I'm not sure about the motive here. I realise that harry was trying to block nelson haywards affair with linda and that harry has a difficult past relationship with nelson, but surely nelson is pretty powerful and can tell harry to back off or fire him! It seems an extravagant murder at a critical point just before the elections. Maybe i'm missing something. apart from that, a great episode. The whole first 20 mins or so, especially on the crime scene when C keeps checking in with the chief of police(?) 'S'cuse me sir' and the car scene. Also, columbo really harrasses nelson hayward with repeated 'one more things' brilliant!

Nelson Hayward thought he committed the perfect crime by changing outfits with Harry. Then he placed himself at another location (at home) when the crime happened. So he thought that if the police ever suspected him, he would be able to cover it with an air tight allibi.

Jackie Cooper does such a good job, you just have to like this ep. It has been one of my favorites for many years.

and lets not forget joanne linville snowgirl.

One of my top 10 favorite episodes too, but who would ever have imagined that Hayward's big ugly secretary would morph into a "Peg Bundy"?

Interesting to note about her Dad, the director:

"Ironically, his work includes the pilot episode of the TV series "Combat!" (1962), which starred Vic Morrow. Two decades after collaborating, Sagal and Morrow would die almost exactly the same way (struck by a helicopter's rotor blade)...within a year of each other, both while shooting a movie on location. For Sagal, it was World War III (1982) (TV); for Morrow, it was Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)."

Actually, the ironic aspect to me isn't the startling coincidences between them, as much as the fact that Boris Sagal got himself chopped to pieces during the filming of a movie entitled "World War III".

I think he was just at the end of his rope with Stone. He probably saw his upcoming election as a new phase of his life, and he didn't want Stone to be a part of it. Also, he probably felt that firing Stone or killing him after the election would create a scandall early in his career and he didn't want that, he was probably also concerned that Harry would cause problems for him if he fired him after the election. With the current publicity about the threats he probably saw this as the perfect opportunity to get rid of Stone and start his new career without any burdens from the past. I think Cooper is great in this and it's one of my favorites.

And Ken Swafford was great in it. He, of course, also played the (deliberately) stereotypical ' 40s reporter on Ellery Queen (also made by Levinson and Link). And he's entertaining in any number of other things I can think of. One of those actors who play (sort of) the same character over and over, but keep making it entertaining.

Yea I saw him on Rockford Files recently. He played a stereotypical hard-nose cop who was giving Jim a hard time. Hilarious.

I don't think he murdered him just so he could be with the secretary, and firing him was not an option, remember that Stone made the comment, "you don't need anybody but me, and you can get rid of anybody but me cause I know where the bodies are buried Nelson I buried em for ya!"

No, the only way he could get Stone out of his life was to kill him, I guess he could not face a future with Stone always knowing his every move. Not that I am condoning it, but if he was party to murders in the past I can see why one more wouldn't bother him much.

sandy, i believe when harrry stone says.."you don't need anybody but me, and you can get rid of anybody but me cause I know where the bodies are buried Nelson I buried em for ya!"...that he is just saying that figuatively. it's not that nelson hayward actually committed other murders in the past. i believe harry was actually referring to the past discretions of hayward...lying, cheating, stepping on people to get ahead, and those sorts of things.

(that's just my opinion )

i agree, i asumed that he hadn't actually killed anyone but that harry knew his secrets from the past, suppose they could have been very damaging though...