Columbo (TV Series) Requiem for a Falling Star (1973) User Reviews

One of the few Columbo stories to successfully incorporate deviations to the usual formula

[The Welsh Raging Bull · 8/10 · 10 July 2005]

A Season 2 Columbo story that is primarily notable for it's success in straying slightly from the hitherto successful Columbo formula by installing a plot with twists relating to both motive and murder victim.

Anne Baxter gives a captivating, well-judged performance as a movie star in decline who realises that the blossoming relationship of her secretary and a persistent journalist could uncover her darkest secrets. Her deep-rooted desperation and selfish protectiveness are intriguingly conveyed in a story that is never quite what it seems: the viewer is not armed with all of the incriminating facts from the outset, so although it is not a who-dunnit, it is successfully sustained as a why-did-she-do-it.

Mel Ferrer also gives a decent performance as the journalist and his scenes with Baxter are consistently powerfully staged and purposefully developed.

There is a priceless scene too involving a cameo from real-life costume designer Edith Head, who gives Columbo a lavish tie from her rather vast wardrobe.

One other noteworthy and enjoyable sequence is when Columbo confronts the murderess near the end with the things that bothered him...

The script-writer Jackson Gillis expertly keeps things going at a startlingly frantic pace, and although the coincidence which helps Columbo solve the case is too coincidental, the strength in the plot, script and performances are too be admired, making this a little gem for the Columbo archives.

A rare chance to see AND hear Edith Head.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 18 August 2019]

I know that many of you won't care about this, but in this episode of "Columbo" you have a cameo by Edith Head...the 8x Oscar winning fashion designer. There just aren't that many opportunities to see and hear Ms. Head. For old movie fans, this is reason enough to see the show. Add to that Anne Baxter, Mel Ferrer and Kevin McCarthy and you've got a pretty incredible cast in this show!

Nora Chandler (Baxter) is a super-famous aging actress. She also happens to be a dandy murderer! Early on in the show, she blows up her assistant and it appears that she meant to blow up someone else instead. But killing folks is like eating potato chips to Chandler, as soon she tries another killing and it turns out killing is something she's pretty good at doing! Columbo eventually figures it all out...and you realize HE is the better actor!

This is a neat behind the scenes episode where you get to see how films are made. Add to that the cast and a few interesting twists and you have the recipe for a better than average installment in the series.

By the way, this is a very, very minor quibble. On TV and in movies, cars blow up MUCH faster and easier than in real life. The exploding gas tank happened way too quickly to be realistic....but again, it's a very minor problem.

Anne Baxter meets the rumpled detective

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 23 December 2005]

I have a special fondness for this particular Columbo episode, though I'm not sure why. It is very good, but there have been other Columbos that have moved a little faster. This one has a few interesting twists to the plot, but what is most enjoyable is the presence of Anne Baxter as a movie star, Nora Chandler, from Hollywood's golden age who now stars in a TV series. Kind of like Loretta Young, but with an entirely different persona. Mel Ferrer guest stars also, as does the lovely Pippa Scott. Scott plays Baxter's secretary, and Ferrer is a gossip columnist who seems to have some real dirt on Nora. He's also courting Scott, which Baxter is tremendously unhappy about. Nora is also getting some pressure from the studio. Nora has a cottage on the grounds with a fountain in the back - her late husband, Al, actually ran the studio. The present bosses want to sell off parts of the land, but Nora won't sell.

Falk and Baxter are funny together. He's initially starstruck - though I can't really agree with one poster on this board who thinks he wasn't onto her. He calls his brother-in-law George and has Nora say hello to him, and there is another cute scene with Edith Head.

It's a fascinating story, made special by Baxter and her chemistry with Falk.

Anne Baxter sparkles

[bcstoneb444 · 7/10 · 26 January 2015]

This otherwise average Columbo episode is redeemed by the charismatic performance of the great Anne Baxter. She's incredibly beautiful and steals every scene she's in. Her deliciously campy take on a Norma Desmond-esque movie queen is a pure delight. She even has a Desmond-like, eminently noirish name of Nora Chandler. Anyway Nora is being blackmailed and of course resorts to murder. Baxter and Peter Falk have a nice, edgy chemistry. Their back-and-forth is remarkable even by Columbo standards of detective and suspect. Whether she planned it or not Miss Baxter manages to upstage Peter Falk in every scene they're in together. Nice movie business backdrop, including a cameo by Edith Head. Old pros Kevin McCarthy and Mel Ferrer add support, though the Frank Converse character seems unnecessary. Richard Quine's direction keeps things moving along.

Anne Baxter against Mel Ferrer...with Columbo hovering close by

[django-1 · 9/10 · 2 March 2006]

The Columbo DVD box sets are allowing me to savor these old episodes without commercials and with the ability to watch parts over again to see how clues are planted. As another comment also stated, this episode may not be the most cleverly plotted or most exciting, BUT it has the great Anne Baxter as a fading star who was married to a now-deceased studio head and is now pitted against a sleazy tell-all biographer, played by another great, Mel Ferrer. Baxter's assistant is having an affair with Ferrer. The assistant winds up dead, but switched cars with Ferrer at the last minute. So was Ferrer or the assistant the intended target? Columbo doesn't miss a beat as he investigates, and as in the best Columbo episodes every seemingly throw-away remark or observation later takes on great significance. And it's always fun to see the Columbo character star-struck around celebrities, asking the celebrity to call his brother-in-law on the phone and the like.

In addition to seeing Columbo "crack" the case, the viewer doesn't really understand the motivation for the crime until the final scene, which adds another level of excitement. With a supporting cast including Kevin McCarthy and Frank Converse, this is an episode you should definitely check out. Baxter and Ferrer bring such class to the show. And Falk is always perfect in this role...

A great cast in this one

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 9 August 2016]

REQUIEM FOR A FALLING STAR is one of the more efficient Columbo episodes I've seen. The short running time means that the plot is very fast paced and the viewer has barely been introduced to the main cast members before the murder plot is set in action. Overall this is a professional-looking production with slick photography and a fine little script that gets to the heart of the characters involved while offering up more than a few surprises as the running time progresses.

The notable thing about REQUIEM FOR A FALLING STAR is the exemplary cast of former Hollywood stars, all of whom acquit themselves in the professional way you'd imagine. Anne Baxter is the guest villain and brings a level of authenticity to the proceedings as well as a slight sadness which Peter Falk trades on very well. This is one of those episodes where he's slightly in awe of the murderer so their scenes are quite sweet and special. Further support comes from an acidic Mel Ferrer and a brash Kevin McCarthy, while real-life fashion designer Edith Head has a cameo playing herself. It's good stuff and a classic episode for the show.

They could have had a better title!

[Sylviastel · 8/10 · 19 May 2006]

To start with, I always forget the episode with Anne Baxter who I believe is one of America's greatest actresses. Also, I can't forget Kevin McCarthy who is equally prolific and long overlooked as one of America's most talented and versatile actors. Anyway, the story of Anne Baxter playing a movie star who lives on the lot and refuses to turn over the property for tons of money is suspicious. Anyway, Columbo smells murder when her beloved assistant, Jean Davis, is murdered. Falk and Baxter's scenes together are always worth watching again and again. Falk's Columbo is starstruck but not dumbstruck by seeing a movie star involved in such a crime. Anne Baxter's character could have used a little more work in the storyline but she does a superb job in acting her out and she is simply of the grandest actresses of old Hollywood.

Hardly a falling star of the series, in fact I thought it was quite good

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 10 March 2012]

Requiem for a Falling Star I thought was a generally solid entry in one of my favourite shows of all time, but I don't consider it one of the better ones. It is another change of formula sort of episode, where Columbo for a while picks the wrong person, and it is mostly successful. I do have to agree though that Falk is made to act a little too obtuse here, and it really doesn't feel like him. While it is compellingly paced a vast majority of the time, I did feel some of the middle of the episode dragged, and the coincidence that helps Columbo I also agree is too much of a coincidence. However it is strikingly filmed, with an atmospheric music score, sharp writing that is at its best in the scenes between Columbo and Baxter and an interesting story where there is much more to it as it initially seems to be. Peter Falk is consistently wonderful as Columbo and Requiem for a Falling Star is no exception, Anne Baxter captivates as the edgy murderess, Mel Ferrer is wonderfully sleazy and under-appreciated Kevin McCarthy is good value. There is also a priceless cameo from Edith Head. All in all, quite good but not one of my favourites. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Fine, but not a classic of the series.

[Ripshin · 19 November 2006]

Frankly, when considering a "Columbo" plot revolving around a faded actress, the 1975 "Forgotten Lady," with Janet Leigh, is far more memorable than this exploration of 70s TV movie-making. The plot seems to borrow bits from various Hollywood sources, such as Shirley Temple and her bungalow at 20th Century Fox in the 30s, etc.

I always enjoy Anne Baxter's performances, but this comes across as a bit over-the-top. Granted, the script requires that she intentionally overact for Columbo, but at times, her supposed "natural" scenes are also a bit camp/vamp.

Even when this first aired in January, 1973, I knew who Edith Head was, and got a kick seeing her cameo.

Director Quine was also at the helm of my least-favorite episode, the one shown prior to this,"Dagger of the Mind." Both exhibit unnecessary scenery chewing, and stray from the formula that usually makes any "Columbo" episode a television classic.

Cheesy in All the Right Places

[miketypeeach · 10/10 · 14 January 2024]

My love for shows like Columbo has to do with when they were made. This aired just shy of my 10th birthday. Shows like these took me to places I never thought I'd go, and showed me people and things I never thought I'd see. It was my treat to look at the places, to see the people, and "be" where they were. Seeing these shows again takes me back.

This episode is filled with the "drama" of Hollywood life. The performances of the guest stars are campy as can be, which isn't a criticism. The killer is constantly running from what they did, deflecting Columbo's questions at every turn. These characters make it easy for Columbo to know they're lying to him. There's little authenticity among the players, which is perfectly representative of the Hollywood existence. It's a kick to see actors and actresses overdoing it when "playing themselves" as actors and actresses.

One goof I noticed is when the writer returns to his desk chair, he quickly glances away from the scene as he sits down. It appears to me he wants to make sure he's wel clear of the camera and equipment.

10/10 for how Columbo ultimately solved the crime.

Catch That Falling Star and put her in the Pokey

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 20 May 2012]

Peter Falk as the ever persistent Lt. Columbo has a real conflict of interest. Pippa Scott the secretary of big screen star Anne Baxter is killed in a staged automobile wreck after she met sleazy tabloid columnist Mel Ferrer to offer up some proof on her boss. Ferrer is a real bottom feeder, even stooping to some shtupping with Scott to get a real bit of gossip about Baxter. The woman really has something to hide.

Columbo has two big problems with this case, first it looks like the target might have been Mel Ferrer who has a phone book list of enemies who'd like to do him in. Secondly the motive for Baxter doing the deed isn't obvious. Columbo will have to literally dig up the truth to clinch his case.

Kevin McCarthy and Frank Converse round out the list of guest stars in this episode. Baxter is both a sympathetic yet an egotistical suspect, not an easy thing to pull off yet she does it. Her fans will be especially impressed with this episode.

Spotty but entertaining episode

[ronnybee2112 · 8/10 · 24 May 2021]

This episode is a bit forced and farfetched,no sense in denying it.

It is mainly the skill and acting talent of the main actress Anne Baxter that propels this episode, and makes this episode interesting.

This is hardly the first last or only Columbo episode with a weak plot or bad writing.

I would say that probably 50% of Columbo episodes could be described as having a weak plot or writing if we are honest about it.

This episode proves that it is the acting which makes or breaks any show. In other words.. Good,solid acting can overcome a weak script,story or plot.

Hit and Miss Columbo

[bensonmum2 · 6/10 · 7 April 2005]

• As you may, or may not, know, giving away the killer's identity in a Columbo movie is not a spoiler. You discover who the killer is ten minutes into the movie. In this episode, an aging star (Anne Baxter) feels like she's in a desperate situation. Her secretary for 18 years is leaving her to marry a reporter who has dirt on her. She's afraid that the secretary may reveal even more about her personal life. She does the only thing she can come up with to get out of the situation. She goes to the reporter's house and pours gasoline in the garage. Just as his car enter, she strikes a match and . . . well you get the picture.

• I've seen a lot of Columbo's movies and this one has its strong points and its weak points. I really enjoyed the mystery in this one. There's really more to it than initially meets the eye. I found the story to be very engaging. It's definitely one of the deeper Columbo movies I've seen so far. In most of these movies, Columbo spots the killer right off the bat and hounds them until they crack. Because of the complexities of the case, Columbo picks the wrong suspect. It's a nice change of pace.

• The weak points - Columbo himself. In a lot of these movies, you'll see Columbo gush over a suspect, but it's usually to get information. Here, he seems genuinely star-struck by Anne Baxter. That's not Columbo! He's always under control and using everything to his advantage. Usually, every little movement he makes, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is all part of his grand scheme to catch the killer. Not here. We get to see Columbo act like a fool and for no real reason whatever.

Minor But Enjoyable Columbo Entry About A Movie Queen With A Dark Secret

[ShootingShark · 5/10 · 7 May 2007]

Nora Chandler is a fading movie star being blackmailed by a gossip columnist. When her assistant borrows the columnist's car and is killed in a suspicious fire, Columbo thinks the assistant was killed by mistake. But perhaps his hunch is wrong, and Nora has much deeper, darker secrets to keep ...

This is not the most distinguished Columbo story, but it's still good fun. The best thing is the cast - Falk's aw-shucks charm, Baxter as the edgy drama queen, McCarthy as the bigwig and Ferrer as the heel. Baxter (the star of The Magnificent Ambersons, All About Eve, The Ten Commandments and many others) is great casting as the devious diva and her scenes with Falk are the highlight. Watch too for a rare appearance by Hollywood costumier legend Head (who was a close friend of Baxter's). This yarn has a good hook - we assume Baxter intended to kill Ferrer when she didn't - and her backstory is brought out with subtle effectiveness. However, the physical evidence of the crimes - so crucial and enjoyable in so many subsequent Columbo TV-movies - is almost entirely absent here. A pleasant but unexceptional TV thriller.

An enjoyable Columbo film although not one of the strongest

[bob the moo · 16 July 2005]

Fading movie star Nora Chandler is being blackmailed by gossip columnist Jerry Parks, who she is paying to ensure that her reputation stays intact. With this ongoing, it comes as a great surprise when Parks gets engaged to Chandler's trusted secretary Jean Davis. Seeking a way out and an end to this union, Chandler kills Davis by blowing up Parks' car with her in it and making it look like he was the victim. Columbo is put on the case taking the bait and starts looking for someone who wanted him dead – although any celeb that he has slandered could be on that list. Meanwhile Nora has to deal with Parks, who of course knows that the murderer was Nora and believes that he was the target.

As with many TV film series (such as Perry Mason), if you like one or two of them then you'll pretty much like them all. This entry in the Columbo series pretty much follows the usual formula – we know the killer and the "perfect" plan but then watch Columbo follow his hunch and gradually starts to pick holes in the story he is told before eventually finding enough to prove his suspicions. Saying this is not a spoiler – it is simply what happens in all the films. With this film the approach is similar to "Stitch in Time" where the wrong person is murdered and the real victim is still walking around, with the slight twist being that the victim here knows the score more than Columbo does. The blackmail aspect and the couple of characters involved make the plot slightly more interesting but rather take away from the cat and mouse games that usually exist between Columbo and the murderer. That said it does still engage and is a reasonably good plot – the world of old movie stars is not that well brought out or looked at, although it does provide a reasonably interesting frame.

The cast, as always, are crucial. Falk is his usual reliable self, although his admiration of Chandler is not as convincing as it has been with other characters in other films; other than that though he is as good as he often is. Baxter is pretty convincing but her character doesn't fit with the formula and the approach her character is given doesn't make the formula work that well. That said, she is still a good fading star and works on that level. Ferrer is pretty good and does his thing well within the film. Support is good enough from McCarthy, Converse and others but the lead two make the film, although perhaps not as well as Falk has done it with others.

Overall a good Columbo film but not quite a great one. Fans will, of course, still find a great deal to enjoy here though.

The Actress

[AaronCapenBanner · 7/10 · 21 February 2016]

Anne Baxter stars as a once famous film actress named Nora Chandler who is being blackmailed by a gossip writer named Jerry Parks(played by Mel Ferrer) that she wants to get rid of, but in a seemingly tragic accident, kills her assistant Jean Davis(played by Pippa Scott) instead, though Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) isn't so convinced that it was a mistaken hit, but suspects an incident from her past as a bigger motive, which pains him as he is a fan of Chandler's films, though of course Columbo must always get his man...or woman. Kevin McCarthy guest stars. Interesting plot which contains some amusing on-set in-jokes about Hollywood.

Rollarcoster columbo

[ziejackson · 8/10 · 18 December 2022]

I had never heard of Ann baxter before, I was born in 1987 so the vast majority of celebrities special guest stars are unknowns to me, she is a master of her craft a power house performance, I read a review that due to columbo being a fan of the antagonist that he gushed over her and it made it act like a fool for no reason and that it wasn't columbo I disagree this is still the columbo we know and love we just got to see a new side to him played for comedy like the phone calls to his brother in law, he is still as meticulous and diligent and intelligent as always, I have seen a few of these over the years with my dad not seen them all , I'm doing a first watch/ re-watch from start to finish this is one of my faves of the ones I've seen in season 1 and 2 so far, given that Peter falk is no longer with us I'm glad there are so many to enjoy especially the more modern specials at the end I think it would be interesting (considering the trends nowadays) if they did a continuation with his "son" as detective inspector columbo perhaps he's a "chip of the old block" and given how kids pick up traits of their parents you could have some classic columbo qurks with some new ones thrown in to make the next gen columbo distinct and fresh.

I wanted to like it

[hmoika · 6/10 · 29 March 2019]

With Anne Baxter leading the way, I was very excited to see this next episode on my Columbo DVD set.

However, I am forced to agree with those reviewers who felt this to be a rather ho-hum, hackneyed affair. It was watchable, but, in my opinion, not much more.

I so wanted to like it, coming as it did on the heels of Columbo in London......another rather ho-hum affair.

As good as it gets with Columbo

[tfmiltz · 10/10 · 2 March 2016]

Watching this again for the nth time...

You never know - at the beginning This is one of the best written episodes.

It leaves you wondering.

Who is going to do WHO in? Is it envy ? or prevention - or what ? Just a GREAT offering in the entire series.

The Falk is gone from us now in reality but may Falk live on in this one.

She puts on the animal skin jacket

I DO wonder if she's going to tilt the human spirit

and do something no other animal might do

and where there is sex ? death isn't too far along eh ?

Forever.

Actually-

THIS EPISODE -

APART from ALL others

COMPLETES Season 1 Episode 1

TO PRESENT - full 180 polarity -

JUST A WONDERFUL TREAT OFFERING in scripting

and of course- sound track

"Requiem for a Falling Star" (1973)

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 6 February 2019]

PLOT: A middle-aged actress (Anne Baxter) is blackmailed by a gossip journalist (Mel Ferrer) and, evidently, seeks to silence him through an automobile explosion. Pippa Scott plays her faithful assistant while Kevin McCarthy appears as the ex-starlet's new beau.

COMMENTARY: The first half is curiously lackluster with the murder sequence being questionable at best (e.g. the dubious way the vehicle explodes, plus why didn't the victim just jump out the door before flames engulfed the car). The ostensibly obtuse sleuth returns to Universal Studios for much of the runtime, which recalls some scenes in the first Columbo movie "Prescription: Murder" (1968). Anne still looked good at 49 during shooting and the gumshoe seems more charmingly pestering as ever.

The second half thankfully picks up steam as we learn that not everything is as it first appeared. The story contains some quality twists and effectively connects-the-dots at the end. Nevertheless this is the least of the Columbo flicks up to this point after the previous installment "Dagger of the Mind."

GRADE: C+/B-

Good episode

[lucyrfisher · 8/10 · 1 January 2024]

Anne Baxter's ageing movie star has a close relationship with her downtrodden secretary - will she turn out to be an "Eve"?

Baxter is as "Eve"-il as ever - how did she manage not to get petrol on her clothes? Wouldn't the smell be a giveaway?

More oddities about the Columbo character - there's a running gag about him ogling beautiful young girls. But he doesn't seem like that kind of a creep at all. Is it an excuse to show girls in belly dancing outfits (always hanging about on fictional movie lots)? And this is the 70s and we can be broadminded now?

Just one more thing - he is very touchy-feely with suspects. These days he'd never be allowed to paw Miss Chandler, let alone hug her. To me, this jars.

One high point - that awful dog is absent.

old Hollywood Columbo

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 29 September 2023]

Fading movie actress Nora Chandler (Anne Baxter) is getting blackmailed by Hollywood columnist Jerry Parks (Mel Ferrer) for her fraud against the studio. He's been romancing Nora's assistant Jean Davis. Nora sets fire to Jerry's driveway, but it actually kills Jean. Columbo (Peter Falk) investigates.

This is a standard Columbo howcatchem with a mystery buried within it. It's well done. As always with Columbo, it has some interesting actors from Old Hollywood doing their last chapter on TV. In this case, the subject matter makes it feel like it even more. Anne Baxter embodies this role really well.

A tough case for Columbo, never meet your heroes.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 12 January 2024]

Fallen Hollywood star commits the perfect murder, unfortunately her plan didn't quite go to plan, Columbo is on the case, but is a little dazzled by the glamorous star.

It's an excellent episode, for a Detective, catching a killer just be so tough, catching someone who's commited the wrong murder, must be virtually impossible. It just feels different to every other episode that I've seen so far.

Falk puts in a great performance here, he does hia usual thing, but seeing him star struck by the enchanting Nora Chandler is terrific.

What can I say about Anne Baxter, he's terrific throughout, she has a real on screen presence, I'm not sure what it is, but she has bagfuls of it, maybe it's charisma, maybe it's star quality. I loved Edith Head's scenes, just lovely.

I don't often comment on fashions, but the clothes Baxter gets to wear are terrific, the costume designer did a wonderful job.

I hope they didn't actually torch an E-type, that would have been sacrilege.

8/10.

Columbo is too slow to suspect the killer in this otherwise entertaining entry

[J. Spurlin · 26 March 2005]

With one subtle change in the script this might have been one of the great "Columbo" episodes. Richard Quine, who also wrote the weak "Dagger of the Mind," does a superior job this time. But he still misses a trick.

Faded movie actress Nora Chandler (Anne Baxter) is being blackmailed by a gossip columnist, Jerry Parks (Mel Ferrer). Parks is also romancing Chandler's secretary (Pippa Scott) who knows all the great star's secrets. Chandler in desperation blows up the columnist's car – but it turns out her secretary was the one driving.

The plot is entertaining and has at least two satisfying surprises. But as in "Dagger," Quine does not know how to treat our favorite detective. This time he commits the tactical blunder of making Columbo a genuine fan of Chandler. When we first see him, he's standing at her door, checking his nails, making a futile effort to unrumple himself. Once he's inside, he gushes over the star and even calls his brother-in-law from her house and asks her to say hello to him. The Columbo we know and love can be gauche, but he's not an idiot. It's painful watching him behave so obtusely with someone he admires and genuinely believes has just suffered a great shock.

And that's the problem. For the first time, his intuition fails him when it comes to spotting the killer. In fact, he seems much more suspicious of the gossip columnist than of her. And when he finally does suspect her, he can hardly allow himself to believe it. This is very un-Columbo-like. Usually when he gushes over someone, it's to get the suspect to lower his (or her) defenses. Think of his crafty obsequiousness to Jack Cassidy in "Murder by the Book." This would have been a far more entertaining episode if Columbo *pretended* to be a big fan.

Still, this is enjoyable enough, especially for movie buffs. Anne Baxter is everyone's favorite manipulative bitch from "All About Eve," and she does a fine job playing a homicidal variation here. There are a lot of old movie stars' photos in the columnist's office (I spotted Jean Harlow, W.C. Fields, Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable, just to name a few). And we even get to see Baxter play a second murderess in a movie-within-a-movie. Then there's a cameo for legendary costume designer Edith Head. Good stuff, but it could have been much better.

I never told him anything about you and he never asked not once!

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 8 November 2006]

***SPOILERS*** Back in September 1960 Al Cumberland the movie mogul husband of famous actress Nora Chandler, Ann Baxter, was reported lost at sea. After getting himself good and drunk Al sailed out into the vast Pacific Ocean never to be seen or heard from again. Since the loss of her husband Al Nora had become very weird and depressed where she stopped making movies in Hollywood sticking to foreign films and made for TV movies instead.

Nora is also holding on to some choice property, left to her by her late husband Al, in Southern California that she refuses to relinquish. Nora wouldn't sell it for any price even though she's very financially strapped for cash and has to work, making TV films and foreign movies. Nora does this in order to keep her from going bankrupt and losing the property, to her studio whom she's very deeply in debt to.

With all this information about Nora's checkered past, who's actions had cost her studios tens of millions, it's a simple run of the mill blackmail attempt that does her in. Nora's embezzling 2 million dollars from the movie company, that bankrolled her last film in Italy, leads to the murder of Nora's personal secretary and very good friend Jean Davis, Pippa Scott.

Later in the film an attempted murder of gossip columnist Jerry Parks, Mel Ferrer also results because of the embezzlement. All this had Lt. Columbo, Peter Falk, a great admirer and long time fan of Nora's wonder if there was anything more to her suspected murderous actions other then the reasons that was made to seemed so obvious to him.

One of the most bizarre of all the Columbo mystery movies that even has the very on the ball Lt. Columbo in stitches and going to such absurd lengths, like someone throwing bowls of spaghetti on the wall, in hoping that something would stick. We in fact do see Nora plan to murder columnist Jerry Parks as she ambushes him in his garage with a make-shift gasoline bomb. It turns out that Nora mistook her secretary Jean Davis, who had borrowed Jerry's car, for Parks ending up murdering her

Lt. Columbo coming on the scene to inquire on Jean's death is at first so star struck at the very sight of screen legend Nora Chandler. Columbo was secretly in love with Nora, from afar of course, even with his wife's knowledge since he was a teenager. This love affair, in his mind, made it almost impossible for Let. Columbo to have a clear and objective mind in investigating her.

Overcoming his very good feelings about Nora and getting down to business Lt. Columbo starts to see that there's a number of loose ends in the case of her secretary Jane's murder that lead right to her. Even the fact that were, and Lt. Columbo, lead to believe that Nora mistakenly killed Jerry Parks thinking that he was behind the wheel, not Jane, of his car falls completely apart.

It's revealed that the reason for Parks to blackmail Nora, about the two million dollar embezzlement, was totally bogus. With the revelation that Nora's studio boss Frank Simmons, Kevin McCarthy, knew all about it after Nora voluntarily told him that fact two weeks before Jerry even found out about the embezzlement! In fact it was really Jean and Jerry's plans to get married that was the real reason for Nora to panic and become homicidal.

Taking a big chance by having planted a 32 degree Free Mason ring on the ambulance that was taking Jerry, whom Nora tried to run over, to the hospital Lt. Columbo cracked the case. Let. Columbo tricked Nora into believing that he found out the secret that she went so far as to murder to keep from seeing the light of day. A secret that Nora had kept to herself, and was responsible for her strange actions ever since, since that violent day in September some twelve years ago.