The Stamp of Death is a murder mystery. More like a Colombo episode. John Saxon is the Colombo style smart bag guy. There is a plan to steal and exchange a collection of rare stamps. There is the guy who gets played, a double cross, the stooge, a gal in destress, and a big plot twist. What works is Stone uses Colombo style detective deductions for the conclusion. The ending has Colombo style humor and twist. Worth watching. 7 stars.
2 Reviews
Poor writing, no closure, no ending!
FloridaFred23 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILER ALERT: At the end of this show, the last words spoken by Lt. Stone are, "Well Buddy Boy, I guess this is one mystery we are never going to solve!".
It's true. They don't solve the mystery. The local fencer just shows up at the beach with $3,000,000 worth of forged stamps. The guy who shot the old man in the opening scene is sitting in the back of the police car crying. The wife is standing in the sand saying, "I didn't kill anybody".
Back at the office, Stone and Keller get one letter from China that says, "We have the stamp", and a telegram from Britain that says, "We have the stamp." They laugh it off.
And it's just over???
What happened here? This story started out really good, a perfect crime pulled off flawlessly. But then it devolves into confusion, intermingled with a lesson on stamp collecting (philately). It ends with no explanation of how "Doc" (the local criminal who fences stolen property) was able to get the stamps, and then meet up with the Conways.
Unfortunately, many of the "Streets of San Francisco" end in this kind of confusion. At least this time, Lt. Stone (Karl Malden) admits it: ..."this is one mystery we are never going to solve."
"Stamp of Death" could have received an 8 star review, but after the crummy ending, I give it 5 stars.
It's true. They don't solve the mystery. The local fencer just shows up at the beach with $3,000,000 worth of forged stamps. The guy who shot the old man in the opening scene is sitting in the back of the police car crying. The wife is standing in the sand saying, "I didn't kill anybody".
Back at the office, Stone and Keller get one letter from China that says, "We have the stamp", and a telegram from Britain that says, "We have the stamp." They laugh it off.
And it's just over???
What happened here? This story started out really good, a perfect crime pulled off flawlessly. But then it devolves into confusion, intermingled with a lesson on stamp collecting (philately). It ends with no explanation of how "Doc" (the local criminal who fences stolen property) was able to get the stamps, and then meet up with the Conways.
Unfortunately, many of the "Streets of San Francisco" end in this kind of confusion. At least this time, Lt. Stone (Karl Malden) admits it: ..."this is one mystery we are never going to solve."
"Stamp of Death" could have received an 8 star review, but after the crummy ending, I give it 5 stars.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
