"Columbo" Now You See Him (1976)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Harvey Hart

Writers:

Michael Sloan (written by)
Richard Levinson (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

29 February 1976 (Season 5, Episode 5)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A stage illusionist kills his employer and makes it look like a contract killing; it's up to Lt. Columbo to trick the master trickster.

Plot Keywords:

Illusionist | Past | Ex Nazi | Detective | Nazi

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Jack Cassidy	...	The Great Santini
Bob Dishy	...	Sgt. John J. Wilson
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Jesse Jerome
Robert Loggia	...	Harry Blandford
Cynthia Sikes	...	Della Santini
George Sperdakos	...	Thackery
Thayer David	...	Magic Shop Owner
Redmond Gleeson	...	George Thomas
Patrick Culliton	...	Danny Green
Victor Izay	...	Lassiter
Robert Gibbons	...	Rogers
Michael Payne	...	Jefferson

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:11 (DVD) (2007) | Denmark:15 (DVD) (2007) | Sweden:15 (DVD) (2007) | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (2007) (self applied)

Company:

Universal TV

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Santini is about to do the vase-on-the-table trick for the woman in the hat, the babies' breath portion of the bouquet is visible just behind the table. You can see that the woman is holding the vase down while Jack Cassidy holds the napkin up and she then places the vase on the table.

Quotes:

George Thomas: Oh, uh, Mr. Jerome was lookin' for you a while back, sir.
Santini: Huh?
George Thomas: Seemed important.
Santini: Uh-huh. Everything's important to him.
George Thomas: Could you do me a favor, sir?
Santini: Sure, name it.
George Thomas: Could you make him disappear?
[Santini laughs]
George Thomas: Don't tell him I said it.
Santini: Oh, trust me, you're safe.

Movie Connections:

References Charade (1963)

Soundtrack:

Charade

Jack Cassidy Always Means Top Notch Columbo

Up to the time of his death in 1976, Jack Cassidy had played more villains (3)in Columbo than any other actor, and deservedly so. Had he stayed among the living, it is is probable that he would have appeared in countless others. Suave and sophisticated, he had that rare ability and screen presence which allowed him to play a bad guy who didn't have to be overtly evil and elicit hatred from the audience in order for them to want him to be caught. To me, that quality makes for the best Columbo opposition, because it places the emphasis is on the cat and mouse game, rather than just the simplistic good vs. bad. In this one, Cassidy plays a famous magician who murders a blackmailing magic club owner. The murder plot and cover-up is elaborate, but not overly and needlessly complicated. From the way Columbo first zeros in on suspect(without spoiling it - it revolves around the way the body fell and therefore how the murderer entered the room) to his piecing together means, opportunity and motive I found this one extremely intriguing and engrossing. The scene at the end with the letters is great. All in all, a top 5 Columbo for me.