OLD FASHIONED MURDER is a solid TV movie from the COLUMBO stable. It was put on TV in 1976, during season six of the show, so by now the format was familiar and it's left to the scriptwriters to throw spins on it. What follows is a story that's engaging while being entirely middle of the road and rather predictable.
The story involves a family-run museum which is struggling to make ends meet in the modern world. In this show, dodgy finances equal murder, thanks to an elaborate plan involving an alcoholic security guard who's asked to stage a robbery and his own disappearance, only to find himself murdered by his own employer. When another character intervenes, it's up to Columbo to solve a double murder.
Peter Falk is by far the best thing about this show, and that's particularly noticeable when the rest of the cast isn't up to much (Joyce Van Patten is one of the more lacklustre guest stars, steadfastly refusing to get annoyed - even irritated - with the shabby sleuth). What keeps this moving is the solving of individual clues, Falk's natural humour, and some broad comedy thrown into the mid (like the fainting sister). The scene where Columbo goes to get his hair cut is probably the highlight here.
The story involves a family-run museum which is struggling to make ends meet in the modern world. In this show, dodgy finances equal murder, thanks to an elaborate plan involving an alcoholic security guard who's asked to stage a robbery and his own disappearance, only to find himself murdered by his own employer. When another character intervenes, it's up to Columbo to solve a double murder.
Peter Falk is by far the best thing about this show, and that's particularly noticeable when the rest of the cast isn't up to much (Joyce Van Patten is one of the more lacklustre guest stars, steadfastly refusing to get annoyed - even irritated - with the shabby sleuth). What keeps this moving is the solving of individual clues, Falk's natural humour, and some broad comedy thrown into the mid (like the fainting sister). The scene where Columbo goes to get his hair cut is probably the highlight here.