Columbo: Strange Bedfellows

TV Movie
1995
TV-PG
1h 29m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

1.9K

YOUR RATING

Cop Drama Police Procedural Crime Drama Mystery

When Graham McVeigh kills his brother and frames a mob bookie for the crime, and then kills the bookie and claims self-defense, he finds himself facing trouble from both Columbo and the book... Read allWhen Graham McVeigh kills his brother and frames a mob bookie for the crime, and then kills the bookie and claims self-defense, he finds himself facing trouble from both Columbo and the bookie's superior in the mob.When Graham McVeigh kills his brother and frames a mob bookie for the crime, and then kills the bookie and claims self-defense, he finds himself facing trouble from both Columbo and the bookie's superior in the mob.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

1.9K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
Although Columbo has spoken Italian in several previous episodes, he claims to have never learned the language. As such, it's possible that Columbo makes up a new backstory depending on the suspect to whom he is speaking.

Goofs
The Los Angeles Chronicle article regarding the murders reads, "Two Die in Bizzare Double Killing", misspelling "Bizarre".

Quotes
Vincenzo Fortelli: I'll give you a choice. You can walk outta here and never come back, keep your mouth shut; the other choice, I don't think I have to go into a bunch of detail about.
Lieutenant Columbo: You're not gonna kill a police officer?
Vincenzo Fortelli: Wouldn't be the first time.
Graham McVeigh: [after long, pensive stares at McVeigh and Fortelli, Columbo turns and heads out] For God's sake!
Lieutenant Columbo: [Stopping and turning around] I'm sorry sir. They don't pay me enough for this kind of stuff.

Connections
Featured in Columbo: Strange Bedfellows

Soundtracks
Torna a Surriento (Return to Sorrento)
(uncredited)
Composed by Ernesto De Curtis

User reviews41

Review

Featured review

7/10

Those details again

George Wendt who played beer swilling Norm Peterson on Cheers for years is our guest villain in this Columbo film. He is the owner with his brother of a thoroughbred horse breeding farm with big plans for the future. The problem is he's got a wastrel spendthrift brother in Jeff Yagher who owes some bookies really big bucks. Wendt's decided that the brother has to be eliminated as he can't carry his ever increasing debts.

But Wendt is not only a real slime ball he's a little bit crazy in his scheme. Not only does he kill the brother he kills Jay Acovone whom he lures to his house. Acovone is both a restaurant owner and a bookie and well connected to Mafia crime boss Rod Steiger who is a half owner in the place. You want to mess with those guys? He claims he killed Acovone as a matter of self defense.

I have to say that Wendt apparently had a well conceived plan, but those little details that Columbo spots are what does him in. Things that Wendt could not have foreseen just make Peter Falk zero in on him more and more.

Real Columbo fans could not miss the similarities between this story and one from the 70s where Hector Elizondo kills someone in the consulate of a Mideast kingdom. It was also a whole lot of little things that Falk suspect him, but he couldn't quite nail him. He uses the same gambit from that story to nail Wendt in this one.

You'll have to see the film to know what I am talking about.