Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection, 1990 DVD   Columbo DVDs

Buy Columbo: Mystery Movie Collection 1990

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Universal
EAN: 0025195017145
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Label: Universal Studios
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageEnglishSubtitled
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
MPN: 61102100
Number Of Items: 6
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: February 03, 2009
Running Time: 572 minutes
Studio: Universal Studios

Mystery Movies Collection 1990 (6 episodes)
"Columbo Cries Wolf" (1/20/90)
Ian Buchanan is Sean Brantley, a Hugh Hefner type, who together with partner Diane Hunter (Deidre Hall) publishes Bachelor's World magazine. With circulation down and Hunter wanting to sell her 51% interest in the magazine, the pair concoct a publicity stunt sure to revive their sales. They stage a fight, then Diane disappears, leading to speculation that Sean has killed his partner. Columbo becomes convinced that foul play has indeed occurred and sets out to find the body, eventually digging up much of the estate. Only when it has turned into a full-blown media event does Diane resurface, saying she simply needed some "alone time". Now that sales have increased, so has the value of her share of the magazine. When she informs Sean that she still intends to sell out, Sean actually kills his partner and hides the body, believing that Columbo won't fall for the same trick twice. But Columbo has a trick or two up his sleeve too and the case is soon solved.

"Agenda for Murder" (2/10/90)
Patrick McGoohan returns for a third go-round as a featured murderer. This time out he is high priced lawyer Oscar Finch, whose best friend is Congressman Mackey, and who just happens to be running for Vice President. Arthur Hill portrays the Governor who is now a Presidential candidate. Mobster Frank Staplin, facing an imminent indictment, calls Finch and asks for his help in squashing the indictment, reminding him of a favor Finch and Mackey performed earlier in their careers for Staplin. Would be a shame for that earlier incident to come to light, considering the current political situation of the two men, Staplin reasons. Naturally Finch resorts to murder and attempts to make it look like a suicide. McGoohan won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Finch.

"Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" (3/31/90)
Helen Shaver is Vivian Dimitri, wife of a con that Columbo sent to prison some years ago, but who recently died. Vivian now returns to Los Angeles, determined to extract her revenge on Columbo by first killing his wife, then killing the detective. But first she must kill her boss, who just happened to be her husband's partner in crime, but who skipped jail by ratting out his partner. Once Columbo begins investigating that murder, Vivian moves on to her next target. But as usual, Columbo is one step ahead of his suspect.

"Uneasy Lies the Crown" (4/28/90)
James Read is Dr. Wesley Corman, dentist to the stars. What he really wants is to be rid of his loveless wife. When the current Hollywood heartthrob, who happens to be a patient, has an affair with the dentist's wife, our dentist hatches a plan. He puts timed-release poison under the star's dental crown, timed to release as he is making love to the dentist's wife that evening, framing her for the murder. Columbo must unravel the plot and find the real murderer.

"Murder in Malibu" (5/14/90)
Andrew Stevens is playboy/tennis bum Wayne Jennings. Janet Margolin is author Theresa Goren who is twice Wayne's age but his fiancée nonetheless. Brenda Vaccaro is Theresa's sister Jess McCurdy, who absolutely abhors that her sister has fallen for such an obvious gold digger. After a night of drinking at Theresa's Malibu beach house, Jess finally convinces her sister to call off the wedding, but Theresa can't bring herself to disturb Wayne who is off playing tennis in Palm Springs. So Jess makes the call for her, imitating her sister and berating Wayne to no end. Wayne decides to return to Malibu and kill his jilting lover. Further complications ensue, leaving a mess that could only be untangled by the industrious Columbo and revealing Columbo's surprisingly detailed familiarity with women's panties.

"Columbo Goes to College" (12/9/90)
Stephen Caffrey is Justin Rowe, and Gary Hershberger is Cooper Redman. They are two of the most spoiled college students to ever exist (and live in a fraternity house decorated almost exclusively with paddles). When a professor catches them cheating for the umpteenth time, he promises to expel them. So they concoct a foolproof plan to shoot the professor in the parking garage, via remote control, while they sit in class listening to Columbo deliver a guest lecture. The boys plant evidence making it appear that the professor was working on a mafia expose, thus attempting to throw suspicion off themselves. Robert Culp returns, this time as Justin's powerful lawyer father, who pushes Columbo to arrest anyone other than his kid. When finally arrested and confronted with their guilt, the two state that the reason they resorted to murder was simply because they could do it (like Leopold and Loeb).