When Columbo is poured tea in the final scene, he holds the tea cup and saucer in his left hand, the handle of the tea cup turned towards his right hand. When the camera angle changes, he is seen holding the saucer in his right hand and immediately grabs the tea cup with his left hand to drink from it.
When Columbo is discussing the murder scene of the Security Chief with Hassan Salah, he states that there was no sign of a struggle. However, the opening scene showed Rachman Habib overturning chairs, furniture, etc., in the room.
However, signs of struggle mean physical evidence on the body of the deceased that they struggled and fought. There are no signs of struggle on his body. And as Columbo noticed, he did not even reach for his gun.
However, signs of struggle mean physical evidence on the body of the deceased that they struggled and fought. There are no signs of struggle on his body. And as Columbo noticed, he did not even reach for his gun.
At least one of the protest signs misspells "Suarians" for "Saurians".
However, this is not a character error as the protester might be dyslexic or simply a bad speller.
The closeup of Habib's license shows it was issued on 1/2/1974 and his birth date as 1918. This would make him 56 years old. His height is listed at 5'8". Sal Mineo, who played Rahman, was only 36 years old at the time, looking nowhere near 56, and 5' 6" tall.
However, this is not a Goof, as Hollywood and other production locations often use actors who were felt to be the best "draw" - i.e., popular stars who people were interested in seeing.
The Saurians are supposedly from the Middle East, yet the actors cast in the most important "Sauri" roles are North-Americans.
However, actors, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, often do not reflect the ethnicity of parts they are hired to play. While that is changing somewhat in the 21st century, it is wrong to call it an error - after all, they are *actors*.
The Saurians are supposedly from the Middle East, yet at least one Saurian extra (bodyguard) is of Polynesian ethnicity.
However, actors, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, often do not reflect the ethnicity of parts they are hired to play. While that is changing somewhat in the 21st century, it is wrong to call it an error - after all, they are *actors*.
At the very end of the episode, the King gives Columbo the thumbs up sign. Which is surprising because the thumbs up is traditionally translated by the most vulgar of gestural insults in the countries of the Middle East, analogous to the middle finger in North America. The king therefore could not have made this sign.
The footman and maid, who are exiting the kitchen when Columbo is hesitating to come in, enter again after just a few seconds with the same dishes in their hands. This could be intended to show some mayhem to Columbo's entrance but really only adds some confusion.
When Hassan Salah leaves the embassy to go meet Habib at the cliff, he bends down and uses the key to unlock his car door. He opens the door, and the window glass can be seen to be lowered. He could have just reached through the open window and unlocked the door. It's even possible that the door wasn't locked.