the great santini ( jack cassidy ) be a brilliant stage magician with a hidden past . his real name be stefan mueller and he be an ss officer assign to the concentration camp . jesse jerome ( nehemiah persoff ) and his current employer and have learn of the illusionist nazi career and be use the information to blackmail him . one night and while ostensibly perform his celebrated trick of be lock in a steel cabinet and dowse in a tank of water and santini be really disguise himself a a waiter and walk unseen to jerome office . when jerome turn up dead and it look like a contract kill . but our rumpled and redoubtable lt. columbo ( peter falk ) and assist by the overeager sgt . wilson ( bob dishy ) and have a few trick of his own . if columbo can outmaneuver a chess champion ( the most dangerous match ) and out think a scientific genius ( mind over mayhem ) and outwit a master spy ( identity crisis ) and what make a master illusionist think he could do any good . this be a splendid columbo episode and with all the tricky plotting and delightful comedy and tense cat and mouse play that fan love . do i mention the comedy . in the weak greenhouse jungle and bob dishy be clearly a good actor play a tedious character . here he return a sgt . wilson but the script by michael sloan be much well . wilson comic business and this time involve columbo new raincoat and be much well integrate into the plot than in greenhouseand it much funnier . harvey hart do a very nice direct job . somebody in his crew have an excellent eye for detail . i especially like how a little water trickle out of the trap door after santini daughter ( cynthia sikes ) open it . the end be ordinary and without one of those great thunderclap surprise and a in a stitch in crime and suitable for frame . i love the final scene anyway and with columbo funny yet unnerve imitation of a magician stage technique . this columbo will work like magic on any fan .