fort Lee, NJ, he had inserted frames into the film that read "drink Coca-Cola" and "eat popcorn" that were flashed briefly on screen every five seconds during screenings. Though the duration of each flash was too short for anyone to consciously detect, Vicary claimed that this subliminal exposure boosted Coke sales by 18% and popcorn sales by 58%. Advertisers, the FCC, and research psychologists were skeptical, and in an Advertising Age article, Vicary admitted that he had never conducted the subliminal "experiment" - it was concocted as a gimmick to attract customers to his failing marketing business. The concept of subliminal advertising, nonetheless, has continued on as part of our culture.

Goofs
When Columbo arrives at a back office with monitors, he's being tracked by a videocamera. He arrives and sees himself live on the monitor, filmed from behind. What he sees doesn't match with his actual position, judging by a hand resting against a wall.

Quotes
Lt. Columbo: My wife's got no head for crime. We go to those whodunit movies, she always picks the wrong murderer. I wanna tell you something: If my wife decided to murder me, she could come up with a better alibi than you got.

Connections
References High Plains Drifter (1973)

User reviews35

Review

Featured review

10/10

One of the Best Ever

Most of the 1970s Columbos are excellent and "Double Exposure" is one of the very best. The motivational psychology angle works well and offers Columbo some intriguing research to do. The villain is played by Robert Culp and this is his third and last appearance in 1970s Columbo. (He would return as the father of a villain in a 1990s episode - "Columbo Goes To College".) Culp is a class act and he brings the right balance of arrogance and likable roguishness to the part. Falk clearly loves playing against Culp and as a result he raises his game giving one of his most grounded performances as the detective. The interaction between the two is a joy and look out for Columbo's "you can't win them all" line which is the climax to some verbal jousting between him and Culp. Overall, this would be in my top 5 Columbos of all time.