As someone who was around at the time, I understand the (accurate) historical context of the story, and it was a brave topic for Columbo to tackle especially at the height of the troubles in Ulster. I've always found this episode a little difficult, as I know fund raising in support of the republican movement was known about and reported on in England, and did lead to some ill feeling towards America who we felt wasn't trying as hard as Columbo to shut it down and went to fund acts of violence both in Ireland and in English cities. But this is a fantastic episode brilliantly written and acted. If I was nitpicking, Revell's Irish accent is a bit thin, and those of his boy Kerry and Kate O'Connell are absolutely nothing like the very distinctive Belfast accent, the city both are said to hail from; they are sort of weak impersonations of accents in the south of Ireland,
Reviews
2 Reviews
Hazell
(1978–1979)
Of its time
14 December 2020
Writing this in late 2020...and now in my late 50s...I had very little recall of this show. The particular episode on now features some very poor American accents, some wooden acting, and low budget sets and filming. And for all that, it's still better than the virtue signalling woke clap trap produced today. Would have been better for the Euston films treatment...The Sweeney has aged much better IMHO. I can't believe Nick Ball was considered too young, that's a passage of time thing, he'd have been about 30 at time of filming, which these days would seem about right. Terry 'El Tel' Venables co-wrote this. The corny bits I assume, after all El Tel, when in his 20s, a pro footballer at the time, at the height of Beatlemania made a version of Waddaya Wanna Make Those Eyes at me For'.
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