Columbo was in exulted company on 7 October 1973, as the second episode of Season 3 pitted him against his most highbrow opponent yet: wine connoisseur Adrian Carsini.
It’s a true fans’ favourite, but under critical analysis is Any Old Port in a Storm truly a vintage episode, or is it comparative swill? To put it another way, is it a Ferrier Port, or a Marino Brothers carbonated rosé? I can’t wait to find out…
Dramatis personae
Lieutenant Columbo: Peter Falk
Adrian Carsini: Donald Pleasence
Ric Carsini: Gary Conway
Karen Fielding: Julie Harris
Joan Stacey: Joyce Jillson
Maitre D‘: Vito Scotti
Billy Fine: Robert Walden
Directed by: Leo Penn
Written by: Stanley Ross and Larry Cohen
Score by: Dick De Benedictis
Episode synopsis: Columbo Any Old Port in a Storm
Winemaker extraordinaire Adrian Carsini is hosting an intimate Sunday shindig at the family winery for three highbrow cohorts. After some pleasantries, Adrian ducks out to fetch a bottle of fine claret from his office. Ear-wigging in via intercom, he overhears his fellow connoisseurs confirming that they’re about to name Carsini as the Wine Society’s ‘Man of the Year’.
The wind is taken out of his sails, however, when he’s confronted in his office by hedonistic half-brother Ric. Polar opposites in every way, Ric is sick of Adrian’s pursuit of wine perfection over financial gain. He’s come to Adrian seeking a $5000 loan so he can jet to Acapulco to get married for the fourth time.
There’s no love lost between the Carsini kids…
Adrian is unimpressed and the two trade barbs before Ric slips in the sucker punch: he’s planning to sell the land the winery is built on to mass-market wine producers, the Marino Brothers!
Adrian is livid! The prospect of losing the one thing that has meaning for him stings him into action. He snatches up a heavy object and smashes Ric over the head. Ric is out cold, but alive. Showing remarkable composure, Adrian gathers the claret and heads back to his guests.
He receives another surprise, though, as officious secretary Karen Fielding is outside his office prepping for the pair’s looming wine-buying trip to New York. She’s seen Ric’s car outside, but before she can ask too many questions Adrian shoos her off home to pack some ‘splendid gowns’ for the trip. He then finally returns to his guests who ‘surprise’ him with news of his impending accolade.
“Adrian and co are soon chilling in the cabin of the airliner as a comely hostess delights onlookers with a fine performance on an electric piano.”
The happy quartet then engage in the most mean-spirited toast in televisual history, as Adrian says: “May our enemies never be as happy as we are at this moment.” Ummmm, cheers…?
After all this frivolity, Adrian has to deal with the aftermath of his spat with Ric. And by ‘aftermath’ I mean dragging Ric’s beefcake body to the wine cellar and trussing him up like a spring chicken. Switching off the air conditioning unit that regulates the temperature of the precious wines, Adrian leaves Ric to his fate.
The next thing we see is Adrian, Karen and co chilling in the cabin of the airliner as a comely hostess delights onlookers with a fine performance on an electric piano. It’s first-class travel 70s style, and is utterly fabulous.
To prove to Karen how pally he and Ric are, Adrian asks her to send a cheque for $5000 to the newlyweds in Acapulco – a sum Adrian promptly spends on a single bottle of wine for himself at one of the auctions. His justification? “No one really needs a $5000 bottle of wine, Karen. I just don’t want anybody else to have it.” We’ve all been there, ammirite?
Back in LA, meanwhile, the should-be Mrs Ric Carsini is worried. Her fiancé never arrived in Acapulco and there’s no sign of him here either. She tries to report him to missing persons, but the department is empty. Instead she finds Lieutenant Columbo, who promises to do what he can.
Congratulations, it’s a… $5000 bottle of wine!
Some days later, Adrian is back home and ready to complete his cunning plan. Somehow squeezing Ric’s bloated corpse into a wetsuit and then into the Ferrari, Adrian drives out to a remote cliffside location and tips Ric’s body into the ocean. He then cycles back to the winery on a silly little fold-up bike.
It’s not long before the body is found. It looks like a diving accident, where Ric’s dashed his swede underwater and passed out before running out of air. Columbo is amongst the crime scene investigators and when the body is identified as Ric Carsini, he remembers it’s the missing person the mystery blonde reported to him some days ago.
Heading out to the lakeside club where Ms Stacey hangs out with her cool cat pals, the Lieutenant delivers the bad news. The hipsters receives it surprisingly well – even furnishing Columbo with useful background info that Ric and half-brother Adrian didn’t get on and that Ric was planning to sell the winery. It’s reason enough for Columbo to immediately suspect Adrian of foul play.
Fashion Goals Part 1
The case throws up its usual puzzles for Columbo. Medical examiners reveal that Ric hadn’t eaten for 2 days before his death. For a guy with such a healthy appetite this seems odd. Also suspicious is that Ric’s treasured Ferrari 330 GTS seems to have been left with its top down on a rainy day (Columbo checked with the weather bureau to find out) – and there’s not so much as a watermark on the paintwork. How can that be?
Columbo gathers a good amount of circumstantial evidence, but with Adrian known to have been on the East Coast on the presumed day of Rick’s death, his chances of securing an arrest seem slim. Even a nosy around Adrian’s wine cellar appears to lead to a dead end. Columbo is desperate to find out whether someone could be locked in the cellar and suffocate, but he discovers that getting out from within is child’s play as the door can’t be locked from the outside.
He does find out something useful, though. The air conditioner for the cellar is vital in keeping the wine at the right temperature and humidity. Without it, very hot days could cause the wine to reach high temperatures and spoil.
No known reason for Carsini’s tie design is known to science
Columbo’s policeman’s nose tells him that Carsini is his man. But a visit to see Karen at her home seems to put paid to that. She confirms that on the day of hers and Adrian’s trip to New York, she saw Ric both arrive and leave the winery. If that’s true, Adrian is definitely innocent. To apologise for suspecting Adrian, Columbo offers to take both he and Karen to dinner the next evening.
The three meet at one of LA’s most exclusive eateries, although Adrian is initially disgusted that Columbo has been seated near the kitchen. His temper turns to delight, though, as he finds the Lieutenant to have swiftly honed his wine appreciation skills to perfectly select wines to match their meals.
The best is saved till last as Columbo summons the sommelier to order a bottle of 1945 vintage Ferrier Port – one of the finest ports known to man. Adrian is giddy with joy at the prospect of rounding out a fine dining experience with such a venerated drop.
“An exciting meal has been ruined by the presence of this… LIQUID FILTH!”
His smile soon dies on his lips, however. Although Columbo and Karen near swoon with how good the port it is, Adrian’s superior palate identifies a problem. “This…is…dreadful,” he softly fumes to the sommelier. “Don’t you realise that a great wine is like a great work of art? Such disdain cannot and will not be tolerated!”
Adrian can tell that the wine has been exposed to temperatures in excess of 150 degrees, oxidising and spoiling it. His rage at this poor treatment cannot be masked: “Is there something wrong? Everything is wrong,” he bellows to the Maitre d’. “An exciting meal has been ruined by the presence of this… LIQUID FILTH!”
The flustered Maitre d’ insists that they don’t pay for the meal as Adrian storms off in Timmy temper. Columbo catches his guests outside, and Adrian reiterates that the wine was definitely bad due to overheating.
This reminds Columbo of the super-hot day LA experienced when Carsini was away in New York, and how the Columbo family fridge packed in leaving him with only warm beer to drink. That day had seen the mercury hit 109 degrees in the shade, which means that indoors without air conditioning the temperatures were even higher. He then thanks Karen again for confirming that she’d seen Ric drive away on the fateful Sunday, and bids the couple farewell.
Adrian is most displeased to hear that Karen has lied for him. On the drive home, he expresses his resentment that she now has a hold over him. In response Karen tells him that she wants to be more than an employee: she wants to become Mrs Carsini! Stunned, Adrian tells her they’ll talk about it in the morning and leaves her without a backwards glance.
The spin-off series At Home with the Carsinis was a short-lived, humourless affair
We next find him in his cellar filling baskets with wines, which he drives to a clifftop to fling into the churning Pacific. When returning to his car he finds Lieutenant Columbo lying in wait.
“They were all spoiled, weren’t they?” the detective asks. Adrian spins a yarn that he’s just getting rid of some inferior wines but Columbo doesn’t buy it. He’s learnt his stuff, and recognises that the bottles Adrian is discarding represent a great personal and financial sacrifice.
“Adrian’s one of the few men in the world with a palate delicate enough to have discerned that the wine had been overheated. His own ego does him in.”
Columbo then reveals all: on the day Adrian left him in the wine cellar to try and find a way out, the Lieutenant had pocketed a bottle from Adrian’s collection. That bottle was the very same Ferrier Port they drank in the restaurant, and that Adrian had himself identified as having been subjected to a temperature of more than 150 degrees.
The irony isn’t lost on Adrian. He’s one of the few men in the world with a palate delicate enough to have discerned that the wine had been overheated. His own excellence and ego have done him in.
A resigned Adrian gives himself up. He’ll be glad to confess to a crime he feels no remorse for. Besides, what’s his other option? A loveless marriage to Karen? Hardly. “I suppose freedom is purely relative,” he sighs as Columbo leads him to his battered Peugeot to be driven downtown.
There’s time for one last stop off at the winery, though. Cutting off the engine, Columbo produces a bottle of Montefiascone dessert wine and two glasses. The men drink a toast before we see Adrian drain a glass at a gulp and clutch the bottle to his chest as credits roll…
Any Old Port‘s best moment: the bittersweet farewell
The final scene – a mutually respectful exchange in Columbo’s car as he drives Adrian away from his winery to a life behind bars – is a beautiful thing. Two perfectionists, from completely different sides of the tracks, have found a genuine understanding and appreciation of the other. It’s the sort of TV moment that almost doesn’t exist any more and is all the more poignant because of it.
And you know what that means, don’t you? Yes, it’s an even better scene than LIQUID FILTH and easily one of the best ever Columbo moments.
My views on Any Old Port in a Storm
From its opening moments, where our gracious host references Titian, Any Old Port in a Storm has a lexicon and style all of its own.
Regular readers of this blog may be aware that Any Old Port leads the way in the fans’ favourite episode poll by a mile (see the top 10 here). Donald Pleasence’s performance as Adrian Carsini is a huge part of why this episode has captured fans’ imaginations for decades.
Fashion Goals Part 2
Rather like a Carsini label claret, Pleasence is absolutely superb. Every line he delivers is an event in itself, and he’s the beneficiary of a truly vintage script that makes the most of his English accent and exceptional range. He exhibits charm, aloofness, surprise, fury and pomposity effortlessly over the course of the episode, giving the audience a fully-rounded character to root for.
And root for him they do. Despite his lack of remorse for the killing of his brother, Pleasence makes Carsini one of the most interesting, sympathetic and complex killers we ever see on Columbo. Love for the winery and the art of wine-making – something that he has devoted his life to – drives him to murder. In doing so, he’s protecting what he loves most from his villainous brother.
But back to that line delivery! What a show Pleasence puts on. Some personal faves come in the opening scenes where Adrian quarrels with Ric, calling him ‘remarkably gauche‘, an ‘adolescent imbecile‘ and a ‘muscle-bound hedonist‘ in quick succession. If you love words and highbrow put-downs, you can’t help but love Adrian Carsini.
All this aural pleasure culminates in Carsini’s explosion of rage in the restaurant near the conclusion of the episode, where he berates the luckless wine waiter for delivering a bottle of LIQUID FILTH. It’s a scene that belongs in the pantheons of TV greatness and you can view it in all its glory below.
How Carsini interacts with every character is a joy to behold, whether that be affability with his wine-loving cohorts to his cold indifference to long-time secretary Karen. Pleasence’s biggest success is in giving Carsini genuine depth. It’s as if he’s played the role for years, not just one episode.
Another strength of Any Old Port is the burgeoning relationship between the two leads. Naturally Adrian initially underestimates Columbo. Why not? He’s an outrageous snob, after all, and Columbo’s a comparative slob, a beer-drinker no less. But respect quickly follows as Columbo’s wine know-how increases.
The growing cordiality between Carsini and Columbo is a highlight of the episode
This cordiality is an aspect of the episode that nicely blossoms. Suspicion gives way to admiration on both sides and even if Columbo is up to his usual tricks to get his man, by the end of the episode we see genuine appreciation between the two. Theirs is a Columbo relationship like few others.
Falk takes something of a backseat to Pleasence but still has several moments to treasure. It’s such fun to see him interacting with the hipsters, for one. The opening of the scene, featuring couples rock and roll dancing in swimsuits, cracks me up every time.
The scene pitting the Lieutenant against the drunk in the bar is another enjoyable romp. A fed-up Columbo has to repeatedly shush his drinking partner as he listens to a news report about Ric’s death. The drunk eventually gives up, using one of Columbo’s famous lines against him: “I’m sorry that I bothered you.” Very nicely done.
Columbo, for once, is on the receiving end of a series of irritating interruptions
Any Old Port also gives us Columbo’s first use of the This Old Man theme, which he whistles while waiting for information on the telephone. It’s lovely to hear it in this episode before over-use in later series dulled its appeal.
Aside from our leading stars, Any Old Port‘s cast boasts typical strength in depth. Julie Harris convinces as plain Jane secretary Karen, all diligent and impassive until she senses the opportunity to get more from Adrian than ‘$700 per month and 2 weeks’ paid vacation’ per year. There’s no light in her heart, though. Even her act of providing an alibi for Adrian is cold and loveless.
“Pleasence’s biggest success is in giving Carsini genuine depth. It’s as if he’s played the role for years, not just one episode.”
Gary Conway’s Ric Carsini is on-screen for just a few minutes but he does enough to get the audience off-side, taunting Adrian and delivering the stinging put down that ultimately leads to his death: “I’m sure the Marino Brothers will let you lick the labels on their new carbonated rosé.” He knew how to hit big brother where it hurt, alright (and vice versa).
Any Old Port is also notable in that it marks the first appearance of one of Columbo’s most-loved regulars – Vito Scotti. The versatile character actor was a long-time friend of Falk’s and graced six episodes between 1973 and 1989. Always good value, Vito’s simpering Maitre d’ oozes humour.
Vito Scotti’s Columbo debut satisfies on every level
If it was just about the performances, Any Old Port would trounce almost all the opposition hands-down. That’s why I believe it rates so highly with fans. It’s a hoot to simply sit back and drink in (pun 1 jillion per cent intended). But I’m looking to cast a critical eye over proceedings here, and in doing so can’t help but highlight some shortcomings.
As with almost all the longer episodes, Any Old Port could have easily lost 15 minutes without harming the storytelling. A case in point? The real-time car manouevering, where Adrian first moves his Rolls Royce out of the garage, then moves Ric’s Ferrari in. You can’t tell me that would’ve been left in a 75-minute version. Several other scenes trundle along at a snail’s pace, and offer no pay-off or plot advancement. It’s mostly quality filler, but filler nonetheless.
“If it was just about the performances, Any Old Port would trounce almost all the opposition hands-down.”
There are several question marks regarding the crime, too. For one thing, Adrian leaves Ric alive, albeit unconscious, in his wine cellar as he jets off to New York. He’s taking an outrageous chance! Ric is a terrific athlete. Is it not conceivable that he could shake off a clash to the head and wriggle to freedom?
Adrian also switches off the air-con in the wine cellar as he leaves Ric. We must take it that the intention is to shut off the fresh air so that Ric will suffocate. But wait! The wine cellar is sufficiently large to have enough air in it to keep a man alive for an age. He’d die of dehydration first. So why flip the switch? It’s not a logical action.
It all adds up to the air conditioning switch-off being simply a convenient mechanism for the wine to become oxidised on the roasting hot day. Adrian would have been better off finishing Ric with another blow to the head in the cellar, just to be sure. Think about it: he loves his wines enough to kill for them. So why wouldn’t he finish the job to guarantee their survival? It’s a plot hole that would doom a lesser episode.
If Adrian had just killed Ric before flying to New York, he could still be merrily sitting amongst his wines to this day
I have problems with the restaurant scene, too. Not the performances, which are world-class, but the concept behind it. How could Adrian accept that a lowly-paid police officer could afford to pay for the meal at such a high-priced establishment? And that’s even before Columbo ‘orders’ the 1945 vintage Ferrier Port.
Adrian admits that the price of the bottle would be prohibitive. We must therefore assume it would cost, at a minimum, several hundred dollars at early 70s prices. Columbo could never afford this luxury, so Adrian should smell a rat.
I also query whether Columbo would choose to jeopardise the prestige of the restaurant the way he does. The commotion Adrian made would have caused some serious reputational damage, while making monkeys of innocent employees. That’s out of character for Columbo.
This scene only makes sense if the Lieutenant has had the full backing of his superiors, who have agreed to foot the bill in its entirety and fill the place with plain-clothed officers. Even for a guy with Columbo’s arrest record, that’s a helluva lot of trust (and taxpayers’ money).
“The restaurant scene only makes sense if the LAPD has agreed to foot the bill in its entirety and fill the place with plain-clothed officers.”
Finally I even have some quibbles with the clifftop encounter that seals Adrian’s fate. He’s evidently flinging the wine away to avoid it being used to incriminate him. But if he’s already decided he can’t let the blackmailing Karen into his life, then why would he? Remember, he loves his wine collection above all things. I can only attribute it it to the old Columbo adage that people do strange things when under duress.
Speaking of which, oughtn’t Carsini be more visibly emotional at the act of destroying his wines? As he lobs bottle after bottle off the cliff, it merely seems like it’s an inconvenience to have to do it rather than a personal tragedy, which it undoubtedly would have been. I’d have preferred to see tears coursing down his cheeks with every agonising hurl. Still, what it all leads to is the glorious finale in Columbo’s car – a scene so good that any faults with the episode can almost be forgotten.
So all in all Any Old Port in a Storm is compelling viewing and a barrel load of fun, but is by no means perfect. As Carsini says, a great label doesn’t always equate to a great wine. I feel the same about this episode. The slight imperfections, perhaps noticeable only to those invested enough to look for them, take the edge off what is for all intents and purposes one of TV’s greatest hits. The pity is that all these failings could have been effectively and succinctly addressed in the script.
So much of Any Old Port is great, exceptional even, but I never quite savour it as much as I hope to. Perhaps, ultimately, I’m too much like Carsini. And in this instance maybe that’s not such a good thing…
Did you know?
You’d think that being a murder victim in a wine-themed episode of Columbo might have put Gary Conway (Ric Carsini) off the grape for life – but not a bit of it! Gary and wife Marion actually own a vineyard of their own – the Carmody McKnight Estate in Paso Robles, California!
Regardless of whether the quality of the wine is Carsini-esque or more like the Marino Brothers, you just couldn’t make this up…
How I rate ’em
I can understand why Any Old Port is so revered by so many fans, but it wouldn’t do for us all to like the same things, would it? I certainly consider it amongst Columbo‘s top tier of episodes, but overall I admire rather than love it. Controversial? I hope not… Check out my other reviews using the links below!
- Suitable for Framing
- Double Shock
- Murder by the Book
- Death Lends a Hand
- A Stitch in Crime
- Lady in Waiting
- Any Old Port in a Storm
- Prescription: Murder
- The Most Crucial Game
- Etude in Black
- Greenhouse Jungle
- Requiem for a Falling Star
- Blueprint for Murder
- Ransom for a Dead Man
- Dead Weight
- The Most Dangerous Match
- Lovely but Lethal
- Short Fuse
- Dagger of the Mind
Am I being too hard on this televisual gem? Or will my insights cause you to throw your Any Old Port DVD over a cliff after seeing it in a new light? Let me know below.
As always, thanks so much for taking the time to visit the site. Next up on the episodic expedition is Candidate for Crime, so keep ’em peeled! For now, santé!
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Gotta run, I’m hosting a soiree with this gang shortly. See you soon!
“You’ve learned very well, Lieutenant” –Carsini
“Thank you. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” —Even nicer than anything said from Columbo’s wife??? Guess he doesn’t have that nice of a wife. Still a great episode but had to laugh at that line LOL…
Love between husband and wife can even work without any verbal language. But that’s the line that makes me cry. It shows that Columbo does his job with passion. It is the response to maybe the strongest compliment in the full series, comparable to Abigail Mitchell’s final line, that the killing of Edmund wouldn’t have been needed, if Columbo had investigated on her niece’s death.
It’s my favorite Columbo episode too, so let’s be fussy about it.
Ric tells Adrian on Sunday he is about to get married tomorrow in Acapulco to Joyce (who can confirm this). So why would he be scuba diving in California Tuesday alone? That fact should have made Columbo suspicious, but instead they used the medical examiner’s report that he hadn’t eaten anything for 2 days before Tuesday. Can that even be determined for a week-old corpse?
Also notice the continuity error when Adrian and Karen greet Columbo at the restaurant table. He is smoking a cigar with Adrian stretching out his hand towards him, cut back to Columbo getting up, no cigar. Columbo got rid of that cigar awfully fast.
Finally why is Dana Elcar not mentioned here in the cast for this episode? He is a name actor with quite some speaking scenes, one important one, where he decants the wine for Adrian.
It is a sign of a strong character when somebody puts the finger on the errors of his favourite episode like you did.
The error of going scuba diving alone on Tuesday can be explained, because Ric did not get married the day before as planned, but I find it hard to believe that his would-have-been-bride Joan does not start to hate her beloved Enrico for turning his back on her without even telling her. Grieving over him, she accepts that he went diving all by himself two days before his death, which would mean one day after the marriage date. Either Columbo or Joan should have mentioned how improbable this is.
> So why would he be scuba diving in California Tuesday alone?
Well, it is not like Adrian planned to murder him beforehand. He really didn’t have a plan.
He acted out of desperation and in the heat of the moment. Suffocating him and stage a scuba diving accident was the best he could came up in short time he had available.
Very true, but it’s kinda amusing to me that Columbo notes the condition of the roof of the convertible, but apparently doesn’t realize that SCUBA diving alone is quite rare, even in the 70’s. But maybe Ric just had that daredevil spirit, and thus no one was surprised he was diving alone in unremarkable waters with a rocky coast and no easy access to the shore.
Nonetheless, I can let that slide. For me it is the condition of the body after essentially baking in a hot, airtight wine vault for several days. A good friend of mine works as a mortician in Florida. Not to be gruesome, but a dead body does some very, shall we say…expressive, things when left untended in the heat. Add the difficulty of dressing a body (which would be bloated by that point) in a tight wetsuit…one has to admire Adrian’s dedication. He must have really loved that wine to go through all that trouble.
It seems to me, Carsini threw away his collection ’cause being spoiled it had no value for him any more. I don’t think that it was an attempt to avoid arrest. And, sure, the key evidence is weak – how on earth does a bottle of spoild wine from Adrian’s cellar prove that Adrian killed his brother? However, I like this episode. Donald Pleasence is great, and I really sympathized with his character. It’s hard to see your life’s work ruined by your useless egoistic relative.
OK, I have to go against the grain on this. Loved Pleasance, the tone of the episode, etc. But PLEASE tell me: how was Columbo in a position to prove this crime??? What would the evidence be in court that Carsini killed his brother as Columbo knew the evidence to be at the end of the show? Remember: Columbo did not know that the secretary would recant her statement that she saw Ric leave the winery.
That’s why Columbo asks for a confession, and Carsini, astounded by Columbo’s ability to trick him into an ethical trap, is willing to tell the whole truth. If Carsini was like a typical adversary who denies as long as possible, justice would lose in court. But the Columbo series was never meant as an image of true police work; it was about the mental cat and mouse game between two intellectual individuals – and if you look at the ending this way, Columbo must be declared the winner.
I agree. It’s easy to nitpick the ending of some of the episodes as to whether or not the murderer would be found guilty in court. The real fun is watching Columbo figure out how they did it. (Although it did bother me the couple of times Columbo planted evidence in order to elicit a confession like how he flipped that pearl into the umbrella in Dagger of the Mind).
I wouldn’t consider that bead as evidence but rather a ruse to get an admission. I’m sure the bead wouldn’t be used as evidence in court.
I admit, I love this episode. But it also drives me a little crazy too. Mostly from a forensic point of view. I doubt that a wine cellar, ventilated or not, would get that hot. But assuming Carsini has a REALLY hot cellar vault, can you imagine what that heat would do to a body over the course of a few days? Columbo could have solved the case easily: just look for the giant, corpse-shaped stain on the floor. It would be hard to find either, the smell would be astounding.
But once again, let’s assume that the victim magically retained all his blood, bile, urine…well you get the idea, the coroner would still notice the ligature marks that bound his wrists and feet.
In other words, there is no way in hell anyone would mistake the body as having died at sea, nor would Carsini be able to keep a body in a hot vault without a colossal mess.
But you are right. What does Columbo really have? He can cite Carsini for littering but not much else. All Carsini would need to say is “Yes, when I had the wine spoiled by heat, I suddenly realized I had turned off the vent to my cellar. I looked up the weather report for those days, and sure enough it was very hot and my wine was ruined. I was so upset, in a rage I threw out my collection.”
Would a jury buy it? Maybe not, but in the absence of any other evidence, what is there really? Up to Carsini’s confession, it wasn’t even firmly established that Ric had even been murdered. Forensic absurdity aside, everyone still thinks it was an unfortunate accident.
A great episode cwith great performances from everyone involved. My only complaint is why Donald Pleasance didn’t take his brother’s body to the ocean before he left for New York. That would have obviously prevented the need to shut off the humidifier in the wine cellar and also tracked better with his body being discovered while DP was in New York. Also, the police should have suspected something fishy if he went missing on Sunday (his fiance telling that to Columbia) and yet the police believing he died on Tuesday. Just my two cents.
BTW, this was my first time posting a comment on this great site. I noticed some typos in my message (Columbo, not Columbia – stupid autocorrect!) but after the message posted, I’m not seeing a way to edit it to correct those mistakes. Is there a way to edit our messages that I’m missing somewhere?
I always have to double-check my messages, because once they are posted, they cannot be edited or deleted. This is something Columbophile has to improve sometime in the future.
The comments section is built in to the site. I’m not sure there’s anything I can do about it I’m afraid.
Donald Pleasance was a FANTASTIC actor!! One of my favorites. I think anybody could learn to act by watching him..as an example of his range, compare his portrayal of the villain in this Columbo episode to his portrayal of Colin, the milquetoasty forger in “The Great Escape.” Same actor, two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT performances, to the point where you almost forget who the actor is!! Only the great ones can subsume their own personalities to those of their characters so completely..By the way, I think the dancing is fine in the dancing-by-the-pool scene, but the early ‘70’s TV network Muzak pretending to be rock and roll is a hoot!!
Did you ever see DP in Will Penny? About the nastiest character I have ever seen on the screen. Compare that with Colin Blythe. Astonishing.
Pleasance is so… damn… good.
The school-girl giggling whenever his wine nerd reflex is triggered? Pitch perfect. The aghast reaction to being desired by a human female? Eccentric. And I really dug that, for a purported supersnob, Carsini never really condescends to Columbo, other than when the exchange pertains to lack of wine knowledge, for which Carsini condescends to everyone.
Pleasance truly made Carsini a one-of-a-kind Columbo villain.
Think less incel and more mgtow. He was not aghast; rather it was a ‘stiffening up’ that the english do to create space by letting the offender know they are crossing a line. He already knew she was slimy (he wondered why 12 years of sterile service, and all of a sudden her interest).
Fair enough — though he was only half British and presumably raised in California — I agree that his character had a fondness for propriety.
My point was less about any sexual repression and more that Carsini couldn’t even feign interest to save his skin. A typical Columbo villain, once realizing the score, would have instantly poured on the charm (all the while plotting how to eventually ‘silence’ the witness). Carsini is sincerely offended by the blackmail, and his harsh response is quite offensive to the long-suffering secretary, who seems to actually dig the little weirdo (even if she certainly digs the money more).
In short, he’s not doing himself any favors by antagonizing her, but he doesn’t really care. He has his principles.
For those in the states this superb episode is on ME TV Sunday evening.
My Columbo DVD set is not ready at hand. I’ve watched this episode on MeTV twice this year and I missed a scene. When Carsini returns to the wine cellar to get his brother’s body, the big wicker baskets are tossed about. I assumed this was to indicate that Ric struggled to free himself before he suffocated. Am I misremembering?
You are not….
Loved this episode! I have been binge-watching Columbo this fall, and have been enjoying reading the reviews on this site after each episode. One detail that I haven’t seen mentioned: my favorite part of this episode was when Columbo mentions his wife can come to dinner if she can get a babysitter – is this not the first time we find out Columbo has kids? I haven’t noticed that being mentioned in any earlier episodes. He’s always talking about his wife, and I had been assuming he didn’t have kids until this episode. As a father of two young kids, I got pretty choked up at that part. Maybe Columbo’s kids have been mentioned before and I just missed it. But if not, it is a pretty big detail to learn! I had been picturing Columbo and his wife as a couple that didn’t have kids.
He sometimes references kids, although it’s very infrequent. I suspect the reference here was simply to give a plausible reason for why Mrs Columbo didn’t join them at the dinner (he never intended her to be there). I’ve always thought he didn’t have children, hence why he and his wife have such strong relationships with nieces and nephews. He does reference that he never had children in ‘Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo’, although that could have been to prevent Vivian Dimitri targeting them. There’s also no reference to children in ‘No Time to Die’ at the family wedding, which would be the prime time to do so. However, as with so many aspects of Columbo’s real life, it’s left to the viewer to make their own mind up on whether they believe he has children.
In 1979’s “Mrs Columbo” series, Columbo has a little daughter, about eight years old, while his wife there is just in her mid twenties. Ironically, this is the main reason why I believe, Columbo never had kids.
I disagree that the final scene was great. It made me uncomfortable watching Columbo being so respectful to that odious snob who was also a cold blooded killer. It seemed very out of character for Columbo to show such deference to a murderer, calling him “sir” and giving him wine. My favorite line was from the wine expert who said, when Columbo asked him how you know a great bottle of wine, “by the price.” Very true. Studies show wine “experts” can’t tell the difference between expensive or cheap wine in blind taste tests. It’s all so much bs and I don’t think Columbo should have fallen for it.
Please send a link to those studies!
Having a hard time loading the link. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis
I’m new to this fantastic website, thanks for having me!!
Yet another brilliant review. My main gripe, though:
“Finally I even have some quibbles with the clifftop encounter that seals Adrian’s fate. He’s evidently flinging the wine away to avoid it being used to incriminate him.”
No, he’s disposing of the bottles because they were all ruined – he’s a perfectionist!! He can’t sell what he knows is poor wine to the public – it’s against his beliefs.
“Speaking of which, oughtn’t Carsini be more visibly emotional at the act of destroying his wines? As he lobs bottle after bottle off the cliff, it merely seems like it’s an inconvenience to have to do it rather than a personal tragedy, which it undoubtedly would have been.”
Carsini was absolutely raging when he flung a couple of those bottles into the sea. The point was CLEARLY made. Columbo knew it. Carsini admitted “you have no idea”.
Gripe aside, this is the most beautiful episode. It oozes class, start to finish.
The scene at the end has me in tears, especially when Columbo stops off at the Winery. He knew how much it meant to Adrian and allows him a moment to reflect. Then he reaches behind for the Montefiascone and the legendary toast.
Despite the crime committed, Columbo had the utmost respect for Adrian, because like him, he was a perfectionist.
Just a beautiful, beautiful scene.
I agree; the final scene is what elevates this episode. Two masters (both the characters and the actors), acknowledging one another. I haven’t seen all of the original episodes, but of the ones I’ve seen, this is the only time a criminal has shown honest reverence for the Lieutenant (and vice-versa). Others have marveled at his skill, but none have paid him a compliment that wasn’t in some way tied to their own arrogance.
I would also mention there are two types of murders typical to the series: those that are premeditated, and those committed in the heat of passion. The former always makes for a better story, while the latter – as is the case in this episode – doesn’t allow the writer to really challenge Columbo’s talent. It’s much harder to commit the perfect crime when you weren’t planning on committing a crime at all, and unlike in the more meticulously arranged schemes, the culprit always seems under Columbo’s gun (metaphorically-speaking, of course; he never carries one).
Finally, I echo your sentiment about this site – the creator has done a great favor by bringing light to the quality of storytelling and performances found in this series. I have only just stumbled upon the show, and with each new episode I see, I marvel at the art, and in particular, Peter Falk, whom I knew only from his other, often supporting roles. A truly underrated show with one of the most underrated actors in modern entertainment.
I grew up watching a rare viewing of Columbo on TV. I am over the moon to have discovered such a wonderful community and group of admirers. This is one of the most compelling sites I’ve ever come across. Thank you to every contributor for enhancing my connection to this one of a kind series! “Just one more thing”, I’m more than thrilled to support your caffeine intake!
I also grew up watching Columbo and I certainly rate the “Any Old Port” episode quite highly, mainly due to the high quality of the acting and the mutual respect that Falk and Pleasance clearly seemed to have for each other. That and them playing characters with Italian ancestry must have contributed to that iconic last scene! In all honesty, I don’t think a jury would have convicted Carsini of murder solely on the disposal of his spoilt wine collection; yes, it did validate Columbo’s theory that the air-con in Carsini’s cellar was switched off while he was in New York but Columbo never found any hard evidence that Rick was ever in his brother’s cellar in the first place! But hey, it still made great telly. I also liked it when Columbo, just after leaving her home, asked Karen which Alan Ladd movie she was about to watch (This Gun For Hire). I felt he wanted to ‘connect’ with Karen a bit more, perhaps in the hope that she would change her mind about covering up for Carsini. Anyway, a nice touch.
What stands out for me is the compliment paid to Columbo by Carsini, and what Columbo responds:
Carsini: You’ve learned very well, Lieutenant
Columbo: Thank you, sir – that’s the nicest thing anybody’s ever said to me.
It gives us a little peak into what Columbo’s life has been like. One could imagine that, because of his “obtuse nature,” Columbo was considered slow for most of his life. Sleuthing is perhaps the only thing he really excelled at, so being acknowledged for something other than being a detective – and by someone as erudite as Carsini – was very special praise.
Seems like an extreme temperature swing in one week from the 40s to 109.
You might see that in New England. Don’t know about LA.
Excellent:
Columbo: “Is he in mourning?”
Karen: “No, he’s in the lab.”
How was Donald Pleasence not nominated for an Emmy for this performance?
Would Karen be charged for lying to Columbo about seeing Rick leave the winery? Withholding evidence maybe?
Nice touch was Karen asking Adrian if she should get tickets for any Broadway shows while they’re in New York. Julie Harris won the 1973 Tony award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play in “The Last of Mrs. Lincoln.”
This was probably one of my fave episodes. I would think though that Ric’s body, rotting away for a week in temperatures up to 150 degrees would have bloated and eventually exploded like a dead cow in the middle of Death Valley, making quite the mess in that wine cellar. Could you imagine Adrian trying to explain that away?
Brilliantly acted and beautifully shot. The longer running time has never bothered me here. Like a fine wine this episode needs to be savoured. Slower paced it maybe but I think it suits the episode perfectly. What an actor Pleasence was and his Carsini is a delight and I love all of his scenes with Columbo, especially that poignant final scene. It’s been very interesting reading all of the comments and has gone some way to my understanding of the little plot points which I struggle to get my head around. I can definitely understand the love bestowed upon Any Old Port in a Storm and I have to say that whenever I re-watch it I only ever have admiration for a wonderful ninety minutes of great TV.
The glaring plot hole of this episode: underground areas like caves and cellars have moderate temperatures because earth, stone, and brick naturally absorb heat on hot days, and release heat in cold days. Also: heat rises. That is why wine was stored in caves and wine cellars, and vegetables in root cellars, for centuries before air conditioning was invented. If you were tied up in a non-air conditioned space, there would be no place with more comfortable temperatures when it is 109 degrees outside, than the floor of an underground wine cellar.
In my book, at the end of the day “Any Old Port in a Storm” is a strongly directed episode based on a weak script. It’s kind of the “best bad Columbo movie”. This is really something!
I am a new reader of your site, and I enjoyed your thoughts on this episode. I agree with all of your comments about the acting and the writing–top notch all around, and that does redeem any flaws with the unraveling of the crime. In watching this episode, I kept expecting the spoiled wine to connect in some way with the body of the brother and confirm the identity of the murderer. Was there some autopsy detail about death caused by excessive heat that I had missed? (But then his body supposedly being in a wet suit for day outside in the heat would hardly escape the same conditions of being in a hot wine cellar.) So your comments about the holes in the plot are honest and good. I also wondered how Columbo would know the exact spot that Carsini would go to for throwing away his ruined wine bottles, but having the culprit walk back to his car and see Columbo waiting there was a satisfying dramatic touch, one they couldn’t resist, I expect. The reader’s comment above about Julie Harris’s reaction on the plane when Carsini allowed her to take a taxi home from the airport was good. That sets up the later conversation between her and Carsini after the restaurant scene.
Thanks so much for this fine and comprehensive review!
I thought this episode was a humorous look back at the mod, swinging seventies, with the hip California scene featuring poolside swimsuit dancing and the silly piano bar in the flying two deck 747! The one turn in the show that seemed completely incredulous was an LA homicide detective, probably earning $45,000 a year, inviting a suspect and his secretary to one of the town students swankiest restaurants as a thank you for his patience and enduring the detective’s relentless questioning in the face of long odds. And the suspect taking Columbo up on it? Not likely. Highly unlikely. I lost attention at that script malpractice. Overall one of the better themes for a Columbo, which always involves a lesson in some industry or pursuit that reflects the writers’ creativity and respect for an audience looking for more than ordinary bank robberies or basement murders!
I believe Columbo said (in Etude in Black) that his annual salary was $11,000! So being able to afford dinner at that restaurant in Any Old Port is quite a stretch!
Would the case against Adrian hold up on court considering that Columbo stole the bottle of wine from Adrian’s cellar? My understanding is that police cannot get evidence committing a crime in the process, in which case the criminal case would be thrown out.
Yes, this is the largest plot infirmity by far. Columbo stole someone’s property on the hunch that the wine would be bad. Now really ….
Given that Adrian was willing to confess, this doesn’t really matter, does it?
This is Columbo, not Law and Order. The whole point is to get a confession by the end of the story.
I am afraid that the actors and the atmosphere and decors are the only good things in this episode. The pace is far too slow. Story is awfully patchy (marks of the ropes on Ric’s arms? Dying from overheating, not lack of oxygen?). And writing was apparently about a French, not an Italian villain. (They speak French and the wines discussed are French or German). Carsini is interesting but in a foolish / crazy way. Not very mysterious…
Well I am disappointed (je suis déçu 🙂
Any Old Port in a Storm is one of my favorites, though I have many favorite Columbos…having done forensic architecture the details are quite mundane and performing forensic work requires tremendous focus and concentration. Real life murderers are quite a bit more complex and the forensic much more involved than what appears in each episode. But, there is no way to really show a real murder and solve it in the time period for a simple show as Columbo. Columbo, except for one exception I can recall, solves the murder first…this gives the viewer less to think about while watching Columbo solve it…I enjoy viewing time and again the murderers deception in trying to play innocent and eventually being discovered. Justice! Sweet Justice is always served…and that, is why I watch them and always will…over and over again.
Excellent review. The farewell is my all-time favorite Columbo “last scene.” It didn’t bother me that Adrian wasn’t more emotional when he was tossing the bottles into the sea–I figured he got all the anger and sadness out in the cellar when he smashed the bottle against the wall. I did think that Rick’s fiancee bounced back a little too fast. When Columbo called her a few days after Rick’s body was discovered to ask how Rick felt about his car, she was already feeling “much better.” Julie Harris–the scene on the plane when Adrian asks if she has her car and she says no, she’ll take a taxi and he’s ok with that even though he has HIS car–the range of emotions that cross her face in a few seconds–hurt, exasperated, angry, resigned–just a brilliant actress. Frank Puglia (appeared as a Moroccan rug merchant in “Casablanca”) is great in his short scene as the janitor. “Signor, buona fortuna.” He died in 1975. Gary Conway was Playgirl’s “Man for August” (1973).
Excellent thoughts. Appreciate reading those. One of my favorite lines is when Adrian says to Karen on the plane “Nobody really needs a five thousand dollars botte of wine, I just don’t want anyone else to have it.”
This truly is a fantastic episode and I can see why it’s such a fans favourite.
Trying to pick holes in it it’s like trying to take the Joy out of each beautiful day that we are given. The writing, the cast, and the plot all contribute to
absolutely wonderful television. I disagree with all the faults found by the reviewer and I can see why this episode has attained the top spot for many years. It’s a delight.
“Any Old Port in a Storm” remains my favorite and I enjoy watching it over and over again. I certainly could not watch any other top named non-Columbo movie over and over again.
I dont think you are being too hard on this episode. In fact I was surprised to find out this ep is so liked among fans. For me it would never make a top 10 and I haven’t even finished the 3d season yet. I take plotholes and unconvincing plotlines very seriously. Pleasence’s acting also didn’t impress me much but only because he’s forever Himler to me. What I’m trying to say he was a perfect Himler in “The Eagle has Landed”, best I’ve ever seen, and unfortunately the way he portrays his character was a bit too similar in Any Old Port. I guess if I haven’t seen Eagle Has Landed 20 times before, I’d see his acting in a different light. Other than that I completely agree with your review, except I guess I put different weights on different pros and cons so I have a different final verdict. Good and unforgettable episode however not a top 10 by any means.
1945 FERREIRA Pale red in colour, very light centre. Sweet on the nose, bringing quince and cinammon. Sweet and beautifully elegant in the mouth. Lots of redcurrants and a wonderful complexity all over the tongue and cheeks. A long, gentle and carressing aftertaste.
This Port is now beginning to reach its full maturity and is ready for drinking. As it ages further, it will begin to develop gently into a more tawny style Port.
$1,074.99 My, this would be splendid to splurge and remember this wonderful Columbo scene!
I’m watching this episode, which is one of my top 5 favorites, and I’m trying to figure out how Adrian was able to drive his dead half brother to the ocean in that tiny sports car. He was a big guy, the folding bike was in the trunk, and took up a lot of space in the trunk. Also besides the body, the scuba equipment/tank take up room. I doubt he had the body sitting next to himself while driving to the ocean. Did he tie the brother to the bumper? Did he tie his brother up and drag the body?
I thought he had him in the passenger seat next to him wrapped up in somekind of blanket but yeah farfetched that the folded up bike & the scuba gear all fit in the trunk…
Did nobody else catch the obvious cut to Carsinis speech when Columbo said “Must be killing you to throw all this stuff away?” – He says “Yeah you’ve no idea, it’s like k-” then back to Columbo. Now why would there be a cut there? My guess is he said “It’s like killing my own children” and of course they would never allow that on 70s TV before the watershed. Just a hunch but the cut was bad so it was definitely “k-illing” something and seeing as there are many bottles you could assume he was referring to children he never had.
Interesting, I’d never noticed that before but just had a look and you’re quite right, his line was certainly cut.
Also why would smashing loads of bottles of his beloved wine be akin to killing his brother considering his brother wanted to sell the land to the Marino brothers so they could gut it and create low quality cheap wine?
I did catch it but my guess was “its like killing my own brother” and thats why he suddenly stopped. I mean it was literally like killing his own brother in many ways, including the place where the wines “died”, the reason why they died and the place he disposed the bodies. One may say he didnt feel so bad about killing his brother but I’d argue he did, his hands did shake and his behavior wasn’t the same afterwards. I think he was only trying to convince himself he felt no remorse but in fact he did feel at least some.
That wouldn’t really fit because he just killed his brother and as he said “I’ll confess but there’s no remorse attached to it”
One thing I don’t understand in this episode: why did Ric have the power to sell the winery out from under Adrian? Wouldn’t they both have ownership? Or did I miss something about the father having left it to Ric alone?
Yes, Ric states in his office showdown with Adrian that their father left Adrian the cash, but Ric got the property.
…it’s like killing me…what I always thought he was about to say…
You all may be correct. I heard it differently–“you’ve no idea what it’s like,” no line cut but the “what” is muttered.
This episode had a great cast and a nice setting and atmosphere. I remember that the first time I saw it, I didn’t understand it—the clues, how Columbo solved the case, etc. Now it’s been too long and I forget what it was I didn’t understand about it! It seems to make sense in this review, so thanks for that. 🙂
The syndication cuts for this episodes mean that we never get to see the comely hostess on electric piano, or the auction. I remember my friend and I watched this on TV and got to the credits the credits and said “When was George Gaynes in this episode?!” This is one of the reasons he broke down and bought the complete series on DVD. Thank goodness for physical media!
The maître d’ is played by Vito Scotti, but he really reminds me of Reni Santoni in this role.
I think Adrian Carsini is flinging the wine off the cliff because it’s ruined, not because it can incriminate him. Though that seems wasteful—he could never sell it, as that would be aesthetically offensive to him, but he could give it away to some lucky wino! Sad to think of all that wine going to waste. It’s not the wine’s fault Adrian killed his brother! At least the ones he bought at the auction are still OK, though, right?
Spot on Felicity, my thoughts exactly!!
There’s an extremely nice low-key joke in this episode. The girlfriend comes into Columbo’s office to ask him to look for her fiancé. “I went to Missing Persons but there’s no one there.”
I dont find any of the scenes in any old port in a storm paticulary funny, not even the liquid filth scene , I am not a great fan of this one , while its a quality piece of television and theirs not a lot wrong with it and a typical columbo which is always worth watching personally just dont get whats so special about this one and I struggle to understand why So Many like it So much ,
I think it’s because this was the only Columbo episode with acting legend Donald Pleasence in it playing the Killer.
Not to say the others were not good actors but for me I think the effect of the episode on the emotion is affected when you are reusing the same people over and over again.
While I liked the performances, I am puzzled by one thing.
Why did Columbo steal the wine?
I know what he used it for, but did he already have that planned? Did he already know the wine would be spoiled? If so, how?
Maybe there is a simple explanation, but I’m just not seeing it.
It’s never explained. I like to think that the French wine expert he seeks advice from let him know that heat spoils good wine and from then on he formed a plan to snatch a bottle and set up the elaborate restaurant scene to test his theory.
Carsini tells Columbo, earlier in the episode, how essential it is for the wines in his cellar to stay below a certain temperature. The current heat wave must have triggered the scheme in his mind.
How did Columbo know that the air conditioning in the wine cellar had been turned off?
Columbo had to fix his broken refrigerator during the heat wave. He remarked as pulled out a warm beer from the fridge “I don’t know how the English drink it that way.” Remembering his broken refrigerator and frustrations of drinking warm beer gave the hunch to test his suspicion that the wine cellar AC was also turned off during the murder.
Ric couldn’t have died from suffocation if the air condition had brought fresh cool air into the cellar, so Columbo had to assume the air condition was off.
Not a reply but an inquiry. When Colombo is walking in the back of the winery to find Carsini he stumbles across an old man working on the aisle mopping.
As Columbo starts to walk away the older man says “senior,”… and then he says something in Italian and I don’t know what it is. Does anyone know what he said?
“Signore, buona fortuna, eh” (sir, good luck!)
The genius of the episode is that Adrian Carsini is one of the very few persons on the face of this Earth who has the skills and background to tell that the wine (the port) went bad from overheating, but . . . they don’t really leverage this to a good gotcha moment. 🙁
Here’s Falk talking about “Any Port in the Storm”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfhxa73_jxo
Thank you so much. I never saw Falk outside of his show. I really enjoyed it
The reviewer finds fault that Carsini doesn’t finish off his half brother with another blow to the head, but that would have been STUPID! The genius of the murder is that the death occurred two days later, when Carsini was in NYC! Thus, an (almost) perfect alibi.
A much bigger flaw is that Carsini risked his entire precious wine collection for a week without air conditioning. But he really had no choice. More incredible is that he’d not check in the weather during his absence.
Carsini told Columbo the wine door can only be locked from the outside. That means someone could get locked in.
In his critique following the summary of the episode, one concern was the apparent lack of sadness when Adrian has to throw away all of the expensive, but spoiled, wine bottles. However, before he heads out to the cliff, he smashes a bottle in anger in the cellar.
I think of the lack of visible sadness as just part of his make-up. He’s usually very self-controlled. They talk about the British being like that but I don’t know any. Donald Pleasance is a joy to watch. I loved him in ‘Telefon’ too.
The episode has a major flaw. The wine going bad from the air conditioner does not prove he killed his brother. Period
Ouch!
No, but it does prove that he knew his wine cellar air conditioner was not running. As is typical with Columbo, it is rarely one single fact that nails a murderer, but the culmination of facts that puts the murderer into a very tight corner. Finally, a very tiny detail is all that is necessary to cause the murderer’s explanation to crumble.
Absolutely right.
In Any Old Port in a Storm when the fiance goes to Columbo’s office at the beginning she gives him a picture of the two of them. Columbo stops and says, “Are you sure this man is Italian?” And she says yes his family is from Milan. And then Columbo says, “Oh they make them blond up there in Milan.” Rick was not blond so referring to an Italian who’s a blonde from Milan in the picture is a goof.
Maybe his hair goes blonde in the summer sun?
😁😘
Re: “Maybe his hair goes blonde in the summer sun?”
Yeah, like Jason Momoa in “Aquaman.” I went into that movie thinking ‘Aquaman has blonde hair, not dark brown.’ But his hair clearly turns blonde-ish in the sun in certain scenes.
When it comes to categorising anybody’s color of hair, people seem to have problems with the word “brown”, maybe because poop is brown, too. So they say “blonde” – it just sounds better.
Nice episode. Love almost everything Julie Harris is in. Here she plays Karen, secretary to the murderer, Adrian Carsini (Donald Pleasence). She soon guesses his secret and it’s clear she has plans of her own. She manages to hold her own with Columbo even when he visits her very off-hours and grills her with naggingly irritating questions. That penultimate restaurant scene orchestrated by Columbo, however, did make it seem like she and Carsini were lambs being led to the slaughter.
I’m surprised you didn’t notice – you certainly noticed Cassavetes’ haircut – that Adrian got a mad-hot sunburn on his head, at night while smashing the bottles!
Is that Larry Wilcox in an (uncredited?) role as a valet driver?
Hmm… that could be him. Hard to tell since we don’t get a good look in the clip, but it does sound like Wilcox.
I thought it was odd that Columbo said he was reminded he had to get his refrigerator fixed because his beer was warm when he and his wife returned from a picnic on that very hot day, which he said was “one day last week.” I don’t think anyone would wait several days before getting a refrigerator repaired. He was likely making up the story to fit with his plan, but Columbo was too smart to make a mistake like that.
Another thing I noticed was that when Columbo got the weather report for the day Ric died, the temperature was 48 yet it was 109 the same week.
What seemed to me the biggest mistake in the episode was that Adrian was able to dress Ric’s body in a wetsuit after he had been dead for several days.
Ugh, at those temperatures Ric’s body would have been swollen and stinking making it an even more revolting task for a man with Adrian’s sensitive palate.
I guess that explains the look on Adrian’s face when he pops back into his wine vault to find Ric’s body. I pondered over that scene every time…
RE: “I don’t think anyone would wait several days before getting a refrigerator repaired. He was likely making up the story to fit with his plan… Columbo was too smart to make a mistake like that.”
I agree. Columbo didn’t carry a weapon because his mind was his weapon.
Another example of Columbo giving false info because he felt it might help him catch his quarry is “Strange Bedfellows” (1995) wherein he tells the Mafia guys that he didn’t know how to speak Italian when past episodes revealed that he could speak Italian (e.g. “Murder Under Glass” and “Death Hits the Jackpot”). He was no doubt hoping the Don & his cronies would freely speak Italian around him so he could pick up some relevant data.
This is one of my favorite episodes as well….and being a wine-lover myself doesn’t exactly hurt. I did feel pretty sorry for Carsini, even though he had done a terrible thing. Funny, Carsini did seem pretty upset when he had to destroy his beloved wines, but you’ve got a point about it being a bit restrained. Some of us would have been bawling our eyes while having to toss all that expensive hooch!
For years this episode puzzled me, I must have watched it at least a dozen times. I think I finally get the gist of how Colombo figured it out. The wine cellar where Rick was tied up had a “venting machine” (not A/C), which he turns off when he puts Rick in there. I suppose the intention was that Rick would take a few days to suffocate, and thus officially die when Adrian was out of town on the wine trip. Ordinarily, given the time of year, turning off the venting machine would not have risked the integrity of the wine as it never gets that hot. But bad luck for Adrian, it is record heat, wine spoils. The fact that Adrian realizes this when Colombo mentions heat wave shows he knew he shut the venting machine off when he went on the trip. Why would he do that? Because he had his half brother tied up in the room to suffocate. Not as plausible a story as most episodes, but I think I have resolved the central puzzlement about this case that I had for years. It kinda makes sense, even if a bit of a stretch.
Is there a line in the script that really says “venting machine”?. If so, this is the first explanation for why Rick died and why Adrian was so distraught that comes close to making any sense–dramatically, at least..
There are still scientific and engineering issues. Given the size of the room and the age of the building, it is still unlikely that Rick would suffocate. Natural air infiltration would suffice. In addition, the massive masonry of the room would naturally keep the temperature of the wine cellar stable for days or weeks at a time without any mechanical intervention. This is the actual purpose and a critical design element of classic wine cellars. I am mystrified as to why Adrian, a winme expert, would want to install a “venting machine” that would tend to make the temperature in the room fluctuate during the course of a day. Possibly the machine is intended to operate only at night when temperatures are at their coolest, making the wine cellar as naturally cool as possible in the mild California climate. However, this is belied by the fact that it is operating in the daytime when Adrian turns it off.
In the end, the air-conditioner/venting-machine still sticks out like a sore thumb as a plot point.
The line Columbo says when Adrian sees him at the car (when disposing of the spoiled wine): “It got very hot in that vault with the ventilation turned off, but that one day, that Thursday, temp went over 150 degrees.. wine over heated”
I agree that Adrian’s ability to predict Rick would suffocate in the room with the venting turned off is a stretch. But I guess the real angst I had with this episode for decades was I could never figure out what the script writers expected us to believe about how Columbo figured it out! If we accept the premise that the vault was a room that required ventilation in order to survive, as well as preserve the wine, then it makes sense. And that gives me some comfort as I spent decades puzzled by this episode which, apart from the mystery of solving the murder, is one of my fav with the acting, location and back and forth between Columbo and Adrian. Such a great show.
Couldn’t agree more. Love the episode despite the plot flaw.
Thank you Columbo Fan! I have viewed this episode a number of times trying to figure out what Carsini was trying to do in tying the hands of his fully alive and strong brother, and flipping a switch located adjacent to something resembling a vent or AC coil. Then later, how discovery of the hot day having spoiled the wine proves Carsini’s guilt. I thought Adrian actually expected his brother to be alive when he returned, and would deal with him then. And why was he so shocked at seeing some objects in disarray? ANYway, if the switch operates a VENT as opposed to an AC system, it does seem more plausible that Ric could be expected to suffocate in there. Again, thanks for acknowledging some of the difficulties with the murder in this episode. Columbophile has pointed out the others, and now I can put this to rest.
So Carsini – Pleasance is supposed to have switched off the air condition to make Ric suffocate and this affected the wines during the one week absence to New York. Was that the supposed clue ? Silly. Carsini could have just put a hood over Ric’s head to bring about suffocation and we don’t suffocate just because there is no air condition in a room.
Fail plot I ‘m afraid.
Adrian Carsini had no reasonable reason to leave Ric alive in the first place. He could have finished the job right away, and the deadly blow on Ric’s head would have looked even better when Adrian’s plan was to fake a diving accident.
He didn’t have it in him to directly finish him off. The only reason he was able to lash out at him earlier in the office was due to blind rage. He was an educated, passive man of exquisite taste and refinement, but he wasn’t a brute killer.
If he was such a tasteful human, why didn’t he confess to his deed right after he regretted it? Why did he come up with a cover up and staged the accident instead? Maybe he did choose to live a murderer’s life, but then he should have completed the job.
Your beef is with Carsini, not me.
Yes, AFTER he murdered his half-brother in a blind rage he staged the fake accident. Why? Obviously so his life wasn’t ruined. But did he intend on living as a conniving murderer from that point on? Hardly.
That said, he did commit murder in a blind rage and tried to get away with it. So he was a murderer.
If he didn’t want his life to be ruined, then why did he place Ric exactly where Ric could best ruin Adrian’s life by crawling to the wine shelves and kicking out the bottles to use the broken glass to free himself from the rope? For somebody like Adrian, who doesn’t do things half-hearted, it should have been natural to do the bad thing well.
Unanswered questions like this are why this episode isn’t quite amongst my very favourites. Adrian’s behaviour regarding putting Ric in the cellar and turning the air-con off is entirely illogical.
Adrian’s scheme would’ve worked except for that unseasonably hot day while he was in New York, which he wasn’t counting on and it ruined his priceless wine.
It’s always the details that do-in the murderer, like the pillow feather in “Troubled Waters.”
But turning the air-con off in a cellar that was big enough to have days and days’ worth of air in it served only one purpose in the plot: to spoil the wine. Ric was never going to suffocate in there through lack of air – it was too big. So Adrian turning it off seems to have no basis in logic.
Today we can just Google how much breathable air is in a sealed room; Adrian didn’t have that option and he wasn’t a scientist, but a wine expert. So I’m guessing he just miscalculated.
Practically every case on Columbo comes down to the murderer making a mistake; Adrian made a mistake.
Also: It’s implied in the story that the wine was only ruined because of the unexpected hot day, which explains why Adrian thought there would be no problem with turning the AC off for a few days while he was in New York.
Obviously Adrian thought that his half-brother was (1) too wounded and near death to cause any damage to his precious wine or (2) too well tied-up to do so; probably both. All of this shows that Adrian, while an expert wine connoisseur, wasn’t exactly an expert at murder.
Carsini didn’t want to finish the job right away. He wanted Ric to die later by suffocation when he was away in New York, thus giving him an alibi.
The only issue I have with this is that the extreme heat would have caused Ric’s body to decompose very quickly and, as a result, it could appear as though he had died earlier, possibly even before Carsini left for New York.
The beach club (hipster) scene is a nice example of how the series cast excellent actors even in small roles. Robert Waldman (mustached hipster) would play “Donald Segretti” in 1976 and later landed high-profile roles on TV, I believe. And could it be that the dark-haired lady hipster is Stephanie Beacham? Is it possible? I don’t know much about Beacham except she’s British and is famous for having starred on Dynasty.
That was a fun sequence at the beach club despite Columbo delivering bad news to Joan (gorgeous blonde Joyce Jillson).
RE: “could it be that the dark-haired lady hipster is Stephanie Beacham?”
No, it’s Pamela Campbell. She had a weak acting career with only five credits. For details, go here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1125454/
Robert Walden played Joe Rossi on Lou Grant. He was one of my favorites.
I remember him from shows like “Battle of the Network Stars” and “Hollywood Squares”. I cannot swear to exactly which of those shows he was on, but his was a face that popped up a lot in the late ’70s.
And he was the middle brother on “Brothers”!