"Columbo" Double Shock (1973)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Robert Butler

Writers:

Steven Bochco (teleplay)
Jackson Gillis (story) ...
(more)

TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

25 March 1973 (Season 2, Episode 8)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A smarmy TV chef and his identical twin brother, a rigidly proper banker, are suspects in the electrocution of their rich uncle.

Plot Keywords:

Uncle | Twins | Banker | Identical Twins | Electrocution

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Martin Landau	...	Dexter and Norman Paris
Jeanette Nolan	...	Mrs. Peck
Tim O'Connor	...	Michael Hatheway
Julie Newmar	...	Lisa Chambers
Paul Stewart	...	Clifford Paris
Dabney Coleman	...	Detective Murray
Kate Hawley	...	Mrs. Johnson
Michael Richardson	...	Young lawyer
Robert Rothwell	...	2nd Detective
Gregory Morton	...	Older lawyer
Tony Cristino	...	Stickman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mike Lally	...	Man in bank vault (uncredited)
Marc Singer	...	Young TV Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Butler

Writing credits
Steven Bochco		(teleplay)
Jackson Gillis		(story) and
Richard Levinson		(story) &
William Link		(story)
Richard Levinson		(creator) &
William Link		(creator)
Peter Allan Fields		teleplay (uncredited)

Produced by
Edward K. Dodds	....	associate producer
Dean Hargrove	....	producer
Richard Levinson	....	producer (uncredited)
William Link	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Dick DeBenedictis		(as Dick De Benedictis)

Cinematography by
Harry L. Wolf		(director of photography) (as Harry Wolf)

Film Editing by
Larry Lester

Art Direction by
Archie J. Bacon		(as Arch Bacon)

Set Decoration by
John McCarthy Jr.		(as John McCarthy)

Costume Design by
Grady Hunt		(costumes)

Production Management
Henry Kline	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Brad H. Aronson	....	assistant director (as Brad Aronson)

Sound Department
Edwin S. Hall	....	sound

Editorial Department
Richard Belding	....	editorial supervisor
Steve Johnson	....	colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Henry Mancini	....	composer: theme "Sunday Mystery Movie"
Hal Mooney	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer: main titles
Jackson Gillis	....	executive story consultant

Production Companies

• Universal TV

Distributors

• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2005) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Universal Title  titles & optical effects

Runtime:

Italy:70 min | USA:73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (2005)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Each time one of the electric mixers are dropped into a vat of water, the unit explodes *before* it touches the water. This is most visible in the sequence when it is dropped into the bath in the electrocution scene.

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Columbo: Columbo Goes to the Guillotine (#8.1)" (1989)

"Martin Landau scores in a double role."

Lieutenant Columbo sets out to prove that two estranged brothers united in order to kill their wealthy uncle, because they wanted to stop him from disinheriting them from his will.

An enjoyable Columbo episode with the usual formula competently assembled, but the real delight here is the excellent Martin Landau who scores in his double role as the twin brothers.

This episode has been released on video in the UK paired with the second pilot episode, Ransom For A Dead Man (1971).