Steven Spielberg then a young television director on contract to Universal made the first regular episode of Columbo.
Jack Cassidy plays Ken Franklin who along with writing partner Jim Ferris has produced the successful range of Mrs Merivale mysteries which have made them both a lot of money. Ferris actually writes the books and comes up with the plot ideas with Franklin doing the publicity.
However Jim now wants to end the writing partnership and Ken lures him to his cabin in San Diego in order to kill him. He has a plan set up that Jim was abducted from his office by some hoodlums upset because of what he was researching.
However Columbo suspects Ken, who appears to be smarmy, over confident and puzzled as to why Ken chose to drive from San Diego back to LA rather than taking a flight which should had been faster given his long time creative partner had died.
Ken also has to resort to commit a second sloppy murder because he was witnessed hanging about with Jim near his cabin in San Diego.
Jack Cassidy is terrific as the villain of the piece and his performance is helped by Spielberg's direction who makes him exude sinister charm without being hammy. Cassidy would go on to appear in several other Columbo films.
However I think Columbo's denouement was weak which was a sign of sloppy writing from Steven Bochco.
First thing. I have actually driven myself from San Diego to LA, it takes about 2 and half hours. If Ken went to the airport in San Diego, he would need to arrive, wait for his plane, then fly to LA, disembark, go through security and drive to wherever from LA airport. Taking into account that in 1971 Ken would not need to arrive at the airport as early as you do nowadays and security would not be as stringent. Columbo's assertion that flying would had been faster just does not hold up.
More importantly Ken's last line does not make much sense when he states that the murder plot was his own idea from some years ago that he told Jim about and he did not know that Jim would write it down in a piece of paper. It was well known Jim always scribbled ideas down, Ken should had known that!
Jack Cassidy plays Ken Franklin who along with writing partner Jim Ferris has produced the successful range of Mrs Merivale mysteries which have made them both a lot of money. Ferris actually writes the books and comes up with the plot ideas with Franklin doing the publicity.
However Jim now wants to end the writing partnership and Ken lures him to his cabin in San Diego in order to kill him. He has a plan set up that Jim was abducted from his office by some hoodlums upset because of what he was researching.
However Columbo suspects Ken, who appears to be smarmy, over confident and puzzled as to why Ken chose to drive from San Diego back to LA rather than taking a flight which should had been faster given his long time creative partner had died.
Ken also has to resort to commit a second sloppy murder because he was witnessed hanging about with Jim near his cabin in San Diego.
Jack Cassidy is terrific as the villain of the piece and his performance is helped by Spielberg's direction who makes him exude sinister charm without being hammy. Cassidy would go on to appear in several other Columbo films.
However I think Columbo's denouement was weak which was a sign of sloppy writing from Steven Bochco.
First thing. I have actually driven myself from San Diego to LA, it takes about 2 and half hours. If Ken went to the airport in San Diego, he would need to arrive, wait for his plane, then fly to LA, disembark, go through security and drive to wherever from LA airport. Taking into account that in 1971 Ken would not need to arrive at the airport as early as you do nowadays and security would not be as stringent. Columbo's assertion that flying would had been faster just does not hold up.
More importantly Ken's last line does not make much sense when he states that the murder plot was his own idea from some years ago that he told Jim about and he did not know that Jim would write it down in a piece of paper. It was well known Jim always scribbled ideas down, Ken should had known that!