This is one of the few episodes of Columbo (1971) in which the original murder is a spontaneous act. In most episodes, the murder is carefully planned.
An irate Collier refers to some policemen as "the famous Ritz Brothers". From the mid-1920s to the 1960s, The Ritz Brothers appeared on stage and in movies as a comedy trio. Madcap slapstick, singing, and astounding precision dancing and ice skating were their forte.
Television debut of Priscilla Barnes... She has a cameo as a nurse, and would go on to play a nurse on the hit comedy "Three's Company".
Shortly after a scene where lab rats are following brightly-colored lines on the floor of a maze, Lieutenant Columbo is instructed by a nurse to follow similar lines on the hospital floor to navigate the corridors in search of Dr. Collier.
This is the first of George Hamilton's two appearances as the murderer.