Tonight's TV: Columbo: "Death Lends a Hand" (1971) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Last month I reviewed the new COLUMBO TV series Blu-ray set released by Kino Lorber Studio Classics, including the first regular season episode, "Murder By the Book."

As I mentioned at the end of that review, my intent is to occasionally review selected episodes from this set, and I'm back already to review Episode 2, "Death Lends a Hand," which I thought was even better than "Murder By the Book."

Although it was the second regular season episode to air, "Death Lends a Hand" was actually filmed first. It captures the attention from the opening moments, as a P.I. named Brimmer (Robert Culp) fires a gun.

We quickly learn Brimmer is taking target practice, after which we watch his meticulously planned day begin, as he meets with a client, wealthy Arthur Kennicutt (Ray Milland).

Brimmer has been tailing Kennicutt's younger wife Lenore (Patricia "Pat" Crowley) and assures his client she is faithful...then once Kennicutt leaves, Brimmer meets with Mrs. Kennicutt and proceeds to blackmail her to keep her husband from learning the truth.

It doesn't go as Brimmer has planned, and soon enough Mrs. Kennicutt is dead by his hand and Detective Columbo is on the case.

I've read that, along with Jack Cassidy from "Murder By the Book," Robert Culp is considered by most to be one of the series' legendary villains, and it's easy to see why. He's fascinating as the tightly wound, controlling Brimmer -- who like Cassidy in the previous episode is increasingly annoyed and exasperated by Detective Columbo.

Part of Columbo's methodology, deliberate or not, is that he initially appears a little "slow," only to gradually reveal he's a very observant man. (His slow unwinding of the truth from a golf pro played by Brett Halsey is excellent stuff.) Brimmer, who has been hired by Kennicutt to assist the police, gradually realizes Columbo knows what he's doing and attempts to buy him off.

The performances and plotting of this episode are excellent, and I also didn't find the opening murder sequence as long-drawn-out and distasteful as in the earlier show.

While Culp is electric as the villain, I also found Milland quite interesting and sympathetic as the victim's husband. The interplay between the two powerful personalities, Brimmer and Kennicutt, with the mild-mannered Columbo in the middle, is good stuff, such as the scene where Columbo perplexes both men with seemingly innocuous palm readings. (I knew there had to be a reason...)

It was also great fun to discover Hollywood Forever Cemetery was a location in this episode. The previous episode featured the Tail o' the Pup hot dog stand. I'm looking forward to seeing what familiar Los Angeles locations turn up in future episodes!

This episode was directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and filmed by cinema great Russell Metty. A sequence seen through reflections on Brimmer's glasses is particularly unique.

The show looks great on Kino Lorber's Blu-ray, and I'm looking forward to watching more of COLUMBO in the near future.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray set.

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