It's All in the Game 

A mother and daughter pair kill their two-timing lover, and the mother tries to seduce Columbo in an effort to divert suspicion.

Director:

Vincent McEveety

Writers:

Richard Levinson (created by), William Link (created by)

Stars:

Peter Falk, Faye Dunaway, Claudia Christian

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Faye Dunaway	...	Lauren Staton
Claudia Christian	...	Lisa Martin
Armando Pucci	...	Nick Franco
Bill Macy	...	Ruddick
John Finnegan	...	Barney
Doug Sheehan	...	Riley
Shelley Morrison	...	Nick's Maid
Tom Henschel	...	Fingerprint Man
Jack Shearer	...	Investigator #1
Shashawnee Hall	...	Investigator #2
Stewart J. Zully	...	Investigator #3
Bruce Ed Morrow	...	Medical Examiner (as Bruce E. Morrow)
Heath Kizzier	...	Photo Clerk
Daniel Trent	...	Detective #1 (as Daniel T. Trent)

Storyline

Lauren Staton and Lisa Martin kill their two-timing lover Nick Franco. Lauren's the one who pulled the trigger and they've made it look like Franco was killed by a burglar in his apartment. They've prepared well with both having solid alibis. Lt. Columbo is in charge of the case and is very much attracted to the beautiful Lauren. She uses that to her advantage and is soon buying him gifts and giving him the odd kiss. Columbo is flattered but begins to see anomalies in some of the physical evidence. He becomes certain that Lauren is involved in Franco's death but realizes he will only be able to make an arrest if he gets a confession. He manages to get that but even he is surprised when learns of her true relationship to Lisa.

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Plot Keywords:

gambling | reverse footage | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dawn Wells, better known as Mary Anne from Gilligan's Island, has a small uncredited guest role as a party guest. She appears at the very beginning of the episode.

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Goofs

Laura tells Columbo that her secretary's telephone number is 213-555-5334. Later, the detective tells him that Franco's tel. number was 213-555-5234 - the exact same number except for one digit.

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Quotes

Barney: Can I ask you a question?
Lt. Columbo: No!
Barney: How do you do a thing like that? How do you lock up the lady the way you feel about her?
Lt. Columbo: Who said I felt anything about her?
Barney: You did!
Lt. Columbo: Listen, you believe everything a cop tells you, you're a damn fool.

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Connections

References The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

User Reviews

excellent later period Columbo

Faye Dunaway is the guest star of this marvelous Columbo, who seems to be entering into a flirtation with a beautiful socialite. This is a little off the beaten track for our sloppy detective friend as the lady even attempts to spiff him up with a new tie.

The socialite has, with a partner, murdered her gigolo lover and attempted to cover up the true time of the killing, thereby providing an alibi for herself. She's very clever. So, of course, is Columbo. The Dunaway character is depending on Columbo's attraction to her to get away scott-free.

This is a clever script with a marvelous performance by Dunaway, Claudia Christian, and the man himself, Peter Falk.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le meurtre aux deux visages

Filming Locations:

14622 Ventura Blvd Ste 104, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1