New Western RoundUp Column at Classic Movie Hub

My new Western RoundUp column has just been posted at Classic Movie Hub.

This month I return to the topic of books on the Western film genre, sharing information on titles old and new.

Please click over to Classic Movie Hub for the column, and thanks, as always, for reading!

Previous Classic Movie Hub Western RoundUp Column Links: June 2018; July 2018; August 2018; September 2018; October 2018; November 2018; December 2018; January 2019; February 2019; April 5, 2019; April 30, 2019; May 2019; June 2019; July 2019; August 2019; September 2019; October 2019; November 2019; December 2019; January 2020; February 2020; March 2020; April 2020; May 2020; June 2020; July 2020; August 2020; September 2020; October 2020; November 2020; December 2020; January 2021; February 2021; March 2021; May 2021; June 2021; June 2021 (No. 2); July 2021; August 2021; September 2021; November 2021; December 2021; December 2021 (No. 2); January 2022; February 2022; March 2022; April 2022; May 2022; June 2022; July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; November 2022; November 2022 (No. 2); January 2023 (No. 1); January 2023 (No. 2); March 2023; April 2023; May 2023 (No. 1); May 2023 (No. 2); June 2023; July 2023; September 2023; September 2023 (No. 2); October 2023; November 2023; December 2023; January 2024; February 2024; March 2024.

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The 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review

The 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival has now come to an end, and it's possible that this was the best festival yet!

This was the 15th edition of the festival, which was held from Thursday evening, April 18th, through Sunday night, April 21st.

Turner Classic Movies is also celebrating its 30th anniversary this month, and it was wonderful to gather in Hollywood and celebrate! Reuniting with friends from across the country, Canada, and beyond is always the very best part of the festival.

Screenings were spread across five main theater venues this year, plus the Hollywood Roosevelt pool and a special "one-off" screening of ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS (1961) at Disney's El Capitan Theatre.

As is always the case, there are many difficult viewing decisions to make at the festival, and I made more changes to my tentative schedule than is typical for me, including completely changing my opening night plans!

On opening night friends persuaded me that seeing WHITE HEAT (1949) in 35mm was the way to go, which ended up being a great choice, and then I stayed at the Egyptian Theatre to watch the new-to-me GAMBIT (1966), which I found amusing.

Friday there wasn't time to get to the Egyptian for THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! (1974) so I went with my backup plan and saw IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU (1954), which I hadn't seen since I watched it on TV as a child in the '70s.

I followed that with John Ford's THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND (1936) in 35mm, which particularly intrigued me as I recently reviewed a new biography of Warner Baxter. It was incredibly special to have costar John Carradine's son Keith there to discuss his father's work.

I was shut out of a sold-out screening of THE BIG HEAT (1953) on Saturday, but I managed to see it when it was one of the films chosen to replay on Sunday!

On Sunday I finally made my choice between CHINATOWN (1974) and THE SEARCHERS (1956), choosing the world premiere of the restoration of THE SEARCHERS, shown in 70mm; it was one of the best festival decisions I've ever made. That sold-out screening was a majestic, profound experience which left me awed and deeply moved.

Another wonderful experience for me this year was the presentation of the Robert Osborne Award to film historian Jeanine Basinger, who has been one of my favorite writers on film for the majority of my life. That emotional moment, combined with her chosen screening of WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951), was very special.

I enjoyed everything I saw, with additional highlights being the Ben Burtt and Craig Barron special presentation of THEM! (1954), featuring a surprise appearance by former child actress Sandy Descher; DIRTY HARRY (1971), with Eddie Muller hosting a terrific interview with Andy Robinson; and a partial cast reunion at a 30th anniversary screening of LITTLE WOMEN (1994), which I continue to feel is one of the finer films of the last few decades.

I saw 15 films again this year, the same number as I've seen at the last few festivals. Five films were in 35mm, one in 70mm, and the other nine films were in DCP format. Five of the films were new to me, and four of the repeat films were first-time big screen watches. The short THE GOAT (1921), which preceded a screening of SHERLOCK JR. (1924), was also new to me.

I'll add as an aside that I've gathered a small stack of a few movies I didn't get to see at the festival, including THE SMALL BACK ROOM (1949) along with the previously mentioned THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! and CHINATOWN. I'm hoping to catch up with those in the near future.

As always, I'll be sharing daily recaps in the coming days, offering more thoughts on the movies seen, along with additional photos. I also hope to write at least a couple of full-length film reviews, as time permits. There's lots more about the festival coming soon!

Previously reviewed films seen at the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival, listed in the order viewed at the fest: WHITE HEAT (1949), THE GOOD FAIRY (1935), THEM! (1954), IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), THE MAD MISS MANTON (1938), WESTWARD THE WOMEN (1951), LITTLE WOMEN (1994), and THE BIG HEAT (1953).

As usual, I'll add future 2024 coverage links to this paragraph, so that all of this year's festival reports may be easily found in one place: [Coming soon!]

Previously: TCM Announces 2024 Festival Dates and Theme; 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements; Latest TCM Classic Film Festival Announcements; TCM Classic Film Festival Update; Latest TCM Classic Film Festival News; TCM Classic Film Festival Returning to the Egyptian Theatre; New Titles Announced for the TCM Classic Film Festival; The 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival Schedule.

Roundups containing all links to coverage of past TCM festivals: The 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2019 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, The 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review, and The 2023 TCM Classic Film Festival in Review.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week...

...will not appear this weekend due to my attendance at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

My tentative schedule picks for the festival may be perused here.

Around the Blogosphere This Week will return on Saturday, April 27th.

For recent links of interest to classic film fans, please see my April 13th roundup.

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New Column in The Dark Pages

I'm pleased to share that I have an article appearing in the latest issue of The Dark Pages!

My 2019 review of the Flicker Alley Blu-ray release of TRAPPED (1949) has been adapted for the March/April 2024 edition which is Volume 20, No. 2.

Other articles in this print issue include Andy Wolverton writing on NIGHT EDITOR (1946) and Kristina Dijan on a pair of Robert Douglas crime films, HOMICIDE (1949) and THIS SIDE OF THE LAW (1950).

The Dark Pages may be subscribed to here. Back issues are also available, including issues I've written for in the past; descriptions of those issues are linked below.

Previous Dark Pages posts: January 2011, December 2011, January 2013, June 2013, December 2022, March 2023, and March 2024.

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Tonight's Movie: Cocktail Hour (1933) - A Sony Blu-ray Review

One of the movies I most enjoyed at the 2022 TCM Classic Film Festival was the pre-Code COCKTAIL HOUR (1933).

The movie was introduced by the late Cari Beauchamp, so it seemed fitting that I watched it again this weekend on the day her memorial service took place. At the 2022 screening Cari interviewed Suzanne Lloyd about her grandfather Harold's friendship with the movie's star, Bebe Daniels. A fond memory.

At the time of that screening I expressed the hope that COCKTAIL HOUR would come out on DVD or Blu-ray, so what a delightful surprise to learn that the movie has just had a Blu-ray release from Sony!

This fast-moving 73-minute film tells the story of Cynthia (Daniels), a commercial artist who has many male admirers but loves her freedom. After a childhood on a Kansas farm, she's loving the high life and not having many responsibilities.

Randy (Randolph Scott), a magazine publisher who contracts for her paintings, proposes to Cynthia when she's about to leave for a European vacation. She boards her cruise anyway, where she's pursued by both a young nobleman (Barry Norton) and a cad (Sidney Blackmer) who conceals important information.

This movie is fun from the first seconds, as eagle-eyed classic film fans will spot "Wild Bill" Elliott delivering the first line and Dennis O'Keefe saying the third. Both actors worked frequently as extras and bit players throughout the '30s, very often -- as in this case -- in the same movies.

There's sort of a "taming of the shrew" theme and plenty of dialogue considered chauvinistic from the modern perspective, but honestly the eye-rolling lines just added to my enjoyment. It was a different time! And despite their periodic battles, both Daniels and Scott are appealing leads.

I also loved the Art Deco settings, especially the cruise ship. Movies set on ships and trains are among my favorite things.

The movie was directed by Victor Schertizinger and filmed by Joseph August. The screenplay was by Gertrude Purcell and Richard Schayer, based on a story by James Kevin McGuinness.

The supporting cast includes Muriel Kirkland, Jessie Ralph, George Nardelli, Willie Fung, and Marjorie Gateson.

The Blu-ray print is pristine, which adds to the enjoyment. A censored scene which now exists only via the soundtrack is included, with stills used while the dialogue plays.

There are no extras on the Blu-ray disc. English subtitles are available.

Kudos to Sony for making this rarely seen movie widely available, especially in such a nice print. Recommended for fans of pre-Code fun!

Thanks to Allied Vaughn and Sony for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. COCKTAIL HOUR may be purchased from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Book Review: The Mae West Films

Three years ago this summer I began watching Mae West films for the first time, and -- frankly somewhat to my surprise -- I discovered that I thoroughly enjoyed them.

As I described at the time, West had been something of a punchline to jokes when I was growing up, and I hadn't been interested in digging deeper. I'm certainly glad I changed my mind, as I found West "a completely unique film persona in both looks and personality...[she] absolutely owns the screen." West's films proved to be a wonderful discovery for me.

I've now seen all but the last couple of West's films of the '30s and '40s, and I was delighted to learn more about her life and career thanks to the new book by James L. Neibaur, THE MAE WEST FILMS. It was recently published by Bear Manor Media.

The book opens with a brief overview of West's life and stage work before the movies, then launches into in-depth looks at her dozen films. (I certainly regret the relative brevity of her movie career!) Additional biographical information is included towards the end of the book.

Each movie chapter contains the film's credits, production history, and contemporaneous critical reception, as well as some more recent assessments.

In the interests of full disclosure, this is a good place to pause and mention that I had the lovely surprise of finding my review of West's first film, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT (1932), quoted in the book. I loved her in it!

West was a unique movie personality; as Neibaur notes in his introduction, due to her pre-film stage fame she was able to have some control over her characters and dialogue, although she faced challenges when Production Code enforcement began in 1934. I appreciated the book's behind-the-scenes descriptions of these issues.

I found the book an informative and enjoyable guide which would also be the perfect companion to read alongside viewing the films; I'll return to it as I watch MY LITTLE CHICKADEE (1940) and THE HEAT'S ON (1943) for the first time, and I'm sure I'll consult it again when I rewatch her earlier movies in the future.

I reviewed a paperback edition of this book, which is also available in hardcover and e-book formats. The paperback measures six by nine inches and is 211 pages including bibliography and index. A nice selection of well-reproduced black and white photographs are printed directly on the pages.

Finally, I loved seeing that the book is dedicated to someone I admire very much, Farran Smith Nehme, aka the "Self-Styled Siren."

Previous reviews of books authored by James L. Neibaur: FRANK SINATRA ON THE BIG SCREEN; THE GEORGE RAFT FILMS; THE FILMS OF JUDY GARLAND; THE JOHN WAYNE B-WESTERNS 1932-1939.

My previous reviews of Mae West films: NIGHT AFTER NIGHT (1932), SHE DONE HIM WRONG (1933), I'M NO ANGEL (1933), BELLE OF THE NINETIES (1934), GOIN' TO TOWN (1935), KLONDIKE ANNIE (1936), GO WEST YOUNG MAN (1936), and EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY (1937).

Thanks to James L. Neibaur and Bear Manor Media for providing a review copy of this book.

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Book Review: The Accidental Star - The Life and Films of Warner Baxter

I've seen Warner Baxter in a number of films over the years, but I can't claim to have known much about him

That's changed thanks to the excellent recently published book, THE ACCIDENTAL STAR - THE LIFE AND FILMS OF WARNER BAXTER. It was written by Dan Van Neste and published by Bear Manor Media.

This is an impressively detailed 491-page book. The first half is a biography which runs 243 pages; the second half of the book contains details on all Baxter's films, including cast credits, review excerpts, and miscellany regarding the productions. The filmography also includes information on whether the film still exists and currently available viewing formats.

My favorite Baxter films include 42ND STREET (1933) and PENTHOUSE (1933). Other titles I've liked include WIFE, DOCTOR AND NURSE (1937), WIFE, HUSBAND AND FRIEND (1939), and ADAM HAD FOUR SONS (1941).

I'll add that the film he made with director John Ford, THE PRISONER OF SHARK ISLAND (1936), will be playing at the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival, so perhaps I'll have the chance to see another of his movies.

Despite having been aware of Baxter for many years, I couldn't have told you he was an Oscar-winning actor! He won Best Actor for IN OLD ARIZONA (1928).

Baxter worked in movies beginning with bit roles in 1918 and continued working until 1950, the year before his passing. He was a well-liked professional and steadily working actor who was long married to actress Winifred Bryson.

Baxter maintained his career despite ongoing mental health struggles and later declining physical health, including cancer. He was only 62 when he died on May 7, 1951, and was buried at Forest Lawn Glendale.

I found THE ACCIDENTAL STAR to be both well researched and engagingly written. The amount of material the author was able to share about Baxter's early years is particularly admirable, given that that time period is now a century or more ago.

The author concludes the biographical section of the book with reflections on his subject. He assesses some of the reasons for Baxter's relative obscurity, including much of his silent work being lost, and also writes about his legacy.

Like the author, I was left with a positive opinion of Warner Baxter, who had a successful career despite his struggles; moreover, he seems to have been a fine person. The book, including the filmography section, sparked my interest in exploring more of Baxter's films.

I read a paperback edition of the book, which is also available in hardback and e-book form. It's well illustrated with black and white photographs printed directly on the pages.

In addition to the information listed above, the book also includes a list of Baxter's radio appearances, a bibliography, extensive end notes, and index.

As a postscript, I was moved to discover the book was dedicated to three women, two of whom were special in my own life: "Moira Finnie" (Gina Neylon) and "Caftan Woman" (Patricia Nolan-Hall). What a lovely tribute.

Recommended.

Thanks to the author and Bear Manor Media for providing a review copy of this book.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Russ Tamblyn's new memoir, DANCING ON THE EDGE: A LIFE OF LIVING, LOVING, AND TUMBLING THROUGH HOLLYWOOD, has just been published by Blackstone Publishing.

...Leonard Maltin has a short but welcome column focused on rare cartoons now available on Blu-ray.

...Thanks to Chris Yogerst for sharing the interesting title GANGSTERS VS. NAZIS: HOW JEWISH MOBSTERS BATTLED NAZIS IN WARTIME AMERICA by Michael Benson. It came out in hardcover in 2022 and is due out in paperback this summer.

...The latest book by TV and film music historian Jon Burlingame is DREAMSVILLE: HENRY MANCINI, PETER GUNN, AND MUSIC FOR TV NOIR. It was just published by Bear Manor Media.

...Coming to Blu-ray June 11th from Kino Lorber Studio Classics: MACBETH (1948), starring Orson Welles and Jeanette Nolan. The two-disc special edition will include both 119- and 85-minute cuts. Extras will include a commentary track by Joseph McBride.

...Glenn Erickson's latest reviews for Trailers From Hell include the new Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray release of 3 GODFATHERS (1948) and "Accidentally Preserved Volume 5" from Ben Model's Undercrank Productions.

...Turner Classic Movies turns 30 on April 14th, and Aurora of Once Upon a Screen was able to ask the TCM hosts their thoughts on the network's importance.

...Over at Comet Over Hollywood, Jessica Pickens has reviewed a favorite Deanna Durbin musical, the hard-to-find SPRING PARADE (1940). I'm still hoping for a DVD or Blu-ray release.

...Notable Passings: Eleanor Coppola, the wife of Francis Ford Coppola and mother of Sofia Coppola, has passed away at 87. A documentary filmmaker, her first feature film, the charming PARIS CAN WAIT (2016) with Diane Lane, was released the year she turned 80! I was interested to learn she was originally "local," born in Long Beach, California, and she grew up in nearby Huntington Beach...Robert MacNeil, longtime cohost of THE MACNEIL/LEHRER REPORT, has died at 93...TV director Bruce Kessler has passed on at 88. He's survived by his wife, actress Joan Freeman.

...Please note there will not be an Around the Blogosphere This Week column next weekend, when I will be covering the TCM Classic Film Festival. The column will return on Saturday, April 27th.

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my April 6th column.

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Book Review: The Voice of Villainy: The Betty Lou Gerson Story

I love to read, particularly about movies, so one of the great pleasures of classic film blogging is reviewing books.

Sometimes between my day job -- which often requires reading hundreds of pages a day -- and my other writing commitments I'm a little slow getting book reviews up. Such was the case with THE VOICE OF VILLAINY: THE BETTY LOU GERSON STORY, which came out last year, but it was no less enjoyed!

THE VOICE OF VILLAINY was written by and self-published by Lona Bailey. Bailey's other books include biographies of actresses Virginia Gregg (for Bear Manor Media) and, more recently, Susan Cabot (self-published).

THE VOICE OF VILLAINY tells the story of the Disney Legend who memorably voiced legendary villainess Cruella de Vil in ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS (1961). Gerson also worked for Disney as the Narrator of CINDERELLA (1950) and in a small role in MARY POPPINS (1964).

Gerson was born to Russian Jewish immigrants in Tennessee in 1914. Bailey does a nice job reconstructing the Gerson family history, as well as placing it in a wider historical context. She was able to collect an impressive amount of information on family events which took place over a century ago.

Betty's father became a successful, well-off industrialist, and she had a comfortable upbringing in Birmingham, Alabama, but the family was rocked by his sudden death just as she entered her teens.

As a young woman living in Chicago, Betty took acting classes and in fairly short order became a radio actress in the 1930s. She moved to Hollywood in the '40s, working steadily not only in radio but movies and television. At one point she was appearing in nearly a dozen radio shows per week, as well as in occasional small roles in films like UNDERCOVER GIRL (1950).

Gerson was a steady working actress who was constantly busy yet never became a household name...but her most famous role, Cruella, certainly did!

Betty Lou Gerson died in Los Angeles in 1999, a few days after suffering a stroke. She was 84.

Bailey tells Gerson's life story in a fast-paced and interesting volume. The book seems to be very well-researched; Bailey describes some of her sources, such as recorded interviews and family remembrances, in general terms in the opening author's note.

That said, I would have found footnotes of interest clarifying the author's sources, other than the single brief bibliography/footnotes page provided; otherwise the reader takes her research on faith, though I would hasten to say I have no reason to quibble with it.

I read a paperback edition of the book, which is also available for Kindle. The printed book's size is six by nine inches.

The biographical section of the book is 121 pages, followed by lengthy lists of Gerson's impressive performance credits; the total page count is 222. There are no photographs.

I enjoyed THE VOICE OF VILLAINY and learned quite a bit about the actress behind the iconic character. As a result of reading this book I'm likely to seek out the author's other books in the future.

Thanks to the author for providing a review copy of this book.

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Tonight's TV: Columbo (1973) - "A Stitch in Crime," "The Most Dangerous Match," "Double Shock" - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

I've now wrapped up viewing Season 2 of COLUMBO via Kino Lorber's Blu-ray collection, with a trio of 1973 episodes. Two of them were big winners, while the other was a rare dud.

"A Stitch in Crime" was one of the best episodes to date. It was well plotted, with an interesting premise, a good cast, and some nice humor.

A very sleepy Columbo is called to a hospital crime scene: A nurse (Anne Francis) has been murdered in the parking lot. As Columbo yawns, cracks open a hard-boiled egg, and begs for coffee, his mind is already hard at work analyzing the scene.

The viewer knows that the culprit is Dr. Barry Mayfield (Leonard Nimoy), who realized the nurse was on to his plan to kill his mentor, Dr. Edmund Hidemann (Will Geer), by using the wrong kind of surgical thread for Hidemann's heart surgery.

Dr. Mayfield and Columbo spar regularly as the detective inches closer to realizing that Mayfield is not only the murderer, but that Dr. Hidemann's life is in danger as he recovers from surgery.

One of the things I've noticed about the show, which is true of all three episodes reviewed here, is that the villains tend to taunt and argue with Columbo rather than be more circumspect in an attempt to cover up their crimes. I suppose we might say their egos get in their own way, but it's rather odd none are smart enough to recognize that being more subdued and cooperative might throw him off the scent!

Speaking of Columbo and Mayfield sparring, this is also a rare episode where the genial detective shows the depth of his anger toward a suspect, and it definitely gets the viewer's attention.

Everyone in the cast is good, including Francis in her brief role. Nita Talbot, playing Francis's somewhat kooky roommate, looks enough like her she could have convincingly played her sister.

I don't find Nimoy an actor with much range, but he was successful in this, as within his narrow "lane" he manages to be compelling.

The episode was written by Shirl Hendryx, who died last summer at the age of 99. It was directed by Hy Averback and shot by Harry Wolf, who filmed all three of the episodes in this review. I especially loved a shot of an ambulance speeding past KHJ Studios. Griffith Park also turns up in the episode.

We move from the sublime to its opposite with "The Most Dangerous Match," which is most certainly the only truly boring episode seen to date. Even the sub-par "Dagger of the Mind" was at least more interesting to follow.

The setup for the murder, which takes place against he background of an international chess match, is interminable, dragging on for well over 20 minutes. As someone who is always impatient to move on from the murder scenes to the appearance of Lt. Columbo, this was a real negative, especially as it focused on two colorless characters.

Laurence Harvey plays a partially deaf American chess master, Emmett Clayton, who attempts killing Russian chess player Tomlin Dudek (Jack Kruschen) when he realizes he won't be able to beat him.

Harvey plays the role completely on one note, staring and sneering, with no modulation to his performance. While Nimoy did much the same in the previous episode, he at least had enough charisma to keep things interesting. Harvey, on the other hand, simply can't pull it off. A better script might have helped, but I found his work in this quite poor.

Sadly the actor would die later the very same year this episode aired; he was only 45.

Lloyd Bochner is a complete cartoon character as a member of Dudek's delegation, complete with phony accent. The only bright spots in the show involve Columbo's dog and the veterinarian (Michael Fox).

This episode was written by Jackson Gillis based on a story he cowrote with series creators Richard Levinson and William Link. Edward M. Abroms directed.

I'm really glad I didn't start my COLUMBO viewing with "The Most Dangerous Match," or I might not have gone any further, it's that disappointing. Fortunately it's a rarity, and most COLUMBO episodes are good if not great. The next one in line, "Double Shock," certainly illustrates that.

"Double Shock" was well written by Steven Bocho, based on a story by Levinson, Link, and Gillis. The murder sequence is mercifully limited to about 13 minutes.

The episode is highly entertaining for a variety of reasons, starting with Martin Landau playing identical twins who stand to inherit a great deal of money from their uncle. As a matter of fact, thanks to the twins gimmick, this is a rare episode where we're not completely sure who the murderer is until the very end.

There's the fun surprise of Dabney Coleman turning up in a small role as a police officer working the murder scene with Columbo, and Julie Newmar is just great as a rather ditzy young woman who was engaged to the much older murder victim (Paul Stewart). It seems she genuinely loved him and not his money!

Jeanette Nolan is a hoot as the murder victim's persnickety longtime housekeeper, who can't stand disruption of either her household or her TV shows. A scene where Columbo sits in her pretty kitchen and earnestly apologizes for being messy -- she is not a fan of his cigars -- is really nicely done.

There's also a very unusual sequence where Columbo ends up appearing as an audience volunteer on a cooking show! This fun episode came as a great relief after the previous disappointment.

Robert Butler directed. He died last fall at the age of 95, and as a matter of fact there will be a tribute to Butler at the UCLA Film & Television Archives on April 13th. The evening will include screening the pilot for HILL STREET BLUES, which he directed.

As a side note regarding the Blu-ray set, I was surprised to realize that the first disc of Season 3 is at the back of the Season 2 snap case. Just a word to the wise which could prove useful.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray prints and sound, as always, continue to be excellent.

Previous COLUMBO review posts: "Murder By the Book" (1971), "Death Lends a Hand" (1971), "Dead Weight" (1971), "Suitable for Framing" (1971), "Lady in Waiting" (1971), "Short Fuse" (1972), "Blueprint for Murder" (1972), "Etude in Black" (1972), "The Greenhouse Jungle" (1972), "The Most Crucial Game" (1972), "Dagger of the Mind" (1972), "Requiem for a Falling Star" (1973).

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