"Columbo" The Most Dangerous Match (1973)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Edward M. Abroms

Writers:

Jackson Gillis (teleplay)
Jackson Gillis (story) ...

TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

4 March 1973 (Season 2, Episode 7)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A chess player murders his opponent before a big match. Lt. Columbo must out-maneuver this crafty, but craven, killer.

Plot Keywords:

Chess | Murder | Chess Grandmaster | Police | Murder Suspect

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Laurence Harvey	...	Emmett Clayton
Lloyd Bochner	...	Mazoor Berozski
Jack Kruschen	...	Tomlin Dudek
Heidi Brühl	...	Linda Robinson (as Heidi Bruhl)
Paul Jenkins	...	Sergeant Douglas
Michael Fox	...	Dr. Benson
Oscar Beregi Jr.	...	Proprietor (as Oscar Beregi)
Mathias Reitz	...	Anton
Richard Drout Miller	...	1st Reporter (as Drout Miller)
Manuel DePina	...	2nd Reporter
Stuart Nisbet	...	Dr. Sullivan
Abigail Shelton	...	Nurse
John Finnegan	...	1st Workman

Runtime:

Germany:74 min | 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) | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

Lloyd Bochner (playing the coach Berozski), when using various Russian-sounding words while speaking into a phone, says "Duddy Kravitz", a reference to the novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by another Canadian Jew, Mordecai Richler.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As killer chess-champ Emmett Clayton sneaks into Dudek's apartment for the second time (to mess with the medication), he sneaks past a room where you can clearly see two figures: an older man with mustache in a white shirt, and a woman sitting on his front left side. The apartment is supposed to be empty.

Quotes:

Emmett Clayton: Well, chess *is* the ultimate test of the human mind, isn't it?
Tomlin Dudek: You think so? I always thought it was women.

Soundtrack:

Sunday Mystery Movie Theme

better than average episode

A new twist to the solid Columbo series revolves around a game of chess, make that a very important game between 2 great champions and the pressure's on both of them, although it's taking a toll on Mr. Clayton, played with zeal by Laurence Harvey. There aren't that many boring moments in this particular episode, as we are introduced to several interesting characters surrounding this epic chess match. It appears Clayton is obsessed with defeating Dudek so much, that it actually haunts him and is a motive for attempted murder, which becomes a bit complicated when Dudek survives the first attempt. Harvey portrays Clayton as a somewhat nervous over-the-top character whose extremely paranoid, and we witness his struggles with his hearing aid and how that ties into the eventual murder.

There are solid performances abound by all, plus we're privy to watch a few chess matches and perhaps learn a thing or two. Add in Columbo's basset hound to make the episode better.

My only fault was with Linda Robinson, who's character is poorly developed. It seems as if she once had a relationship with Clayton, but is now traveling with Dudek's crowd. Talk about wild coincidences.