Étude in Black
- Episode aired Sep 17, 1972
- Not Rated
- 1h 38m
A ruthless conductor murders the gifted pianist with whom he is having an affair. Lt. Columbo is on the case.A ruthless conductor murders the gifted pianist with whom he is having an affair. Lt. Columbo is on the case.A ruthless conductor murders the gifted pianist with whom he is having an affair. Lt. Columbo is on the case.
- Sam
- (scenes deleted)
- Detective
- (uncredited)
- Crew Member
- (uncredited)
- Man in Booth
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Nicholas Colasanto
- John Cassavetes(uncredited)
- Peter Falk(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the debut of Dog, Columbo's pet basset hound.
- GoofsWhile Alex Benedict takes great pains not to leave fingerprints from his right hand as he climbs through the washroom window, he rests his bare left hand on the tiled wall at least twice, leaving distinct hand and fingerprints. However, this is not a Goof, as his prints would be expected inside the washroom as he used it just before leaving with his wife.
- Quotes
Lieutenant Columbo: [presenting his car to Mike the mechanic] What do you think of this?
Mike Alexander: Have you ever thought of getting a new car?
Lieutenant Columbo: No, you see, I already have two cars. Of course, my wife's car is nothing special. That's just for transportation. You understand.
Mike Alexander: I only work on foreign cars.
Lieutenant Columbo: Oh, it's a foreign car.
Mike Alexander: Oh, I know, but... there are limits, mate, you know?
- Alternate versionsThis two-hour TV movie was also prepared in a 90-minute version which played on Canadian television, and is reputed to be the superior of the two cuts.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 25th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1973)
Ordinarily, the quality of the sequences of banter between detective and villain is a significant yardstick in the overall success of the episode; in this case, despite this characteristic, other scenes could have been expanded to better effect - no motive is really ever discussed and Columbo seems to latch onto the villain with less evident evidence than in some other experiences (the important factors about the pink carnation are not significantly developed until later).
One other slight fault is that there are less pieces of evidence to grab hold of here, but in one respect, the script-writer is very clever in intimating that the carnation is going to play an important part in this story, but the nailing of the villain is perhaps not as straightforward as one might have expected.
Generally, a very pleasing episode, which is not as predictable as one may think.
- leightonphillips
- Aug 23, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Étude in Schwarz
- Filming locations
- 14540 Erwin St, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA(auto repair shop, demolished)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 4:3