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When the episode begins, Freddy is arguing with his estranged wife. They apparently are in the process of getting a divorce and he wants to either get it over with or get back together. But as he's talking to her, he notices they are giving out the winning lottery numbers on TV....and he just won the $30,000,000 jackpot! But Freddy is greedy and knows he will have to split this with his wife...but the wife doesn't love him and makes no bones about it. So, he and his uncle (Rip Torn) come up with a really dumb and poorly thought out plan...to have the uncle claim the money and give it to Freddy later. Of course, this is NOT an easy thing due to taxes and laws governing transfers of money...and he never even considers that his uncle MIGHT be a crook and will try to cheat him....which, of course, he does because Freddy is an idiot.

I mostly enjoyed this installment of "Columbo" although for the life of me, I have no idea why they included a chimp in the show! Yes, a chimp!! But in spite of this, it is an entertaining episode and is well worth seeing...even if the victim was amazingly foolish.

With Peter falk,Rip Torn and Betsy Palmer you know it's going to be a good one🤘

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+

A nice cosy little mystery for Columbo and one of the better revamped TV movies I've watched. So far, this one seems closest to the spirit of the '70s originals, with a rather complicated murder scene and lots of clues for the detective to pick up on. No twists with the formula here, just straightforward detective work.

The delightfully rascally Rip Torn stars as an unscrupulous fellow who takes immediate action when his nephew wins thirty million dollars on the lottery. Due to the guy's soon-to-be ex wife's entitlement to half the sum, he convinces his nephew that he himself will cash in the cheque and pretend to be the winner, and pass on the cash further down the line. Inevitably he bumps his nephew off instead, making it look like an accident, which is where Columbo comes in.

Torn makes for a fine guest star villain. He doesn't really have any big or shouty moments with the crumpled gumshoe, but he exudes an air of quiet menace which works well. Falk acquits himself well with the material and has quite a few comic scenes in the midsection which work well in a gently humorous way. Betsy Palmer (FRIDAY THE 13TH) shows up playing Torn's wife, and there are enough twists and turns along the way to keep viewers enthused. Watch out for the chimp!