Publish or Perish

"Publish or Perish" marks the second time Jack Cassidy starred as a villain on "Columbo". It also is interesting because the famous pulp writer, Mickey Spillane, stars as the murder victim!

Riley Greenleaf (Cassidy) is a publisher who apparently holds grudges. When he learns that a best-selling author is about to leave his company, he plots to murder him using a very elaborate plan and a seriously disturbed young man who enjoys blowing up things! The plan works great...until Greenleaf tries too hard to tidy up every loose end. As is typical of most "Columbo" episodes, this results in his brilliant plan unraveling.

This is an enjoyable episode...one worth seeing. My only worry is that my wife is also a best-selling author and I think I'd better warn her against changing publishers!

And again, Cassidy is involved with the publishing world.

Allen Mallory (Mickey Spillane), a prolific and successful author, wants to leave his current publisher, Riley Greenleaf. Unfortunately Riley is played by Jack Cassidy, a repeat offender on Columbo.

Riley hires a crazed demolitions expert Eddie Kane to kill Mallory, with a promise to publish Eddie's how to make a bomb missive. This way, Riley receives a large life insurance policy the company has on Allen and keeps him from writing for anyone else.

Riley has a convenient alibi, but it takes more than that to fool Columbo. Mariette Hartley is Mallory's agent, and Jacques Aubuchon the publisher who wants Mallory. Of course there is a hilarious restaurant scene between them and Columbo.

There are a few problems with the episode. For instance, Allen's agent says Riley doesn't know about the new book he's writing, but it's obvious that Riley does. His alibi at the time of the murder is a red flag. Also, he's very blunt about having a motive to kill Allen, and even threatens him in public.

Still, the personalities of Columbo and Greenleaf sell this. A most enjoyable Columbo.

Jack Cassidy gives an unquestionably energetic and gritty performance in his second Columbo adventure as a murderer, which oddly mirrors the theme of fictional writing that marked his previous appearance in "Murder By the Book."

Cassidy plays Riley Greenleaf, a revengeful publisher who sees his best writer (ironically played by real-life author Mickey Spillane) poached from under his nose. So he hires an unstable bomb specialist, Eddie Kane, to murder him and leave evidence at the scene to give the impression that somebody is trying to frame Greenleaf, whilst the latter goes on a drinking spree to give himself a cast-iron alibi when the murder is committed. Greenleaf then tries to pin the murder on Edddie Kane...

A really clever, expertly written and holding mystery, which slips in some very key evidence (literally) at the end. The script is tightly structured and put together in a very professional fashion, typified by the strength of Greenleaf's alibi which makes things very difficult for Columbo all the way through, coupled with the undoubted composure of Cassidy's character, who is continually plotting in a distinctly unruffled fashion, long after the first murder has been committed.

To my mind, a very high calibre Columbo story; stylish, well-handled and not telegraphed with the predictability that has weakened some potentially top-notch Columbo adventures.

Columbo is one of my all-time favourites, and Publish and Perish epitomises everything about why I love the series so much in the first place. It is slickly filmed and very well made, and the electronic score adds much to the atmosphere. The script is tightly written with enough to tense and humorous moments to delight even the fussiest of all Columbo fans, and never lets go even at the conclusion, which is wholly satisfying and tense, and the story is clever and compelling. Peter Falk is the embodiment of the iconic detective, and Jack Cassidy in a suitably gritty proves to be one of the series' most memorable guest stars. John Chandler is also great as Kane, and Mickey Spillane's appearance is interesting(if not necessarily for the quality of his acting) Overall, Pulish and Perish is wonderful, a Columbo great. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Jack Cassidy returns as another killer, this time a publisher called Riley Greenleaf who is about to lose one of his top authors to a rival firm, so concocts an elaborate scheme to give himself a drunken alibi, ending in jail after a forced auto accident, that brings in Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) who first believes it to be a frame-up, but the later murder of the actual, bomb-making assassin(and would-be author) puts the case in a whole new direction. Mariette Hartley guest stars. Exciting episode with Cassidy playing a character not unlike the one he played before('Murder By The Book') A shame some plot connection couldn't have been made from that...