The Conspirators
- Episode aired May 13, 1978
- TV-PG
- 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
An IRA terrorist executes an arms dealer he considers traitorous; Lt. Columbo is on the case.An IRA terrorist executes an arms dealer he considers traitorous; Lt. Columbo is on the case.An IRA terrorist executes an arms dealer he considers traitorous; Lt. Columbo is on the case.
Sean McClory
- Captain
- (as Seán McClory)
Carole Hemingway
- Carole Hemingway
- (as Carole Hemmingway)
John Blower
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the last episode from the original series produced by NBC. It wasn't until 1989 that the series would be picked up again and continue on its eighth season onward produced by ABC.
- GoofsDevlin declares that he is "a boy from the backstreets of Belfast", but his accent is a Southern Irish one, quite unlike that of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Also, when playing darts, he refers to a pub in "Londonderry". A genuine Irish Republican would never refer to the city by that name, and would call it "Derry".
- Quotes
Joe Devlin: You see, at a very early age I decided to be me own master and the servant of no one, and that left two promising possibilities: either to be a king or a poet. Now, as Ireland had her fill of kings, I clearly saw I had to educate meself to a way of words, so I took to drink immediately, fell in love at every opportunity, and avoided the schoolroom like the plague. I advise you to do the same.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Svengoolie: Valley of the Dragons (2019)
- SoundtracksWhiskey in the Jar
(uncredited)
Traditional Irish folk song
Instrumental version heard in pub
Featured review
An interesting look into a huge issue from the 1970s.
"The Conspirators" is an episode of "Columbo" that might be confusing to modern audiences who are unaware of the historical context. In the 1970s, it was true that much of the funding for the IRA and other Irish terrorist groups came from folks in the United States. So, seeing the Irish singer/poet Joe Devlin (Clive Revill) on a tour of America to surrupticiously raise funds for weopons isn't farfetched and was a sign of the times.
During the initial portion of the show, Joe Devlin is singing and entertaining folks at parties....and talking about how peace and nonviolence are the solution to the Irish problems. Of course he's a hypocrite, as the funds he's collecting are going to be used to purchase machine guns! But Devlin is also a very paranoid guy and he convinces himself that the arms merchant (Albert Paulsen) is going to cheat him. So, he shoots the man....and eventually Columbo is on the case.
Like so many "Columbo" episodes, this one has Columbo befriending the prime suspect and inviting them to collaborate on the case. What follows is enjoyable, albeit pretty familiar. A nice time capsule onto the 1970s and well worth seeing.
During the initial portion of the show, Joe Devlin is singing and entertaining folks at parties....and talking about how peace and nonviolence are the solution to the Irish problems. Of course he's a hypocrite, as the funds he's collecting are going to be used to purchase machine guns! But Devlin is also a very paranoid guy and he convinces himself that the arms merchant (Albert Paulsen) is going to cheat him. So, he shoots the man....and eventually Columbo is on the case.
Like so many "Columbo" episodes, this one has Columbo befriending the prime suspect and inviting them to collaborate on the case. What follows is enjoyable, albeit pretty familiar. A nice time capsule onto the 1970s and well worth seeing.
helpful•282
- planktonrules
- Sep 25, 2019
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Waffen des Bösen
- Filming locations
- Radio station KGIL, San Fernando, California, USA(Late in the episode, Clive Revill is seen being interviewed on the radio by Carole Hemingway, and then in the station parking lot, makes a gun deal. Both scenes were shot at KGIL)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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