Columbo "Etude in Black" #2.1 (1972) (TV)

The keys to the mystery are too obvious, 9 March 2005

Renowned symphony conductor Alex Benedict (John Cassavetes) has a problem - the pianist with whom he's having an affair threatens to go public if he doesn't leave his wife. This would ruin his career, so he decides to kill her. He arranges the murder to look like suicide. Should the police become suspicious, he has a ready alibi covering him for the time of the murder. What Benedict doesn't count on though is a lieutenant named Columbo.

As a general rule, I am a fan of the Columbo movies. But unfortunately, this is not one of the best. The key and fun to watching Columbo is trying to figure out what clues he will use to trap the killer. In Etude in Black, the key to the murder (a flower) is made painfully obvious to the viewer. Add the obvious flower with the even more obvious change in mileage on Benedict's car and I'm surprised it took Columbo more than 15 minutes to solve this murder.

Much of the movie is obviously padded to fill a longer fun time on television. But, it's one of these scenes that is my favorite. I get a real kick out of seeing this poor slob Columbo who makes $11,000 a year discussing property taxes with a man who makes millions. Very entertaining.

5/10