Tag Archives: Crime

Mrs Columbo: Word Games

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Roger Pocock

To say this series has a bad reputation would be an understatement. As a Columbo fan, I have been aware of the existence of a spin-off show for many years, but have never seen a single episode. Everything I have … Continue reading →

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Columbo: The Conspirators

Posted on January 29, 2023 by Roger Pocock

Every generation of children has their worries. My parents had to survive through the war years. Before my time, many children were born into a world of fear, thinking that a nuclear attack could hit at any time. Nowadays climate … Continue reading →

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Columbo: How to Dial a Murder

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Roger Pocock

Dogs are supposed to be man’s best friend, but they can also be deadly weapons in the wrong hands. In this episode of Columbo, the very inventive seventh season continues with the most unusual method of killing yet, but can … Continue reading →

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Columbo: Make Me a Perfect Murder

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Roger Pocock

Kay Freestone is a television executive looking for her next promotion. She is hard-working, intelligent and efficient. In fact, she possesses all the qualities necessary to be a perfect… murderer. The Motive Kay is having an affair with her boss, … Continue reading →

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Columbo: Murder Under Glass

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Roger Pocock

The DVD set I have of Season Seven of Columbo oddly mixes up the episode order. For most seasons that wouldn’t really matter, but Murder Under Glass is an interesting one to watch in its original context. Last time, we … Continue reading →

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Columbo: Try and Catch Me

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Roger Pocock

If somebody asked me what are the defining qualities of Columbo, the reasons why I think this is the greatest crime series ever made, near the top of my list would have to be the respect Columbo shows for his … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Dead Man’s Chest

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Roger Pocock

The idea for this film takes some believing. John Thaw plays David Jones, a young journalist who decides to fake a murder in order to generate a hoax story to make headlines. He is after “interviews, syndicated rights, television”. It’s … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Strangler’s Web

Posted on November 6, 2022 by Roger Pocock

We are really getting into the spirit of the 60s here, with some interesting dance techniques at a hip and happening discotheque. Playing the most 1960s of all possible characters is Pauline Boty, better known for her pop art and … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Change Partners

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Roger Pocock

This seems to be one of the most popular Edgar Wallace Mysteries B movies, and it’s not difficult to see why. The acting is superb, and the plot is gripping from beginning to end. It’s not my cup of tea … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Game for Three Losers

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Roger Pocock

The majority of these Edgar Wallace Mysteries seem to fall into two categories: crooks vs crooks, or blackmail plots. This is the latter, although it’s quite unusual because there are no fatalities. Normally, blackmail is the briefest ever profession and … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: The Main Chance

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Roger Pocock

What’s happened to the theme music? Michael Carr’s familiar Man of Mystery is gone, to be replaced by a load of random bangs and crashes, as if a child has got hold of a drum kit. Much more familiar is … Continue reading →

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Seven Keys (1961)

Posted on October 2, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Welcome back for the final series of reviews of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries B movies. We are on the seventh DVD set, and I thought it was appropriate to conclude with the last ever Edgar Wallace film, so lets kick … Continue reading →

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Columbo: The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Roger Pocock

How important is IQ? Could a hyper-intelligent person have a chance of outwitting Lieutenant Columbo? Who are we kidding… The Motive Oliver Brandt is an accountant and a member of the Sigma Society, a club that only the cleverest 2% … Continue reading →

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Columbo: Old Fashioned Murder

Posted on September 18, 2022 by Roger Pocock

What’s this, no silly teaser at the start to spoil the episode? Things are looking up. Then again, maybe they couldn’t find anything exciting enough to put into a teaser, in this rather slow episode set in a museum. Maybe … Continue reading →

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Columbo: Fade in to Murder

Posted on September 11, 2022 by Roger Pocock

We’re back for Season Six, and an award-winning actor who has struck an incredibly lucrative deal to continue in his successful, long-running show is playing a much-loved detective, opposite an actor who is playing an award-winning actor who has struck … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: The Malpas Mystery

Posted on September 4, 2022 by Roger Pocock

We are going back in time to 1960 for The Malpas Mystery, which was the third of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries B movies. As it was made at a different studio its inclusion in the series is apparently debatable, although … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Never Mention Murder

Posted on August 28, 2022 by Roger Pocock

These Edgar Wallace Mysteries B movies sometimes play out like an episode of Columbo but with all the scenes featuring Columbo edited out. The murderer is the focus of the whole film, with the police inspector only showing up right … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Act of Murder

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Roger Pocock

The first twenty minutes of this one-hour B movie are logical enough. Tim Ford (the excellent John Carson) is trying to get former actress Anne Longman (Justine Lord) to return to acting, because he is in love with her, but … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Face of a Stranger

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Norman Stanley Fletcher, you have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this court, and it is now my duty to pass sentence… oh, sorry. Wrong series. This is far from being a comedy, but it does start off in … Continue reading →

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The Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Who Was Maddox?

Posted on August 7, 2022 by Roger Pocock

This is a rare treat: an Edgar Wallace Mystery that is actually a mystery. Writer Roger Marshall manages to pack a lot of story into 60 minutes, but I never found it difficult to follow, despite a complicated plot with … Continue reading →

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