Old Fashioned Murder

I generally love "Columbo," but this is nowhere near the best. Joyce Van Patton is a prim and proper and old-fashioned villain, but she lacks excitement, and so does the show. No one wants to watch a boring villain. (I think of something Alfred Hitchcock once said: The better the villain, the better the movie.) There's an overall aura of blandness to the show. Celeste Holm and Jeannie Berlin add a bit of juice, but not much.

Also: I don't have a clue why the killer tries to pin the job on the particular person she does. And I could rattle off some plot holes that would qualify as "spoilers," so I won't.

"Columbo" fans will want to see it, but they'll likely be disappointed.

Joyce Van Patten stars as Ruth Lytton, an older single lady whose life revolves around her running the family museum. However, when she learns that her brother is planning on selling the place, she decides they'll keep it open....even if it means killing him and another person in order to make the brother's death look like a robbery gone bad.

This is a decent episode up until the ending. While there is some evidence that Ruth did the double murder, it's not clear....yet she confesses to it. Weak...very weak.

This is one of the best Columbos. You can't beat the cast, the storyline, or anything about it. I can't be as erudite as the other poster, so I'll just say I loved it.

The cast is top notch: Joyce van Patten, Jeannie Berlin, Tim O'Connor and Celeste Holm, who is a riot. "I am not without influence, Lieutenant Columbus!" And a line I use myself even today: "I have told you, I cannot leave a room without a man to escort me." That line gets a neat twist at the end of the movie.

Joyce Van Patten, Holm and O'Connor are all family members who own a museum.

It's Van Patten's whole life, but it's a money pit and O'Connor wants to get rid of it. There lies the conflict.

I highly recommend this particular Columbo.

Those criticsising the pace are missing the point. Van Pattens character has spent all her life been similarly understated and it's a relief after the previous over-acting from William Shatner (see 'Fade into Murder')

Just borders on the right side of intrigue for me, mainly thanks to the great acting from all the female leads

The Lyttons are not a normal Southern California family. They are of the old money and had a place in society. Peter Falk's Columbo could not be more out of place than with eccentric bunch. Joyce Van Patten is a brilliant, under-rated actress who deserves awards and nominations for always leaving her mark in any role. After watching her in this role as Ruth Lytton, you want to see more of her. Celeste Holm does an exceptional job of playing her sister who won her sister's fiancé, married, and produced Janie, the heir to the Lytton fortune. Ruth and her brother Edward are caught in a conflict over the family's legacy which includes a museum that is constantly losing money. Ruth is determined to keep the museum alive because it is her life. Edward wants the best for his family and thinks by selling it that they would all benefit from it. Well, the only weak casting is the role of Janie, the niece. I liked her performance but I can't get that one awful vision of her reaction to finding her uncle's body in the museum. It is the most awkward reaction regarding murder. I won't say anymore but I think the writing was excellent. I think Joyce's Ruth and Peter Falk's Columbo was a good pair. I can sympathize with Ruth's loss of love and her devotion and loyalty to her family.