Definitely one of my most favourite Columbo's. I like everything here. Columbo's clues (fingerprints on closet and telephone, the nightgown etc), atmosphere, action
- the first scene in the bar where Halperin plays a dice shows immediately how wicked person he is in anything he does. Repulsive
- looks like Hugh's wife is the fastest victim. She ends before she starts :)
- on the crime place Duffy says to Columbo: "The M.O.'s identical". What is M.O.? Maybe it is a shortcut for Modus Operandi?
- I am not sure but I think that the music in the bar where we meet Artie Jessup is the same as in Any Old Port in A storm, while dancing next to the pool
- it's kinda long scene when Columbo's car breaks down and he tries to stop other cars on the street, but anyway I like it
- when Columbo speaks with Halperin in his office, behind Halperin you can see an archer sculpture. It is the same one which
was behind Brimmer in Death Lends A Hand
- I always wonder why Halperin assigned Columbo to this task if he knew how effective is Columbo at his work
- how the heck Hugh escaped the house of Halperin when she threw his wife into the pool??
- some time ago I created a separate thread for that, but I'll repeat it here. I just love this secondary character of a guy who comes to Halperin's residence and says that Mrs Halperin was supposed to get an award. The way he talks... "The way things look
around here, I'd like to get out of here, that's all". Expression on his face and everything.. Priceless. I can play that scene again and again :D
- I think in this episode we can get exact moment when Columbo starts to suspect proper person. Here it was when he told Halperin his
hesitations about fingerprints ang nightgown, and Halperin pressured him to look for the burglar. Then he knew
- how come the jewelery guy knew so much about Mrs Caldwell's love life?
- very very good role of Val Avery
- very good final clue, I think it had to cost Columbo a lot to lease a second apartment :)

Yeah, thing about escaping after he drops her in the pool always bothered me too.
But, upon rewatching it I realized he lived right next door so could have easily evaded detection from a helicopter

Speaking of Hugh Caldwell, I've always wondered how many viewers believe his story. Was it an accident, or is he lying?
Whichever one it is, he's definitely cut up about it, and Michael McGuire really sells that idea.

Matti, You are right about M.O. It is short for modus operandi. So if the Bel Air burglar normally comes through a window when nobody is home and steals only jewelry, and at another robbery the door was breached and the robbers took electronics, then that would be a different m.o. and they wouldn't expect the same robber.

Halperin may not have had a choice because Columbo was the senior detective or something. But even so, he contacted him before he knew there was a homicide. And the Bel Air burglar was never violent before. Oops!

I always assumed Caldwell escaped by Halperin misdirecting everybody, plus Caldwell could take off the clothes and act as if he was coming from his house. The whole scene was ridiculous because we're supposed to think that, right when helicopters are patrolling the wealthiest L.A. neighborhood specifically looking for burglars, a burglar (now murderer) comes out in front of the helicopter and throws a woman in the pool. And she therefore drowns? Why? She didn't thrash around or anything? She owned a swimming pool but couldn't swim I guess? Strange.

And the coroner was reluctant to check Mrs. Halperin's body, but why? He must have known that bath soap, pool chemicals, salt water, etc. could be detected.

One of my favorite all time scenes is in this episode when Columbo tells Halperin (paraphrasing):

LC: She didn't answer the phone when her boyfriend called.

H: So, she blew him off.

LC: Yeah, but she answered he phone at 9:30, so why not at 8:30? But DID she answer the phone? Because her fingerprints were not on it.

I love the clues and logic and how Columbo presents his case and backs Halperin into a corner. I love how repeatedly frustrated Halperin gets. It was great to see him go down. What a performance by Richard Kiley.