He promises to help with any queries the Lieutenant has – but he’ll stop short of spilling the beans on his world-famous illusions.įriends reunited: Columbo and Wilson tag team again after a 3-year hiatusĬolumbo is back at the Cabaret of Magic the next day and enjoys the privilege of seeing Santini practising his act up close. He reveals to the detective ( far too readily) that the killing must have taken place while he was suspended in the tank of water. Wandering around near the stage downstairs, Columbo is accosted by Santini, who is keen to avoid nosy parkers learning his secrets.
Was he surprised by an intruder? The plot thickens when close examination of the door lock reveals scratch marks. For one thing, why is Jerome’s lower back so sweaty? And doesn’t the position of the corpse suggest that Jerome was walking towards the door when he was killed? He didn’t open the door, because he’d have been closer to it. It doesn’t initially appear that Wilson has learnt much in the intervening years, as it’s Columbo, as usual, who’s noticing things the others aren’t. Wilson is the officer in charge – the same Sergeant Wilson he worked with in Greenhouse Jungle (albeit having changed his first name from Freddie at some point in between). Upon arriving at the scene, Columbo learns that a Sergeant John J. He’s not looking quite the same as usual, though, as he’s sporting a new, dark brown raincoat – an unwanted gift from his wife. LAPD’s finest soon gather at the Cabaret of Magic, including one Lieutenant Columbo. Now that’s what you call a watertight alibi ( chuckles for several minutes at own hilarity). Leaving the gun on the floor and pocketing the incriminating evidence (which he later burns below stage), Santini slips effortlessly back to his dressing room and – lo and behold – is back on stage having amazed the crowd at the conclusion of his water tank escape just as Jerome’s body is found. Master of illusion, master of disguise, master marksman – is there anything Santini doesn’t excel at?
#The girl who sees smells running man cameo professional#
Alerted by a slight noise, Jerome comes to check and with one shot from a silenced gun, his career as a professional money grabber is over. Picking the supposedly unpickable new lock Jerome just had fitted to his office door, he slips easily inside. The ace escape artist has other ideas, though. We can see he’s just finished typing his letter to send to the Department of Immigration and is ready to cook Santini’s goose. He also has a small earpiece and microphone enabling him to speak to the waiter who’s brought him his nightly brandy and create the illusion of being in the dressing room when he was really stalking his prey.Ī sweaty Jerome is in his upstairs office, counting the nightly takings and swigging Campari. Santini isn’t going to take this threat lying down, so he concocts a brilliant murder scheme and puts it into action during his own live stage show, when he’s supposedly suspended in a locked case inside a glass tank of water.Īctually safely in his dressing room below the stage, having slipped out of the case’s false bottom, the wicked wizard applies a wig and false moustache and dons a waiter’s uniform enabling him to blend in with the throng of kitchen staff above. I’ll pay any amount of money for the original copy of this poster!
And when Santini refuses to play ball with Jerome’s demands for a bigger slice of his earnings, Jerome vows to send proof of Mueller’s identity to the Department of Immigration. Only Jerome knows Santini used to be a Nazi SS guard by the name of Stefan Mueller. Jesse Jerome, owner of the Cabaret of Magic, has a hold over his star act, the globally renowned Great Santini. Notable locations: Cabaret of Magic ( Magic Castle, 7001 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles) Episode synopsis: Columbo Now You See Him Let’s don our most luxurious capes, twirl our moustaches and bust out of some unbreakable handcuffs as we investigate…
But is the end result as good as the ingredients itself? Or to put it another way, is this a water tank illusion of an episode, or merely a simple card trick? The presence of Cassidy as The Great Santini, the return of Sergeant Wilson and the unique and mysterious backdrop of the Cabaret of Magic help Now You See Him stand tall in the memory. ALAKAZAM! As if by magic, master villain Jack Cassidy returned to give Columbo‘s fifth season a much-needed boost in the illusion-packed Now You See Him on 29 February 1976.
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