Continuity mistake: Columbo wears a tuxedo the entire episode. Hours after his nephew's wedding ceremony, when Columbo's at the police station investigating the bride's abduction, his bow tie is hanging loosely around his neck. Shortly after, as he and the other detectives rush to the photography studio, the bow is now properly tied. This situation was too dire to bother redoing it, nor does Columbo ever worry about his appearance.
Factual error: Devlin proclaims himself to be a staunch Irish Republican but he refers to the Northern Irish city of Derry as "Londonderry." This is the name imposed upon the place by the British and is despised and rejected by Republicans. Devlin would refer to the city as "Derry."
Trivia: A clever, subtle hint as to Mason's guilt - Columbo arrives at the animal pound just in time to stop him feeding Laurel and Hardy (the dogs he trained to kill on command) a large amount of chocolate treats. He has planned this murder meticulously, and he would be aware that chocolate is extremely toxic to dogs. The amount he is planning to feed them from the bulging bag of large chocolate balls he is holding would kill both dogs within hours if ingested.
Question: The examiner says he can't tell which blow hit the victim first. Columbo says he's lying on his back and says the blow to the forehead was first. Why did he think that? If the first blow hit him on the forehead and he fell on his back, how did he get the second blow on the back of his head while he was lying that way?
Answer: Columbo deduces that the first blow must have been to the front of the head, the force causing the victim to fall backwards and hitting the back of his head hard on the ground.
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