"Columbo" Mind Over Mayhem (1974)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Alf Kjellin

Writers:

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

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

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy.

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
Dianne Turley Travis	...	Lady Scientist (as Dianne Turley)
Deidre Hall	...	Receptionist
Dennis Robertson	...	1st Reporter
Luis Moreno	...	Officer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robby the Robot	...	MM7 (uncredited)

Directed by
Alf Kjellin

Writing credits
Steven Bochco		(teleplay) and
Dean Hargrove		(teleplay) &
Roland Kibbee		(teleplay)
Robert Specht		(story)
Richard Levinson		(creator) &
William Link		(creator)

Produced by
Edward K. Dodds	....	associate producer
Dean Hargrove	....	executive producer
Roland Kibbee	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Dick DeBenedictis		(as Dick De Benedictis)

Cinematography by
William Cronjager		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ronald LaVine

Art Direction by
John W. Corso

Set Decoration by
Bill McLaughlin		(as William McLaughlin)

Production Management
Brad H. Aronson	....	unit manager (as Brad Aronson)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Phil Cook	....	assistant director (as Phillip Cook)

Sound Department
Wallace R. Bearden	....	sound (as Wallace Bearden)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Grady Hunt	....	costumes

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

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

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer: main titles
Bill Malone	....	robot furnished by

Production Companies

• Universal TV

Distributors

• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Viasat3 (2008) (Hungary) (TV) (re-release)

Other Companies

• Universal Title  titles & optical effects

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.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot (1991) (TV)

another fine entry

How can you go wrong with a robot, a boy genius(although I cringe when the little boy says exactly that), and another memorable insertion of Columbo's friendly, sometimes-faithful bassett hound with no name? Maybe the dog should star in a spaghetti western. By now I'm certain you know the main details of this fine episode, so allow me to add a few thoughts of my own. This episode has slight special meaning to me because it happens to co-star Lew Ayres, who had an integral role in one of my favorite films, Salem's Lot(1979), but I digress. He's the unfortunate murder victim, killed by Dr. Cahill, and his appearance here isn't long enough for me, but it feels good seeing him again in another role, even though he practically asks to be killed, especially the way he calls himself "dangerous" in front of his would-be killer, Dr. Cahill. My biggest complaint in many episodes is that too many wealthy suspects practically admit to their guilt, although Cahill really had no choice, considering his son was being framed wisely by Columbo.

When a series starts to age, they sometimes have to include new additions; and in this case we have a temperamental robot who doesn't like losing at chess, but enjoys walking the basset hound, go figure. Unlike the painful insertion of a robot in Rocky 3, this robot actually filled a purpose other than window dressing, and was important when the "means" that Columbo relies on came to fruition. Jose Ferrer shined as the arrogant murderer, who tries to outsmart Columbo, especially the way he smokes his cigar right in front of the detective. Last but not least, we are graced by the presence of Columbo's friendly dog, who loves barking when he wants attention, even when it interferes with the investigation. That being said, whenever I see his dog, I feel grounded that Columbo is simply a human who enjoys his dog like the rest of us.