The Most Crucial Game (1972) review | The Columbo Episode Guide (S2, E3)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Robert Culp is back and I don't know what a cuckoo clock is.
I own nothing.
#Columbo #TheMostCrucialGame #PeterFalk #RobertCulp #EpisodeGuide #Review
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What’s always bothered me about this episode, is that all Hanlon had to say was the clock hadn’t been wound up that day 👍🏻
The lawyer in this episode was played by Dean Jagger, a great and prominent character actor from movies like "white Christmas " to tv shows like " MR Novak" in the 1960s. Just a fyi
9:26 Pat Riley, former L.A. Lakers player and coach and current team president of the Miami Heat..
Way too negative a commentary. Entertainment wise… one of the best despite it’s obvious flaws which you so rightly pointed out! Robert Culp is my favorite re-occurring villain.
Yes when it's Robert Culp you're expecting a slow down with enlightening conversation... So I left early
" Way too negative a commentary. "
"...it’s obvious flaws which you so rightly pointed out! "
Hmmm
I don’t think so. It’s cynical for the sake of entertainment, I think. And if consumed that way, it’s pretty entertaining.
I love it when columbo switches from buffoon mode to "hardened cop" with the PI. Thus demonstrating for sure the facade he uses to disarm his suspects.
I remember watching this and getting excited to see Rhoda Morgenstern in a Columbo episode! It's funny because in an episode of "Rhoda," a reference to Columbo is made!
Great video! I was always under the impression that Hanlon murdered the owner because he was a party boy who was uninterested in the team and only created controversy and dried up cash to fund his playboy lifestyle, thus running the team into the ground. I assumed maybe Hanlon had loyalty to Wagner’s father and was disgusted in the way he was destroying his dad’s sports empire. I thought there was phone dialog about some sports related deal Wagner didn’t follow through on or something like that. I guess I’ll need to rewatch it. Cheers!
I aways thought so, too. Wagner seemed uninterested in expanding the sports empire, and Hanlon profited from it, he was probably afraid of loosing his job if Wagner decided to completely abandon the business. I always thought it was rather clear, until I read the reviews of the episode - only then I realised that the motive wasn't that clear indeed, especially from Columbo's perspective. Still fun to watch, tho.
Best line in all episodes "they are on the ten, sir"😂😂
Robert culp my favorite Columbo villain 🎉
This episode, A Stitch in Crime with guest villain Leonard Nimoy and Any Old Port in a Storm with Donald Pleasence are my favorites
You should watch Forensic Files. People kill for far less and much more clumsily. They are also caught the same way!
My favorite ending! Funny there is no motive but I think he was making moves on the widow and eventually killing her.
I am looking forward to the Patrick McGoohan episodes. He's as good a baddie as Culp.
My parents have that exact clock. The problem is the clock has to be wound by hand every day so.... But I love Columbo and it works. Great review. I have watched every episode multiple times and enjoy your reviews.
Decent episode with some good moments. But my least favorite of the Robert Culp appearances. I liked the line, "Hockey is for Penguins". lol
Somewhere in the fact finding part of Columbo’s job he finds out that an ice cream truck was in a neighborhood not served by the vendor. He links that truck to the truck that had been standing at the back entrance of the stadium.
The 2:30 chime is one thing they never explain. Clocks typically chime on the hour. Maybe that specific one chimes at the 30 minute mark? Maybe it's some special clock to represent an important event for the team? And yes there would be an easy defense but he broke down anyway.
There are clocks and clocks. I have one that chimes every QUARTER of an hour!
I like "The Most Crucial Game" for the gotcha at the end, the way the wire-tapping subplot plays into the killer's alibi, and the way Columbo's interactions with Dobbs show his humbleness to be almost a veneer. Plus, we get to see famous NBA coach and general manager Pat Riley as a player.
Yea I like that part too
I did not pick up on Robert Culp as a previous killer originally. Testament to his brilliant acting skills & ability to transform into another character. In the last episode I picked up on Ray Millian right away & it was distracting even though he wasn't the killer the 1st time.
I recently watched Culp's 3 70s appearances in the show, and the only thing that challenged my suspension of disbelief was the fact that I'm a watch-spotter. He wears the same Gold Rolex Concorde in all three episodes, which I guess was probably his personal watch.
After this episode I was a little confused & looked up the explanation. Apparently some of those clocks go off every half hour which is how Columbo got him
I always thought Columbo solved the puzzle, not proved a case for court. If Conviction happens isn't what drives Columbo, he just wants to solve the puzzle.
I assumed the motive was to get rid of Eric because he wasn’t that interested in expanding the sports empire that Hanlon was managing. Hanlon clearly had a better relationship with Eric’s wife. Presumably with Eric gone, Hanlon would have the wife’s blessing to do as he saw fit (assuming she didn’t just sell off the teams, of course).
I do agree that the reveal was weak and proved little. Hanlon could have even made a case that the clock stopped during the game and that he needed to wind it up again. Clocks like that needed regular winding to keep running.
Eve Babcock was Valerie Harper! Just filling in a blank, there.
"Columbo I'm gonna throw you outa here on your ear!!!" One of my favorite episodes of the magnificent second season. Along with "Requim for a Fallen Star" & "The Greenhouse Jungle" this episode is my favorite. The ending is hillarious when Columbo is driving Paul Hanlon crazy in the booth. You're right the motive in this episode is vague unless you think Hanlon wanted total control of the football team that Eric Wahner owned. Also the water around the pool always wondered me how it would be even possible to know fresh water after the time the murder was committed.
I won't give the line away, but when it comes to TV cops, I think only Columbo would react so politely to a line like "I'm gonna throw you outta here!"
Yeah, pretty weak storyline, but the scene with Valerie Harper, one if the shows best...
I have a lot of the same complaints you have about this episode, but i still really love it. Fantastic review and editing!
8:47 you are too funny, lol
Thank you as always for your kind words of support my friend.
I really love the scene of Columbo walking around the empty stadium.
You nailed it. This episode never gave us a true motive.But like you,I came up with the same guesses as you.Still,a good ending,but as you said,enough for a conviction?
That evil mustache was definitely evil 😆
You make some valid points here. I have watched this episode multiple times, as I have all Columbo episodes, and it is still one of my faves despite the flaws. Robert Culp playing against Columbo is classic gold. Yeah, I think the hose water would have dried on the pool deck by the time Columbo arrived as the ice had melted haha. I love the coo coo clock gotcha tho!
The ice fell into the water and didnt show even if not melted.
Are you in any way associated with the Columbophile website, sir?
I wish! I have been a longtime reader of his blog and he was one of the biggest inspirations to me starting this series. Highly recommended to anyone not already hip to it.
@@schlockhorror5533 keep it on, sir, I wish you 100k subs someday!
james gregory again. valerie harper.
i remeber the Ice Cream Disguise so well XD
These Columbo reviews are fun. Thanks. Hope you can keep going with them. : )
I always thought this was a great way to murder someone?
excellent episode
The water and ice make sense!
Robert culp plays an excellent short fused killer
So did Roddy McDowall
@@lapelcelery42 really? That skinny little twig ? I think not
@@CHULITOLINDO01 No, I mean he was the killer in the episode "Short Fuse"
@lapelcelery42 when I see him, I think of comedy & everytime I see that episode coming on, I change channel, I only liked him in the original Fright night
Ice melted away to nothing by being submerged at the bottom of the pool?
Ice floats. ;)
It's just a nit pick. I really like these reviews. I sure would like to see more of them, but you haven't done one in a long while.
Gotcha may not be perfect from pure realism point of view but I like how episode guides through Columbo's struggle to find damning clue in that recording. I mean, we would've done the same, anyone would've looked for the sound that shouldn't be there. And the BAM ! we all got it backwards ! Also I love the way that scene was shot - clock rings, Columbo and Hanlon look at the clock, Columbo looks back, Hanlon's facial expression is the one of shock. Just a sequence of looks being exchanged between murderer and detective, no dialogue and all of the pounding score. Love it
Motive is a good point. I've wondered myself why Hanlon needed Eric dead, since he appeared to be getting everything he wanted at least verbally. Perhaps Eric gave Hanlon reason for pause when he suggested that his money should be put towards "something constructive," as opposed to a sports empire which is often just a plaything for the wealthy 🤔
Then again, the murder scheme appeared too well thought out to have been a product of sudden passion or anger. Hanlon must have sensed Eric was going to be a source of obstruction in due time.
The ME is also the actor that got turned into the Jack in the Box in the TZ. Very accurate review here. It's still fun for all the set scenes of great actors facing off, but overall it doesn't hang together at all.
I came her3 to say same. Was on columbo channel. I always like to imagine who would have enough evidence against them to be brought to trial and who had enough to convict from a jury and most episodes have solid evidence, not all .. some evidence does have a slam dunk, but this episode never really generated a motive and missing clock chime is easily debunkable and oe circumstantial at best, but robert Culp is legendary as much as falk it's columbo im watching. No matter what culp is in, he's always annoyed. Lol. Nice breakdown.
Love the Culp trilogy. Another strength of this episode was revealed by Shonna on Watch it for Days was the noteworthy cinematography.
Your remarks are right. I saw it several times and I thought the same. But I am less critical on the rest. It is an enjoyable episode. Beside by those days standards, phone recording, killing with ice, disguising and using radios to kill somebody, must have looked like very fancy and progressive elements. And police manners and prosecution detail too must not have been that systematic.
This episode has the biggest wtf moment in any Columbo episode for me that I had to replay it several times to see if I missed something. Columbo had just had an interview with Culp at the house while they were going over funeral arrangements. Culp agrees to Columbo's demands to have a lab crew and then leaves the house. Then suddenly we cut to a plane, then LAX airport then we see Columbo by some magic has parked his car at LAX right next to Culp's car, walks into the airport and makes a beeline for the airport phones to overhear the first clue that makes Culp a suspect. Culp specifically went to the airport to make a call he desperately did not want overheard, so it is extremely unlikely Columbo could follow his car to LAX in his highly conspicuous Peugeot 403 without Culp noticing. And why would Columbo assume Culp is using the airport phones and walk directly to the phones? Culp is there after all to pick someone up, should the assumption be he'd be at the gates?
So, why did Columbo drive all the way to LAX to confront Culp since at this point in time, he has no suspects and no leads? He just talked with Culp and now he's confronted Culp under the guise of wanting to ask more questions, why didn't Columbo ask the questions while they were at the house? This come across as harassment since no time has passed between interviews apart from a car trip. Why did Columbo suspect Culp enough to drive all the way to the airport? Why did he suspect Culp was heading to the airport to make a phone call? How did he manage to even track down Culp down in a gigantic airport? Why even suspect Culp in the first place at this point in time? He was just told no one wanted to murder the murder victim.
I don't understand any of this apart from perhaps the script needed Columbo to get a lead handed to him on a silver platter even if it makes no sense.
They tore the Wagner house down a few years ago and replaced it with that monstrosity know as The One. The old house was much better.
0:47
A young Benton Fraiser from Due South heard of this "tasting" detective technique and began to practice it relentlessly.
I find Columbo's lack of respect for the victim by preferring to listen to a football match jarring.
That w as the same house in the Frankie Lymon movie. That house is on rotation. Lol
And that line columbo had about culp shutting the radio off whenever he mentioned murder.
Uhhh .. he just did it again. Lol. I snorted and rewound it few times.
Quality
That Marshall Applewhite cameo in this had me howling with laughter.
George Hamilton and Robert Culp. A good evening move movie on a Weekday night nearing the weekend or a long weekend
great, Love Columbo!
Say the awful f word I leave. No like button.
I never understood why the gotcha at the end was such a solid way to break Hanlon's alibi. All he had to say was "For some reason it was stopped the other day. I shook it a little and it started working again."
3:55 Uncle D.L in Short Fuse.
Good episode
Ding-a-ling
You misspelled Culp in the description.
Or maybe the people in Columbo's production misspelled "Cup"...
Fun Fact: The scene with the limo @ 4:06 was blown up with James Gregory in it then it appears later episode with Patrick O"Neal sitting in the back as a TV Executive.
You make some interesting points but wasn’t the motive the fact that Eric was going to sell the franchise, which would put Hamlin out of a job?
If I didn't know who Marshall Applewhite was I would assume he was just an actor you were surprised to see in the episode.
Always some weak places or holes. But fun to watch.
Thanks again.
yeah motive doesn't make sense. as a general manager hanlon is in a dream position with a rich owner who doesn't show up to meddle
excellent ending line for this video, kudos!!!
Best fictional police officer on TV.
Unitek it was a good episode
Thanx dude
I love it
Great job, thanks!
I agree the Gotcha is beyond weak. If it went on another minute, I suspect Culp's character would have laughed and said: "Get the f#%k outta here!"
If he didn't, the Judge would have certainly said that when he tossed the case.
Still, it's fun and Bob C's only serious rival for The Trilogy of Pricks award is Jack Cassidy. Calling a winner there is a tough call! ;-)