"Columbo" Blueprint for Murder (1972)

Director:

Peter Falk

Writers:

Steven Bochco (teleplay)
William Kelley (story)

TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

9 February 1972 (Season 1, Episode 7)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Bo Williamson comes back from Europe after a travel two months long and finds a surprise: his wife Jennifer...

Plot Keywords:

Building | Architect | Country Music | Murderer | Howdunit

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Patrick O'Neal	...	Elliot Markham
Janis Paige	...	Goldie Williamson
Pamela Austin	...	Jennifer Williamson
John Fiedler	...	Doctor
Forrest Tucker	...	Bo Williamson
Bettye Ackerman	...	Miss Sherman
John Finnegan	...	Carl
Nick Dennis	...	Guard
Robert Gibbons	...	Clerk
Cliff Carnell	...	Officer Wilson
Jimmy Joyce	...	Workman

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (2004)

Filming Locations:

Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

The only Columbo episode directed by Peter Falk.

Goofs:

Continuity: The text on the blackboard tends to shift and disappear as the camera angles change. Especially prominent is Markham's drawing of an Egyptian pyramid, which is seen behind him, then disappears, then reappears until he finally erases it.

not bad, not great

For this time around, Peter Falk goes behind the camera for this episode about the murder of a "volatile Texan", who's namesake is Beau Williamson, and he's not too happy about having a city named after him, prior to his death, that is. The killer, Patrick O' Neal, played his role with charisma and is a solid addition to Columbo. I believe he stars in 1 other episode about a female film executive, but I digress. O' Neal's Eliott Markham is the star of this entry, as he is very cool under Columbo's pressure, and we, along with the detective, get a somewhat introduction to architecture; Markham is the architect currently trying to build Williamson City, albeit without Williamnson's approval, played convincingly by Forrest Tucker; too bad he doesn't have more scenes, as the scenes between he and Markham is quite interesting. This is a fairly easy episode to follow, as we get to see nice shots of an actual construction site with real workers, plus a cozy college classroom, where Markham teaches part-time.

As in many Columbo episodes, the conclusion leaves something to be desired, as a smart man like Markham has the detective dig up the site looking for the body, and when it doesn't show up, Markham simply decides to put it there anyway, hours later. That's awfully risky if you ask me, and it leads to his undoing and capture. Also, the police couldn't find the victim's body, which was in the equipment shed. That seems too far-fetched for me that they couldn't locate the body in his own house.

This isn't the most memorable episode, but it has good actors and an interesting plot, along with scenery to make it enjoyable for the most part.