User reviews

This Columbo film is one of my favorites with Donald Pleasance as the murderer, a fanatical wine connoisseur who Peter Falk eventually traps into a confession of murder. This was not a planned murder by any means, in fact Pleasance does it in a fit of rage. But he plans well the alibi and that due to the fact that apparently no one saw his victim come or go from his home.

The victim here is Gary Conway, Pleasance's half brother who owns the land where the vineyards of the family business grow. Pleasance got the cash, but he spends it foolishly on expensive wines for his educated palate. The business has gone to rack and ruin and Conway wants to sell it and get out.

Both these guys are not prizes, Conway is a playboy who's about embark on his latest marriage, this one to Joyce Jillson. Pleasance is an egotistical fool who won't pay attention to business.

This Columbo film contains one of my favorite moments, it's when Conway informs Pleasance that he's considering an offer from the Marino Brothers for the vineyards. Just watch Pleasance literally foam at the mouth at the thought that these guys who apparently supply the stuff favored by the wino community are going to own his vineyards. You would have thought that he was being asked to sacrifice a child to Baal. It's what drives him to murder Conway. You can't really understand it, but you feel his rage.

There is one other major character in this film, that of Julie Harris, Pleasance's devoted secretary who has her suspicions about Conway and hopes to use them to form a closer relationship with Pleasance. She's a piece of work.

Still Donald Pleasance really shines as one of the best foes Peter Falk ever came up against.

Donald Pleasence stars as Adrian Carsini, a wealthy wine connoisseur and merchant about to be awarded a man-of-the-year award from his colleagues that is disrupted by the ill-timed arrival of his half-brother(played by Gary Conway) who plans on selling the vineyard to hated rivals, prompting Adrian to hit him over the head, then locking him in his wine vault to be disposed of later. Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) is brought in to investigate the missing man, but whose supposed accidental death at sea doesn't convince Columbo, who reluctantly targets the otherwise likable Carsini, whose beloved wines are the key to his arrest. One of the best episodes has a superb performance by Pleasence creating the first real "sympathetic" murderer, and though the plot isn't quite airtight, is still very entertaining.

An accomplished Columbo adventure with a well-written script that shrewdly fine-tunes the basic, well-established Columbo formula.

Donald Pleasence is magnificent as a wine fanatic who is horrified to learn that his impetuous and irresponsible brother (Gary Conway) is planning to sell off the family-owned vineyard. The sequence of increasingly antagonistic banter between the brothers, prior to the murder set-up, is powerful and ingenious. Pleasence renders Conway unconscious in a fit of rage in his office - does he immediately think of making it into a murder or does it become a gradual thought? In any case, the "eventual" murder is resourcefully constructed to be made to look like an accident; better than any other "made to look like an accident" scenario in the series.

Whilst there is not the typical plethora of circumstantial clues, the ones that are included are nicely inserted to achieve a decent impact.

The script-writer intriguingly develops the relationship between detective and murderer, as a mutual respect becomes apparent, especially as Columbo starts demonstrating his new-found knowledge on the subject of wine. Without contradicting myself, this is a remarkably positive element to the whole proceedings, given that my usual personal preference is for the Columbo-villain relationship to be more fractious.

Several later scenes uphold the high standard of the episode, primarily, when the murderer's grip over his secretary is "turned on it's head"; in the restaurant, when the murderer ironically complains about the over-heated wine; at the beach cliff-top, when the murderer is forced to throw away all of his wine from the cellar etc.

There is hardly a dull moment in this Columbo adventure; the pacing of the story is not frenetic, rather it is all executed in a calm, controlled manner which is symbolic of its subtleties.

It is one of Peter Falk's favourite episodes and one of mine - highly recommended viewing and an episode that would be great for newcomers to the series (if there are any) to watch, in order to endear themselves to the Columbo character.

ANY OLD PORT IN A STORM is the greatest of all the Columbo TV movies that I've been watching recently as it's just the perfectly-made episode. It features an excellent and humble performance from Peter Falk as the investigating detective and a wonderful guest star in the form of Donald Pleasence, who brings warmth, quirkiness, and humour to his role. It has everything you'd want from a Columbo story and more besides.

The storyline involves the fussy owner of a winery who prides himself on his ability to sniff out and collect only the very best wines. Unfortunately he's saddled with a younger half-brother who plans to sell the business for his own ends, and the winery owner isn't about to let that happen. A moment of rage is followed by a carefully-considered plan to make murder look like an accident, but will Columbo be fooled?

We all know where this story is going, but ANY OLD PORT IN A STORM features wonderful scripting, the great solving of clues, and some hilarious set-pieces to enjoy. The scene where Columbo is trying to find out the previous week's weather is a comic highlight, but Pleasence's explosion in a high-class restaurant is the stand-out moment. Watch out for Gary Conway (LAND OF THE GIANTS) in his cameo as the younger brother.

This was another episode that I saw recently and I am still mystified at how I missed this episode for so long. Any Old Port in a Storm defines the term classic Columbo and has next to nothing wrong with it.

While it is a slow-paced episode, Any Old Port in a Storm is never dull. The script is excellent, with some very snappy lines and some of the interactions are among my favourites in a Columbo episode. The story lives up to its great premise and is always interesting and absorbing, the ending is tricky but not confusing as it is paced and explained very well.

Any Old Port in a Storm looks striking too, the photography doesn't jar in any way and the location shooting still looks pleasing on the eyes. The music is atmospheric and is careful not to intrude too much. The direction is top notch, as is the cast. Peter Falk is spot on and Donald Pleasance is so classy in an equally strong performance.

All in all, a classic Columbo episode with very little to fault it. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is by far the best episode of Columbo. A pure pleasure. Several others are very good but not quite in the same league as this one. I think the key to it's greatness is Donald Pleasence. Of all his roles before or after, this is his finest hour. The restaurant scene towards the end is pure magic. The interplay between Columbo and Pleasence is pure genius. Every time this comes on TV I tell myself I'll change the channel soon, but I always watch it until the end.. It is that good.

I love Peter Falk as Columbo. Here he investigates the disappearance of a very active groom to be. Well, Joyce Jillson plays his fiancé. He learns that the groom was considering selling the family business over the objection of his older half brother played beautifully by the wonderful Donald Pleasance (who should have been knighted) as Adrian Corsini who ran the winery and is quite a snob with his wine friends. Anyway, his secretary, Karen, is played by the unforgettable Julie Harris who has a crush on her longtime employer. Of course, Columbo has to put the pieces together to solve the crime and I won't say how he does it but it's clever.

About 50 minutes too long. There is some proper mystery here, but it's just 1 death and basically just 1 single element to uncover. And they never even say what Columbo figured out. Did he solve the murder? How? Just guess it?

The issue is that it's all very slow-paced with little energy. No great emotional connections, no drama, no deep intellect. There is a young woman in love, but she gets a few scenes only. We are largely just exploring the world of wines and see how they debate them. Yet while wine is crucial to the story we never quite get enough detail to figure out what part wine or anything else plays here.

Adrian Carsini (Donald Pleasance) runs a California winery owned by his younger half-brother (Gary Conway, in a flat performance) who reveals he's about to sell it. This enrages the older wine connoisseur who knocks the young playboy out cold and ties him up in the wine cellar. Soon Carsini has committed a murder and makes it look like a scuba diving accident. Our rumpled Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) is on the case and is willing to harass everyone—even Carsini's cold but devoted secretary (Julie Harris)—until he's discovered the truth.

Leo Penn directs a script by Stanley Ralph Ross (from a story by Larry Cohen) that is mainly excellent. The murder—or rather its cover up—is splendidly tricky. Columbo's scenes with his main adversary and the secretary are inventive and witty. "Columbo vs. wine connoisseur" was a premise waiting to happen, and Ross makes the most of it. Not all the scenes are as tight and purposeful as they are in "Murder by the Book" or "A Stitch in Crime," but this slow-paced episode never seems to drag.

What makes this "Columbo" rank among the best are Julie Harris, in a familiar but welcome performance, and Donald Pleasance, who seems to have lived in his character for years and knows the man's every aspect, from his imperious snobbishness and petulant tantrums to his nervous boyishness and childlike enthusiasm. We don't care about the half-brother; but a second tragedy happens in the wine cellar, and it's one of the saddest moments in the series.

When a frightened young woman comes into the police station to report a missing fiancée, she runs into Columbo and he has pity on her. Thus begins "Any Old Port in a Storm," a fantastic "Columbo" episode about a vineyard owner, his half brother, his secretary, and a big secret. Donald Pleasance is exceedingly unlikable as Adrian, who runs Carsini Wines - at a loss - and collects wine as well. Gary Conway is his playboy half-brother who's sick of seeing the family fortune dwindling away. Fearful that his wine business will be turned into a Gallo-type operation, Adrian kills his brother and leaves the body in the wine cellar before he and his secretary, beautifully portrayed by Julie Harris, attend a wine auction in New York.

It's not long before Columbo becomes involved and learns his wines so that he can go toe to toe with a murderer, who is now having the screws put to him by Harris, an old maid who knows what he did and wants marriage for her silence. The whole thing culminates in an exquisite dinner for which Columbo has chosen all the wine.

The masterful Larry Cohen wrote this script, and you'll find this episode and its subtleties right up there with the best of the "Columbo" series.

Wonderful acting, directing, and storyline. DP and JH acting was a step above, and this Columbo was a true classic of the entire series. The storyline moves along well and I almost hated to see the murderer get caught.

I'd have to say that Donald Pleasence's character is what made this episode great. He was a nice mix of tics, nervous giggles and snobbery. He mixed well with Peter Falk. Being a sentimental old fluff who really like sixties television, seeing Vito Scotti is always enjoyable. He's my favorite bit-player on Columbo, playing parts from a homeless man to a wine steward.

I noticed this was a top-rated Columbo. I think it really deserves it.

Wine maker and prized wine collector Adrian Carsini kills his half brother Enrico, after a heated clash over the sale of some of their land, Enrico has debts to pay off, but Adrian is obsessive about wine.

This is Columbo at its very best, truly an outstanding episode, whatever element you look at, whatever angle, they nailed it, the story is terrific, the performances are superb, and Peter Falk is at his absolute best.

It's longer than most of the episodes that proceeded it, at ninety minutes it's movie length, but pacing does not for a second seen slow or laboured.

The cleverness in the writing is terrific, the twist at the meal was a pretty amazing moment, such imagination.

The interplay between Falk and Pleasence is tremendous, the acting is first rate, Falk delivers all of Columbo's little foibles to perfection, Pleasence as always, first class. I must also comment about Julie Harris, what a quality actress.

10/10.

Pleasance's presence and inspired performance, and some fine dialogue, make this highly enjoyable.

This was a marvelous episode. I'm surprised Donald Pleasence wasn't nominated for an Emmy for his performance as the chief suspect. He made the motivations of his unlikable character understandable and even sympathetic. What's more, that character was physically very restrained, for the most part, so Pleasence had to make him known through minuscule changes in facial expression, small movements, nearly imperceptible hesitations. The moment when Columbo becomes suspicious of him is due to to the tiniest inconsistency in behavior, and the close-up of Columbo's face, the combination of light and shrewdness in his eyes, is a joy to behold. The story itself is intriguingly different, too: a murder motivated not by the usual jealousy, greed, or lover's quarrel, but by a very different type of passion.

Really a delight all the way through to watch these masters of the craft at work in a very well-told tale, and with the masters, a mistress of the acting craft, Julie Harris, in a smaller role, equally impeccably played. I rank the episode at the top of my list now, together with one featuring Leonard Nimoy as an ego maniacal surgeon.

Adrian (Donald Pleasence) loves running the family winery and wine is his life. So, when his playboy half-brother announces he's selling the business, Adrian becomes unhinged and kills him. But he isn't so unhinged that he does it haphazardly....he sets it up to look as if the brother died while Adrian was away on a business trip...thus providing him a perfect alibi. Can Columbo figure this all out for himself?

This was an enjoyable episode but it had two big problems. The biggest was the ending. Columbo HADN'T proven his case and the killer admits his guilt! Second, and less important perhaps, is that the entire episode is about a complete wine lover and wine snob...but a few important little details were wrong...such as Adrian mispronouncing the word 'Zinfandel', holding the wine glass incorrectly as well as his premium winery using screw tops! Again, if the man had not been the consumate wine snob, none of this would have mattered much. But he was....and so the little details DID matter.

PLOT: A winery manager (Donald Pleasence) kills his half-brother (Gary Conway) in a fit of rage after he threatens to sell the vineyard. Julie Harris plays the manager's no-nonsense secretary while Joyce Jillson is on hand as the brother's fiancé.

COMMENTARY: Otherwise known as "the winery episode," this one has a longer runtime (1 hour, 36 minutes) and is one of the better Columbo flicks, like the two pilots "Prescription: Murder" (1968) and "Ransom for a Dead Man" (1971). You can't beat Pleasence as the unlikely murderer and the winery is an interesting setting, not to mention the gorgeous Southern Cal coast. Conway is striking while Jillson is head-turning beautiful. I also like the interesting subplot with the mousey secretary.

There's one glaring problem with the denouement (SPOILER ALERT): Would any sensible winery mogul (or person in general) get rid of a cellar full of ruined wine by taking the time & trouble of carting ALL THAT WINE to an ocean-side cliff and smashing the bottles on the rocks below? Wouldn't it be easier and less conspicuous (for a suspected murderer) to simply pour the wine down a drain in the cellar itself and recycle the bottles? It would be much less time-consuming as well, not to mention protect the environment. And why would Columbo (who obviously had the shore staked out) assume Carsini would go to the cliff to discard the bad wine, and in the middle of the night at that? It was a good, unique setting for the denouement, but it wasn't believable at all.

GRADE: A-

In "Any Old Port in a Storm," Adrian Carsini (played by Donald Pleasence) is a wine connoisseur and owner of a prestigious winery. Facing financial ruin due to his extravagant lifestyle, Adrian plans to kill his playboy brother, who is set to inherit the family business. Columbo investigates when the brother is found dead, and the Lieutenant's unconventional methods uncover the intricate details of the crime.

This episode showcases the show's ability to combine seemingly trivial elements with intricate plots. Donald Pleasence gives a strong performance as the quirky and eccentric Adrian Carsini. The wine-making setting adds a unique flair to the episode, and Columbo's interactions with Adrian provide moments of both tension and humor. The episode's resolution ties together the various clues in a satisfying manner, demonstrating the brilliance of Columbo's deductive skills.

I dont drink, and have no interest in wine, and I found it a bit dragging.