Bye Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case

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On May 22nd, 1977 Columbo's next adventure aired. It was the last episode of a short season 6 (just 3 episodes) and it had the odd name of The Bye Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case. This episode focused on a club for geniuses called the Sigma Club. There we see Oliver Brandt, a large man with a large personality, playfully tormenting his business partner Bertie Hastings.

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What to Watch For

A few bits of trivia and interesting occurances...

Mrs. Melville is on the case

In the Sigma club meeting room in the opening scene where the club has gathered for the lecture...look at the back wall of the room. There you'll find the portrait of Mrs. Melville - Franklin and Ferris' fictional lady detective from "Columbo: Murder by the Book" in Season 1.

The legendary Michael Lally

Columbo regular Michael Lally makes a brief appearance as one of the men playing chess at the Sigma Club as the fake gunshots are heard from upstairs.


Introducing Jamie Lee Curtis

19-year old Jamie Lee Curtis has a brief but notable appearance as a surly waitress. This was at the very beginning of her career and was just her 3rd TV appearance (her first was on Quincy, just a couple of months earlier)

Oliver is no dummy

Oliver Brandt was played by actor Theodore Bikel. In real life Bikel was a member of Mensa - an organization for people with high IQs.

Them Dukes!

The victim, Bertie Hastings, is played by Sorrell Booke. Booke was probably best known as "Boss Hogg" on "The Dukes of Hazzard" which started a couple of years after this appearance in Columbo.


This wasn't Booke's only appearance on Columbo, by the way. He also had a small role in Season 3 as "J.J. Stringer", Johnny Cash's manager, in Swan Song.

A beard, but no brandy

Mr. Wagner - the fellow who says in the opening sequence that he was expecting an outside speaker - was also in Season 5. He played Thackery, the waiter who brings Santini his brandy in Now You See Him.

Waiting for Columbo

This episode is one of the few where the murderer is waiting at the scene, with the dead victim, when Columbo arrives.

Starring Samantha Eggar?



Samantha Eggar has a fairly small role in this episode, as Oliver Brandt's trophy wife, but apparently on TV guide thought it was important to give her second billing as co-star after Bikel.

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