I saw the Most Crucial Game the other day and the more I see it, the more holes I find in the story. It really is a weak episode.

1)Why did Paul Hanlon kill Eric Wagner? What was the motive?
2)Where did Paul Hanlon get that vender's uniform?
3)Hanlon took a risk by taking that ice cream truck, the real driver could have returned at any moment and did the real driver leave the keys in the truck?
4)How did he get out of the stadium? He must have passed through the service gate. Columbo could have easily checked with security with this.
5)Hanlon hoses down the area around the pool but if you look at the sole of his shoes they were clean. Also the fresh water that was around the decking would have long dried up by then. And if the fresh water was still present shouldn't the piece of ice still be present in the pool?
6) Columbo should have been onto Hanlon when he was so insistent that Wagner do some laps in the pool and when he phoned the second time, why he did want to know if Wagner was in the pool? Sounds very suspicious.

Not a lot going for this episode

Not the best episode, but it has something to be appreciated: for instance the clue of the clock is pretty nice, Val Avery as the private eye, the Miss Babcock affair, the football setting etc ...

I'll reply to your points (for what I can):

1)Why did Paul Hanlon kill Eric Wagner? What was the motive? I GUESS IT WAS THAT HANLON WANTED TO TAKE OVER FROM ERIC WAGNER AS CHIEF OF THE COMPANY AND THAT, BEING AMBITIOUS, HE COULD NOT STAND THAT ERIC DIDN'T CARE ABOUT EXPANDING THEIR BUSINESS

2)Where did Paul Hanlon get that vender's uniform? NOBODY KNOWS, BUT I GUESS HE COULD EASILY GET HOLD OF ONE OF THEM, BEING A BOSS IN THE STADIUM

3)Hanlon took a risk by taking that ice cream truck, the real driver could have returned at any moment and did the real driver leave the keys in the truck? THIS CAN BE HARDLY EXPLAINED, BUT IT IS NOT SUCH A BIG HOLE IN THE PLOT, IN MY OPINION. HANLON COULD KNOW ABOUT THE DRIVER'S HABIT OF LEAVING THE KEY IN THE TRUCK WHILE SELLING ICE-CREAMS TO THE AUDIENCE OF THE MATCH

4)How did he get out of the stadium? He must have passed through the service gate. Columbo could have easily checked with security with this. i DON'T KNOW ABOUT SECURITY RULES IN THE '70s. AGAIN, HANLON COULD KNOW OF A WAY TO GET OUT UNNOTICED OF THE STADIUM

5)Hanlon hoses down the area around the pool but if you look at the sole of his shoes they were clean. Also the fresh water that was around the decking would have long dried up by then. And if the fresh water was still present shouldn't the piece of ice still be present in the pool? THIS IS CONTROVERSIAL, I AGREE: WHY DID HE DO THAT IN THAT WAY IN THE FIRST PLACE? HE COULD HAVE TAKEN SOME WATER FROM THE POOL OR HOSE IT IN A MORE RANDOM WAY. ANYWAY, I ALSO THINK THAT, BEING SUMMER IN CALIFORNIA, WATER SHOULD DRY UP SOON.

6) Columbo should have been onto Hanlon when he was so insistent that Wagner do some laps in the pool and when he phoned the second time, why he did want to know if Wagner was in the pool? Sounds very suspicious. THAT WAS SUSPICIOUS AND COULMBO WAS SOON ONTO HANLON, IN THE EPISODE.

The various plot holes in this episode are one of those perennial topics on this board! My own thinking is that Paul realized that sooner or later, Eric was going to fire him (Eric says as much during their phone conversation) and that it would be much easier to manipulate Eric's widow into giving him all the power that came with being in charge. See how much she trusts Paul, not believing that lawyer even though he's right about what Paul's been up to. I used to think that Paul was planning to marry her eventually, but I'm not so sure these days - he may simply have figured that she would be content to sit back, enjoy her money and let good old Paul do all the running of the Wagner sports empire.

The Most Crucial Game has a weak plot, but as Dawidziak points out, it has one of the best supporting casts of any episode.

This has been discussed at length before, but to repeat
THE CLOCK IS NO PROOF OF ANYTHING!. A good lawyer
would get Hanlon off easily. What if the private eye's clock was mis-set when he recorded the 2:29
telephone call? What if Hanlon's clock was mis-set, or not plugged in, or the chimes weren't working?

As was stated above, the water by the pool would dry
very quickly and Columbo wouldn't be able to taste anything. Also, Hanlon was taking a big risk making
the phone call from the pay-phone by the road when he was on his way to Wagner's house. What if a car came by? It would be heard on the recording, proving that it was not made from the stadium box. As it was, the little girl spotted the truck.

This is good example of a story (like that of "Any Old Port in a Storm) which has a plot which is fool of holes, but is still a pleasure to watch.

I have a clock like that at home and can turn the chimes on and off at anytine. Point well taken, a lawyer would get Hanlon off.

I seem to be in a perpetual minority when it comes to the use of the clock chime as a gotcha clue. To me, it works despite the analytical shortcomings because the way it's sold in the episode is pulled off brilliantly in terms of performance by Falk, Culp, the music etc. Compared to how Jack Cassidy implausibly folds-up in the face of an even weaker clue in "Murder By The Book", "Most Crucial Game" is light years better.

what was the story with the victims wife??? i mean, did hanlon want her or something...she seemed to totally trust him and she didnt even flinch when she heard the recording about the chick he turned him onto...and then we dont see her again..whats the story with that??

hi

i just finished writing a third year dissertation on Columbo today. Hurrah!!

I have analysed the first to third series in depth. Al though the plot synopsis has not been my line of interest as such, i quite agree with you. The motive is never made clear. Other than that, the murderer is fantastic. The episode has its moments.

You've done your dissertation on Columbo. That is very cool.

What is the thrust of your analysis.

Any chance of posting it somewhere so we can have a look?

When Columbo visits Hanlon at the stadium just an hour or two after the murder, Columbo hears the clock chime, so it would be a fair assumption that if the clock is working at 4:30, it was probably working at 2:30.

But I agree that it is entirely possible that the clock could have been running slow, not synchronized with the bugging equipment, etc.

Fun, and a nice clue visually (I love that coiling/uncoiling pendulum), but not totally plausible.

Another point about the clock...

In "Dagger of the Mind," which came right after "The Most Crucial Game," Columbo notes that Big Ben is "a minute slow" (according to his watch). Now, if Big Ben can be off by a minute, couldn't Paul Hanlon's clock also have been inaccurate?

I guess it's a good thing "Crucial Game" came first, otherwise Columbo may not have had as much faith in his clock chime evidence!