dittoheadaz

One of the best Columbo episodes (rivals the one with Johnny Cash & Sorrell Booke as the best ever)! I remember seeing this one when it was brand new, and a couple times since. The acting is perfect (McGoohan is one of the better character actors) and he did a good job directing too.

However, watching it again, I just noticed something (we recorded it a few nights ago on Biography) - right after Columbo gets the air spray for the cigar odors from Finch's secretary, the next scene has him standing outside an office talking to a doorman (the doorman doesn't speak so he doesn't get in the credits, apparently).

Was that doorman Dick Van Dyke? (I know sometimes they get stars to make bit parts for the fun of it.) I know D-V-D was definitely grey around that time, and he used to have the same mustache.

I remember when this was second run (it was part of some weekly TV-movie series, similar to the NBC Mystery Movie but without the recurring characters). I missed the original running, but a lot of kids at school were talking about it the next morning, so when reruns came around (maybe 6 months later), I made sure to watch it.

I remember that it was eerie (not really frightening, but more suspenseful), especially the twist at the end (won't give it away). Probably not the best movie for a nine-year-or-so-old kid to see on his own (thanks to my parents having friends over to play bridge or something, I got to see it on colour TV instead of my dad's old b/w) but at least I had something to talk about the next day at school, with all the other kids who missed it the first time! Had no idea who the actors were at the time, but Doug McClure's acting was the best. Everyone else's wasn't terrific, but good enough for TV, and the writing was stellar - too bad they churn out such junk and charge you $8 or whatever it is now, when you used to see good stuff for "free" (you just had to put up with commercials).

Would like to see it again, because the rerun (1976?) was the last time I saw it.