Columbo: Étude in Black (1972) (TV)

Director:

Nicholas Colasanto

Writers:

Steven Bochco (teleplay)
Richard Levinson (creator)

Release Date:

17 September 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

An amoral conductor murders the gifted pianist with whom he is having an affair. Lt. Columbo is on the case.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Police | Lt Columbo | Columbo | Crime Investigation

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Lt. Columbo
John Cassavetes	...	Alex Benedict
James Olson	...	Paul Rifkin
Blythe Danner	...	Janice Benedict
Anjanette Comer	...	Jenifer Welles
Myrna Loy	...	Lizzy Fielding
James McEachin	...	Billy
Don Knight	...	Mike Alexander
Pat Morita	...	The House Boy
Michael Pataki	...	Sam
Michael Fox	...	Dr. Benson
Dawn Frame	...	Audrey
Charles Macaulay	...	Durkee
George Gaynes	...	Everett
Wallace Chadwell	...	TV director

Runtime:

90 min | USA:120 min (including commercials)

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

Trivia:

Blythe Danner was about five months pregnant with Gwyneth Paltrow during the filming of this episode.

Goofs:

Continuity: Alex Benedict has long hair, in the Maestro tradition: curling over his ears, covering his neck, flipping up in back and generally flying around in disarray. But there is a memorable (and largely irrelevant) scene where Columbo visits Alex Benedict's home, and ends up asking about how much he pays in taxes, how big the house is, etc. In this scene, John Cassavetes' hair is visibly shorter than before or afterwards - trimmed farther up on his ears, neatly poufed all around, and shaved in back to expose his neck. The likely explanation is a bit of "Columbo" history: this scene was probably part of the extra footage added after the network ordered director Cassavetes to lengthen the episode, from 90 minutes to 2 hours, and Cassavetes apparently got a haircut before the additional scene was shot.

Quotes:

Lieutenant Columbo: Okay, Doc. Thanks for staying open. I got these peculiar hours...
Dr. Benson: Ah, no sweat. My wife doesn't like music. She watches murder mysteries, so whenever the concert's on, I work late.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Columbo: Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star (1991) (TV)

Splendid "Columbo" episode, with a razor-sharp script and lively performances

Alex Benedict (John Cassavetes) is an orchestra conductor having an secret affair with his pianist. When she threatens to expose him and create a scandal if he doesn't leave his wife, he sees he has no choice but to murder her and make it look as if she had committed suicide. Too bad for him our rumpled detective, Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk), is on the case.

Stephen Bochco has written another razor-sharp episode for the series, following marvelous detail with marvelous detail. We watch the villain commit his murder and set up his alibi for about twenty-five minutes, and we're completely engrossed. Then when Columbo appears on the scene, it gets even better.

We first see Columbo after the murder (as per usual). This time he's at the vet with his new dog. Scenes of purely comic relief are usually the weakest ones in the show (think Columbo's discomfort over the nude model in "Suitable for Framing"). Columbo is hilarious when he's dithering or bumbling deliberately in order to trip up his quarry; but too many writers make the mistake of showing him in a ridiculous light when he's with non-suspects. Bochco, by contrast, shows Columbo a bit awkward with his new pet in a handful of low-key scenes that are funny and artfully integrated into the story. (And I'm grateful he didn't strain for a punchline to Columbo's quest to give the dog a name. As far as we learn, the dog remains nameless.) Bochco gives Columbo some of his best moments in this episode, and Peter Falk makes the most of them. He's particularly good in a monologue where he expresses disbelief that anyone could kill herself, much less this brilliant and beautiful young pianist. And he's even better in his scenes playing cat-and-mouse with Cassavetes. That these two long-time friends and collaborators would play off each other brilliantly is to be expected; and that's what we get. Notice how Alex Benedict can't help but admire the deceptively dimwitted Columbo, even as the brilliant detective is tightening the noose around his neck.

Bochco makes the most of every situation in his script. When Columbo goes to question Benedict's snooty mechanic, of course – of course! – he asks the man to look at his own beat-up heap. And when Benedict finds Columbo at the Hollywood Bowl before rehearsal, of course – of course! – he's on the piano playing "Chopsticks." And what should our audacious lieutenant bring with him but the victim's typewriter with the phony suicide note still in the roller.

Columbo also has good scenes with a precocious little girl (Dawn Frame) and the lovely Blythe Danner, who plays Cassavetes's wife. It's nice to see Myrna Loy show up as Danner's mother, though she does little with her minor role.

The director Nicholas Colasanto (who also acted, most notably as Coach in "Cheers") does a perfectly creditable job, though he follows the lead of nearly every other "Columbo" director by adding one or two silly flourishes. Scenes end by going out of focus and begin by coming into focus. Then there's that bit where Cassavetes sees the carnation he dropped at the scene of the crime – and we see a zoom-in shot of it reflected in his sunglasses. There's also one scene with Myrna Loy and group of old fogies that is atrociously performed by everyone except Cassavetes.

These are quibbles, though. This is a splendidly entertaining episode, the kind that made me a "Columbo" fan.