Blooper

When the champagne bottle is first placed in the fridge, it is placed on the left. When the victim opens the fridge later, the fatal bottle is located in the middle.

When Marcy (Cheryl Paris) is having breakfast, her husband dissolves a pill in a cup of tea and serves her before leaving. When she drinks the tea, the cup is totally different.

Columbo enters the murder house through the front door in a pouring rainstorm. His trousers are wet, and he's wearing a hat and using an umbrella. While he is inside, thunder can be heard. Then, Columbo steps out the back door into bright sunshine. It could be argued that the abrupt change is consistent with Los Angeles weather patterns, but this would not explain the lack of rainwater anywhere on the deck, on the garbage cans, or in the sand.

When the Neddy Malcolm takes the Champagne bottle from the middle, the bottle on the second row falls down to the bottom. Julian Stone's reacts as if it was not meant to happen. Then, when Hugh Creighton opens the fridge, the bottles are in perfect alignment with each other. Even though it's not a major goof, it is a bit sloppy, especially when there is so much focus on the bottles.

Miaki's calendar clipboard, seen in an early scene, indicates that the month is August 1991; but the alibi photo, taken the same day, shows the date as 3-11-91.

The killer's fake alibi hinges on a speed-trap photo. An accomplice drove his car past a speed trap wearing a mask, a flat photo of the murderer's face. This is demonstrated by Columbo toward the end of the show. In that demonstration, it is clear that the person wearing the mask can't see, and Columbo helps her to exit his car. The photo of the speed camera also shows the killer's eyes; there were no visible holes in the mask. Allegedly, this means that the accomplice supposedly drove the car fast enough to set off the speed trap, while completely blind.

However, a person can see reasonably well through the mask by simply poking a few pin holes through the eyes. These would not be visible on the police camera but are sufficient to allow the driver to see.

Hugh Creighton urges Columbo to drive with him to the County Jail, leaving the Peugeot at Creighton's house. When entering the County Jail building, Creighton reassures Columbo it will take just five minutes, apparently implying he will drive Columbo back to his car. In the interview room though, Creighton and Columbo shake hands and say goodbye. The viewer knows Creighton is an egotistic, compulsive liar and a murderer. He never intended to drive Columbo back, and didn't care how Columbo returned.

It is impossible for the murderer to stick a syringe needle through a sealed bottle of champagne since there is a metal cap between the aluminum foil seal and the champagne cork.

When the video from the hidden camera is being viewed (first several minutes) the reflection of a studio light is seen at the top of the screen.

When Hugh is examining Marcy's body in the morgue, a few moments before the doctor puts her back in the refrigerator, a boom microphone appears in the upper right corner of the screen.

During the speed trap simulation, Columbo takes down the top of his convertible and says that this is the first time he'd had the top down since owning the vehicle. However, the top was down in L'ultimo scacco matto (1973) and Last Salute to the Commodore (1976) and Mio caro nipote (1972) and Incidente premeditato (1971).

In another entry the Police Sgt.'s name is given as "Hubach". She has a name tag with the name as "Habach". The error is that the credit listing has it spelled as Hubach.