Hello everybody, I have returned. It feels good to be back. Happy birthday Peter Falk! He turned 79 yesterday. That is great. Peter Falk has some films in the can ,they are
1.Retirement
2.The Book of Joe
3.Checking Out
4.Next
"Columbo Any Old Port In A Storm" is the best "Columbo" of them all. This is my favorite one of all 69 "Columbo" films. This one aired October 7,1973. This is a flat out excellent "Columbo" film. The character development was excellent. I wish Peter Falk will make a "Columbo" movie of this quality. That might not happen though. I wish they would get Robert Vaughn to do another one as well!! Donald Pleasence did an excellent job as Adrian Carsini. It was a very complex character to play. I really liked the way it ended as well ,Columbo really admired Adrian a lot. Great acting from Falk and Pleasence. This is the best "Columbo" film of all of them. Thanks for reading everybody ,I will sign out for now.
hi victoria!
yes, any old port in a storm is one of my favourites too. although there are a lot of plot holes and inconsistencies, i find it a very entertaining episode. and donald pleasence is wonderful in it.
Victoria, it's terrific that you hold "Port" in such high regard! Great for you, and great for the episode! Pleasance is indeed excellent in his portrayal of Adrian. I myself have some problems with the plot and especially the ending. I've also gone on and on (and on and on) about how I don't think Carsini was worthy of Columbo's respect. But hey, that's just me!
I sure do wish some of those films that Peter has "in the can" would get to the theatres, for goodness sake!
I don't think Donald Pleasance could have
made repeat appearances. As good as
he is in this episode, his personality
is not "vicious" enough in the show. The
good repeat murderers like Jack Cassidy
and Robert Culp are really hateful and
arrogant. Adrian Carsini is vulnerable
in a way these other characters aren't, i.e.
his fear of losing the winery, his fear of
being trapped by his secretary, his love
for his expensive wines that end up being
ruined.
I don't generally agree with Headache about this, but I do agree that Adrian wasn't THE MOST "likeable" murderer on the show, which seems to be a popular opinion of him (though he WAS "right up there"). One thing I've always noticed is that Donald Pleasance made almost a career out of playing either mild-mannered characters, or "Jekyll and Hyde" types, who were only partly mild-mannered, so it's always bothered me slightly that his most famous role (in the "Halloween" movies) wasn't EITHER of those kinds, and that Adrian (civilized person though he was, apart from the murder) wasn't really "mild-mannered" either. The funny thing is, in a "Mrs. Columbo" episode (about the only one I've seen more than once), he DID play a character like that. And in spite of the bad opinion many people have of that show, his last scene, with Kate Mulgrew, was really worthy of a Columbo episode. It showed that same relationship between the detective and the murderer.