"Columbo" Dagger of the Mind (1972)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Jackson Gillis (teleplay)
Richard Levinson (creator)

TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

26 November 1972 (Season 2, Episode 4)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Lilian Stanhope and Nicholas Frame are two actors in London. They have to act in Macbeth and the producer is Sir Roger Haversham who is Lilian's lover...

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Scotland Yard | Investigation | Fight | Murderer

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Lt. Columbo
Richard Basehart	...	Nicholas Frame
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Tanner - The Butler
Bernard Fox	...	Det. Chief Supt. William Durk
John Williams	...	Sir Roger Haversham
Honor Blackman	...	Lilian Stanhope
John Fraser	...	Det. Sgt. O'Keefe
Richard Pearson	...	Diver - Pathologist
Arthur Malet	...	Joe Fenwick - Stage Doorman
Harvey Jason	...	The Director
Ronald Long	...	Mr. Jones
Hedley Mattingly	...	Customs Man (as Hedley Mattingley)
John Orchard	...	PC Charlie Fatheringham
Peter Church	...	Constable
Walker Edmiston	...	Gardener

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (2005)

Filming Locations:

Imperial College Library, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England, UK

Company:

Universal Studios

Trivia:

The exterior building used as the "London Wax Museum" was in fact the Royal College of Music.

Goofs:

Continuity: The tyres on Superintendent Durk's car in the London scenes are clearly of a different make to those on it in the scenes "in the country" (actually shot in the US).

Quotes:

Nicholas Frame: Most people, Columbo, have frightful taste, yourself included.

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light (#4.3)" (1974)

Soundtrack:

Pass Me By

A favourite Columbo

This may not be the best ever Columbo episode but as it's set in England it remains a favourite of mine.

Apart from the plot the main interest lies in location spotting. We get scenes at London airport and outside New Scotland Yard near Victoria Street which means Columbo could pass Buckingham Palace on the way.

The "London Wax Museum" is actually the Imperial College Library, near the Science Museum in South Kensington (also used as a location in "The Ipcress File"), but it does allow an impressive closing shot of the Albert Hall. We also get to see the Royal Court Theatre and lots of English rain.

Apart from that I'm not sure how much of the film was shot in the UK. The stately home has a definite California feel.

This is a good Columbo entry, only marred by the usual American view of the British: we're either "Pip, pip, old boy" types or " Gor blimey, gavner" cockneys. At the time this was made the top cop show in the UK was 'The Sweeney'. Columbo meets Regan and Carter, now that would be worth watching: "Oh, just one more thing sir, er...you're nicked!"