Because of this television series no one ever underestimated sloppily dressed and seemingly slow witted police detectives ever again. With his rumpled trench coat and his desire to do or look at one more thing, Peter Falk as Columbo always got his man. These six movie-length episodes go a long way towards showing how a doggedly determined slow and steady does often win the race.
Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health:
A woman’s doctor husband is plotting her lover’s death. Only his wife double crosses him and she and the lover turn his scheme on him. Three years later their story is on the TV show Crime Alert. The show’s host is a big star – Wade Anders (played by George Hamilton).
An old friend and news anchor named Bud comes to the studio with a skin flick that Wade starred in when younger. Blackmail and threats ensue. Bud, who wants to be the host of Crime Alert, tells Wade to leave the show or be Bud’s lead story on the 11 o’clock news. They set a time to meet the next night.
Next night Wade meets Bud. Suddenly while smoking, Bud starts choking and dies. Wade has poisoned his cigarettes. He then arranges the evidence and takes the video of the skin flick. Wade then goes to a party at a co-workers house.
When Bud’s body is discovered Lieutenant Columbo starts investigating that which he does not believe to be a natural death.
Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star:
Lawyer Hugh Creighton (played by Dabney Coleman) and a female rock star named Marcy have been together for four years. He catches her with another man. Hugh confronts Marcy and tells her he is leaving her. She threatens to tell the press about him paying off the police and judges. Marcy wants $5 million dollars. Hugh doesn’t have it now, so she gives him two months. Times are quite stressful for Creighton as he is building a huge complex and prices keep rising.
Seeking a way out of his problems, Hugh poisons a champagne bottle that is in the fridge of his beach house. Over breakfast the next morning he puts a drug in Marcy’s tea. Marcy goes to the beach house to meet her lover. Lover drinks the champagne and she doesn’t. Her lover wakes up later only to find Marcy dead in the bed beside him. He takes off on his motorcycle.
Marcy was strangled. Lieutenant Columbo is brought in to investigate.
Death Hits the Jackpot:
Freddy and his wife are in the process of getting a divorce. He wins the lottery and doesn’t tell her as he doesn’t want to lose half of it to her.
Freddy’s Uncle Leon discovers he is flat broke. Just then Freddy tells him he has won the $30 million lottery and hasn’t told anyone else. Leon offers to cash in the ticket for Freddy. Freddy agrees and offers him 10% percent to do this. Leon tells Freddy it will be a couple of weeks before he can hand over the money.
Leon and his wife host a costume party for Halloween. He goes to see Freddy before the party and knocks him out. Leon runs a bath and then drowns him. He then takes the letter of agreement vis-à-vis the lottery ticket that the two men signed. Freddy’s ex Nancy shows up and she’s obviously in on the plan as she and Leon start kissing. Leon returns home to the party.
Some officers believe that Freddy slipped, fell, knocked himself unconscious and drowned. Lieutenant Columbo believes that a murder has occurred.
No Time to Die:
Lieutenant Columbo is at his nephew Andy’s wedding to Melissa, a model. After the wedding reception the newlyweds return to their suite and Andy takes a shower. When he gets out Melissa isn’t there.
Andy calls Columbo and tells him that Melissa is gone and he found a hanky with chloroform on it. Believing that Melissa has been kidnapped, Columbo begins to try to piece together what could have happened and find her.
A Bird in the Hand:
In trouble and being chased in Las Vegas, Harold (played by Greg Evigan) flees to his Uncle Fred’s place. Harold and Dolores (played by Tyne Daly), Fred’s wife, are in a relationship. Fred is a rich man who owns a football team, the Stallions.
Harold keeps getting deeper and deeper into a financial hole by losing bet after bet. He comes up with a plan and places a bomb under Fred’s car.
Fred is found dead, the victim of a hit-and-run while jogging. Harold is worried about the bomb under the car. Lieutenant Columbo is called in to investigate.
It’s All in the Game:
Lauren (played by Faye Dunaway) has just accepted the proposal of Mr. Nick Franco. During a party she is hosting Lauren makes a few mysterious phone calls to a woman. Nick arrives at the party and then tells her he has to leave. He lies that he has to get back to a poker game. Nick is actually leaving to be with another woman. An Italian woman.
When he brings the woman back to his apartment the power is out. Lauren is there and shoots him. She then returns to her party and makes another phone call – to the Italian woman. Lauren tells her guests that she is going to bed, but actually goes to Nick’s. She tells the manager that she needs to get into Nick’s and forgot her key.
Outside his door they hear a gunshot. After entering Nick’s they find him lying there dead. Lieutenant Columbo is called in to investigate.
Special Features: Previews of Battlestar Galactica, Miami Vice, Monk, The Office, Heroes, House, Law & Order, A-Team, Knight Rider, and Magnum P.I.
