"Columbo" Dagger of the Mind (1972)

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Jackson Gillis (teleplay)
Richard Levinson (story) ...

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

Cast

Peter Falk	...	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 phrase "dagger of the mind" comes from the dagger soliloquy in William Shakespeare's "Macbeth".

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Sir Roger Haversham's house is supposed to be in England, but everyone drives their car up the right hand side of the drive.

Quotes:

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

Soundtrack:

Pass Me By

Am American werewolf ...er, detective in London

I've read quite a few negative reviews of this particular Columbo segment, as our favorite detective travels to London to tour Scotland Yard and their methods, but overall I found this episode to be quite fun. Yes, some of the characters and their mannerisms are clichéd, but I found many of the actors having a good ole time and letting loose. You'll see some familiar faces such as John Williams, Bernard Fox, (Bewitched), Honor Blackman, and Wilfrid Hyde White to name a few. This isn't the strongest of the series, but add in the London-y atmosphere, quirky characters(especially the married couple), an English butler, and Big Ben to the mix, this becomes a rather funny and memorable episode. Oops, I forgot to add in the wax museum, which is integral to the unremarkable conclusion, which Columbo has a magic bead trick up his sleeve. This finale didn't work for me, as it seemed too unrealistic and quite the chance Columbo takes in nabbing the killer(s). Also, I had to program my closed captioning to understand some of the British lingo, with words such as, "josser, brolly", etc.