"Just one more thing...": Rewatching Columbo

[Mel O'Drama]

For me, Identity Crisis wasn't premiere league, I would place it firmly in the Championship, mid table but overall in the bottom half of that league. I'm not a big fan of this episode mainly because I found the storyline just a bit too complex and putting Columbo with the world of espionage just didn't work for me. There is a sort of cosiness that many episodes have however, I didn't feel that here, maybe because too often Columbo didn't always seem in control of events or maybe it was because you had to concentrate a bit more that usual to follow what was going on.

Yes - I can appreciate that reasoning. The stakes got very high once other organisations got more involved and it did give the episode a different tone.

While it didn't have quite the same cosiness as some other episodes, I thought that there was a kind of intimacy to the relationship between Columbo and Brenner at times in the way they knew so much about one another and could almost read one another.

I think this is the episode where Columbo makes a really eye-catching entrance when he emerges from the darkness, illuminated by the a car's headlights encircled by his cigar smoke.

Oh - I must confess that hadn't really jumped out to me, but I think you're right.

A Matter of Honour was a different beast altogether. I'd put it in the bottom quarter of the league overall, that is the bottom quarter of the Premier League. Although the episode was not set amongst the rich of Los Angeles, the script followed a familiar Columbo format. It followed the format so closely that even though it was set in a warm climate, the lieutenant wore his overcoat even those most of the other cast were often just in shirts. The location was an integral part of the episode, in fact it enhanced it and I enjoyed Ricardo Montalban playing the murderer. I thought the murder was clever and the gotcha was good so there was a lot to like in this episode.

Absolutely agreed on all counts.

The death by goring was very clever and I thought there were some interesting titbits about the tools of the trad, such as wetting the muleta, and the type of lance used.

It was fun to see Columbo's typically woozy reaction on taking a look at the body.

Another aspect that deserves a mention is Sanchez and his family. They were all very likeable and I quite enjoyed that angle as a one-off.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Now You See Him

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It’s sad to think that I’ve now watched every David Jack Cassidy episode, but he bows out in style.

As with Robert Culp, I was bowled over with Jack's first episode and slightly less impressed with the second. Robert Culp’s third episode became my favourite of his. And a similar precedent has been set with Jack Cassidy’s third. I wouldn’t say this is as strong an episode as Murder By The Book. Very few are. But Now You See Him manages to be extremely entertaining thanks to the frisson between the two leads.

The murder scheme, with the killer ostensibly in one place to provide an alibi while actually running through labyrinthine corridors and stairways dressed as a waiter in order to surprise their victim, has strong echoes of the one we saw in Troubled Waters.

Another déjà vu moment comes when Columbo is called up to assist his combatant as he sits in the audience watching them perform. As in that episode, Columbo is even introduced to the audience as Lieutenant Columbo of the LAPD.

This almost-reprise a natural move in some ways and a risky one in others. The cookery show scene in Double Shock is legendary and full of magic. It’s easy to see why this would be a natural scene to call back. On the other hand, a lot of that magic came from the very specific chemistry between those two actors. It’s a lot to live up to.

Now You See Him wisely puts its own spin on this scenario by giving it a significant change in tone. In Double Shock, Columbo was caught off-guard, camera shy and out of his element. This time, however, he’s prepared, and it’s Cassidy’s Stefan Mueller who is unnerved. Columbo even volunteers for the job, and does so in such a forceful way that he had to be chosen (Peter Falk does this adorable “eager student” thing where the arm goes straight up and he holds it there with his other arm, half standing up while looking round to make sure there isn’t any competition).

It’s Columbo who takes control of the situation by challenging Mueller to free himself from the handcuffs he’s brought. And when Mueller - after some struggling - manages to do so, it’s Columbo who is triumphant. “I knew you could do it”, he tells Mueller with a grim smile as Peter Falk looks directly into camera for a POV shot. In return we then see Columbo’s perspective as Jack Cassidy looks directly at us edgily before looking away.

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[Mel O'Drama]

Now You See Him


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There’s yet another element harking back to an earlier episode with the return of Bob Dishy as Sergeant Wilson, last seen in The Greenhouse Jungle. His naiveté and enthusiasm are as charming as ever. He tells Columbo he’s been learning while on the force, but he marvels when Columbo shows him a very basic magic trick aimed at impressing young children, unable to fathom how he did it (that a waiter was bemused by this trick, apparently pulled on him regularly, is hard to swallow. But a police officer falling for it is nothing short of astounding). He’s equally excited by a top end typewriter (he’s a very proficient and accurate speed typist, we discover) and while this gives Columbo part of his solution, it’s only unwittingly on the young Sergeant’s part.

Among many funny and witty lines for both Columbo and Mueller, there are a few little moments of humour that comes from reactions and looks. Sergeant Wilson gets one of these via a little inserted close-up after Mueller - speaking to Columbo - refers to Wilson as “Dr Watson”. The look on his face is part hurt, part bemusement and part acceptance.

There’s also a nice bit of business with Columbo’s new raincoat which he keeps trying to ditch or lose. It really is strange to see him in a smart dark version of his trademark item, so I was glad when he eventually succeeded in getting his wife to return it, allowing him to revert to his usual (ostensibly until she buys him another one).

Mueller’s motive for murder, with the victim knowing that he’s a former Nazi and threatening him, was a particularly grim one. That background reminded of the film Remember (featuring Double Shock’s Martin Landau) which I watched recently.

Like Patrick McGoohan speaking languages, it was impressive to see Jack Cassidy doing at least a few little tricks. Yes, a few moments might have been camera trickery, but it’s clear he’d learnt enough to convince. I wonder if he became a magic circle member in order to perform some of these.

I was slightly underwhelmed by the Gotcha insofar as it seemed obvious to me that the typewriter’s carbon ribbon would provide the evidence. Even as Mueller hid the letter without removing the ribbon, I felt sure this would be the crux of the Gotcha. Nonetheless, the Gotcha was presented in a suitably theatrical way, with Columbo using one of Mueller’s own microphone ventriloquism trick against him.

Special mention to Columbo’s hilarious little “trick” of producing multiple letters from various pockets at episode’s end. The little flourish and the look on Peter Falk’s face - and even Sergeant Wilson getting in on the act by pulling one or two from his own jacket - took this Gotcha into classic Columbo territory.

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This, along with the energy between Peter Falk and David Jack Cassidy and the welcome nods to earlier episodes, make this a very watchable episode.

 

[Angela Channing]

It’s sad to think that I’ve now watched every David Cassidy episode, but he bows out in style.

Although you refer to him as David Cassidy, I know you mean his dad Jack. Unlike many Columbo fans, although I like Jack Cassidy's performances as the murderer I don't love them as much as many seem to. That said, he's great in this. His style fits well with that of an over confident stage performer and as a consequence this might be my favourite of his 3 Columbo episodes, although Murder By The Book was a better story.

Now You See Him wisely puts its own spin on this scenario by giving it a significant change in tone. In Double Shock, Columbo was caught off-guard, camera shy and out of his element. This time, however, he’s prepared, and it’s Cassidy’s Stefan Mueller who is unnerved. Columbo even volunteers for the job, and does so in such a forceful way that he had to be chosen (Peter Falk does this adorable “eager student” thing where the arm goes straight up and he holds it there with his other arm, half standing up while looking round to make sure there isn’t any competition).

I love this scene. Columbo's enthusiasm in raising his had and practically running to the stage even before he's picked, leaving Santini with no choice but to use him in the magic. You can tell that Columbo has some motive in doing that and we don't find out until the end of the scene. It's really nice how it all unfolds.

Special mention to Columbo’s hilarious little “trick” of producing multiple letters from various pockets at episode’s end. The little flourish and the look on Peter Falk’s face - and even Sergeant Wilson getting in on the act by pulling one or two from his own jacket - took this Gotcha into classic Columbo territory.

This is up there with my favourite gotchas, not because it's one of the best crafted clues that implicates the killer but because I love the theatrical way in which Columbo plays it out.

This, along with the energy between Peter Falk and David Cassidy and the welcome nods to earlier episodes, make this a very watchable episode.

I completely agree, it's a great episode: good story, just the right amount of humour and great chemistry between Columbo and the murderer. It's a really entertaining episode of the series.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Although you refer to him as David Cassidy, I know you mean his dad Jack.

Oh yipes. I know his name as well, so I have no idea how I ended up doing this (and so many times). Talk about a Daydreamer.

Unlike many Columbo fans, although I like Jack Cassidy's performances as the murderer I don't love them as much as many seem to.

Yes, I remember you mentioned this earlier in the thread, and I can understand your reasoning. For me, the ultimate recurring killer, and one of my favourites full stop, has been Robert Culp.

His style fits well with that of an over confident stage performer and as a consequence this might be my favourite of his 3 Columbo episodes, although Murder By The Book was a better story.

I agree this role feels tailor made for him. I'd probably give his performance in Murder By The Book the edge, not just because of the better story but simply because it was his first episode and so was the most impactive.

This is up there with my favourite gotchas, not because it's one of the best crafted clues that implicates the killer but because I love the theatrical way in which Columbo plays it out.

it's a great episode: good story, just the right amount of humour and great chemistry between Columbo and the murderer. It's a really entertaining episode of the series.

Agreed on all counts.

 

[Angela Channing]

For me, the ultimate recurring killer, and one of my favourites full stop, has been Robert Culp.

This I can agree with wholeheartedly. Although there were better individual murderers, of the actors that returned to play the murderer more than once, Robert Culp is also my favourite. He always gave the right amount of anger and unpredictability to his characters and his scenes with Columbo had a kind of electricity that made them so enjoyable to watch.

I've never seen any of the sequel series Mrs Columbo but I understand he played the murderer in an episode of this too.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

He always gave the right amount of anger and unpredictability to his characters and his scenes with Columbo had a kind of electricity that made them so enjoyable to watch.

Definitely.

I've never seen any of the sequel series Mrs Columbo but I understand he played the murderer in an episode of this too.

Oh really? I had no idea.

There are a few episodes of Mrs Columbo in the DVD set, and I think I watched them back when I first got it. I don't think I could bring myself to watch them now. Certainly not right off the back of Columbo, as the very premise spoils much of the mystique and fun set up in every episode and presents a very different Mrs Columbo to the one we know from his anecdotes.

 

[Angela Channing]

the very premise spoils much of the mystique and fun set up in every episode and presents a very different Mrs Columbo to the one we know from his anecdotes.

That's why I've never watched it although I am curious to see if it's a good series in it's own right. I've seen a few clips on YouTube, which may be unrepresentative, but it seemed very much like an inferior series that tried to cash in on the Columbo name.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

it seemed very much like an inferior series that tried to cash in on the Columbo name.

I'd say that's the case. By all accounts, Richard Levinson, William Link and Peter Falk were all vocal about the series being a bad idea.

I think it would probably be best viewed either as non-canon, as a strange parallel universe or with the view that it's a different Mrs Columbo whose husband also happens to be a Lieutenant.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Last Salute To The Commodore

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Here we go, then. Possibly the most (if you’ll pardon the pun) universally disliked episode of Columbo. Hated, even. Type the name into a search engine, look at the results and it’s quite possible to be persuaded to dislike it without even having watched.

Having gone in with incredibly low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn’t hate it.

Is it a great episode of Columbo? Well, no. Would I be in a hurry to watch again? I think not.

But was it watchable? And were there elements I appreciated? Read on and find out as I satisfy @Julia's Gun's curiosity.


Last Salute… feels very much like it’s been adapted from material intended for another series. Gone is the meticulous detail of the killer’s murder plan and alibi. In place of those we get a more traditional feeling murder-mystery with two offscreen murders and a killer unknown to the audience. The final act even has all the suspects gathered in a grand drawing room for Columbo and his colleagues(!) to reveal whodunnit à la Hercule Poirot.

In other series this may not be a bad thing. In Columbo it feels very much like a square peg being thrust firmly into a round hole.

Much of Lieutenant Columbo’s appeal is diffused or diluted by the circumstances of the episode.

After setting up the chase between he and returnee Robert Vaughn - so enjoyable in Troubled Waters - it all goes to pot when Vaughn’s character, Charles Clay, is killed, having been a red herring. After this (and indeed, at times before this point), there’s no real focus for Columbo’s energy, and no exciting one-to-one relationship to invest the audience.

Instead, we spend time with an assortment of wacky family members and friends of the Commodore. From Charles’s perma-sloshed wife to glib Wilfred Hyde-White who, considering his previous Columbo form in another much-maligned episode must be considered something of a Columbo curse.

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[Mel O'Drama]

Last Salute To The Commodore

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Because the dynamics feel like a tongue-in-cheek satire of a soap opera, no one character really stands out and Columbo’s interactions with the actual killer are quite forgettable. Even though he must have done, I struggle to recall now if he had a one-to-one scene with Columbo.

The Gotcha is fittingly so-so. Swanny’s reaction to the ticking watch, that “‘Tisn’t” the Commodore’s certainly makes him one to watch, but it’s hardly the damning evidence the final act has built it up to be.

The “Keystone Cops” element felt just plain wrong. Columbo watching Kramer and Mac with amusement as they bumble along just didn’t work for me. Mac just felt like an ersatz Sergeant Wilson. And he’d appeared in just the previous episode. Mac was younger and greener than Wilson was in The Greenhouse Jungle, but I just wasn’t sure what purpose the character served. on the plus side, I did think the actor playing him had a likeable quality and at times I was reminded of a younger Doug Sheehan from Knots Landing.

The scene where cops and suspect all bundled into Columbo’s little Peugeot with Mac taking the wheel for driving practice was amusing enough, but it’s also representative of the broader, slightly wacky humour scattered throughout the episode.

Even Columbo himself seems more off the wall here. It’s evident from his very first moment where he stands looking round while squashing his nose with his finger before uttering a word. Some scenes cater to this - such as his failed attempts to sit in the correct position when joining Lisa during her session of Transcendental Meditation.

Either Peter Falk or director Patrick McGoohan made some curious choices in Columbo’s interactions with Charles Clay, and there were a series of moments where Columbo ended up sidling up to Clay with an arm round him. At one point he even had his hand on his thigh. And it’s not limited to Columbo and Charles. He does something very similar with Lisa during their TM session. And he gets uncomfortably close to half the cast during the ticking watch scene at the end. Columbo’s certainly eccentric, but sexual harassment of suspects and their associates severely crosses a line.

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[Mel O'Drama]

Last Salute To The Commodore

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Dialogue was difficult to pick up in many scenes due to the extensive location work on boats at sea and in other noisy environments. I’m not sure if ADR was used, but either way the sound wasn’t right in this one.

One scene where the episode’s poor sound and offbeat tone both came together to good effect was a scene in which Columbo questioned a character in a noisy boatyard. The foreman stood atop a docked boat, many metres above Columbo who shouted up on the ground. They spoke in raised voices, with various diegetic sounds intruding and making their conversation difficult. It felt refreshing compared with the ease of usual TV conversations and is a contender for my favourite scene of the episode for this reason.

Staying on the subject of sound, Bernardo Segáll’s score sounded nicely cinematic and elegant, which is a plus for the episode. He even works Columbo’s unofficial theme, This Old Man, into the score. And there’s a jaunty rendition of that track over the closing titles (on that note, I have enjoyed how the music over a number of Columbo closing titles has been directly related to something in the episode that’s just played).

I also thought Patrick McGoohan’s direction showed off the scenery well. In particular I adore the beautiful final shot of Columbo rowing away, which resembles a watercolour painting.

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After watching, I can fully understand the hate for the episode. It’s never going to be anything other than way down in the lower tiers for me. There is a feeling of having jumped the shark somewhat, and had this turned out to be the final episode ever (which it very well might have been), I think I'd have mixed feelings: sadness that it had ended with a lower quality episode. But happiness that it had been given a gorgeous final freeze frame. And perhaps relief that it wasn't going to get any worse.

However, while not the most enjoyble, I didn't find it excruciating to watch and I found myself smiling at a couple of the less grating humorous moments.

Perhaps my quality threshold is a bit on the low side.

 

[Julia's Gun]

Yes it's a very weird episode. I remember there being some great threads about this that were on those old imdb forums a while back before they got rid of them. There were rumours about the cast all taking LSD during this episode, which is why it feels a bit surreal in places.
I find it really annoying to try and sit through. Last time I only watched about half of it and that scene with them shouting in the boatyard really irritated me so I gave up!

I think they were trying to do something a bit different, and perhaps Patrick McGoohan thought he was being very clever shooting scenes creatively, but it doesn't really come off.

What I don't like about this episode onwards, is that (this might be controversial) for me Peter Falk starts overacting from this point onwards. Up until then, he was always so in character that you would be totally buying whatever implausible threads of evidence he was picking up on. But after this episode, I feel he starts becoming more mannered, a a bit more of a self-conscious characature. I'm not a great fan of the later Columbo's but I remember thinking this episode was where it started losing its sparkle, and Columbo became too self aware..... Just my thoughts though!

 

[Angela Channing]

I've seen most of of the episodes of the original run of Columbo multiple times but I can only recall watching Last Salute To The Commodore once so my memory of it isn't anywhere near as good as it is for the others. If I was given a choice to watch an episode of Columbo again, I wouldn't chose this one but if had to choose an episode to completely wipe from existence, I wouldn't choose this one either because there are some real stinkers in the reboot series.

My main problem with Last Salute To The Commodore is that it isn't Columbo, it like another show altogether, it has a completely different format and a completely different vibe. Had it been an episode of McMillan and Wife, I might have appreciated it more but ultimately I would have forgotten it. The fact that it is Columbo makes it more watchable and inevitably, someday I will watch it again.

Last Salute… feels very much like it’s been adapted from material intended for another series.

I completely agree.

And he gets uncomfortably close to half the cast during the ticking watch scene at the end. Columbo’s certainly eccentric, but sexual harassment of suspects and their associates severely crosses a line.

This was just plain wrong. I know it was the 1970s but I imagine viewers would have found some scenes uncomfortable even back then.

Staying on the subject of sound, Bernardo Segáll’s score sounded nicely cinematic and elegant, which is a plus for the episode. He even works Columbo’s unofficial theme, This Old Man, into the score. And there’s a jaunty rendition of that track over the closing titles

That was this episode, was it? I love how they weave the Nick Knack Paddy Whack tune into the series, it's like uncovering an Easter egg every time they use it.

I also thought Patrick McGoohan’s direction showed off the scenery well. In particular I adore the beautiful final shot of Columbo rowing away, which resembles a watercolour painting.

I don't specifically remember this scene but often in Columbo there are some visually eye catching camera shot and techniques, which we have previously discussed, and this sounds like another example of this.

However, while not the most enjoyble, I didn't find it excruciating to watch and I found myself smiling at a couple of the less grating humorous moments.

Perhaps my quality threshold is a bit on the low side.

Ultimately, it's still an episode of Columbo and because I'm a fan of the series I would chose any episode, even Last Salute To The Commodore, over many series from that era.

 

[Angela Channing]

What I don't like about this episode onwards, is that (this might be controversial) for me Peter Falk starts overacting from this point onwards. Up until then, he was always so in character that you would be totally buying whatever implausible threads of evidence he was picking up on. But after this episode, I feel he starts becoming more mannered, a a bit more of a self-conscious characature. I'm not a great fan of the later Columbo's but I remember thinking this episode was where it started losing its sparkle, and Columbo became too self aware..... Just my thoughts though!

I think that's an interesting observation. In this episode, Columbo on numerous occasions seems to behave out of character, it was like they were all deliberately playing it for laughs at times whereas usually the humour in Columbo naturally evolves from a situation.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

There were rumours about the cast all taking LSD during this episode, which is why it feels a bit surreal in places.

Well that would certainly explain a lot. It's funny, but while looking for images from the episode I did think that Peter Falk looked a bit... medicated in a number of them.

What I don't like about this episode onwards, is that (this might be controversial) for me Peter Falk starts overacting from this point onwards. Up until then, he was always so in character that you would be totally buying whatever implausible threads of evidence he was picking up on. But after this episode, I feel he starts becoming more mannered, a a bit more of a self-conscious characature. I'm not a great fan of the later Columbo's but I remember thinking this episode was where it started losing its sparkle, and Columbo became too self aware..... Just my thoughts though!

That's interesting that you can pinpoint this episode as the turning point. I'll keep this in mind as I watch on and see if I notice any difference.

My main problem with Last Salute To The Commodore is that it isn't Columbo, it like another show altogether, it has a completely different format and a completely different vibe.

Yes, it certainly does. It would have been more understandable were this a "fish out of water" story where he's in a different environment or country. Instead, the setting and premise had all hallmarks of a good Columbo episode, but the storytelling and characterisations were way off kilter.

That was this episode, was it? I love how they weave the Nick Knack Paddy Whack tune into the series, it's like uncovering an Easter egg every time they use it.

Absolutely. I like that - up to this point at least - it hasn't been overused. It's just an occasional little bonus.

Ultimately, it's still an episode of Columbo and because I'm a fan of the series I would chose any episode, even Last Salute To The Commodore, over many series from that era.

I'd say the same would hold true for me. A bit like that episode of Cagney & Lacey where they dressed up as vegetables and went on the game show, which was a little dire for that show, but still better than most other output from that era.

 

[Julia's Gun]

Well that would certainly explain a lot. It's funny, but while looking for images from the episode I did think that Peter Falk looked a bit... medicated in a number of them.

Yes, I wish those old threads still existed, but there was something about either Patrick McGoohan or Robert Vaughn having a party at one of their houses when this episode was being filmed, and about the cast being high on acid. Peter Falk was never quite the same again!

 

[Mel O'Drama]

here was something about either Patrick McGoohan or Robert Vaughn having a party at one of their houses when this episode was being filmed, and about the cast being high on acid.

Oh my. If that's the case, I wonder how they felt looking back on the end result in the cold light of day.

If only it was as much fun to watch as it apparently was to film.

 

[Angela Channing]

Yes, it certainly does. It would have been more understandable were this a "fish out of water" story where he's in a different environment or country. Instead, the setting and premise had all hallmarks of a good Columbo episode, but the storytelling and characterisations were way off kilter.

The quirkyness of this episode gives it more of a vibe of Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner than an episode of Columbo.

That's interesting that you can pinpoint this episode as the turning point. I'll keep this in mind as I watch on and see if I notice any difference.

There are still some good episodes to come including the one I consider to be the best episode of the entire series, but that's just me.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

There are still some good episodes to come including the one I consider to be the best episode of the entire series, but that's just me.

That's reassuring.

It's strange to think I only have eight episodes of the original series left to watch.