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The second official episode of the "Columbo" series ("Murder by the Book," filmed later, hit the airwaves first), "Death Lends a Hand" is also among the best. Robert Culp, who would match wits with Peter Falk's detective in several future installments, is terrific as the short-tempered head of a sophisticated private detective agency who murders a client's wife (Patricia Crowley) when she refuses to cave-in to his blackmail schemes.

Ray Milland plays the client. With the addition of a toupee, he'd return the next season as a killer in "Greenhouse Jungle."

Falk and Culp are well-matched in this clever cat-and-mouse exercise. Trivia fans might like to know that the scene featuring a crashing mirror was directed by Steven Spielberg for the "Eyes" segment of the 1969 "Night Gallery" pilot. Universal was so impressed, they added it to their library of stock footage.

Brian W. Fairbanks

This was the second entry in the regular Columbo series, and it holds up well today. As I am able to look at it closely now on DVD and see how it is constructed, I am very impressed with the direction of Bernard L. Kowalski (who directed the fine MACHO CALLAHAN as well as countless TV episodes)--watch how the post-murder actions of the killer are shown on a split-screen effect on his two eyeglasses, watch how the murder itself is shown in montage fashion, watch the point-of-view shot from the perspective of the corpse. Also, the wild but impressive avant-garde musical score from noted jazzman Gil Melle was incredible and helped so much to create atmosphere. And the supporting performance of Brett Halsey as the golf pro was wonderful--such subtlety and complexity in a role that nine out of ten times would be a one-dimensional cutout. The "formula" had not yet been set when this episode was filmed, so there are still some surprises in Columbo's methods. Of course, Falk, Robert Culp, and Ray Milland are the highest-quality actors and it's a pleasure to see them work--all men are familiar from many other roles yet lose themselves in their characters here. In all, this entry in the Columbo series--and MANY of the others--are as well-crafted as a very good feature film.

This was the first regular filmed Columbo movie episode but yet it aired as the second, after Steven Spielberg's "Columbo: Murder by the Book". It's also at the same time among one of the better ones!

Bernard L. Kowalski was one great creative director! No wonder that they later asked him to direct three more Columbo movies. The movie has some real creative and innovative shot sequences and the movie as a whole is also clearly made with style, passion and eye for detail. Every shot connects and is a reason why this movie is better and also better looking just any other average made for TV movie. It's definitely one of the better directed Columbo movies.

It's a quit original Columbo entry for a couple of reasons. The murder is more or less an accident and was an impulsive act. So the killer this time doesn't have any time to plan out the 'perfect murder' in advance and his to clean up any of the traces afterward and has to dispose the body. The killer in this movie is not only being handled as the man who committed the crime but more as the man who helps out Lieutenant Columbo to solve the murder. It makes the character a more interesting and layered one as well and also helps to make the way Columbo solves the whole crime seem way more interesting as well because of that. Of course Columbo starts to suspect him pretty early on and as always he comes to solution by making himself vulnerable and look more stupid than he of course truly is and by gaining the killer's trust. This is obviously no spoiler since this is the way every Columbo movie gets set-up. I liked the story of the movie and how it progressed.

It also helps the movie that it has such a fine cast. At the time of this movie Peter Falk had really made the Columbo character his own and the character at this was already fully developed. Robert Culp is truly great as the short tempered Brimmer. Funny thing is that he would later star in three different Columbo movies again and one "Mrs. Columbo" episode, only in totally different roles. He even played the murderer in a couple of those movies as well again. He by the way was not the only actor that did this in other later Columbo movies. Also the great Ray Milland makes an appearance in this movie, as the husband of the victim.

All in all, a real great early Columbo movie and among the better ones out of the long running series of movies.

9/10

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A very high-standard Columbo story which was actually the first filmed episode of the long-running series but was originally transmitted second (after "Murder By The Book").

Robert Culp makes his first of three appearances as the guest murderer in the series and plays the owner of a private detective agency, who blackmails the wife (Patricia Crowley) of a rich, highly influential businessman (played very sympathetically by Ray Milland) after he falsifies a report, in her favour, after it is discovered she was having an affair. The wife later rebels against the blackmail scheme but is killed in a fit of rage....

A very satisfying episode in many respects, particularly as the plot is so strongly set-up and subsequently developed and also because of the rare Columbo ingredient that the crime is an unpremeditated killing. The whole thing is further enhanced when the widowed husband uses the murderer to assist Columbo in his investigations: a feature that facilitates numerous good quality scenes, particularly in the first sequence when the three central characters meet and Columbo's crucially deceptive qualities are wonderfully in evidence.

Directed with flair by Bernard L. Kowalski and acted to an appropriately high level, this really set the tone for whole series (since "Murder By the Book" was let down by a poor ending). The script by Columbo creators Richard Levinson and William Link is precise, well-structured and well-thought-out and is underpinned by a steady, productive pace and meaningful sequences which really exhibit the unpredictability of the story. Ultimately, the finale fittingly epitomises that Columbo has always been one step ahead of the murderer.

Overall, this is a very fine piece of detective work for Columbo, and strongly suggests that the production team had worked positively and constructively to render a polished Columbo story.

... in the sense that, rather than a carefully planned premeditated murder of somebody that the killer knows well, this is the unintentional killing of somebody that the killer barely knows. So on the one hand, the killer will not be suspect number one, but on the other hand, in his haste to cover up the crime he could have missed something, and he'll constantly worry that he did miss something.

Brimmer (Robert Culp) is an ex-cop who has become a P. I. and heads a thriving agency. The wealthy Arthur Kenicutt (Ray Milland) has hired Brimmer to determine whether or not his wife, Lenore, is having an affair. Brimmer tells Kennicutt that his wife is not seeing anybody, but that's a lie. Brimmer uses this knowledge to blackmail Lenore into spying on her husband - who is a powerful newspaper publisher - and feed him information. She comes to his beach house and tells him not only "No", but that she plans to confess her past brief indiscretion herself, plus tell her husband about Brimmer lying to him and trying to blackmail her. He tries to stop her from leaving his house, he gets angry in the tussle, he hits her, she hits her head when she falls, and dies.

Of course Brimmer panics, he takes Lenore's body to a remote location and dumps it, and does his best to clean up the broken furniture and glass from the fight. The police investigate when the body is found, and Kennicutt, once he is cleared of suspicion himself, hires Brimmer to help the police in the investigation. Brimmer can't believe the beauty of his situation. But then Lieutenant Columbo enters the search for the killer and interrupts Brimmer's beauty contest.

Columbo makes some leaps of logic here, because Brimmer did not know Lenore Kennicutt. I have to wonder about the victim's logic here as well as Brimmer's. Brimmer has made a fortune doing PI work, so he has to be pretty bright. Why didn't he realize that Lenore had the upper hand the minute he lied to her husband? How would he make good on his blackmail of her? Tell her powerful husband - who seems to have all of the milk of human kindness of WIlliam Randolph Hearst - I was lying BEFORE but I'm telling the truth NOW? And why would Lenore go to Brimmer's house, alone, to tell him she's about to ruin his life? Because you have no movie if people only make good decisions.

With great production values, good acting, and the always humorous antics of Lieutenant Columbo, this is good viewing.

After Culp's character, a private detective named Brimmer, inadvertently kills Kennicut's wife, the lieutenant must show how, and even why. This is going to be interesting, because Brimmer himself isn't sure why: this is the first accidental killing in Columbo.

Not that it matters: it's Brimmer's temper — he's … well, brimming … with it — and there would certainly be a legal situation here, anyway. And in fact there is.

Because Brimmer had already been trying to blackmail the missus, who was making time with someone who was not the master. Culp's character hopes to use this as leverage against her, or more precisely with her for leverage against her husband, who owns newspapers.

He looks that part, too: much more Charles Foster Kane than the goofy dude in the first episode of next season — a guy who also supposedly owns a newspaper.

So when Mrs. Kennicut makes the classic TV mistake of telling the major bad guy everything you're going to do, well her trajectory is set. Of course she didn't know he would … well watch.

In this episode, I think Columbo suspects the killer fairly quickly: he seems "on" immediately … he gets a sense of Brimmer's temper … and really, there aren't many other options.

Culp's Brimmer merits special mention: he's excellent. The terseness in speaking, in actions — he is precise, cutting, and careful, and not careful enough. And you'll like watching him try not to bust out laughing when Falk is into his patter.

Meanwhile, Columbo is always noticing, always asking questions — and he's funny about it, as in the palm reading scene, and he's audacious, as when he's riffling the golf pro's appointment book.

He keeps moving forward — what's the other guy going to do? Resist?

Culled from The Columbo Case Files: Season One.

This is one of the first and best Columbos, starring Robert Culp and Ray Milland. Robert Culp appeared on another Columbo, as did several other villains, including Patrick McGoohan, William Shatner, and Jack Cassidy. Ray Milland also made a later appearance.

In this one, Ray Milland is convinced his beautiful wife, played by Patricia Crowley, is having an affair, so he hires Culp to investigate. Culp has a blackmailing business on the side, so he gives Milland a fake report and threatens Crowley with the real one if she doesn't pay up. They get into a huge fight in Culp's home, and she winds up murdered. Enter Columbo.

Culp does everything he can to get Columbo off the case, including offering him a job, but Columbo is on to him from the beginning.

Excellent episode.

DEATH LENDS A HAND is a perfectly serviceable episode of the COLUMBO TV detective show, featuring a prime Peter Falk pitting his wits against a devious Robert Culp. This instalment is notable for featuring one of the most straightforward murder cases out there, although the motive is more muddled. The twist comes in having the actual murderer helping our detective out by conducting his own investigation, in much the same way as the coroner would "help" out Columbo in the later episode A TRACE OF MURDER.

The production values of this story are very good, and Robert Culp gives a good portrayal of a complex and surprisingly likable man driven to an extreme act. The ever-dependable Ray Milland is excellent in support, while Falk brings plenty of humour and wry charm to his role. The eventual denouement is quite predictable with Columbo pulling one of his favourite tricks, but this is a short and snappy story that never outstays its welcome.

I am a huge fan of Columbo, and while Death Lends a Hand is not my favourite of the entire series, it is one of my personal favourites of the early episodes. As with all Columbo episodes the production values are first-rate with location work that is striking and camera work that is skilled and always well placed. The music also is fitting with the episode's mood and with the setting, the script is sharp, funny, clever, sophisticated and with structure and the story while going at a purposefully steady pace has plenty of delightful scenes, like when Columbo pretends to palm read, is compelling and never any less than that with an intriguing final solution. The acting is great, Peter Falk is brilliant and very natural as Columbo, and Robert Culp matches him perfectly in perhaps his best episode and performance of the Columbo series. Ray Milland(in a very sympathetic performance) and Patricia Crowley also excels as does Brett Halsey who brings gravitas to a character that could've easily been one-dimensional and bland. The episode is very stylishly directed as well. Overall, a very strong Columbo and one of the best of the early episodes. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Former cop Mr. Brimmer (Robert Culp) is a crooked private investigator. A client hired him to follow his wife and he gives her a clean bill of health. Secretly, he knows that she's cheating. Brimmer blackmails her to spy on her husband. When she refuses, he accidentally kills her. Columbo (Peter Falk) gets the case.

Robert Culp makes a good villain without going over the top. Like other Columbo movies, this is a howcatchem. It makes for a simple plot. Columbo slowly catches up to the audience. It's a chill watch. It's more about watching Robert Culp's face and seeing the gears in his head working.

When the story begins, rich Arthur Kennicutt (Ray Milland) is meeting with a private detective, Mr. Brimmer (Robert Culp). It seems Kennicutt suspected his wife was cheating on him....but Brimmer assures him that there's nothing to it and his investigations have turned up nothing incriminating. However, after Kennicutt leaves, Brimmer then meets with Mrs. Kennicutt (Pat Crowley) and tells her he KNOWS she cheated on her husband and he tries to blackmail her. But Mrs. Kennicutt is insistent...she'll tell her husband and hope he forgives her. Well, this is NOT Brimmer's plan and he attacks her...killing her in his rage!

When Lieutenant Columbo begins investigating the killing, he is told by Mr. Kennicutt that he is ALSO having the case investigated by private investigators....not to hurt Columbo but to assist him. But the head of this organization is Brimmer....and you know Brimmer will do everything he can to send Columbo looking in the wrong directions. To get to the truth, Columbo later resorts to a trick...and it naturally works. After all, Columbo ALWAYS catches the killer!

This episode surprised me with how viscious the killing was...as well as that it was NOT premeditated (unusual for "Columbo"-type shows). Additionally, it was a bit unusual because it featured two big-time actors--Milland and Culp. Overall, excellent acting and writing...I am surprised that although this was supposed to be the first show of the series shown, the network chose to air the second one first. Both are dandy...and well worth your time.

This episode of Columbo features a blackmailing owner of a private detective agency in Robert Culp. He's a former cop, a law enforcement professional and even though the murder he commits is spontaneous, he's clever enough to do a good cover-up.

It's never good enough when you're dealing with Lt. Columbo. Culp is doing a job for wealthy publisher Ray Milland following his wife Patricia Crowley to make sure she's not having an affair. He gives Milland a clean bill of health for Crowley.

However Culp lied and he then confronts Crowley with a proposition to help ferret out information with a little pillow talk on another matter Milland is interested in. She refuses and threatens to expose Culp, so he kills her in a fit of anger.

As it is Culp's willingness to help arouses Peter Falk's suspicions. And what trips him up is those littlest of details which I will not reveal.

Culp's a cold calculator, but no match for the guy in the raincoat.

Robert Culp plays the hot-tempered president of a detective agency named Brimmer, who has just completed an investigation into the supposed infidelity of the wife to a powerful newspaper magnate named Arthur Kennicutt(played by Ray Milland). Brimmer falsely gives the wife a clean bill of health in order to mine her for inside information to her politically connected husband, but her defiant refusal causes Brimmer to strike her, killing her accidentally, but making it look like a murder that gets the attention of Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) whose investigative talents may get him hired to the agency, as long as he drops the case... Fine cast distinguishes this entry.

The second episode of the first season is a good show, that is a bit mired down by a few flimsy ways Colombo gets his information.

Not as good as some episodes, but still a winner.

The Plot.

Brimmer, a short-tempered private detective, is hired by Arthur Kennicut, a prominent Los Angeles publisher, to investigate the publisher's wife's activities under suspicion of an extra-marital affair.

Although his investigation discovers an affair with a golf instructor, Brimmer chooses not to tell Kennicut about it and proposes Mrs. Kennicut to act, in return for Brimmer's silence, as a "pipeline" for information involving powerful persons with whom her husband is involved.

When Mrs. Kennicut refuses to cooperate and threatens to tell her husband about Brimmer's unsavory proposal, Brimmer becomes enraged and accidentally kills her.

He then transports her body across Los Angeles and dumps it in an industrial area, hoping her death will look like a robbery gone awry.

Enter Lieutenant Columbo, the cigar-smoking detective in a rumpled raincoat, who does not accept the murder-by-mugging theory surrounding the woman's death.

Rant: when I read reviews I don't need a plot summary except as the plot point is necessary to the review itself. But...

I find it interesting to see early Columbo episodes when the character has not fully developed. This episode was well made and produced. Some of the outdoor scenes were just beautiful, more so than many other episodes that are sometimes more like stage plays. Ray Miland was excellent because he didn't come across as the 'star' and was understated even though he played a 'powerful' character. All of the actors were believable so kudos to director and the actors and the cinematographer too.

A good watch for sure and the story moved along.

I agree with the reviewer who called this a "serviceable" episode.

Frankly, I found Robert Culp to be one of the most boring bad guys I've seen on this show. The episode itself was, indeed, serviceable: it filled some otherwise dull time for me......but I was quite relieved when the episode came to its end.

Ho hum.

Columbo is dealing with the death of a very wealthy man, a woman who was being investigated by a private eye, under suspicion of adultery.

I enjoyed the previous film, the debut, but I loved this second one, I thought this plot was very pleasing, there's a real clever streak in the plot. Columbo has a hunch, but there seemed to be no motive for the murder, The great Detective had to be dogged.

Falk is a joy to watch here, he's intuitive, he's quick witted, he's curious, he's curious, he's truly settled even at this early stage, no wonder he's such an endearing and much loved character.

I think I like that you know who the murderer is, it's on Columbo, not the audience to solve it, we are just along for the ride.

Robert Culp and the great Ray Milland both shine through. Culp's character really was full of anger and venom, he's excellent, great shared scenes with Falk.

9/10.