Double Shock is the eighth and final episode of the second season of Columbo and the seventeenth episode overall. It first aired on March 25, 1973 and was directed by Robert Butler.
Double Shock represents the first true break in the Columbo formula, providing the audience with an actual murder mystery to solve along with Columbo. When identical twin brothers become the prime suspects in the death of their wealthy uncle, can the Lieutenant deduce which one is the true culprit?
Martin Landau stars in the dual role of both brothers, one a chef and the other a banker. In addition to Peter Falk as Columbo, the rest of the cast includes Tim O'Connor, Jeanette Nolan and Julie Newmar.
Cast[]
- Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo.
- Martin Landau as Norman Paris and Dexter Paris, a pair of identical twin brothers, one of whom murdered their uncle to speed up their inheritance. Norman is a stiff, uptight banker while Dexter is a flamboyant TV chef adored by housewives across the country.
- Tim O'Connor as Robert Hathaway, the late Clifford's unscrupulous lawyer who tries to blackmail the brothers by revealing that a new will exists that will leave their uncle's fortune to his fiancée.
- Jeanette Nolan as Mrs. Peck, the Paris' fastidious housemaid who repeatedly clashes with Columbo over his constant untidyness.
- Julie Newmar as Lisa Chambers, Clifford's attractive young fiancée. She is later murdered because she also possesses a copy of Clifford's second will.
- Paul Stewart as Clifford Paris, an aging fitness fanatic who is killed by his scheming nephews who drop an electric mixer into his bathtub then move his body to the downstairs gym, making it appear as he suffered a fatal heart attack while riding an exercise bike.
- Dabney Coleman as Sergeant Murray, a homicide detective who assists Columbo in his investigation. Coleman later played the murderer in Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star.
- Columbo regulars Mike Lally and Mickey Golden both make small apperances; the former as a man in the bank vault, and the latter as a gambler at the casino.
| Columbo (season 2) |
|---|
| 1."Étude in Black" 2."The Greenhouse Jungle" 3."The Most Crucial Game" 4."Dagger of the Mind" 5."Requiem for a Falling Star" 6."A Stitch in Crime" 7."The Most Dangerous Match" 8."Double Shock" |