Columbo - General Discussion

[Julia]

The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case

This one is from season 6.  I watched it today.  I like this one.  It has some comic moments.  We also learn more about Columbo in his little talk to the killer at the end.  Jamie Lee Curtis has a small role as a waitress.  I love the thunder storm at the end while Columbo is confronting the killer.  Then the look on Columbo's face when the killer can't stop himself from bragging how it was done.

 

Aw, it made me sad when Theodore Bikel died recently. I completely missed Jamie Lee Curtis, and don't know why I never registered that Kenneth Mars from The Producers and Sorrel Booke from The Dukes of Hazzard were in this too.

[LakeGal]

Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

I just watched this one.  It is one of the movies from the early 90s.  George Hamilton was doing his America's Most Wanted John Walsh impersonation. There were several funny moments in this one.  Columbo going to the porn video store and meeting the other guy in the rain coat was interesting.  And I loved Columbo getting down on the floor with his dog at the groomers.  

I still think they screwed up on the video of George in his office.  He never turns the lights on but he turns them off.  That is what I always notice.  But we are suppose to be looking at the length of the hedge.  I want to know how he turned the lights on without being seen doing it on the camera. 

[Maizie131]

There's a Columbo marathon on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel (HMM) this Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.  :) 

[3pwood]

Maizie131, thank you!  My TV service provider (AT&T U-Verse) just recently settled its dispute with Hallmark after several years, so now we get the 2 Hallmark channels.  I was looking forward to checking them out this weekend & a Columbo marathon sounds perfect!

[AntiBeeSpray]

Maizie131, thank you!  My TV service provider (AT&T U-Verse) just recently settled its dispute with Hallmark after several years, so now we get the 2 Hallmark channels.  I was looking forward to checking them out this weekend & a Columbo marathon sounds perfect!

 

Yea it's pretty awesome! Glad to have them back channel wise. Watched some Perry Mason on them recently. Will have to catch up with some Columbo this weekend.

[Padma]

Maizie131, thanks so much for the heads up on the marathon! I just saw one with Wm Shatner that I'd never seen before, "Fade In to Murder" where Shatner and Columbo match wits via Shatner's fictional tv detective character, Lt. Lucerne. The two of them played off each other so well, and Shatner did a great, low key, job as a guy who was onto Columbo and saw the noose gradually tightening, but hoping for a better outcome anyway. (I liked the delivery on lines like, "Why don't we stop pretending I'm brilliant and you're simple" and "If you tell me that one more time (who "Tony" was), I'm going to kill myself."  A classic Columbo "call out" and a nice battle of wits with Wm Shatner, imo, at his best, acting-wise.) Fun!

 

I love Theodore Bikel and see from this thread that it's coming up. I've got a lot to do today and a Columbo marathon is the perfect accompaniment.

[Maizie131]

Padma - You're very welcome -- I spent much of yesterday watching the marathon, too.  Gotta love Peter Falk!  I'd never seen the William Shatner one, either, and really enjoyed it.  There were a few that were "new" to me that I really liked, i.e., the one w/the psychologist who trained his Dobermans to kill & "Murder Under Glass," about the food critic who took bribes for good reviews.  Also, "Try and Catch Me" with Ruth Gordon as the mystery writer was a good one.  (Can you tell I didn't get much done around the house yesterday?) 

Edited September 6, 2015 by Maizie131

[Padma]

Padma - You're very welcome -- I spent much of yesterday watching the marathon, too.  Gotta love Peter Falk!  I'd never seen the William Shatner one, either, and really enjoyed it.  There were a few that were "new" to me that I really liked, i.e., the one w/the psychologist who trained his Dobermans to kill & "Murder Under Glass," about the food critic who took bribes for good reviews.  Also, "Try and Catch Me" with Ruth Gordon as the mystery writer was a good one.  (Can you tell I didn't get much done around the house yesterday?) 

I got bumped from the television or I would have watched the Louis Jordan and Ruth Gordon ones too. I'm sorry to have missed both of them--never saw either before. Very glad to be there for the Nicol Williamson one with the Dobermans which was very entertaining. (Btw, if anyone's interested, Nicol Williamson = best Hamlet ever, even if he was a bit old at the time and the movie had no budget. JMO, lol).  I did get to see the Jack Cassidy one which I'd seen before, but he is always such a convincingly cold and arrogant bad guy.I hope they'll show all of those again--they were great. And I completely agree--gotta love Peter Falk! He makes every one of these work and does such a great job playing off each and every guest so believably.

Edited September 6, 2015 by Padma

[BigBlueMastiff]

I have a bunch of eps saved from the marathon on Hallmark, and I really can't stand the newer ones. There is something about the ones made in the 70's the clothing, writing, actors, the locales all seem to be of a much higher caliber. I can never get enough of Lee Grant in Ransom for a Dead Man.

[Maizie131]

There's a Columbo marathon on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel (HMM) on October 10th @ 9:00 a.m. to midnight. 

[Padma]

There's a Columbo marathon on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel (HMM) on October 10th @ 9:00 a.m. to midnight. 

Perfect timing for an all-day household project on Saturday! Thank you!

[LilWharveyGal]

Really enjoying the marathon so far.  "Lady In Waiting" is on and I'd totally forgotten about the part when the murderess gets a makeover and shows up at a corporate board meeting looking like Pimp Barbie, LOL.

[BigBlueMastiff]

 

Really enjoying the marathon so far.  "Lady In Waiting" is on and I'd totally forgotten about the part when the murderess gets a makeover and shows up at a corporate board meeting looking like Pimp Barbie, LOL.

I almost fell out when she walked into the boardroom in that get up, too funny. So tacky and pink, gahhhh, and then announcing her engagement without telling her fiance to the board, so professional, screams vote of confidence in her leadership.

[Maizie131]

This morning, I watched "Sex and a Married Detective" and thoroughly enjoyed it--may be one of my favorites.  That sex therapist turning into "Lisa" was really a sight to behold!  And it was hilarious watching Columbo answer questions about sex from various people -- too funny!  Loved the ending (the "gotcha" moment) and the interaction between the therapist & Columbo, sitting by the fire...I really did feel sorry for her, and hoped she didn't have to spend too many years in prison. 

[Guest]

I think one of my top favorite scenes is when Robert Vaughn and Columbo are crowded in the convertible and Columbo tells him he's got "a honey of a watch".  Love the look on RV's face.

[ByaNose]

Is it my imagination or was Robert Culp always on Columbo? LOL!!!

[Julia]

Him, Jack Cassidy, Patrick McGoohan and, weirdly enough, William Shatner.

[ByaNose]

48 minutes ago, whimsey98 said:

Was Shatner in more than two episodes?  Robert Culp, four episodes.  Jack Cassidy, three episodes.  Patrick McGoohan, four episodes. 

I have to admit, I've had a weakness for Patrick McGoohan since he was in "Secret Agent" followed by "The Prisoner."  I think he and Peter Falk were friends, and, according to Wikipedia (I haven't double checked this), he actually directed five episodes of "Columbo."  Maybe that's why it seems like he was so frequently.

FIrst off, I was totally joking and didn't even think he'd been on that many times. LOL!! Thanks for the great reply(s). Somehow, Culp & Cassidy were the go to guys for playing the suave (sp?) villian handsome guy. I would throw Leslie Neilson in there, too. Although, I don't know if he has an episode count or not for Columbo.LOL!!  It's funny. Back then I thought they were so old. I'm 52 now and they were probably only in their 30's. They were great looking macho guys. They were willing and able to rip off their shirts when needed. LOL!!!!

Edited June 8, 2016 by ByaNose

[Julia]

I think George Hamilton and Shatner were the only actors who were the villain twice (Robert Vaughn hid the body on one of his two, but only because he thought his wife did it, and Ray Milland was the bereaved widower his second time).

Edited June 8, 2016 by Julia

[AntiBeeSpray]

15 hours ago, ByaNose said:

FIrst off, I was totally joking and didn't even think he'd been on that many times. LOL!! Thanks for the great reply(s). Somehow, Culp & Cassidy were the go to guys for playing the suave (sp?) villian handsome guy. I would throw Leslie Neilson in there, too. Although, I don't know if he has an episode count or not for Columbo.LOL!!  It's funny. Back then I thought they were so old. I'm 52 now and they were probably only in their 30's. They were great looking macho guys. They were willing and able to rip off their shirts when needed. LOL!!!!

He does. Just double checked. Looks like he was in two of them. Identity Crisis and Lady in Waiting.

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

He does. Just double checked. Looks like he was in two of them. Identity Crisis and Lady in Waiting.

Leslie Neilson was an awesome villian. He played them for years. After Airplane, he never did a serious straight movie again. That said, his whoopie cushion act got really old on the talk show circuit. LOL!!

[3pwood]

I first saw Leslie Nielsen when I was 12 & he starred as the Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion in the "Swamp Fox" series on Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color.  Imagine my surprise to find him being funny (though still straight-faced) in the Airplane movies some 30 years later.  Versatile actor.

[Julia]

6 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Leslie Neilson was an awesome villian. He played them for years. After Airplane, he never did a serious straight movie again. That said, his whoopie cushion act got really old on the talk show circuit. LOL!!

He was Susan Clark's concerned boyfriend in Lady in Waiting, and Patrick McGoohan's victim (who, granted, was more or less blackmailing him) in Identity Crisis. I don't think he was a villain on Columbo.

[AntiBeeSpray]

37 minutes ago, 3pwood said:

I first saw Leslie Nielsen when I was 12 & he starred as the Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion in the "Swamp Fox" series on Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color.  Imagine my surprise to find him being funny (though still straight-faced) in the Airplane movies some 30 years later.  Versatile actor.

Definitely. He's one of my favorite actors. Ever see him in Police Squad? I was lucky enough to via some re runs and it is very, very funny.

[ByaNose]

4 minutes ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Definitely. He's one of my favorite actors. Ever see him in Police Squad? I was lucky enough to via some re runs and it is very, very funny.

I never heard my Dad laugh out loud more during that show. He really only laughed out loud at two shows that I remember. MTM & Chuckle Bites the Dust and during the run of Police Squad. He is 82 now and we still laugh about it.

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 minute ago, ByaNose said:

I never heard my Dad laugh out loud more during that show. He really only laughed out loud at two shows that I remember. MTM & Chuckle Bites the Dust and during the run of Police Squad. He is 82 now and we still laugh about it.

Cool. I was lucky to get the whole series on DVD awhile back. Can't wait to watch the rest of it. Toe truck ftw! XD

[Ringthane]

On 6/8/2016 at 6:27 PM, Julia said:

I think George Hamilton and Shatner were the only actors who were the villain twice (Robert Vaughn hid the body on one of his two, but only because he thought his wife did it, and Ray Milland was the bereaved widower his second time).

Robert Culp was the villain at least twice - once when he was the PI ("Death Lends a Hand") and once when he was the football team owner ("The Most Crucial Game"). Oh - he was also the villain in the subliminal cuts one ("Double Exposure"). There was also the blond guy who was in the first one ("Murder by the Book" or whatever) and then again when he was a magician (Jack Cassidy).  Also he was a publisher in the one where the other guy made all the bombs.  Sorry - I'm not good with the names.  But I think Culp, the blond guy, Shatner, and somebody else I can't remember were the villains most often.

[seacliffsal]

I may be late to the party, but I'm so glad that I'm here.  I have loved Columbo for decades.  Part of it is how comforting it is.  One reason is that I used to watch it with my mom and it always has happy memories attached to it.  The other is that the villain always got caught and after thinking he/she was so much smarter than Columbo.  Like Columbo, I have been underestimated by others and it's rewarding to watch their smiles/smirks fade once the villains realize that Columbo was actually smarter that they were.

I agree that the earlier seasons were better, but quite frankly, any Columbo from any decade is so much better than most of what is out there.  I agree with all of the ones that have been mentioned as being great.  I also like that sometimes the villains were sympathetic, but murder is murder.  On Elementary (CBS) Sherlock has a similar view that murder is murder.

[LoneHaranguer]

On 6/13/2016 at 9:36 PM, seacliffsal said:

I also like that sometimes the villains were sympathetic, but murder is murder.

There was one episode where the villain was sympathetic enough for Columbo not to arrest her. By the end, he was convinced she didn't remember she did it, and she wasn't expected to live much longer, so he left her to watch her old movies.

[Guest]

On ‎6‎/‎17‎/‎2016 at 11:37 AM, LoneHaranguer said:

There was one episode where the villain was sympathetic enough for Columbo not to arrest her. By the end, he was convinced she didn't remember she did it, and she wasn't expected to live much longer, so he left her to watch her old movies.

I'll be honest here and say that I wished he would have let Abigail Mitchell (Ruth Gordon) go scot-free.  Each time I watch "Catch Me if You Can" there's a part of me that hopes this will be the time he says "Yeah, you're right.  You are harmless and Edmund should have been sealed in that vault a lot sooner." 

Edited June 21, 2016 by PsychoKlown

[Julia]

On 6/21/2016 at 2:48 PM, PsychoKlown said:

I'll be honest here and say that I wished he would have let Abigail Mitchell (Ruth Gordon) go scot-free.  Each time I watch "Catch Me if You Can" there's a part of me that hopes this will be the time he says "Yeah, you're right.  You are harmless and Edmund should have been sealed in that vault a lot sooner." 

I thought Abigail was well on her way to doing something very bad to her secretary, so it was probably just as well. She didn't strike me as someone who would have handled being a person who regularly murdered people.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Julia

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Julia said:

I thought Abigail was well on her way to doing something very bad to her secretary, so it was probably just as well. She didn't strike me as someone who would have handled being a person who regularly murdered people.

Good catch.  Even Veronica mentioned that she would be hesitant to take a long trip on Abbie's generosity since she might come back to everyone thinking she killed Edmund. 

Still my favorite villain though.  And that house - holy cats!  The most beautiful house on Columbo.

[Yokosmom]

Of the later (1990s) episodes, I've always liked "Columbo Goes to College".  The actors playing the students were a bit old, but that's ok.  They were so arrogant through the whole thing, and so transparently trying to steer Columbo in the wrong direction that it was wonderful when they got their comeuppance. And Robert Culp was in it, though he wasn't the murderer for once.

[tvfanatic13]

With the dearth of summer programming, I have been DVRing and watching every Columbo (which is nightly in the middle of the night in my area). Damn, if Robert Culp isn't in half of them! I don't remember  that in the originals. But I am loving my Columbo fix!

[shapeshifter]

1.1, "Murder by the Book" is airing on the COZI TV marathon right now. It was directed by Steven Spielberg. It first aired in September 1971.

[seacliffsal]

I just found out that I have the Hallmark Mysteries Channel so have started watching the Columbo episodes.  I just love the whole Columbo set-up.  Especially the idea that the elites discount him and show their arrogance towards him.  It is just always so wonderful that Columbo catches the error and leads them to their own downfalls.  Friday's episode was the one with Dick Van Dyke as the photographer against whom there was not evidence until he pulled the camera off of the shelf with all kinds of other cameras on it.  Van Dyke did a good job of showing the realization of what he had done after Columbo pointed out his action/error.

[Padma]

On ‎1‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 0:31 PM, seacliffsal said:

I just found out that I have the Hallmark Mysteries Channel so have started watching the Columbo episodes.  I just love the whole Columbo set-up.  Especially the idea that the elites discount him and show their arrogance towards him.  It is just always so wonderful that Columbo catches the error and leads them to their own downfalls.  Friday's episode was the one with Dick Van Dyke as the photographer against whom there was not evidence until he pulled the camera off of the shelf with all kinds of other cameras on it.  Van Dyke did a good job of showing the realization of what he had done after Columbo pointed out his action/error.

The one where Richard Kiley plays his boss is one of my favorites for that. Kiley is very convincing and there's some good supporting cast, too. I prefer the ones where Columbo brings the arrogant d-bags like Kiley, Cassidy, Culp and Coleman to justice rather than the sweet Abigails of the world. I loved their scene where she asks for him to spare her and accepts his (predictable) answer (but you knew she's the kind of person who -always- feels that "it doesn't hurt to ask").  I'm glad the regular programming is back. That's a long stretch from Thanksgiving to New Years without it.

[Milburn Stone]

3 hours ago, Padma said:

I prefer the ones where Columbo brings the arrogant d-bags like Kiley, Cassidy, Culp and Coleman to justice rather than the sweet Abigails of the world. 

I think we're all there with you on that one. No list of arrogant d-bags on Columbo is complete without John Cassavetes as "Not Leonard Bernstein"! He just may be the most arrogant of them all. It's also one of the most interestingly plotted episodes, for my money.

[seacliffsal]

Just watched the one with the 'wonderkid' movie director who not only was arrogant and therefore underestimated a mere detective, he was also very ageist so was underestimating Columbo on that as well (this episode was from 1989 I believe, so a bit older Columbo).  Columbo caught him (which is why I love this show) with the help of the wonderkid's older secretary who he wanted to fire.

[Milburn Stone]

12 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Just watched the one with the 'wonderkid' movie director who not only was arrogant and therefore underestimated a mere detective, he was also very ageist so was underestimating Columbo on that as well (this episode was from 1989 I believe, so a bit older Columbo).  Columbo caught him (which is why I love this show) with the help of the wonderkid's older secretary who he wanted to fire.

Never seen any of those later ones. Interesting! The very first Columbo was directed by a wonderkid. (Spielberg.) The show poking a bit of fun at itself?

[Lura]

 Murder, Smoke and Shadows, about a Hollywood director/producer who electrifies his former co-worker and friend:

I still don't understand how Columbo happened to show up at the director's office.  How would he know who had anything to do with the murder?  What led Columbo to the director's office?

Just for fun, I thought the director bore a physical and background resemblance to a young Stephen Spielberg.  Did anyone else notice that? The haircut, the glasses, the physical mannerisms, the background of a brilliant and successful filmmaker all made me think of Spielberg.  Intentional, I wondered?  Incidentally, I may be a little late to the party, but I just learned that Spielberg directed the very first episode ever of Columbo.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Lura
Add-on

[VCRTracking]

Video interview of Columbo co-creator and producer William Link

William Link on the genesis of the character Columbo:

William Link on casting Peter Falk as "Columbo":

William Link on the structure of "Columbo"

William Link on how the television series "Columbo" came about:

William Link on Columbo's raincoat cigars and disshelved look:

William Link on Columbo's unseen wife:

[Milburn Stone]

Really enjoyed the first interview, @VCRTracking, about the genesis of the show. I thought Link would also mention the detective character in the French movie Diabolique (1955), which features a humble detective in a rumpled raincoat who keeps saying "oh, just one more thing" as he's about to exit a room. The similarities between that character and Columbo are too great to be coincidental. Taking nothing away from Levinson and Link, I still would have liked to see Link mention that as a source. But maybe he mentions that in the fourth interview, the one about the raincoat, the cigars, and the disheveled look?

Edited April 10, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[VCRTracking]

The

5 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

Really enjoyed the first interview, @VCRTracking, about the genesis of the show. I thought Link would also mention the detective character in the French movie Diabolique (1955), which features a humble detective in a rumpled raincoat who keeps saying "oh, just one more thing" as he's about to exit a room. The similarities between that character and Columbo are too great to be coincidental. Taking nothing away from Levinson and Link, I still would have liked to see Link mention that as a source. But maybe he mentions that in the fourth interview, the one about the raincoat, the cigars, and the disheveled look?

He mentions they came from Peter Falk. As Link said he and Levinson based it more on the police inspector character in Dostoyevsky's  "Crime and Punishment". When they wrote "Prescription Murder" originally as a play, the great classic Hollywood character Thomas Mitchell played him like a "leprechaun". Then when they were making the TV movie they originally wanted Bing Crosby, who would they envisioned smoking a pipe instead of a cigar and was probably more put together. It was Peter Falk who the raincoat and disheveled appearance and even the "One more thing" was a mistake during filming they kept in. So all those similarities to the Les Diaboliques cop in terms of appearance was because of Falk.

[peacheslatour]

On 9/6/2015 at 3:06 AM, Maizie131 said:

Padma - You're very welcome -- I spent much of yesterday watching the marathon, too.  Gotta love Peter Falk!  I'd never seen the William Shatner one, either, and really enjoyed it.  There were a few that were "new" to me that I really liked, i.e., the one w/the psychologist who trained his Dobermans to kill & "Murder Under Glass," about the food critic who took bribes for good reviews.  Also, "Try and Catch Me" with Ruth Gordon as the mystery writer was a good one.  (Can you tell I didn't get much done around the house yesterday?) 

I loved it when Shatner says as only he can say it; "You seem to have a problem with short term memory. You should probably see someone about that." Also loved the Nimoy episode.

[Guest]

I haven't read through all the posts but something that keeps popping into my mind whenever I see a Columbo...wouldn't you just love to see something on the murderers' stay in prison?   

Think about it - the great, snooty psychiatrist actually interacting with prisoners?  Lee Grant's character getting along in prison when she clearly abhorred police (remember the look she gave the arresting officer?).  Dick van Dyke's character in prison?  Louis Jourdan eating prison food!!!

And the great Dale Kingston...what an arrogant SOB he was.

Maybe I'm the only one but I always think about their lives after Columbo catches them.  Would make for a great follow-up.

[illdoc]

Just thought I'd mention--COZI TV (check where it might be in your city) is currently showing the "old" (i.e. 1970s) Columbos on Saturday & Sunday evenings (around 7 Eastern time) and ME TV is showing the "recent" (i.e the 1990s) Columbos on Sunday at 8p (Eastern). 

[Milburn Stone]

On 5/6/2017 at 4:59 PM, PsychoKlown said:

I haven't read through all the posts but something that keeps popping into my mind whenever I see a Columbo...wouldn't you just love to see something on the murderers' stay in prison?   

Think about it - the great, snooty psychiatrist actually interacting with prisoners?  Lee Grant's character getting along in prison when she clearly abhorred police (remember the look she gave the arresting officer?).  Dick van Dyke's character in prison?  Louis Jourdan eating prison food!!!

And the great Dale Kingston...what an arrogant SOB he was.

Maybe I'm the only one but I always think about their lives after Columbo catches them.  Would make for a great follow-up.

When was capital punishment outlawed in California? Perhaps they all were fried. :)

[3pwood]

Capital punishment has always been legal under Calif law except for a brief period in 1972 (during which many death sentences were commuted, including those for Sirhan Sirhan & Charles Manson).  In 2016, voters defeated the most recent of several ballot initiatives to outlaw the death penalty in Calif.   And I don't think (but am not sure) that Calif has ever used the electric chair -- it currently uses lethal injection & previously used the gas chamber. 

[peacheslatour]

On 5/7/2017 at 2:38 PM, illdoc said:

Just thought I'd mention--COZI TV (check where it might be in your city) is currently showing the "old" (i.e. 1970s) Columbos on Saturday & Sunday evenings (around 7 Eastern time) and ME TV is showing the "recent" (i.e the 1990s) Columbos on Sunday at 8p (Eastern). 

Yep, they also run them every weekday morning on Hallmark; Movies and Mysteries. My DH and I have recently become obsessed with this show. He's been late to work a couple times because he has to see how Columbo catches the bad guy/gal. Good thing he's the boss.