Most of the first Colombo series were pretty good, and this is one of the better ones. The whole series in fact ranks up there among the most enjoyable, each episode sprinkled judiciously with touches of originality in the script and characters, if not always in the plots. Colombo, from the beginning, always made effective use of such props as his raincoat, his cigar, and his car. Later episodes, alas, showed signs of flagging interest on the part of the writers and producers. Several of them had a disgusting ice-cream-eating floppy eared dog. That dog represented nothing more than desperation, and contempt for the viewers who, it must have been assumed, were getting bored with jokes about the raincoat. I have a cat. Or at least I did until the perfidious beast took off on me three weeks ago.
No dog in this one though. The car figures in the plot. And the script is engaging as Colombo, a complete ignoramus when it comes to Mexican culture, unravels a plot centering on bullfighting mores.
Here's Montalban's car caretaker (Jorge Rivero, who was the strutting Pierre Cordona in Hawks' "Rio Lobo") to Colombo: "Why are you asking me all these questions?" Colombo: "I can't help being a policeman. It's an occupational hazard." Rivero: "Occupational hazard?" Colombo: "Yes, that's what we call it. No matter where you go you take your work with you." Rivero: "Oh. We call that 'loco'."
Interesting location shooting too, presumably Tijuana. Colombo is waylayed by the Mexican police while carrying one of those multi-striped woven bags that every American tourist must buy. Many of the crew were Mexican, and the score is written by an Hispanic too, and sounds appropriate.
Most of the actors are up to par, except for Martinez who, in this company, sounds lightweight. And the girl is, how you say, no importa? But Ricardo Montalban should receive some kind of prize from the Gerontological Society of America. Holy Guacamole, that man looks good. He's awesomely fit, and handsome too. And he does a splendid job in the role of Senor Montoya, El Matador. Stern, proud, and irritable. The whole episode is, in a way, a tribute to the Mexican film industry, what with Montalban, Rivero, and the son of Pedro Armendariz, all of them stars in their own country. (Where is Gabriel Figueroa?)
The audience learns a little about bullfighting too (but not much). If there's a problem, it's a problem that tended to recur in the series. Colombo stumbles accidentally on clues and interprets them with improbable accuracy. Sometimes he seems to have ESP. He walks into a room he's never been in before, glances around the walls, walks over and picks up what looks like one pool cue out of half a dozen in a rack, and says, "This was Hector's lance?" How did he know that? He practically intuits the nature and method of the murder.
But it doesn't matter. It's an enjoyable entry.
No dog in this one though. The car figures in the plot. And the script is engaging as Colombo, a complete ignoramus when it comes to Mexican culture, unravels a plot centering on bullfighting mores.
Here's Montalban's car caretaker (Jorge Rivero, who was the strutting Pierre Cordona in Hawks' "Rio Lobo") to Colombo: "Why are you asking me all these questions?" Colombo: "I can't help being a policeman. It's an occupational hazard." Rivero: "Occupational hazard?" Colombo: "Yes, that's what we call it. No matter where you go you take your work with you." Rivero: "Oh. We call that 'loco'."
Interesting location shooting too, presumably Tijuana. Colombo is waylayed by the Mexican police while carrying one of those multi-striped woven bags that every American tourist must buy. Many of the crew were Mexican, and the score is written by an Hispanic too, and sounds appropriate.
Most of the actors are up to par, except for Martinez who, in this company, sounds lightweight. And the girl is, how you say, no importa? But Ricardo Montalban should receive some kind of prize from the Gerontological Society of America. Holy Guacamole, that man looks good. He's awesomely fit, and handsome too. And he does a splendid job in the role of Senor Montoya, El Matador. Stern, proud, and irritable. The whole episode is, in a way, a tribute to the Mexican film industry, what with Montalban, Rivero, and the son of Pedro Armendariz, all of them stars in their own country. (Where is Gabriel Figueroa?)
The audience learns a little about bullfighting too (but not much). If there's a problem, it's a problem that tended to recur in the series. Colombo stumbles accidentally on clues and interprets them with improbable accuracy. Sometimes he seems to have ESP. He walks into a room he's never been in before, glances around the walls, walks over and picks up what looks like one pool cue out of half a dozen in a rack, and says, "This was Hector's lance?" How did he know that? He practically intuits the nature and method of the murder.
But it doesn't matter. It's an enjoyable entry.