User Reviews

I'm one of many who enjoy Columbo episodes, and this is one of the better ones. It's charming, and entertaining. But I'm very surprised that more people are not put off, and do not agree with me, that the plot itself is seriously defective, and really makes no sense.

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ PRIOR TO WATCHING THIS EPISODE!

Adrian conks his brother on the head, and obviously leaves him alive and bound in his wine cellar, while intending to kill him. Why in the world would anyone do this? It never occurred to me that, before leaving for a trip to New York, he would entrust his wine cellar to finish off his brother by either overheating or suffocating him, but this is apparently what the viewer is intended to believe: Adrian does make an adjustment to the air conditioner before leaving, and the brother is dead upon his return. But Adrian could not do this without knowing he was putting the welfare of his fabulously rich wine cellar at risk, which it is impossible to believe that the eccentric wine fanatic he is supposed to be would do, rather than offering a second, final conk. Columbo's "proof" of Adrian's guilt comes at a dinner, in which Columbo sneakily serves Adrian his own maderized and ruined Port, establishing with Adrian's palate that his wine had indeed been subjected to temperatures above 150 degrees. But maderized port from Adrian's cellar does not prove that Adrian killed his brother there - it is only evidence against him if that ruse causes him to act in some way that subsequently shows that guilt. Adrian's subsequent disposal of his fortune of ruined wine is supposed to offer that proof, but Adrian could not have actually learned about his ruined wine from Columbo's ruse, since he had already knowingly sacrificed his cellar to suffocate his brother, rather than simply strangling or otherwise disposing of him.

It is ironic to me, that one of the better and more enjoyable Columbo episodes makes so very little sense, in its most critical plot elements.

Donald Pleasance plays one of his best television roles as Adrian Carsini, owner (with his brother Gary Conway) of a fine vineyard that has been turning out superior products (due to Pleasance's standards) for decades. But he finds Conway (who owns half the vineyard) wants to sell his half to a competitor (whose product Pleasance compares to mouthwash). Pleasance and his secretary (July Harris) are supposed to go to New York City on business (and for a wine auction - Pleasance collects rare vintages). In a fit of anger Pleasance kills Conway, and then quickly figures out a way to make Conway's death look like it occurred in an accident a few days later.

The accidental death is investigated by Lt. Columbo. Peter Falk begins to find some small problems concerning the death of Conway, supposedly when he went diving off a cliff while alone. And soon his attention is directed to Pleasance.

Unlike most of the Columbo episodes the killer is not really obnoxious. His snobbery is only as a perfectionist regarding wines, and he actually likes to perfect wine for the benefit of the consumer. And it is not a planned killing. But the typical cat and mouse atmosphere of the Columbo episode follows, including Falk taking a crash course on wine from George Gaynes (just referred to as a Frenchman - he works in a liquor store). It also deals with a first rate dinner in a posh restaurant, with Vito Scotti as a snobbish maitre'd (he puts Columbo at a table near the kitchen!). Finally there is a subplot regarding Harris as a woman with her own agenda regarding Pleasance.

And the solution is fairly interesting, leaving one with a smidge of pity for our fanatical wine lover/murderer.

I agree with those who say Donald Pleasance and Julie Harris make this a great episode. But the plot makes little sense: Why would Carsini turn off the A/C and ventilation in his wine cellar? Are we to believe a wine cellar is air tight and that someone tied up within it would suffocate? He should just have given his brother another clout on the head. And then in disposing of his many bottles of overheated wine, why would Carsini drive to the coast and toss them into the sea, unless he wanted Columbo to catch him at it? Why not pour them down the sink? Still, a great episode, mainly due to Donald Pleasance's extraordinary performance.

A good story overall, but some holes just needed some better clarification. The big problems I have with it concern the turning off of the air conditioning in the wine cellar. True, we know it was to suffocate Carsini's brother, but why would he do this on purpose and spoil his fine wine collection? It's been established that he'll pay big money for wine and he's a true wine snob, so this flies in the face of his character - someone who would never do that. Why would Donald Pleasance's character deliberately spoil his wine by turning of the A/C? It just seems to out of character for his character to sacrifice that. Plus, it goes against his plan of making his brother appear to have died by apparent drowning. He seemingly didn't have to ruin his wine if the brother died while scuba diving. This one left me confused, and no other voter has addressed this discrepancy. Can anyone shed some light on this one?

Adrian Carsini is the snooty owner of a Californian winery, who only cares about the exclusive ports he produces. But when his younger half-brother, who owns the land, decides to sell, he stands to lose his livelihood. There can be only one solution, and another case for the intrepid Lieutenant Columbo to solve.

This is one of the very best Columbo productions, which follows the three golden rules of the series; a) great story, b) great guest star, and c) mix Columbo with high society and watch him bluster. In this case, Carsini is the ultimate wine snob - he dismisses anything and anyone not up to his overinflated standards and drives around in a Roller buying old bottles that are too expensive to drink. A great deal of the pleasure comes from watching Columbo try to assimilate himself into this league, ingratiating himself whilst at the same time using this influence to gain crucial information pertinent to the case. Pleasence is superb as Carsini, and his mannered, sinister Britishness is a perfect accompaniment to Falk's engaging charm. The murder plot, from another great story by Larry Cohen, is a beautifully devious variation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado; the victim is locked in a wine cellar for several days then made to look as if he died scuba-diving. This is a real treat for Columbo fans, and a don't miss for anyone looking for a classic TV murder-mystery.

Donald Pleasance turns in a brilliant performance that elevates this outing well above the show's usual high quality. Combining icy arrogance and hedonistic glee, he creates a multilayered and thoroughly believable character - one who is almost likable despite his off-putting qualities.

Spoilers ...

Some reviewers have said it makes no sense for Pleasance to turn off the AC in his wine cellar, knowing his valuable collection will be ruined. But Pleasance does not anticipate that the wines will overheat. The heat wave that occurs while he's in New York is a freak event that he could not foresee. In fact, he knows nothing about it until late in the story when Columbo brings it to his attention.

That said, there are plot holes, as others have pointed out. It's unlikely the victim would suffocate in such a large room. The ropes used to hogtie him would leave ligature marks on the body. Pleasance could have chosen a less visible way of disposing of the spoiled wine (even if Columbo hadn't seen him, wouldn't someone notice hundreds of broken bottles washing up on the beach?).

But "Columbo" isn't really about plausibility. It's about the relationship between the dogged lieutenant and his quarry. This episode features one of the most satisfying of those relationships. After fifty years, it's aged as gracefully as a fine wine.

Classic Colombo. This is the one about wine.

Donald Pleasance, an unconvincing Italian if there ever was one, manages a winery which his ne'er-do-well brother (who owns the property) intends to sell. Good-bye, brother. Pleasance knocks him out, ties him up, deposits him in the wine vault, shuts off the ventilation, and allows him to suffocate. After being away long enough to establish an alibi for the time of death, Pleasance returns and disposes of the body in such a way as to suggest that the suffocation was a SCUBA diving accident.

Enter Colombo. He stumbles about, professing (and exhibiting) ignorance of everything connected with oenology but, by the end, has sniffed enough corks and enough clues to trap Pleasance into revealing his guilt. It all hinges on a bottle of Ficklin port 1945 or something that has been stashed in Pleasance's wine vault and been subject to a temperature above 150 degrees and thus spoiled. (What would 150 degrees do to the dead body -- turn it into a roti? And why turn off the thermostat in the first place? But never mind.)

The snobby world that Colombo walks in on, in this case, is not fine art nor chess but wine, of course. It's fun to see people explaining patiently to him how a fine wine must be treated, what a steady hand it takes to decant the stuff so it can "breathe" (a potential pun that more could have been made of). Colombo is properly humble and self effacing as he picks up the tricks.

I've never found Donald Pleasance to be much of a valuable contribution to anything he's appeared in but he's okay here. He's a not unsympathetic villain for a monomaniac. Julie Harris is good in an inessential part. The humor is especially subtle -- the direction and editing are helpful in bringing it out, as is the script. Three examples. (1) After an expensive meal in a fancy restaurant Pleasance is served a spoiled wine and reacts explosively. The head waiter and the wine steward rush to his table, pick up glasses of the wine, take a mouthful each and begin simultaneously swishing it around in their mouths, wearing puzzled looks. Cut -- at just the right point. (2) Colombo pulls up in his old clunker and hands the keys to the parking valet. "Boy," says the valet, "you don't see many like this one around anymore." Colombo explains to him: "There's over 100,000 miles on it. I'll tell you. You treat your car good and it'll treat you good." Valet gets in, turns the ignition key, and the car won't start. Cut. (3) Pleasance is holding a glass of wine in his hand on an airplane while chatting with Julie Harris. Finally he relaxes and takes a sip of the airline's wine. His eyes bulge momentarily before he looks down at the glass with contempt and disgust, wordlessly.

There are other episodes I probably enjoy more, but this one shows Colombo at his and the series' best.