The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case

Theodore Bikel plays Oliver Brandt, member of an elite private club of people with high I.Q's who feels forced to murder his reluctant best friend and fellow member Bertie Hastings(played by Sorrell Booke) who threatens to expose his shady business practices regarding his clients. Oliver concocts an elaborate alibi that would seem fool-proof, but of course Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) finds those little loose ends that not even a genius can seem to avoid making. Can the good Lt. really be a genius himself? Carol Jones shines in a supporting role as a helpful young female genius/club member. Entertaining episode with a memorable(and overdue) murder plot amidst the high I.Q. set.

Bertie Hastings and Oliver Brandt are business partners; they are also both members of a selective group made up of a handful of people whose IQ's fall within the top 2% of the world. However Oliver has been stealing money from clients and Bertie has found out, meaning Oliver must kill him to keep it quiet. With the clever thought of genius, Oliver constructs the perfect crime, providing himself a watertight alibi and he has no doubt that anyone would ever suspect him, far less catch him – certainly not the poor bumbling detective that has been assigned to the case. Detective Columbo however, has been underestimated before.

As with many TV film series (such as Perry Mason), if you like one or two of them then you'll pretty much like them all. This entry in the Columbo series pretty much follows the usual formula – we know the killer and the "perfect" plan but then watch Columbo follow his hunch and gradually start to pick holes in the story he is told before eventually finding enough to prove his suspicions. Saying this is not a spoiler – it is simply what happens in all the films. Here we have the usual perfect crime and all the formula is followed but what makes the film so much fun is the little things that add to the formula. The main thing is the comedy, for this is a Columbo film that is more jovial than some of the other films that go for a tense edge. The comic tone starts wit the characters and continues all the way thanks to their constant input; I found this to make the film feel very fresh and light – perfect for the mood I was in at the time.

The collection of characters mean that the film has more support than the lead two, but even just looking at them the film is very strong. Part of the reason is the writing but a big part is the acting. Falk can do Columbo in his sleep but here he has got his humility down pat and to see him afraid of telling these genius's that he has already thought of (and dismissed) their ideas is a wonder. He plays very well opposite Bikel and the two share a very interesting moment near the end where we learn a little more about them. Aside from looking like UK comic Jethro, Bikel is great. He is funny but his performance is well pitched throughout – witness his nerves give way to increasing arrogance when the evidence-containing trash can is removed; this makes his self-betrayal later so much more convincing and so much more satisfying. Support is good from the various boffins in support and Booke is a very funny victim.

Overall, those who hate Columbo (no, I don't know who they are either) will continue to dislike this film but for the rest of us it is a very entertaining film on so many levels. The formula is in place but it contains so much more than just that with nice character touches, good performances and a very satisfying script. Falk and Biekl are a joy and it is films like this one that mean I will always watch Columbo when he is on.

The Sigma Society is a group of high I. Q. members. One member, Oliver Brandt, is an embezzler and murders his business partner who threatened to expose him. He has planted misdirection to confuse the other members who could hear the gun shots. Columbo (Peter Falk) puts his smarts to the test.

I like the premise. I like the villain and his comeuppance. It's the classic arrogant smart guy being outsmarted by his perceived inferior. I didn't really understand the gold question as described. I know that I can get it. I got it as soon as they started pulling out the coins. I know that I can do it. I'm smart... maybe.

OMG That's Jamie Lee Curtis, a year before Halloween. She does a small comedic scene with a couple of lines. Somebody is giving her a break.

This is my favorite Columbo episode.

Columbo is investigating a murder surrounded by geniuses with there own theories.

Pay close attention to the ending in which the climax is as well orchestrated as the musical score it is surrounded in.

To top it off Mr. Bikel utters one of the best anti-climactic lines in film. After his much younger wife calls him immediately after his confession feeling needy for her oft rejected husband she tells him to come home "I need you." To which he replies "Alas my dear. I won't be needing you." Great acting, great direction, great fun!

I've always been a Theodore Bikel fan and enjoyed this outing. I especially liked his relationship with the little girl. But I got sidetracked by the business about the male secretaries. Some kind of Women's Lib, Columbia wonders. No, the receptionist tells him. The firm only hires young men as secretaries because they are junior accountants who are getting more training in preparation for promotion. Evidently women were not considered qualified to become accountants, so they were not eligible to be secretaries to the firm's owners.

It took me back to real life circa 1977, when a friend who worked at a savings and loan used to train young men for higher positions. She would have liked to be promoted a higher position herself and she was obviously qualified for it. One day her boss told her that the reason that she had never been promoted was that she was too valuable to him in her current position and he was "too selfish" to part with her. He probably thought she would be flattered. She sued him for discriminiation instead. And won. Now that is Women's Lib.

Fun to see Jamie Lee Curtis as a waitress with an attitude