***SPOILERS*** On the verge of being forced out of the family business sly and cunning Roger Standford,Roddy McDowall, plans to both set up his uncle the president of Standford Chemical David L. Buckner, James Gregory. the set-up is to be a faked affair with his private secretary Valerie Bishop, Ann Francis, and his uncle's private investigator and part-time chauffeur Quincy, Lawrence Cook, as the man who's blackmailing him.
Besides his obvious dislike of Uncle Buckner who's been trying to get rid of the buffoonish Roger for years Roger also has in for PI Quincy who got all the goods on him, Rogers gambling in the casinos with the company's money. If his aunt Doris, Ida Lupino, ever got wind of it Roger would be disowned and written out of her will.
Rigging up a box of exploding Cubans Cigars Roger sneaks it into Uncle Buckner's limo with a timer made to activate and explode a minute after the box is opened. With both Uncle Bunker and Quincy driving up to see aunt Doris that evening the car explodes after Uncle Buckner pulls out a cigar. Lt. Columbo, Peter Falk, is immediately put on the case being, as Aunt Doris said, he's considered to be by the L.A police commissioner the best man for the job.
Roger trying to act like a brainless smuck at first makes like he's completely unaware of his uncle's plans to can him out of the family business. Columbo suspects that the accident, which the tragic deaths of Uncle Buckner & Quincy was first reported as, was no accident at all but premeditated murder but didn't have the proof. Roger putting plan 2 into motion then implicated his Uncle Buckner and his secretary, Valerie, in an illicit affair and putting the blame of it coming out into the open on the company's vice president Everett Logan(William Windom), a bitter enemy of Buckner, with the deceased Quincy as his co-conspirator and fellow blackmailer. Getting an enraged Aunt Doris, who's the majority stock holder, to fire both Logan and even poor and unsuspecting Valerie. Doris then puts Roger in as chairman of the board of Standford Chemical a position that he wanted all of his adult life.
Lt. Columbo sets a trap for the arrogant Roger by playing on his ego in thinking that he's infallible and above the law. Cloumb does this by trapping Roger, with the help of Everett Logan, on a sky tram hundreds of feet above the ground. Telling the smug and conceited Roger that the deaths of his uncle and Quincy were in fact an accident Lt. Columbo surprises the double-murderer with a box of cigars! the box that Roger planted in Uncle Buckner's car.
Columbo breaking open the seal, which is supposed to start the minute explosive timer, Roger goes totally nuts trying to get off the tram before the box explodes practically confessing to the crime! As you guessed it the box was a fake which was obvious to anyone watching the movie but not to the super-intelligent Roger.
Besides his obvious dislike of Uncle Buckner who's been trying to get rid of the buffoonish Roger for years Roger also has in for PI Quincy who got all the goods on him, Rogers gambling in the casinos with the company's money. If his aunt Doris, Ida Lupino, ever got wind of it Roger would be disowned and written out of her will.
Rigging up a box of exploding Cubans Cigars Roger sneaks it into Uncle Buckner's limo with a timer made to activate and explode a minute after the box is opened. With both Uncle Bunker and Quincy driving up to see aunt Doris that evening the car explodes after Uncle Buckner pulls out a cigar. Lt. Columbo, Peter Falk, is immediately put on the case being, as Aunt Doris said, he's considered to be by the L.A police commissioner the best man for the job.
Roger trying to act like a brainless smuck at first makes like he's completely unaware of his uncle's plans to can him out of the family business. Columbo suspects that the accident, which the tragic deaths of Uncle Buckner & Quincy was first reported as, was no accident at all but premeditated murder but didn't have the proof. Roger putting plan 2 into motion then implicated his Uncle Buckner and his secretary, Valerie, in an illicit affair and putting the blame of it coming out into the open on the company's vice president Everett Logan(William Windom), a bitter enemy of Buckner, with the deceased Quincy as his co-conspirator and fellow blackmailer. Getting an enraged Aunt Doris, who's the majority stock holder, to fire both Logan and even poor and unsuspecting Valerie. Doris then puts Roger in as chairman of the board of Standford Chemical a position that he wanted all of his adult life.
Lt. Columbo sets a trap for the arrogant Roger by playing on his ego in thinking that he's infallible and above the law. Cloumb does this by trapping Roger, with the help of Everett Logan, on a sky tram hundreds of feet above the ground. Telling the smug and conceited Roger that the deaths of his uncle and Quincy were in fact an accident Lt. Columbo surprises the double-murderer with a box of cigars! the box that Roger planted in Uncle Buckner's car.
Columbo breaking open the seal, which is supposed to start the minute explosive timer, Roger goes totally nuts trying to get off the tram before the box explodes practically confessing to the crime! As you guessed it the box was a fake which was obvious to anyone watching the movie but not to the super-intelligent Roger.