Lovely But Lethal
- Episode aired Sep 23, 1973
- TV-PG
- 1h 13m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
The formula for a miraculous wrinkle cream leads the founder of a cosmetics company to murder; Columbo is soon on the case.The formula for a miraculous wrinkle cream leads the founder of a cosmetics company to murder; Columbo is soon on the case.The formula for a miraculous wrinkle cream leads the founder of a cosmetics company to murder; Columbo is soon on the case.
Richard Stahl
- Burton
- (as Dick Stahl)
Layne Mathess
- Fashion Moderator
- (as Layne Matthess)
Anne Ramsey
- Rough Masseuse
- (uncredited)
Dianne Travis
- Blonde Instructor
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe uniquely shaped lab at Beauty Mark, with observation windows above, also was used as the operating room in Season 2's A Stitch in Crime (1973).
- GoofsA woman sees a doctor wearing rubber gloves from her perspective, but he wears no gloves from his perspective (when he touches her face) and then gloves again from her perspective.
- Quotes
Viveca Scott: Lieutenant, I did not kill Karl Lessing. I couldn't kill a fly.
- SoundtracksThe Girl from Ipamnema
("Garota de Ipanema") (uncredited)
Music by Antonio Carlos Jobim (1962)
Portugese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes
English lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Toned down instrumental version played at fashion show
Featured review
Waste of a star
LOVELY BUT LETHAL is a solid enough entry in the early Columbo TV series, and it features a complex-enough guest villain the form of PSYCHO actress Vera Miles, playing the boss of a beauty firm who decides to do away with a rival only to find the crumpled sleuth dogging her every move.
Coming to this as a horror fan, my only complaint is that Vincent Price is present in this story, and they didn't make HIM the villain! I guess they only had him around for a short while as he only pops up a couple of times in support, but the producers of Columbo really seemed to miss a trick by not having Price play the villain at least once. I think he would have really relished the opportunity for a battle of wits with the detective, and it's such a pity that never happened.
Otherwise, LOVELY BUT LETHAL is straightforward entertainment. Peter Falk hounds Miles wherever she goes, while she gets increasingly frustrated. I liked the beauty world as a backdrop to the tale, although the shenanigans surrounding the opening murder are a little convoluted and there's a later plot development that barely gets referred to by the characters so seems more than a little pointless. Watch out for a young Martin Sheen in support, just before he appeared in BADLANDS.
Coming to this as a horror fan, my only complaint is that Vincent Price is present in this story, and they didn't make HIM the villain! I guess they only had him around for a short while as he only pops up a couple of times in support, but the producers of Columbo really seemed to miss a trick by not having Price play the villain at least once. I think he would have really relished the opportunity for a battle of wits with the detective, and it's such a pity that never happened.
Otherwise, LOVELY BUT LETHAL is straightforward entertainment. Peter Falk hounds Miles wherever she goes, while she gets increasingly frustrated. I liked the beauty world as a backdrop to the tale, although the shenanigans surrounding the opening murder are a little convoluted and there's a later plot development that barely gets referred to by the characters so seems more than a little pointless. Watch out for a young Martin Sheen in support, just before he appeared in BADLANDS.
helpful•91
- Leofwine_draca
- Jun 5, 2016
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