Columbo - "Etude in Black" (1972)

Season Two
8 episodes
September 17th 1972 to March 25th 1973

Information from: The Columbo Phile by Mark Dawidziak

"Etude in Black" (1972) Season: 2, Episode - 1 Director: Nick Colasanto Written by: Steven Bochco Produced by: Dean Hargrove Originally aired: September 17, 1972 Run Time: 120 (mins) Cast: Peter Falk as LT. Columbo John Cassavetes as Maestro Alex Benedict Blythe Danner as Janice Benedict Myrna Loy as Lizzy Fielding James Olson as Paul Rifkin Anjanette Comer as Jenifer Welles James McEachin as Billy Don Knight as Mike Alexander Pat Morita as The House Boy Michael Fox as Dr. Benson Dawn Frame as Aurdrey Charles Macaulay as Durkee George Gaynes as Everett Wallace Chadwell as TV Director Plot: Young and talented concert pianist Jenifer Welles is threatening to go public with details of her affair with brilliant symphony orchestra conductor Alex Benedict. Since Alex’s strong willed mother-in-law, Lizzi Fielding, is the chairman of the symphony board, he cannot risk the scandal.

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"The Greenhouse Jungle" (1972) Season: 2, Episode - 2 Director: Boris Sagal Written by: Jonathan Latimer Produced by: Dean Hargrove Originally aired: October 15, 1972 Run Time: (mins) Cast: Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Guest Starring Ray Milland as Jarvis Goodland Bradford Dillman as Tony Goodland Bob Dishy as Sergeant Frederic Wilson Sandra Smith as Cathy Goodland William Smith as Ken Nichols Arlene Martel as Gloria West Robert Karnes as Grover Milton Frome as Driver Peggy Mondo as Woman Richard Annis as Officer Larry Watson as Sound Man Plot: Young Tony Goodland is desperate to win back his unfaithful wife, Cathy. Money is the key to her heart, but Tony’s comfortable income isn’t enough to keep Cathy from stepping out with muscular, well-tanned skiing instructor. Acidic Jarvis Goodlands proposes a way out of Tony’s problems. Jarvis, a collector and grower of rare orchids, is co-administrator of a huge trust fund set up for his nephew. The money can only be toughed under extraordinary circumstances. Prompted by his uncle, Tony agrees to fake his own kidnapping.For More Pictures Click here if you wish more Pictures. "The Most Crucial Game" (1972) Season: 2, Episode - 3 Director: Jeremy Paul Kagan Written by: John T. Dugan Produced by: Dean Hargrove Originally aired: November 5, 1972 Run Time: (mins) Cast: Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Guest Starring Robert Culp as Paul Hanlon Dean Jagger as Walter Cannell James Gregory as Coach Larry Rizzo Valerie Harper as Eve Babcock Susan Howard as Shirley Wagner Dean Stockwell as Eric Wagner Val Avery as Ralph Dobbs Kathryn Kelly Wiget as Miss Johnson Richard Stahl as Mr Fremont Don Keefer as Deputy Coroner Cliff Carnell as Plainclothesman Joe Renteria as Box Attendant Jimmy Ivan Naranjo as Sgt Hernandez L.A.P.D. Los Angeles Lakers as Los Angeles Rockets Plot: Paul Hanlon is general manager of the lucrative Wagner sports empire, a business that includes the Los Angeles Rockets football team. The greatest threat to his power is posed by owner Eric Wagner, an irresponsible swinger who cares little about the operation. It’s a Sunday afternoon and the Rockets have a home game. Paul believes he can murder Eric and set up a perfect alibi. For More Pictures Click here if you wish more Pictures. "Dagger of the Mind" (1972) Season: 2, Episode - 4 Director: Richard Quine Written by: Jackson Gillis Produced by: Dean Hargrove Originally aired: November 26, 1972 Run Time: 120 (mins) Cast: Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Richard Basehart as Nicholas Frame Honor Blackman as Lilian Stanhope John Williams as Sir Roger Haversham Wilfrid Hyde-White as Tanner Bernard Fox as William Durk Arthur Mallet as Joe Fenwick Harvey Jason as The Director Ronald Long as Mr. Jones Veronica Anderson as Maid Hedley Mattingley as Customs Man John Orchard as Country Constable Peter Church as Consable Walker Edmiston as Gardener Gerlad S. Peters as Inspetor Smythe Sharon Johansen as Miss Dudley Plot: The marquee at London’s Royal Court Theatre proclaims the following night’s grand opening: Sir Roger Haversham presents Nicholas Framer and Lillian Stanhope in William Shakerspear’s Macbeth. Actually, light and lobby posters tell us very little about the real drama going on instide the walls od this venerable theater. Desperate to get back into the limelight, husband-and-wife team Nick and Lilly view this production of Macbeth as their comeback vehicle, With Nicky’s blessing, Lilly has been playing up to the largely retired Sir Rodger, manipulating him into reopening the Royal Court and backing the Shakespearean tragedy. Sir Rodger learns the truth just before the dress rehearsel. For More Pictures Click here for additional Pictures. "Requiem for a Falling Star" (1973) Season: 2, Episode - 5 Director: Richard Quine Written by: Jackson Gillis Produced by: Dean Hargrove Originally aired: January 21, 1973 Run Time: (mins) Cast: Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Anne Baxter as Nora Chandler Mel Ferrer as Jerry Parks Kevin McCarthy as Dr. Frank Simmons Frank Converse as Mr. Fallon Pippa Scott as Jean Davis Edith Head as Herself Sid Miller as Director William Bryant as Sergeant Jeffries John Archer as Paul Jack Griffin as Gate Guard Robert E. Meredith as Joe Bart Burns as Sergeant Fields Plot: Former movie queen Nora Chandler keeps her career barley alive with occasional roles in a television series or network films. It’s a far cry from her glory days, when she was married to Al Cumberland, the man who built the studio. Cumberland died in a boating accident twelve years ago, but Nora continues to live in the cottage built for her on the studio lot. Although this property is quite valuable, she has resisted all the studio head Fallon’s attempts to buy it. "A Stitch in Crime" (1973) Season: 2, Episode - 6 Director: Hy Averback Written by: Shirl Hendryx Produced by: Dean Hargrove Originally aired: February 11, 1973 Run Time: 74 (mins) Cast: Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Guest Starring Leonard Nimoy as Dr. Barry Mayfield Anne Francis as Sharon Martin Nita Talbot as Marsha Dalton Will Geer as Dr. Edmund Hiedeman Aneta Corsaut as Nurse Morgan Jared Martin as Harry Alexander Victor Millan as Detective Flores Kenneth Sansom as Paul Murray MacLeod as Dr Simpson Leonard Simon as Dr Michaelson Ron Stokes as Tom Patsy Garrett as Cleaning Woman Plot: Dr. Barry Mayfield is a brilliant young heart surgeon on the staff of a major Los Angeles hospital. He and the hospital’s senior heart specialist, the revered Dr. Edmund Hiedeman, are working on a drug that will combat transplant rejection. Veteran nurse Sharon martin believes that Mayfield is a cold opportunist who would like to take all the credit for the research project. She doesn’t know how right she is. "The Most Dangerous Match" (1973) Season: 2, Episode - 7 Director: Edward M. Abroms Written by: Jackson Gillis Produced by: Dean Hargrove Originally aired: March 4, 1973 Run Time: (mins) Cast: Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Laurence Harvey as Emmet Clayton Jack Kruschen as Tomlin Dudek Lloyd Bochner as Mazoor Berozski Paul Jenkins as Sergeant Douglas Michael Fox as Dr. Benson Oscar Beregi as Proprietor Mathias Reitz as Anton John Finnegan as Workman Drout Miller as 1st Report Stuart Nisbet as Dr. Sulivan Plot: American grand master Emmet Clayton is anxious to prove he is the greatest living chess player. Some experts have suggested that he would never become world champion if the top soviet player, Tomlin Dudek, hadn’t been forced into inactivity by ill health. All those doubts are soon erased, though. Clayton’s former fiancee, Linda Robinson, now a close friend of Dudek’s, has arranged a match in Los Angeles. "Double Shock" (1973) Season: 2, Episode - 8 Director: Robert Butler Written by: Steven Bochco, Jackson Gillis, Richard Levinson, William Link Produced by: Dean Hargrove Originally aired: March 25, 1973 Run Time: (mins) Cast: Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Martin Landau as Dexter and Norman Paris Paul Stewart as Clifford Paris Julie Newmar as Lisa Chambers Jeanette Nolan as Mrs. Peck Tim O'Connor as Michael Hathaway Dabney Coleman as Detective Murray Kate Hawley as Mrs. Johnson Michael Richardson as Young Lawyer Plot: Elderly and wealthy Clifford Paris is about to be married to the much younger Lias Chalmers, a fellow physical fitness enthusiast. Unhappy about the impending nuptials, his nephew, Dexter, the host of a television cooking show, watches as Clifford fences with the family attorney Michael Hathaway. After vigorous match, Clifford decides to take a bath. The house keeper, Mrs Peck, is settling down to watch a medical drama on television. Dexter approaches his soaking uncle with a wedding present. It’s and electric mixer. The humour between Mrs. Peck and Columbo in this episode is particularly poignant. This is one of the best comedic episodes ever written for Columbo, the frustration and maddening anoyance that Columbo poses to Mrs. Peck is very well played upon. For More Pictures - Click here for additional pictures. Return to Season1

	`"Etude in Black" (1972)`
`Season:`	`2, Episode - 1`
`Director:`	`Nick Colasanto`
`Written by:`	`Steven Bochco`
`Produced by:`	`Dean Hargrove`
`Originally aired:`	`September 17, 1972`
`Run Time:`	`120 (mins)`
`Cast:`	Peter Falk as LT. Columbo John Cassavetes as Maestro Alex Benedict Blythe Danner as Janice Benedict Myrna Loy as Lizzy Fielding James Olson as Paul Rifkin Anjanette Comer as Jenifer Welles James McEachin as Billy Don Knight as Mike Alexander Pat Morita as The House Boy Michael Fox as Dr. Benson Dawn Frame as Aurdrey Charles Macaulay as Durkee George Gaynes as Everett Wallace Chadwell as TV Director
`Plot:`	`Young and talented concert pianist Jenifer Welles is threatening to go public with details of her affair with brilliant symphony orchestra conductor Alex Benedict. Since Alex’s strong willed mother-in-law, Lizzi Fielding, is the chairman of the symphony board, he cannot risk the scandal.`

	`"The Greenhouse Jungle" (1972)`
`Season:`	`2, Episode - 2`
`Director:`	`Boris Sagal`
`Written by:`	`Jonathan Latimer`
`Produced by:`	`Dean Hargrove`
`Originally aired:`	`October 15, 1972`
`Run Time:`	`(mins)`
`Cast:`	Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Guest Starring Ray Milland as Jarvis Goodland Bradford Dillman as Tony Goodland Bob Dishy as Sergeant Frederic Wilson Sandra Smith as Cathy Goodland William Smith as Ken Nichols Arlene Martel as Gloria West Robert Karnes as Grover Milton Frome as Driver Peggy Mondo as Woman Richard Annis as Officer Larry Watson as Sound Man
`Plot:`	Young Tony Goodland is desperate to win back his unfaithful wife, Cathy. Money is the key to her heart, but Tony’s comfortable income isn’t enough to keep Cathy from stepping out with muscular, well-tanned skiing instructor. Acidic Jarvis Goodlands proposes a way out of Tony’s problems. Jarvis, a collector and grower of rare orchids, is co-administrator of a huge trust fund set up for his nephew. The money can only be toughed under extraordinary circumstances. Prompted by his uncle, Tony agrees to fake his own kidnapping.

	`"The Most Crucial Game" (1972)`
`Season:`	`2, Episode - 3`
`Director:`	`Jeremy Paul Kagan`
`Written by:`	`John T. Dugan`
`Produced by:`	`Dean Hargrove`
`Originally aired:`	`November 5, 1972`
`Run Time:`	`(mins)`
`Cast:`	Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Guest Starring Robert Culp as Paul Hanlon Dean Jagger as Walter Cannell James Gregory as Coach Larry Rizzo Valerie Harper as Eve Babcock Susan Howard as Shirley Wagner Dean Stockwell as Eric Wagner Val Avery as Ralph Dobbs Kathryn Kelly Wiget as Miss Johnson Richard Stahl as Mr Fremont Don Keefer as Deputy Coroner Cliff Carnell as Plainclothesman Joe Renteria as Box Attendant Jimmy Ivan Naranjo as Sgt Hernandez L.A.P.D. Los Angeles Lakers as Los Angeles Rockets
`Plot:`	`Paul Hanlon is general manager of the lucrative Wagner sports empire, a business that includes the Los Angeles Rockets football team. The greatest threat to his power is posed by owner Eric Wagner, an irresponsible swinger who cares little about the operation. It’s a Sunday afternoon and the Rockets have a home game. Paul believes he can murder Eric and set up a perfect alibi.`

	`"Dagger of the Mind" (1972)`
`Season:`	`2, Episode - 4`
`Director:`	`Richard Quine`
`Written by:`	`Jackson Gillis`
`Produced by:`	`Dean Hargrove`
`Originally aired:`	`November 26, 1972`
`Run Time:`	`120 (mins)`
`Cast:`	Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Richard Basehart as Nicholas Frame Honor Blackman as Lilian Stanhope John Williams as Sir Roger Haversham Wilfrid Hyde-White as Tanner Bernard Fox as William Durk Arthur Mallet as Joe Fenwick Harvey Jason as The Director Ronald Long as Mr. Jones Veronica Anderson as Maid Hedley Mattingley as Customs Man John Orchard as Country Constable Peter Church as Consable Walker Edmiston as Gardener Gerlad S. Peters as Inspetor Smythe Sharon Johansen as Miss Dudley
`Plot:`	The marquee at London’s Royal Court Theatre proclaims the following night’s grand opening: Sir Roger Haversham presents Nicholas Framer and Lillian Stanhope in William Shakerspear’s Macbeth. Actually, light and lobby posters tell us very little about the real drama going on instide the walls od this venerable theater. Desperate to get back into the limelight, husband-and-wife team Nick and Lilly view this production of Macbeth as their comeback vehicle, With Nicky’s blessing, Lilly has been playing up to the largely retired Sir Rodger, manipulating him into reopening the Royal Court and backing the Shakespearean tragedy. Sir Rodger learns the truth just before the dress rehearsel.

	`"Requiem for a Falling Star" (1973)`
`Season:`	`2, Episode - 5`
`Director:`	`Richard Quine`
`Written by:`	`Jackson Gillis`
`Produced by:`	`Dean Hargrove`
`Originally aired:`	`January 21, 1973`
`Run Time:`	`(mins)`
`Cast:`	Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Anne Baxter as Nora Chandler Mel Ferrer as Jerry Parks Kevin McCarthy as Dr. Frank Simmons Frank Converse as Mr. Fallon Pippa Scott as Jean Davis Edith Head as Herself Sid Miller as Director William Bryant as Sergeant Jeffries John Archer as Paul Jack Griffin as Gate Guard Robert E. Meredith as Joe Bart Burns as Sergeant Fields
`Plot:`	`Former movie queen Nora Chandler keeps her career barley alive with occasional roles in a television series or network films. It’s a far cry from her glory days, when she was married to Al Cumberland, the man who built the studio. Cumberland died in a boating accident twelve years ago, but Nora continues to live in the cottage built for her on the studio lot. Although this property is quite valuable, she has resisted all the studio head Fallon’s attempts to buy it.`

	`"A Stitch in Crime" (1973)`
`Season:`	`2, Episode - 6`
`Director:`	`Hy Averback`
`Written by:`	`Shirl Hendryx`
`Produced by:`	`Dean Hargrove`
`Originally aired:`	`February 11, 1973`
`Run Time:`	`74 (mins)`
`Cast:`	Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Guest Starring Leonard Nimoy as Dr. Barry Mayfield Anne Francis as Sharon Martin Nita Talbot as Marsha Dalton Will Geer as Dr. Edmund Hiedeman Aneta Corsaut as Nurse Morgan Jared Martin as Harry Alexander Victor Millan as Detective Flores Kenneth Sansom as Paul Murray MacLeod as Dr Simpson Leonard Simon as Dr Michaelson Ron Stokes as Tom Patsy Garrett as Cleaning Woman
`Plot:`	`Dr. Barry Mayfield is a brilliant young heart surgeon on the staff of a major Los Angeles hospital. He and the hospital’s senior heart specialist, the revered Dr. Edmund Hiedeman, are working on a drug that will combat transplant rejection. Veteran nurse Sharon martin believes that Mayfield is a cold opportunist who would like to take all the credit for the research project. She doesn’t know how right she is.`

	`"The Most Dangerous Match" (1973)`
`Season:`	`2, Episode - 7`
`Director:`	`Edward M. Abroms`
`Written by:`	`Jackson Gillis`
`Produced by:`	`Dean Hargrove`
`Originally aired:`	`March 4, 1973`
`Run Time:`	`(mins)`
`Cast:`	Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Laurence Harvey as Emmet Clayton Jack Kruschen as Tomlin Dudek Lloyd Bochner as Mazoor Berozski Paul Jenkins as Sergeant Douglas Michael Fox as Dr. Benson Oscar Beregi as Proprietor Mathias Reitz as Anton John Finnegan as Workman Drout Miller as 1st Report Stuart Nisbet as Dr. Sulivan
`Plot:`	American grand master Emmet Clayton is anxious to prove he is the greatest living chess player. Some experts have suggested that he would never become world champion if the top soviet player, Tomlin Dudek, hadn’t been forced into inactivity by ill health. All those doubts are soon erased, though. Clayton’s former fiancee, Linda Robinson, now a close friend of Dudek’s, has arranged a match in Los Angeles.

	`"Double Shock" (1973)`
`Season:`	`2, Episode - 8`
`Director:`	`Robert Butler`
`Written by:`	`Steven Bochco, Jackson Gillis, Richard Levinson, William Link`
`Produced by:`	`Dean Hargrove`
`Originally aired:`	`March 25, 1973`
`Run Time:`	`(mins)`
`Cast:`	Peter Falk as LT. Columbo Martin Landau as Dexter and Norman Paris Paul Stewart as Clifford Paris Julie Newmar as Lisa Chambers Jeanette Nolan as Mrs. Peck Tim O'Connor as Michael Hathaway Dabney Coleman as Detective Murray Kate Hawley as Mrs. Johnson Michael Richardson as Young Lawyer
`Plot:`	Elderly and wealthy Clifford Paris is about to be married to the much younger Lias Chalmers, a fellow physical fitness enthusiast. Unhappy about the impending nuptials, his nephew, Dexter, the host of a television cooking show, watches as Clifford fences with the family attorney Michael Hathaway. After vigorous match, Clifford decides to take a bath. The house keeper, Mrs Peck, is settling down to watch a medical drama on television. Dexter approaches his soaking uncle with a wedding present. It’s and electric mixer. The humour between Mrs. Peck and Columbo in this episode is particularly poignant. This is one of the best comedic episodes ever written for Columbo, the frustration and maddening anoyance that Columbo poses to Mrs. Peck is very well played upon.