Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star is the third episode of the tenth season of Columbo and the fifty-eighth episode overall. It first aired on April 29, 1991 and was directed by Alan J. Levi. In addition to Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, the episode stars Dabney Coleman, Shera Danese and Julian Stone, with a cameo appearance by Little Richard. Coleman previously played a policeman in 1972's Double Shock.
In Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star, a criminal lawyer who's never lost a case plans to rid himself of his unfaithful rock star girlfriend. He frames his mistress' lover for the crime, but also finds himself being blackmailed by his associate who has deduced he used her to provide his alibi.
Cast[]
- Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo.
- Dabney Coleman as Hugh Creighton, a high priced murder defence lawyer who has famously never lost a case. Marcy Edwards knows that this is because he has no qualms about bribing witnesses; she didn't expect that he'd have no qualms about killing her to keep her silent either.
- Shera Danese as Trish Fairbanks, Creighton's associate who he manipulates into providing him with a concrete alibi. When she realizes this, she strongarms him into making her an official partner with his law firm.
- Julian Stone as Neddy Malcolm, a guitarist with whom Marcy was having an affair in Creighton's beach house. Creighton uses drugged wine to render him unconscious, then kills Marcy as Neddy lays next to her, thus framing him. Neddy subsequently goes on the run, requiring Columbo to get creative to track him down.
- Cheryl Paris as Marcy Edwards, a chart-topping rock singer and Creighton's longtime mistress until she decides to ditch him for Neddy. Knowing she could easily expose his unethical methods of ensuring victory in the court room, Creighton strangles her to death and arranges the scene to implicate Neddy.
- Sondra Currie as Sergeant Hubach, a police officer who assists Columbo in his investigation. Hubach is notable for being Columbo's first and only female assistant in this capacity. Currie previously played Mrs. Rocca in Murder in Malibu.
- John Martin as Sam Marlowe, a private eye hired by Creighton to gather evidence of Marcy and Neddy's affair.
- John Finnegan as Police Chief Quentin Corbett, Columbo's superior. Finnegan, a longtime regular, previously played a Police Chief in Columbo Cries Wolf. Although unnamed, that character is presumably the same as Chief Corbett.
- Steven Gilborn as George, the Chief Medical Examiner. This was Gilborn's final appearance as George, having appeared in a total of four episodes.
- Grant Heslov as the lab technician who helps Columbo out with understanding how speed cameras work.
- Tad Horino as Ando Miaki, Creighton's gardener. His truck ultimately provides the crucial clue which brings about Creighton's downfall.
- Deborah Rose as Creighton's short tempered housekeeper.
- Little Richard as himself. Yes, really.
Additionally, Robert Trumball plays the District Attorney, Ann Weldon plays Judge June Campbell, Joseph Chapman plays a prosecutor while Steve Tschudy plays the defendant in the courtroom scene, B.J. Turner plays Vito the interior designer, Mark Voland plays the desk sergeant who Columbo goes to see about the speeding ticket, and Susie Singer Carter appears as Darlene Glinski, A.K.A. that stupid singing mermaid.
Columbo (season 10) |
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1."Columbo Goes to College" 2."Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health" 3."Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star" 4."Death Hits the Jackpot" 5."No Time to Die" 6."A Bird in the Hand..." 7."It's All in the Game" 8."Butterfly in Shades of Grey" 9."Undercover" 10."Strange Bedfellows" 11."A Trace of Murder" 12."Ashes to Ashes" 13."Murder with Too Many Notes" 14."Columbo Likes the Nightlife" |