Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot

TV Movie
1991
TV-PG
1h 38m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Peter Falk and Rip Torn in Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot (1991)

Cop Drama Police Procedural Crime Drama Mystery

A jewelry-store owner's nephew wins the lottery, but lets his uncle cash it in so that his wife he's divorcing doesn't get half of it. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle and his wife are an item,... Read allA jewelry-store owner's nephew wins the lottery, but lets his uncle cash it in so that his wife he's divorcing doesn't get half of it. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle and his wife are an item, and his uncle ends up killing him with her help.A jewelry-store owner's nephew wins the lottery, but lets his uncle cash it in so that his wife he's divorcing doesn't get half of it. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle and his wife are an item, and his uncle ends up killing him with her help.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
The champagne that George Brower stocks his refrigerator with is the exact same brand that the murderer from the previous episode, Columbo: Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star (1991) stocked his refrigerators with.

Goofs
A lottery ticket is a "bearer instrument." There are no names on it; whoever turns it in wins the money. Once it is learned that Leon has killed his nephew, the money would not go to the nephew's wife, as Columbo says. There's no legal way to prove Freddy ever had the ticket. Had he dropped it in the street, whoever picked it up and cashed it in would get the money. He didn't sign his ticket. There is a line on the back to sign your name, which you are advised to do if you win.

However, Columbo might very well be aware of this. He is trying to elicit a confession, and all he needs for this to work is the two other characters believing him.

Quotes
Columbo: Well, the bad news, ma'am, is that Mr. Lamarr here is going to be arrested for the murder of your husband.
Nancy Brower: Oh, my God. Leon, how could you?
Leon Lamarr: Ha!
Nancy Brower: And what's the good news?
Columbo: That you've just inherited the better part of $24 million after taxes. It wasn't Mr. Lamarr who won the lottery, it was your late husband.
Nancy Brower: [pretending surprise] What?
Columbo: And even though you were in the process of getting a divorce, you were still legally married at the time of the drawing.
Nancy Brower: I get the money?
Columbo: All of it. All of those millions.
Leon Lamarr: It'll be a cold day in hell.
Nancy Brower: Leon!
Leon Lamarr: You lying, treacherous bitch, you sold ol' Leon out, didn't you? You want to see some cooperation? Girl, I'm gonna show you some cooperation.
[to Columbo]
Leon Lamarr: Who do you think it was pretending to be Freddie calling me from the studio that night?
[with Nancy ranting and raving, and with Leon chuckling]
Columbo: That's it.
[to another officer]
Columbo: All right, book 'em. Both of 'em.

Connections
Featured in Columbo: Death Hits the Jackpot

Soundtracks
Where Have All The Flowers Gone
(uncredited)
Written by Pete Seeger

User reviews33

Review

Featured review

6/10

Affectionate, amiable detective offering

A nice cosy little mystery for Columbo and one of the better revamped TV movies I've watched. So far, this one seems closest to the spirit of the '70s originals, with a rather complicated murder scene and lots of clues for the detective to pick up on. No twists with the formula here, just straightforward detective work.

The delightfully rascally Rip Torn stars as an unscrupulous fellow who takes immediate action when his nephew wins thirty million dollars on the lottery. Due to the guy's soon-to-be ex wife's entitlement to half the sum, he convinces his nephew that he himself will cash in the cheque and pretend to be the winner, and pass on the cash further down the line. Inevitably he bumps his nephew off instead, making it look like an accident, which is where Columbo comes in.

Torn makes for a fine guest star villain. He doesn't really have any big or shouty moments with the crumpled gumshoe, but he exudes an air of quiet menace which works well. Falk acquits himself well with the material and has quite a few comic scenes in the midsection which work well in a gently humorous way. Betsy Palmer (FRIDAY THE 13TH) shows up playing Torn's wife, and there are enough twists and turns along the way to keep viewers enthused. Watch out for the chimp!