Any Old Port in a Storm
- Episode aired Oct 7, 1973
- TV-PG
- 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
A wine connisseur kills his half- brother to prevent him selling the family winery to a merchant company so he can pay off his gambling debts.A wine connisseur kills his half- brother to prevent him selling the family winery to a merchant company so he can pay off his gambling debts.A wine connisseur kills his half- brother to prevent him selling the family winery to a merchant company so he can pay off his gambling debts.
Regis Cordic
- Lewis
- (as Regis J. Cordic)
Monte Landis
- Steward
- (as Monty Landis)
John Blower
- Waiter
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPeter Falk has stated that this episode is his personal favorite. He said that this was the first episode in which Columbo developed a sincere fondness for the murderer. Speaking of Columbo and the Donald Pleasence character, he said that "the two men shared something in common: an admiration for excellence." This was discussed in a 10-minute interview by Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)" three days before the original broadcast of the episode, in which Falk praised the skills and performance of Pleasence.
- GoofsThe wine that Carsini and Columbo drink at the conclusion is a white dessert wine. No white dessert wines are ever marketed in a fiaschi or straw-covered bottle.
- SoundtracksThis Old Man
(uncredited)
English children's folk song
Whistled by Peter Falk
Featured review
Columbo At Its Very Best.
"Any Old Port In A Storm" is my own personal favourite Columbo episode & I have read that it was also Peter Falk's. It begins with wine connoisseur & maker of fine wines Adrian Carsini holding up a wine-glass full of one of his wines to the light. "Titian himself could not have created a better colour & would have gone mad trying". Donald Pleasance plays Adrian Carsini who runs a California winery. The property is owned by his younger half-brother Enrico played by Gary Conway. Adrian is a wine-snob who loves his business of wine-making to the exclusion of just about everything else. When his playboy brother needs money to finance his own interests he decides to sell the family business to rival wine producers, the Marino brothers. This infuriates Adrian who rages, "The Marino brothers. 5 cents a gallon Marino brothers. They don't make wine. They don't even make good mouthwash". In his fit of rage he clubs Enrico over the head with a lamp knocking him unconscious. He then ties him up in his wine cellar just before travelling to a wine conference in New York with his secretary played by Julie Harris. When he returns 5 days later Enrico is dead & Adrian tries to cover up his murder by making it look like a scuba-diving accident. When Columbo is put on the case he soon begins to suspect Adrian Carsini may be involved & what follows is great entertainment. The scripting is top-notch as is the acting by all concerned. Even the minor roles are excellent. Vito Scotti as a restaurant Maitre d' is great as is George Gaynes playing a Frenchman who owns a wine-shop. The latter teaches Columbo some of what he knows about wines in order to help him trap his suspect. "Let's start with the basics. How can you tell a good wine from a bad wine?", is Columbo's first question. "Er, by the price!", answers the wine-shop owner. This, for my money, is just a fabulous Columbo entry!.
helpful•61
- Hotwok2013
- Jun 21, 2015
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- "Columbo - Wein ist dicker als Blut" (1975)
- Filming locations
- Mirassou Winery, 3000 Aborn Road, San Jose, California, USA(Carsini Winery)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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