Synopsis
Includes:
Columbo: Sex and the Married Detective (1989)
Columbo: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (1989)
Columbo: Grand Deceptions (1989)
Columbo: Murder, A Self Portrait (1989)
Columbo: Murder, Smoke and Shadows (1989)
Columbo: Sex and the Married Detective
It's an alluring title, to be sure, but faithful Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) does not stray from his never-seen wife in Columbo: Sex and the Married Detective. Lindsay Crouse guest stars as Dr. Joan Allenby, a radio personality billed as "Sex Therapist of the Airwaves". The doctor finds she must counsel herself when her personal assistant ends up in bed with Allenby's business manager/lover. The scorned lady murders the errant beau and tries to pin the blame on her assistant. Lt. Columbo smells a beautiful rat, and spends the rest of the 2-hour TV film dogging Dr. Allenby's trail. Sex and the Married Detective was originally telecast on the omnibus weekly series The ABC Monday Mystery Movie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Columbo: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine
After an absence of nearly a decade, Peter Falk returns to the role of dishevelled detective Columbo in Columbo Goes to the Guillotine. The special guest murderer this time out is professional psychic Anthony Andrews. The victim is magician Anthony Zerbe, a onetime cellmate of Andrews' who had been the psychic's co-conspirator in a plan to steal military secrets. Zerbe is found lying next to his guillotine trick, his head neatly severed from his body. An accident, says the coroner. Maybe not, says Columbo, whose efforts to tighten the noose around Andrews' neck are complicated by the latter's ESP prowess. The 2-hour Columbo Goes to the Guillotine was telecast February 6, 1989, as the opening volley of The ABC Monday Mystery Movie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Columbo: Grand Deceptions
Robert Foxworth is special guest murderer in the two-hour Columbo drama Grand Deceptions. Foxworth plays a retired Army colonel, currently fronting a paramilitary organization. He preaches duty, honor and country, all the while dipping into the organization's funds. When a colleague threatens to blow the whistle, Foxworth murders the man, making the killing look like an accident. Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) suspects that the colonel is guilty, but finds it difficult penetrating his phalanx of followers. Viewers were first treated to Columbo's customary diligence in Grand Deceptions on May 1, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Columbo: Murder, A Self Portrait
Columbo: Murder, A Self Portrait stars Patrick Bauchau as an artist hounded by a contentious ex-wife (Fionulla Flanagan). He murders his former spouse on the beach at Malibu, but arranges things to make it seem he was far away in his art studio at the time of the killing. Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) has heard this song before, and he meticulously chips away at the artist's alibi. Also in the cast is Shera Danese, a.k.a. Mrs. Peter Falk. Murder, A Self Portrait was one of the handful of Columbo 2-hour episodes shown during the 1989-1990 season on The ABC Saturday Mystery Movie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Columbo: Murder, Smoke and Shadows
Let's see: who is the character played by Fisher Stevens supposed to be? Stevens plays an egomaniacal Hollywood director, whose negligence causes an on-set death. Cleared of all responsibility, Stevens is confronted with cold, hard evidence of his complicity by the victim's brother. The director then utilizes his knowledge of special effects to murder his accuser and make the whole thing look like an accident. Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk), however, suspects foul play. With such clues as traveller's check and a pair of ice cream sodas at his disposal, Columbo slowly tightens the noose around Stevens' neck. The two-hour Columbo: Murder, Smoke and Shadows was originally telecast February 27, 1989, as part of the ABC Monday Mystery Movie package. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
