Make Me a Perfect Murder
- Episode aired Feb 25, 1978
- TV-PG
- 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
An Emmy-winning TV executive kills her lover who's also her boss; Lt. Columbo is on the case.An Emmy-winning TV executive kills her lover who's also her boss; Lt. Columbo is on the case.An Emmy-winning TV executive kills her lover who's also her boss; Lt. Columbo is on the case.
James McEachin
- Walter Mearhead
- (as James Mc Eachin)
Kip Gilman
- Jonathan
- (as Kenneth Gilman)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Playland Arcade scenes were filmed at the Santa Monica, California Looff Hippodrome. This location also was used as the carousel where Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman's character in The Sting (1973)) lived and worked. In The Sting, the carousel was located in Chicago.
- GoofsThe image of Columbo's car, sitting in the parking lot, can be seen reflected in the glass of the CNC building as Kay enters it before she commits the murder.
- Quotes
Columbo: [entering Kay's office] That's a very impressive desk, Ma'am. You can run the world from a desk like that.
Kay Freestone: The world doesn't count - just the West coast.
- ConnectionsFeatures Bolero (1934)
- SoundtracksThis Old Man
(uncredited)
Traditional English children's marching song
Whistled by Columbo (Peter Falk)
Featured review
Overall OK, but plot... eeeh!
I am a big fan of the series and have watched nearly every episode a least twice.
This episode is a little slow and the plot a bit weak. As others have pointed in their comments, the "murderess" played by Trish Van Devere doesn't fit the traditional brilliant and narcissistic bad guy profile. However, I enjoyed it : it is one of the rare Columbo episodes where you quickly feel she and her story are going to fall apart, and I felt for her character. Trish Van Devere is gorgeous and plays an interesting woman with a strange, cold warmth to her. I also loved the tension during the crime itself, with the off voice doing the countdown. In this sense, I liked the episode.
Regarding the plot, I was disappointed, especially for an episode that lasts an hour and a half! The murder is hardly planned, there are so many ridiculous mistakes that are barely concealed, and the case is cracked with hardly any effort. Earlier Columbo episodes from the first two seasons were much better from that perspective.
Like others, I really don't enjoy the gimmicks and comedy scenes with Peter Falk, it just kills the slow steady rhythm of the movie. Columbo isn't supposed to be funny deliberately. Stories about his wife and what not should just occur every now and then to build the character, but they shouldn't last more than 10 to 20 seconds. They were definitely too long for me in this episode, especially in the scene where Columbo plays around with the buttons and switches... Yawn...
Overall, I give it a 7 because I was really impressed by Trish Van Devere (I think I love her) and the fact that Columbo is my hero too...
This episode is a little slow and the plot a bit weak. As others have pointed in their comments, the "murderess" played by Trish Van Devere doesn't fit the traditional brilliant and narcissistic bad guy profile. However, I enjoyed it : it is one of the rare Columbo episodes where you quickly feel she and her story are going to fall apart, and I felt for her character. Trish Van Devere is gorgeous and plays an interesting woman with a strange, cold warmth to her. I also loved the tension during the crime itself, with the off voice doing the countdown. In this sense, I liked the episode.
Regarding the plot, I was disappointed, especially for an episode that lasts an hour and a half! The murder is hardly planned, there are so many ridiculous mistakes that are barely concealed, and the case is cracked with hardly any effort. Earlier Columbo episodes from the first two seasons were much better from that perspective.
Like others, I really don't enjoy the gimmicks and comedy scenes with Peter Falk, it just kills the slow steady rhythm of the movie. Columbo isn't supposed to be funny deliberately. Stories about his wife and what not should just occur every now and then to build the character, but they shouldn't last more than 10 to 20 seconds. They were definitely too long for me in this episode, especially in the scene where Columbo plays around with the buttons and switches... Yawn...
Overall, I give it a 7 because I was really impressed by Trish Van Devere (I think I love her) and the fact that Columbo is my hero too...
helpful•148
- julien-neel
- Jan 10, 2009
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Mord in eigener Regie
- Filming locations
- 26646 Latigo Shore Drive, Malibu, California, USA(Mark McAndrews' beach house)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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