Columbo

Columbo (1971)

7 mistakes in An Exercise in Fatality

(35 votes)

Starring: Peter Falk

Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Columbo mistake picture

An Exercise in Fatality - S4-E1

Visible crew/equipment: When Janus parks his car at the health spa's service entrance, the reflection of filming equipment, including a large spotlight and the location's 9-bank array lighting, is visible on the car's surface. Then Janus lets himself in with his master key. (00:10:30)

Super Grover

Columbo mistake picture

An Exercise in Fatality - S4-E1

Visible crew/equipment: At Tricon, Columbo calls and leaves a message on Lewis Lacey's answering machine, then he heads to the elevator and grabs his cigar. When it cuts to Ruth Stafford at the piano, as she walks toward the door a T-mark is visible on the floor; then it's visible in following shots as well. (01:00:00)

Super Grover

Columbo mistake picture

An Exercise in Fatality - S4-E1

Visible crew/equipment: After Columbo follows Janus from the beach back to the house, Janus asks the detective why he's there asking questions. Then, when Janus walks into his house, the boom mic is visible over the open door (and through the top window curtain); as Columbo follows him inside, the overhead boom mic is now visible through the curtain over the door as it pulls away. (00:47:30)

Super Grover

Columbo mistake picture

An Exercise in Fatality - S4-E1

Visible crew/equipment: At the start, while Milo Janus is in Gene Stafford's office, Janus tells him, "Calm down, stress is bad for your blood pressure," and there's a visible T-mark on the carpet where Gene stands. When Gene walks back to his chair, another tape mark is visible on the carpet near the door. (00:03:20)

Super Grover

An Exercise in Fatality - S4-E1

Other mistake: It is made clear that the barbell weighs 180 pounds. When we see Janus put it across the neck of Mr. Stafford, he moves it easily, as if it weighs perhaps 30 pounds. Although we know that Janus is very strong, no one could move 180 pounds that easily.

Leicaman

An Exercise in Fatality - S4-E1

Plot hole: When Columbo finds Stafford's street shoes in his locker, they are tied. How did Janus get his shoes off without untying them? If Janus did untie them, why did he retie them before putting them in the locker? And why didn't Columbo wonder why someone would take off his shoes and tie them before putting them away?

Leicaman

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: I'm not sure how this is a mistake. I always take my shoes off without untying them.

Bishop73

I can't take off my lace shoes without untying them. How do you do it?

Leicaman

Guessing by them not being tied too tightly. Depends entirely on how much give is in the shoes or the laces - it's certainly not unreasonable.

Columbo: Oh, I didn't come to ask any more questions. I came to arrest you.

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More trivia for Columbo

Answer: "Apparent" drowning answers your question - things are not always as they seem. Drowning could be accidental, but it could also be a murder in disguise. Moreover, the actual cause of death has not yet been determined - accident, suicide, murder, or natural cause (e.g, heart attack while swimming). Columbo would be there to investigate if anything looks unusual for it to be a mere drowning or if there is evidence or suspicion of something else.

KeyZOid

This was just on TMZ.com's "Aaron Carter Dead at 34" (11/05/2022): "Law enforcement sources tell TMZ... homicide detectives have been dispatched to the scene but we have no information or evidence of foul play. It's standard operating procedure for homicide detectives to investigate such [drowning] death scenes."

KeyZOid

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