by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Peter Falk revived his Lieutenant Columbo characterization, first seen in 1967's Prescription: Murder, for the made-for-TV Ransom for a Dead Man. Lee Grant plays a wily lawyer who murders her husband, then arranges to make it appear that he's been kidnapped. The plan is to allow the body to be found by the cops during the ransom pickup, leaving Grant in the clear. But Columbo has "just one more question," and slowly but surely wears down Grant's alibi. Written and produced by Richard Levinson and William O. Link, Ransom for a Dead Man was the official pilot for the subsequent Columbo TV series.
characteristics
- Lieutenant
- Lawyer
- Kill
- Murder
- Plans
- Scheme
- Private-detective
- Police
- Investigation
- Husband
- Death
- Dead
- Cop
- Detective
- Dying
