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.
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.