"Columbo" Mind Over Mayhem (1974)

Director:

Alf Kjellin

Writers:

Steven Bochco (teleplay) and
Dean Hargrove (teleplay) ...

TV Series:

"Columbo" (1971)

Original Air Date:

18 February 1974 (Season 3, Episode 6)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

The director of a government institute that employs various scientific geniuses commits a clever murder. But another kind of genius is on the case: Lt. Columbo.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Junkie | Scientist | Crime Solving | Computer Programmer

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
José Ferrer	...	Dr. Marshall Cahill (as Jose Ferrer)
Lew Ayres	...	Dr. Howard Nicholson
Robert Walker Jr.	...	Neil Cahill (as Robert Walker)
Lee Montgomery	...	Steve Spelberg (as Lee H. Montgomery)
Jessica Walter	...	Margaret Nicholson
Lou Wagner	...	Ross
Arthur Batanides	...	Murph (as Art Batanides)
Darrell Zwerling	...	Motel Manager
Charles Macaulay	...	Farnsworth
John Zaremba	...	Coroner
William Bryant	...	Fields
Bert Holland	...	Whitehead
Ed Fury	...	Plainclothesman
Jefferson Kibbee	...	Jeff

Runtime:

Germany:70 min | USA:73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (2005) (DVD) (self applied)

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

Perhaps the most unusual "guest star" in the entire "Columbo" series is the robot who is programmed to provide Marshall Cahill with his alibi. "Robby" is best known for having starred in the Sci-Fi classic Forbidden Planet (1956) directed by Fred M. Wilcox, as well as in "The Twilight Zone" and, more notably, in the cult television series "Lost in Space" (1965).

Quotes:

Lt. Columbo: Oh, a think tank! I read about that in the paper. That's a place full of geniuses, isn't it? May I ask what you do here, Sir?
Dr. Marshall Cahill: I'm the director.

Possibly the most outdated Columbo movie around.

The earliest Columbo movie entry dates back from 1968 but yet no other Columbo movie seems as old as this one. The silly outdated technical and scientific elements and the presence of Robby the Robot makes this movie feel and look outdated which does take away some of the quality of the overall movie but nevertheless doesn't prevent the movie from being not entertaining or bad to watch.

Nevertheless I don't really count this movie among one of the best out of the long running Columbo series. The story and especially its settings were not really interesting enough and the movie also really lacked a good well known actor opposite Peter Falk. It's not that José Ferrer is a bad actor but he just didn't played his role very interestingly, which caused his presence and role to be a forgettable one. There also isn't enough interaction between him and Lt.Columbo, which normally really is a requirement for a good Columbo movies.

There were more clues left out for Lt. Columbo than usual, which is also one of the reasons why the story isn't among the best out of all the Columbo movies.

Quite funny how Robby the Robot often keeps popping up in movies and series. He made his first appearance in 1956 in the science-fiction movie "Forbidden Planet" and continues appearing in movies till this present day. His role in this movie is also quite big and significant for the movie its main plot.

It remains a well made movie and a pleasant enough to watch murder-mystery but it's perhaps a tad bit more forgettable than most other average Columbo entries.

7/10