How to Dial a Murder

I must say I really liked the director approach of the movie from James Frawley. It's the second Columbo movie I've seen so far which got directed by him and it was the second one from him that I loved. He directed a total of 6 Columbo movies throughout his career, of which this one was his third. The directing is done with lots of style, which makes the movie great to watch and provides it with some good pace as well.

The movie actually knows to create a good general thriller atmosphere and style, also not in the least thanks to the musical score from Patrick Williams, who did the score for all of James Frawley's Columbo movies. It's a style which I really loved about this movie and makes it more special to watch than just the average Columbo movie entry.

It has actually a quite far fetched main plot but nevertheless you'll buy it, thanks to the skillful directing and storytelling of it all.

The movie features a 'great' killer, portrayed by Nicol Williamson. He gives away one fine performance and is a worthy opponent for the good old Lieutenant. The movie also features a still very young Kim Cattrall. Funny thing is that she also made her debut in a movie called "Rosebud", the word that plays a key element in this movie, which of course refers to the 1941 Orson Welles classic "Citizen Kane".

The movie has all of the typical great Columbo movie elements in it, including some great relieving humor at points.

Another real fine Columbo movie from James Frawley!

8/10

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Dr. Eric Mason (Nicol Williamson) is a guy who is not about to receive an award from the American Humane Association, that's for sure! As part of his VERY elaborate scheme at revenge, he's trained his Dobermans, Laurel & Hardy, to go mad and kill when they hear a trigger word! Well, his scheme DOES work....but what the psychologist didn't know is that Columbo was on the case AND Columbo never seems to lose a case!

This is a very good episode. While farfetched and too complicated, the murder was pretty cool and the plot very good. My only reservation is the character played by Kim Cattrall. Her acting was fine...that wasn't the problem. But her character seemed underwritten--like some editing occurred and much of her role was reduced. This made her being there in the first place confusing.

Made in 1978, HOW TO DIAL A MURDER is one of the best of the Columbo series and features one of the most memorable methods of murder that the show had to offer. Guest villain Nicol Williamson plays a psychologist who has trained his dogs to kill on command and figures out a way to get them to take out a rival who he discovered had an affair with Williamson's late wife.

It's a gruesome way to die and HOW TO DIAL A MURDER makes no bones about yet. And yet...when the murder weapon is a pair of lovable Dobermans called Laurel and Hardy, it's difficult to dislike or even be frightened of the dogs. Columbo, who we know has an affinity with man's best friend, is of the same mindset and his interactions with the animals are the best bit of this story.

Williamson also makes for an imposing villain and I particularly liked the way he is depicted as a fan of classic cinema, allowing for some great off-topic talks about W. C. Fields and the like. Kim Cattrall plays in support in one of her early performances while Falk himself is on strong form, acting much like a dog himself in refusing to drop the case or let Williamson rest for a moment.

Nicol Williamson stars as a behavioral psychologist named Eric Mason whose wife recently died in a car crash, and whom he believes was having an affair with his best friend Dr. Charles Hunter, so Mason decides to murder him by cruelly using his specially trained Dobermans to attack him when the phone rings and a certain control word is spoken aloud. The crime is discovered by his young live-in girlfriend(played by Kim Cattrall) whose call for help brings in Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) who admirers Eric's taste in Cinema, but is appalled by his murder method, so making this arrest will be especially satisfying... Unusually violent episode with Williamson a particularly odious villain who gets his much deserved comeuppance.

Nicol Williamson stars in How to Dial a Murder, a 1978 Columbo episode.

This is one of the more gruesome ones. In the beginning we see dogs attacking a dummy on the phone command "Rosebud."

Williamson portrays Dr. Eric Mason, a behavioral psychologist. We see him giving a lecture and then talking with a colleague, a Dr. Hunter (Joel Fabiani).

Hunter sees Mason looking at a photo of his late wife (who died when her car inexplicably went over a cliff) and asks if he misses her. Mason says she was seeing someone else. He asks Hunter to meet him at his house later for tennis.

Hunter arrives, and, having a key, lets himself in. Mason is at his doctor's. From the doctor's office, Mason dials his home. His Dobermans enter through the doggy door when they hear the ring.

Hunter answers the phone. He and Mason talk, and then Mason asks him to settle a bet. What was the name of Citizen Kane's sled?

When Hunter answers Rosebud, the dogs attack and kill him.

Mason is at film buff so this episode is filled with movie references as we worry for the fate of the two dogs, Laurel and Hardy. It takes some deprogramming by trainer Tricia O'Neill to offset Mason's commands.

He doesn't fool Columbo, even if Mason wasn't home during the murder. It doesn't take him long to figure out ladies' man Hunter was Mrs. Mason's lover. Or just how Mason engineered the killing.

Look for a very young Kim Cattrell as Mason's screwed up quasi-girlfriend who knows too much.