Columbo (TV Series) The Greenhouse Jungle (1972) User Reviews

Another good episode.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 17 August 2019]

While I have some quibbles here and there with this one (such as Columbo working a kidnapping AND a murder), it is a strong episode and it has an excellent villain.

The episode begins with a fake kidnapping. Tony and his Uncle Jarvis (Ray Milland) have staged it in order to get to Tony's trust fund. Jarvis also hates Tony's wife...and secretly thinks Tony is a weakling. That is why, following the successful kidnapping, Jarvis kills Tony....and later tries to pin it on the wife. Now, it IS easy to dislike the woman...and she seems angry and awful. But Columbo needs to keep personality out of it and focus on the crime and the evidence. Along for the ride is a young Detective Sergeant.

I liked this episode because although Columbo too often tends to focus in too much and too immediately on the real killer (as if he has ESP), here it's not as obvious AND the meticulous Jarvis does leave behind an important clue which Columbo catches. Overall, well written and well acted....and worth your time.

My favorite Columbo

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 12 March 2005]

A kidnapping proves to be a cover for a man and his uncle to make a quick buck by splitting the ransom money. Things are going along smoothly until the uncle decides to change the plan from a kidnapping to a murder. Columbo is on hand (with a partner) to solve the case with his own unique style.

This may be my favorite of the Columbo episodes that I've seen so far. Ray Milland makes an excellent adversary for Columbo. In The Greenhouse Jungle, he proves he could chew the scenery with the best of Hollywood. Columbo's "partner", Sergeant Wilson (Bob Dishy), is one of the few comic relief type characters I've ever seen that is really funny. The rest of the supporting cast is also quite good.

But the thing that makes this one of my favorite Columbo is the mystery itself. The way Columbo solves the murder in this one is truly surprising. Even though the clue that leads to the resolution of the murder is in plain sight, I didn't realize what it was or even why it was in the movie. It's a notch above the normal Columbo fare.

To anyone unfamiliar with Columbo, this would make a great place to start.

It's a Solarium, Dammit!

[GaryPeterson67 · 8/10 · 5 June 2016]

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode of COLUMBO and did not expect to find so many mixed reviews here on IMDb. I thought the episode struck a perfect balance between humor and suspense, due in great part to the levity brought by Bob Dishy. In fact, the whole cast deserves credit for putting this one over the top. I'll focus on them since the plot has been dissected and discussed numerous times already.

Pity Ray Milland. A number of reviewers commented on the appearance of this big film star of the 1940s and '50s, and I love LOST WEEKEND, THE BIG CLOCK, and DIAL M FOR MURDER as much as anybody. But 1972, the year of this COLUMBO episode, was also the year he appeared cheek to jowl with Rosey Grier in THE THING WITH TWO HEADS!

As a STAR TREK fan, I got a tremendous kick out of seeing two of its memorable guest stars in this episode, even if their only shared scene was a catty phone call. Arlene Martel as Gloria was still beautiful at 36, but the blonde wig and her native Bronx accent were light years away from her iconic portrayal of Vulcan vamp T'Pring in "Amok Time" back in 1967. I also fondly recall Martel as the sexy-scary morgue nurse who cried "Room for one more, honey!" in the "Twenty-Two" episode of THE TWILGHT ZONE. Conversely, Sandra Smith's portrayal of adulterous wife Cathy Goodland was strikingly similar to the amoral and ambitious Janice Lester she played in STAR TREK's final episode, "Turnabout Intruder." Cathy was an unsympathetic leading lady, to be sure, even if not a murderess. But if looks could kill . . . ya gotta admire any woman who can give a glare to burly William Smith and make him gulp in fear, as she did upon learning about Bill's on-the-side shakedown of Tony.

Bradford Dillman was great fun in his few scenes as the cuckolded sap Tony. I'm used to seeing him in more commanding and authoritative roles (such as a would-be Wild West Napoleon in a two-part SHANE from 1966). He played well the patsy and seemed to be enjoying playing against type. With his hair long, he at times reminded me of Bruce Dern.

Speaking of long hair, it was a delightful surprise to see a post-LAREDO and pre-INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS William Smith step onto the stage. Smith looks just as he did in the 1972 horror movie GRAVE OF THE VAMPIRE, which must have been filmed at about the same time as this episode. Smith also has a cameo in the aforementioned and never-to-be-forgotten THING WITH TWO HEADS (available on Blu-ray, believe it or not!). Smith just radiates awesome, unflappable coolness, like when he asks Columbo, almost as an afterthought, "Who are you?"

But it was Bob Dishy who was the breakout star of the guest cast. To fully appreciate Dishy's Sgt. Freddie Wilson you have first to enjoy him as Officer Tully in "Second Story Story," a 1971 episode of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW. I'm suspecting it was his memorable appearance there as an over-eager police officer determined to make detective that landed him this COLUMBO gig. Dishy had top billing in 1975's I WONDER WHO'S KILLING HER NOW, which really should have been the cult movie of the year instead of that other one with time-warping-again transvestites.

As much as I enjoyed "Greenhouse Jungle," it had its shortcomings. I thought Dishy's night photography would have played a bigger role since Dillman's face was pretty recognizable under the stocking mask, especially the profile shot. I also wondered why the skid marks of the bigger car weren't traced back to Milland's distinctive vehicle. My speculation as the credits rolled was that Milland would escape the murder rap since Columbo's illegal search and seizure of that third bullet wouldn't be admissible in court. And it would serve Columbo right for his ingratitude after Milland nursed back to health Mrs. Columbo's ailing African violet!

The change in formula adds more than it detracts and produces a typically enjoyable entry in the series

[bob the moo · 25 September 2005]

When Mrs Goodland gets a call late at night that implies he has been kidnapped, she immediately rings round his usual haunts but, failing to locate him, she turns to the police and Columbo gets involved. Unbeknown to him though, is the fact that Tony has not been kidnapped but has staged the whole thing with his Uncle Jarvis as a way of making money. Things go smoothly at first but then Jarvis betrays Tony, killing him and keeping the money for himself. With so many clues Sergeant Wilson thinks it will be very simple but Columbo smells a rat.

As with many TV film series (such as Perry Mason), if you like one or two of them then you'll pretty much like them all. This entry in the Columbo series pretty much follows the usual formula – we know the killer and the "perfect" plan but then watch Columbo follow his hunch and gradually starts to pick holes in the story he is told before eventually finding enough to prove his suspicions. Saying this is not a spoiler – it is simply what happens in all the films. With this strict adherence to formula it is usually down to several factors whether or not the Columbo film stands out or if it is just average. Here we don't have a murder until have way through and, when we do it appears all clean cut until Columbo starts picking away at it. It is all pretty much to formula, although the additional twist of the faked kidnapping does make it feel different and quite fresh. The investigation is good, although it is not as enjoyable as usual because Columbo does feel a bit internalised by the way the script lets him give Wilson the reigns; the ending didn't impress me that much as it seemed to come out of nowhere despite being quite clever.

The addition of Wilson to the mix allows Falk to play his underdog role in a different way but he is as enjoyable as usual. Although Wilson does take away from the amount of time the film has for cat'n'mouse stuff, Dishy is still enjoyable because, like the killers, he too underestimates Columbo and he carries this character off well – taking him from awe, to near distain and arrogance at some points. Milland is enjoyably bolshy and, as such, I would have liked him to have had more time with Falk to bounce off one another. He didn't but he was still good value. Support from Dillman, Smith and Martel is all good and Sagal draws good performances from all involved.

Overall, a slight change to the formula that reduces the cat and mouse stuff a bit but still turns in an enjoyable entry in the series that is up to the standard we expect. The performances are good and the changes from formula (the kidnapping aspect and Wilson) tend to add more than they detract.

Middle-of-the-road episode

[pssc6 · 7/10 · 13 February 2011]

Not one of my favourites, but it's not bad.

One thing that surprised me was that Mrs Goodland doesn't recognise Jarvis's voice on the phone when he pretends to be the kidnapper - he doesn't make much effort to disguise it.

The two photos of Tony that his wife and Gloria have are almost identical, except for the fact that in Gloria's, he is smiling, whereas he looks more morose in Cathy's. And they both appear to be autographed, for reasons I don't fully understand - do they idolise him that much? I remember Arlene Martel (Gloria) playing a jeweller's assistant in A Friend In Deed.

There is less focus on Columbo himself in this episode than in others, and I'm not sure that's a good thing. A fair amount of the screen time is taken up by Gloria, Cathy, Cathy's beau and Wilson. I love Bob Dishy as Wilson, who later appeared in Now You See Him, but I also understand why he doesn't become a regular character (not that I would have minded) - it would have transformed the formula too much. His thoroughness and enthusiasm are quite comical (he goes as far as buying his own camera equipment for the job) and provide a stark contrast with Columbo's apparently slapdash, old-fashioned and absent-minded approach. By jumping to the obvious conclusions and missing crucial factors, he also drives home the point about Columbo's well-hidden intelligence. He also builds up quite a rapport with Jarvis, unlike Columbo, by ingratiating himself with the murderer.

There are parallels between this episode and Ransom For A Dead Man, which also features a fake kidnapping, but unusually, the murder is quite late in coming this time around.

Columbo's moralistic streak and family values come to the fore when he looks very uncomfortable around Ken, Cathy's lover. He also does his best to drive a wedge between them by telling Cathy that Ken would have left her in exchange for $50,000.

The ending is flat and unsatisfying as the "evidence" is less than compelling. As another reviewer points out, Jarvis could have claimed that Cathy had switched the guns. Although Cathy and Tony led more or less separate lives, I might have expected Cathy to be a little more upset or shocked about Tony's death, and I'm surprised that Jarvis doesn't even pretend to like Tony, as that makes him a more obvious suspect right from the start.

Oh, and Ray Milland's wig is very good, especially for the early 70s.

Better than average and quite enjoyable

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 26 June 2010]

This isn't Columbo's best, but it is still a well-plotted episode. I do agree it does focus too much on the secondary characters and I think Peter Falk and Ray Milland were more deserving of more scenes together. Still the plot is intriguing, the pacing is more playful than usual, the script is intelligent, the locations and photography are once again striking and the direction is good too. The acting is pretty much top notch, Peter Falk of course is exceptional, while Ray Milland gives one of my favourite guest performances on the show's run as he is suitably bolshy and calculating here. Overall, it is an enjoyable episode, even with its flaws. 8/10 Bethany Cox

from the first year, and pretty good

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 7 January 2016]

I like some episodes better than this one, but I'm a huge fan of the series.

In "Greenhouse Jungle," the villain here is nasty Ray Milland as Jarvis, who arranges with his nephew Tony (Brad Dillman) to break Tony's trust by pretending that Tony was kidnapped. We can infer that the plan was that Jarvis would get some of the money. Tony wants it because he believes if he has it, he can keep his straying wife (Sandra Smith) at home. She's currently involved with a ne'er do well (William Smith).

Jarvis, of course, has no intention of giving his nephew anything and kills him.

One question I had about this episode was why Columbo was put on the case, since he works in homicide, and there wasn't one until later.

It's an enjoyable episode, with light-hearted performance by Dillman and Bob Dishy as an ambitious new police detective who uses state of the art equipment. I found Milland's performance without nuance and terribly abrasive.

Peter Falk, as usual, was great.

Enjoyable episode, if not the best.

Original approach makes this a better than average Columbo entry.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 20 April 2008]

What makes this Columbo movie such a great and better than the average one is the original approach of the story. It doesn't necessarily follow the usual Columbo formula as much as most of the other Columbo entries but it yet still really feels like a Columbo movie and still has the right much needed usual requirements, just with a spark of originality added to it.

The story is this time different since the murder doesn't occur halve way through the movie. At first the movie is about a missing person case, which Columbo investigates and of course rather soon suspects something more is going on and he has his eye (no pun intended) set on the uncle of the missing person. It makes the way the story and whole movie progresses different from other Columbo movies. It's a welcome change of approach, also since the movie still manages to keep the typical Columbo atmosphere and handling of the main character and his approach of things. It's a great written murder-mystery story by Jonathan Latimer, who previously also wrote a whole bunch of "Perry Mason" episodes. The story has a nice build up, with a couple of good twists thrown in and with a good ending as well.

The movie also knows to create a well balanced mix between its comical moments and serious murder mystery moments. The Columbo character this time is perhaps a bit clumsier than normal, which works out amusing for the movie. Seeing Columbo falling from a steep hill while he tries to get down is an amusing sight, although I don't think this scene was meant to have Columbo falling, since obviously no stunt double was used even though Columbo makes a hard and long fall and Peter Falk's response once he gets up seemed genuine and not scripted (good and fun improvisation though by him.).

Besides the good acting by Peter Falk, the movie also features the great Ray Milland, in his second Columbo movie appearance, this time as a whole new different character. The movie also features plenty of other fine characters, which works as a well enrichment for the story and the movie as a whole. Sergeant Frederic Wilson is especially a welcome addition and I wouldn't had mind seeing the character return in any future Columbo movies. The actor Bob Dishy did later returned in the Columbo movie "Columbo: Now You See Him" but as a different character again, even though he played a Sergeant in that one as well.

A great and original Columbo entry!

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Nothing to dislike here

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 27 April 2016]

This slick early Columbo story is slightly above average for its type, although not one of the very best the series has to offer. Certainly all of the right ingredients are present and correct , it's just that they're all quite familiar to fans of the show and the whole 'fake kidnapping' thing has been done elsewhere and better.

The guest villain is none other than Ray Milland, a true Hollywood great, who immediately raises the interest and doesn't disappoint with his insufferably stuffy turn. There are supporting turns from cult favourite William Smith and a briefly-seen Bradford Dillman, but the most interesting role goes to the frustrated wife, played nicely by Sandra Smith. Bob Dishy is very good as the green sergeant, and would later return in NOW YOU SEE HIM.

Peter Falk is on good form as per usual for this series, although comedy surrounding his character is in short supply, aside from that hillside tumble early on in the proceedings. The greenhouse angle of the story is an odd one as it only provides a backdrop to a couple of scenes, whereas the other themed episodes (medical, magic, etc.) had more of a relevance to the storyline. Still, this is a perfectly reasonable episode of the show, and there's nothing to dislike here.

"The Greenhouse Jungle" (1972)

[Wuchakk · 8/10 · 27 January 2019]

PLOT: A cantankerous uncle (Ray Milland) and the nephew he loathes (Bradford Dillman) execute a successful scheme to get $300,000 from a trust fund via a fake kidnapping of the latter, but one of them has his own malicious objectives. Sandra Smith plays the cold wife who's having an affair with a musclebound gent (William Smith). Arlene Martel is on hand as the nephew's lady friend.

COMMENTARY: The way this one mixes up the formula is refreshing, but it's really not that altered in view of the big picture. Some people pan the episode on the grounds that the characters are unlikable but, really, it's just the arrogant uncle who's relentlessly cranky while the wife is simply not close to her husband and openly fulfilling her womanly needs through another man. The nephew's amiable enough despite his greedy scheme and his female friend is certainly agreeable.

The orchid conservatory is a notable setting while the greenhorn partner is a nice addition (Bob Dishy). Note how Columbo zeroes-in on his attributes and speaks well of him behind his back despite his rookie ineptness. This tells you something about the rumpled detective's character. I also enjoyed the attractive Star Trek alumni, Arlene Martel and Sandra Smith.

GRADE: B+/A-

Reasonably originally-plotted and above-average entry in the series

[The Welsh Raging Bull · 7/10 · 24 September 2005]

Stemming from an enjoyably sarcastic, no-nonsense characterisation and a hammy performance from Ray Milland as the murderer and a plot which is reasonably fresh and original, this second season episode is deceptively entertaining.

Perhaps there is too much focus on the secondary characters, especially Sergeant Wilson (who is assigned to the case to help Columbo and who would make a further appearance in the series some 4 years later in "Now you see Him"), but it is not burdensome in the extreme and there are some typically choice moments of humour - nb: Columbo's fall after trying to negotiate his way down a steep hill.

Certainly not as intelligently conceived and executed as the vintage episodes in the series; the pacing is more playful than frenetic and the scenes between Falk and Milland are too few and far between. Nonetheless, above-average stuff and pleasing viewing.

Pulp Novelist Makes Good

[DKosty123 · 8/10 · 28 December 2008]

This is a very well written entry in Columbos second season. The guy writing the script was originally a pulp novelist(Jonathan Latimer) who then wrote 23 original Perry Mason series episodes among his television credits. His writing shows up well in this episode.

Ray Milland, an excellent actor definitely helps bring this show off too. Milland, a veteran screen actor from the 1950's turns in a fine performance and the support Faulk gets in this show is good as well.

The plot is about a husband living on a trust allowance plots with his Uncle who controls the trust to get $300,000 thousand dollars out of it. The Uncle then turns around & murders him, trying to throw Columbo off the scent only to trap himself.

Milland is excellent in this episode.

This most manipulative of villains

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 23 March 2014]

In the course of the Columbo series there are some perpetrators you feel sorry for and some you truly hate. Ray Milland in this episode falls into the latter category. He's a cynical and manipulative sort who really does think he's smarter than everyone else. He even tries to play off Bob Dishy making the first of two appearances as an earnest young police sergeant against Peter Falk at one point as Falk zeroes in on him.

The orchid growing Milland has a rather worthless nephew in Bradford Dillman and he administers with the bank a rather stringent trust with a strict allowance for him. He wants his hands on the money and there is an emergency clause to get some more out. They fake a kidnapping with a ransom demand of $300,000.00 and then Milland kills Dillman.

The beauty for Milland is that Dillman had a cheating wife in Sandra Smith who is prime for something like this. She also has a boyfriend in William Smith who casts well as a villain in any number items he's been part of the cast. But of course it doesn't fool Peter Falk who Milland thinks is dumb. The fate of all villains in this show.

I wish Bob Dishy had been cast in more than two of the Columbos. I like him here almost as much as a good defense lawyer in Law And Order. He and Falk work well together.

This most manipulative of villains gets his just desserts, but you have to watch to see how.

Light-Hearted, Easy-Going Columbo Mystery With Talented Cast

[ShootingShark · 5/10 · 12 February 2007]

Jarvis Goodland and his nephew Tony stage a fake kidnapping to allow Tony to gain access to an unlockable three-hundred-thousand dollar trust fund. But Uncle Jarvis has other plans, Tony ends up dead and Columbo is on the case.

This early, light-hearted Columbo departs a little from the usual formula (the victim is bumped off halfway through and there's a high-tech assistant for Columbo) but is very enjoyable throughout. Jonathan Latimer's script is a little predictable, with a very simple conclusion, but it still entertains and has some amusing moments. The best thing is the cast - Falk is tremendous in his impish glee, popping up in Milland's beloved orchid hothouse like a police pixie intent on mischief. Milland has a great turn as a half-grumpy half-delighted old cad (who deserves to get caught for trashing a classic Jaguar E-Type), Dillman is an amusing sap, Sandra Smith is fun as the voracious red-headed estranged wife he's trying to win back, don't miss Dishy's hilarious bumbler and the unique William Smith (an amazing actor, who's in everything from Rumble Fish to Hell Comes To Frogtown) is the beefcake boyfriend. Not the best Columbo, plot-wise, but very agreeable and featuring a classic moment when our hero unwisely tackles a steep slope.

You have to remember that Columbo is about CATCHING the villain...

[bribabylk · 26 August 2007]

... not trying him and keeping him locked up. Holding that in mind helps you look beyond the circumstantial nature of the bit of evidence that helps nail the murderer (Milland) in this one. After all, there's no proof that Milland himself planted the gun or the briefcase in the wife's house...they both had acquired their guns years ago, the murder victim knew they both had guns, and he hung out with Milland quite a bit...who's to say the victim himself hadn't switched the guns however long ago? I think the murderer would have a pretty good shot at getting off...unless one took into consideration the MONEY, which never seems to happen in Columbo episodes. It's interesting to contrast this series with today's police procedurals like Law & Order, where "follwing the money" and checking bank accounts and money transfers and tracking large cash purchases beyond the means of the suspect is frequently a big factor. But admittedly that's not fair, and besides the point when it comes to enjoying a Columbo episode. You're supposed to watch for Falk's "schtick" as much as for the actual detective work. And it is satisfying to see the obnoxious (and loud! Jeez, Milland is always such a loud actor; he shouts every line!) Milland get caught, though once again, it would be nice if the villain got a little indignant or gnashed his teeth or threw a tantrum or something more than just glumly accepting his fate and walking out the door. But I think avoiding those kind of obvious dramatics was also one of the details that set Columbo apart from other detective shows back in its day.

Who's Double Crossing Whom Around Here?

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 6 April 2009]

Ray Milland is the orchid-fancying heavy in this story of a faked kidnapping. He has a lot of chutzpah, bluffing the police, planting false leads, all driven by his pitiless, gonadal desire to get his hands on the trust fund of the nephew whom he double crosses and murders. Raymond Gland, the orchideous monster. I'd better leave that kind of word play to Joyce.

It begins promisingly enough. Milland is a wealthy flower enthusiast who connives with his spendthrift nephew (Bradford Dillman) to fake a kidnapping and break his nephew's otherwise untouchable trust fund. The phony kidnapping is carried off. Milland tries to withdraw the money from the bank in small bills, but the teller explains that all their bills are the same size. When that's straightened out, the ransom demand draws in Lieutenant Columbo inexplicably from homicide. It goes off well enough, but Milland deliberately plugs his nephew in order to keep all the money for himself. An ancillary goal is to prevent his nephew from giving his share of the loot to his, Dillman's, unfaithful but candid and unsentimental wife.

A couple of small things bother Columbo from the start. You know, the "loose ends"? When Dillman's Jag was supposedly forced off the road during the kidnapping, the gear shift was in neutral. (So what?) And the bullet that was fired through the Jag's window supposedly to scare Dillman into stopping had a trajectory that would have gone right through Dillman if he'd been sitting upright in the driver's seat. (Maybe he ducked.) And the heavier car that the supposed kidnapper (ie., Milland) was driving couldn't have caught up with Dillman's speedier Jag? (Maybe Dillman was too frightened or too inept to drive the Jag at speed, and the Jag itself was symptomatic of an advanced case of conspicuous consumption.) What should have bothered Columbo at the scene -- what bothered ME -- was that Dillman was either in the Jag when it went over the steep hill and crashed at the bottom, or he was out of the car and it was pushed over to get it out of sight. The Jag was really a wreck. If Dillman had been in it, why no blood? But if it had been pushed over after Dillman was out of it, then why is it suspicious that the gear was in neutral? But the plot is heavily burdened with such inconsistencies. Even with the help of a metal detector, could Columbo really be expected to find a months-old .32 bullet in a crate full of dirt in a greenhouse cluttered with plants growing in dirt? The crate in question was, I would guess, about 3 feet by 5 feet by 3 feet, which comes to 45 square feet of dirt.

But that's not too bothersome, really. We don't expect realism in Columbo's method. We expect him to be humble, shambling, a sartorial mess, apologetic, and gauche. We expect him to come to the owner of "one of the world's finest" orchid collections and ask for advice on his wife's dilapidated African violet. And he does. He's pretty funny.

Ray Milland, alas, isn't funny, and he plays the heavy in a lazy, one-dimensional style, always irritable and unpleasant. He never even smiles over Columbo's clumsiness. He never smiles at all. Maybe by this time in his career he was no longer given to trying very hard or was just collecting his paycheck. And he was so enthralling as the suave, charming, unflappable villain in Hitchcock's "Dial M For Murder." The other characters are competent, no more than that. There have been better Columbos than this episode, and worse ones too.

Rare Orchids, kidnapping, and murder.

[mamalv · 8/10 · 10 September 2014]

This is a particularly good episode in the second season of Columbo. Ray Milland, as Uncle Jarvis, is a stylish, and cunning murderer. He plots a fake kidnapping with his worthless nephew Bradford Dillman, who wants to break the trust fund to keep his cheating wife. What Jarvis plans is to keep the money after he kills the nephew. He thinks Columbo is a dumb cop, as many others did, but he underestimates his skills. Jarvis thinks he is smarter than everyone, and till the last few minutes of the episode thinks he is free. However he made one small mistake and when he is caught in the greenhouse with a bullet casing, the look of disbelief on his face is priceless. Much like the character of Tony Wendice in Dial M For Murder, he obligingly walks out with the police. Milland is great as the bad guy and there should have been more face time with Falk so that we could see if he could manipulate him as he did everyone else.

Peter Falk is on form, Columbo is not.

[j-m-d-b · 6/10 · 24 January 2016]

This episode of Columbo is a mixed bag as far as I am concerned.

The plot is not too bad. Tony Goodland is the heir to a fortune, but frustrated that his inheritance is locked in a trust fund he and his uncle devise a plot to free some of it. They set up a fake kidnapping, because the money from the trust fund can be used in such an emergency. Of course they plan to keep the ransom and split it between them. Little does Tony know that his uncle plans to kill him so he can keep the loot himself. Columbo initially investigates the kidnapping, and subsequently the murder case.

The story plays out effectively and has a nice twist; the uncle sees an opportunity to frame Tony's wife and promptly tries to do so. The episode is also helped by some good casting and acting. Ray Milland shines as the evil uncle, and Bob Dishy convincingly plays a young sergeant who is eager to learn from Columbo, even though he is somewhat mystified by his methods.

However I feel Columbo is not as astute as he normally is. Don't get me wrong, Falk plays him perfectly; all the traits we expect of Columbo are there. It's just that Columbo never seems in control of the case. I like to see Columbo knowing exactly who is guilty and why right from the start, to then go about proving it in his usual hounding manner, tying up loose ends and looking for the little things.

This episode though it is only in the last minutes that a long shot pays off, and he comes up with some relatively weak evidence proving the uncle is guilty and the wife is not. She came pretty close to being arrested and tried for a crime she did not commit, on Columbo's watch.

All in all I'd say it is a reasonably enjoyable episode, 7 out of 10; marred by Columbo's inaptitude it loses a point.

Revolutionary if you think about!

[Sylviastel · 8/10 · 19 May 2006]

Well, Columbo's case this time involves the wife, Cathy Goodland, who prefers other relationships to her lovesick husband. He takes up with a beautiful and attractive woman but only to talk about it. He and his rich uncle played by Ray Milland set up a kidnapping in order to get her attention. Even though there is money involved, Columbo knows something's wrong with his chief suspect who is an avid gardener. Ray Milland gives an excellent performance as the uncle. The rest of the cast appear satisfactory in my opinion. The story could have used more work but it is typical Columbo if you watch it enough times like I have over the years. An open marriage was hardly mentioned in the 1980s much less in the 1970s but it was there. The widow Goodland makes no excuses for her lifestyle. She doesn't have to explain to anybody else about her spending free time with attractive sailors who could be easily bought for the right price but it's all wrapped up in trust funds.

The Greenhouse Jungle

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 7 April 2018]

A slight change from the formula. No initial murder but a kidnapping and a staged one at that.

Tony Goodland (Bradford Dillman) is a bit of a playboy looking to inherit a trust fund one day. His wife gets call late at night telling her that he has been kidnapped.

She rings some women he has slept around with and they do not know of his whereabouts. She then rings his Uncle Jarvis (Ray Milland) who co-administers the trust. Uncle Jarvis dislikes Mrs Goodland, who apart from living a seperate life from her husband, as her own boyfriend, she also spends a lot of Tony's money.

However the kidnapping plot is staged by Tony and Uncle Jarvis so some money from the trust fund can be released as an emergency to pay the ransom.

Columbo investigates and he is joined by keen and eager Sergeant Wilson who has hi tech gizmos some purchased from his own money, leading Colombo to conclude that he must be a bachelor.

A fruity performance from Oscar winner Ray Milland whose arrogance is no match for Columbo, Sergeant Wilson brings some lightheartedness. Cult bad guy actor William Smith makes an appearance as a love interest for Mrs Goodland.

Noteworthy for the presence of Bob Dishey

[Tony Rome · 8/10 · 6 March 2001]

Columbo investigates a kidnapping and ransom case. This episode is noteworthy for the presence of Bob Dishey. Dishey plays a recent detective graduate who helps Columbo try and solve the case. Dishey returns in episode "Now You See Him".

One of The Worst Columbo Episodes

[asela_atukorala · 6/10 · 5 February 2006]

When I first saw this I thought it was the worst Columbo episode but after a while I changed my mind because it got a little better and I saw others worse than this.

I found this episode boring.

The Greenhouse scenes were boring.

The story wasn't that great.

There wasn't much good stuff in this episode.

One of the few good elements was the music which had been used more than once in the Second Season of Columbo.

Watch this only if you are a serious Columbo fan.

The Fruit at the Green House

[dkinard-83308 · 9/10 · 25 June 2017]

This episode in my opinion should get a close perfect ratings. I had no problems with the actors and the title. Wonderful fictional show but here is the exception that I noticed that I would have thought the writers and the producer might have overlooked. The 4th Amendment and the Fruit of the Poison Tree. Notwithstanding that, the characteristics of Lt. Columbo is brilliant and he has his funny moments that will have viewers wanting to watch more.

RIDICULOUS!

[skarylarry-93400 · 7/10 · 30 March 2021]

When Ray Milland tried to disguise his voice on the phone, it sounded EXACTLY the same as his own voice. The woman he was talking to, certainly would have known it was him! So stupid! Not to be believed! And, Columbo keeps setting up very close straight-in shots on the pool table and is amazed that he can't miss a shot (he commented twice). A beginner could make those shots!

RIDICULOUS!

Unlikable characters ruin this one!

[garrard · 5/10 · 9 April 2006]

Though the idea of a fake kidnapping is rather unique for the series, this particular installment of the long-running drama possesses some really despicable characters. Oscar winner Ray Milland plays uncle to Bradford Dillman as the two hatch a plan to obtain ransom money from Dillman's estranged wife, played by Sandra Smith.

When confronted by Falk, heading the investigation into the "missing" Dillman, Smith reveals that she is having an affair with tennis bum William Smith (no relation to the actress, by the way). Though the scene is awkwardly funny, it further adds to the fact that none of the principals in the piece, with the exception of Falk, is extremely sympathetic or likable.

Add Arlene Martel as a "friend" of Dillman's and one has a quintet of some of the most unappealing characters to ever grace a Columbo installment.

They all seem to be deserving of whatever befalls them and the patented Columbo "discovery" at the movie's end is rather anticlimactic.