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.