Columbo: Columbo Goes to College (1990) (TV)

Director:

E.W. Swackhamer

Writers:

Jeffrey Bloom (story)
Jeffrey Bloom (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

9 December 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

The popular tv detective investigates a murder at a college where two students kill their professor who was trying to expel them...

Plot Keywords:

Police | College Professor | College Student | College | Columbo

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Lt. Columbo
Stephen Caffrey	...	Justin Rowe
Gary Hershberger	...	Cooper Redman
James Sutorius	...	Prof. D.E. Rusk
William Lucking	...	Dominic Doyle
Katherine Cannon	...	June Clark
Alan Fudge	...	Mr. Redman
Maree Cheatham
Bridget Hanley	...	Mrs. Rusk
Jim Antonio	...	Joe Doyle
Steven Gilborn	...	George
Guy Stockwell	...	Club Owner
Robert Culp	...	Jordan Rowe
Les Lannom	...	Malloy
Elizabeth Swackhamer	...	Sara

Runtime:

Germany:90 min | USA:120 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

In "Columbo Goes To College", Columbo is a guest lecturer at a criminology class. He reminisces about the prior season's Columbo: Agenda for Murder (1990) (TV), describing how he obtained a piece of chewing gum belonging to murder suspect Oscar Finch (Patrick McGoohan), which was matched to teeth-marks on a piece of cheese left at the murder scene.

Goofs:

Continuity: Columbo is visiting Mrs Rusk - he walks towards her as she sits on the couch in the window. As he walks, his hands are visible and are empty. In the next shot, he has his notebook and pencil in his hands.

Movie Connections:

Follows Columbo: Murder, Smoke and Shadows (1989) (TV)

If you liked Hitchcock's "Rope"

or any stories reminiscent of the Leopold and Loeb case, you may find this movie entertaining. The cast includes Robert Culp,with Stephen Caffrey and Garrison Hershberger as the college students.

Peter Falk is his usual self, pretending to be tricked by the precocious students. Caffrey ("Longtime Companion", "Buried Alive") is excellent, and should do more of these menacing roles. Basically the two frat buddies become tired of their demanding parents, who expect nothing less than academic perfection, attendance at the best schools will only be financed if they conform. There is an excellent scene wherein Culp rakes Caffrey over the coals after he gets a low grade, threatens to cut off his trust funds and Caffrey later says to his friend: "I hate him, I want him dead"...

All is not well in Beverly Hills. This is always an excellent theme. I believe this film came out in 1990 right after the Menendez killings. If you watch "Menedez, a Killing in Beverly Hills" and then compare it to this film, you may find some interesting parallels.