Meurtre au champagne

I think my favorite part of any Columbo episode is that closeup on the killer when he realizes that he's not dealing with an idiot. When Rip Torn is the killer, you just can't wait for him to crash.

Freddy (Gary Kroeger) is going through an awful divorce because his wife (Jamie Rose) is refusing to be part of a debt he incurred. Consequently he is unable to convince her to sign the papers.

Then he finds out he has won $30 million in the lottery, and now he's afraid since they're not divorced, his wife can claim half. His Uncle Leon (Rip Torn), a jeweler, suggests that he claim the money for Freddy. They draw up a letter of agreement.

But Uncle Leon is going to find it difficult to part with that money, even if he is getting 10 percent off the top. He makes it look as if Freddy drowned while taking a bath, and changes the time on the victim's watch to give him a perfect alibi.

Columbo picks up problems with the scene immediately. He comes to believe it was not an accidental death, and not so slowly begins to put the pieces together.

Torn is a riot, using a very broad accent (sounds like Texas) and being a real scum. Betsy Palmer plays his dizzy wife.

Lots of atmosphere here, including a party of hippies singing songs like Where Have All the Flowers Gone, a chimpanzee in a romper, and a millionaires masquerade party. Highly entertaining.

PLOT: Ready to finalize his divorce, a struggling photographer (Gary Kroeger) wins $30 million in the lottery, but doesn't want his wife (Jamie Rose) to get half of it, so he gives the ticket to his secretly bankrupt uncle (Rip Torn) to cash it in, promising him 10%. But the uncle wants the whole shebang and is willing to murder to get it.

COMMENTARY: Everything clicks. There's a good sense of reality with the photographer's apartment/studio, his friends/family, the costume party and the pet chimpanzee. The air is kinetic, sprinkled with elements of amusement, like the swank auction sequence. Torn makes for an effective antagonist and redhead Rose is striking head-to-toe.

GRADE: A-/B+

Gary Kroeger, a rather shiftless sort who ekes out a living as a free lance photographer has finally had his ship come in. He's the proud possessor of a 30 million dollar lottery ticket. Unfortunately he also has a greedy wife in Jamie Rose.

So he decides to ask his uncle Rip Torn to cash the check then give him the proceedings when the final divorce decree between Kroeger and Rose is signed. Big mistake because Torn is both greedy and murderous.

Between the estranged wife and the greedy uncle Kroeger never stood a chance. Still Peter Falk has a case to solve and find a motive. A few of those small details that Columbo always harps on do the trick.

And Torn is made a chump of by a chimpanzee. Believe me Columbo never could have put this one together without the chimp.

Highly entertaining.

For me, Death Hits the Jackpot is one of the better later Columbo episodes. It starts off a little slow perhaps, but it picks up significantly and doesn't have any more problems as far as I am aware. The story is interesting and well-structured, and the script has a lot of nice humorous touches between Lamarr and Columbo which was a delight to see, in fact I liked this episode especially for its less-serious yet somewhat light-hearted tone. The direction is as solid as rocks, and there are several good scenes, any scene between Lamarr and Columbo is winning, but the murder scene is quite intense, the denouncement is clever and the party itself was a nice touch for those sumptuous costumes. The music is great once again, and the acting is too. Peter Falk is exceptional as always, and Rip Torn is simply brilliant and seems to be relishing a very interesting character. Overall, delightful and one of the better later episodes. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Freddy Brower (Gary Kroeger) is an out-of-work photographer in the throes of getting a divorce from his wife Nancy (Jamie Rose). Whilst discussing the divorce settlement with her is watching the television & finds he has won the jackpot (30 million dollars) on the national lottery. His wife has not yet signed the divorce papers & so is legally entitled to a half of his winnings. So he consults his Uncle Leon (Rip Torn) seeking his advice about how to avoid losing half to his wife. He tells his nephew the best way around the problem is a "switcheroo". Give him the winning ticket for his uncle to collect the money which he will collect & later hand back over to Freddy without his wife knowing. Uncle Leon owns a jewellery business which is in serious financial difficulty & he has already decided he will keep the money & murder his nephew. This is a very good late Columbo episode & Rip Torn is an absolute hoot as the scheming, conniving Uncle Leon.