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

[Angela Channing]

I've noticed that there's a channel that seems to show episodes of Columbo all day every day on a Sunday, which might be this one.

I don't really watch that channel very often but I was flicking channels one Sundays while I was stuck at home during the first lockdown and it was on. It was one of 4 episodes of Columbo they were screening consecutively that day and I could have easily sat and watched them all but sensibly I limited myself to just one episode.

The other two people are billed as Ron Cey and Victor Bevine. Ron Cey was apparently in the LA Dodgers baseball team, so the terrible impressionist must have been actor Victor Bevine. According to IMDb he was in four episodes of The Trials of Rosie O'Neill which I watched very recently, but for the life of me I can't remember his character.

That's interesting because I did wonder whether he was a famous US impressionist who wasn't known in the UK but from what you say it seems like he is a bit part actor trying his best to make the most of his appearance in a prime time show.

 

[Angela Channing]

It's from here on that the season numbering gets a little confusing. It seems to be generally agreed that the next few episodes are Season Ten, but sources seem to disagree on the length of that season. And I'm really unclear about how many seasons there actually are, where the seasons end and where the specials begin.

I think I read somewhere there were difficulties getting TV studios to commit to making a full series so they made episodes on a more ad hoc basis and at the time they were all billed as "specials" or to return to a previous discussion, they could be considered to be individual TV movies. I guess when they came to release them on DVD they lumped them all together as one season for marketing purposes but they never really were commissioned, filmed or broadcast collectively as a season.

 

[Angela Channing]

Murder In Malibu

Looking at the photo of of Columbo you posted, Peter Falk still thought hair dye was a good idea for Columbo which doesn't really fit with the character everyone thought they knew who wasn't particularly bothered about his appearance.

My overriding memory of this episode is the scene in which Columbo says "panties" about 100 times. Well, it's not actually as many as that but he says it so often that it feels as though it is 100 times. Maybe it's an American thing but it's not a word I hear anyone say in normal life and I always found it surprising that Columbo didn't refer to the garment as "underwear".

I also think Peter Falk used a fake cigar in this episode. He might have used it before but his was the first time I remember noticing it. There was one scene in which his cigar had a huge length of ash on the end and he's waving his arm around while he's talking and the ash remains in place. The length of the cigar stays the same length throughout the scene and as I mentioned previously there were often continuity inconsistencies with his cigar and I can't imagine they would have got it right with so much ash on his cigar.

It’s as though the mystery is there to add interest because the story itself isn’t clever enough to stand on its own merits.

I came to same conclusion. It was an ok but not great episode but not knowing exactly who the murderer was added a bit more interest to proceedings.

Brenda Vaccaro is always good value, here playing her usual bolshy bigmouth type. But even she seems less sparkly than usual here. Perhaps she might have made an interesting killer. As it is, Andrew Stevens is serviceable.

I agree, she was great in her role. She would have made a more interesting murderer than Andrew Stevens who I thought seemed to be a very average actor in this and at times I thought he was a bit wooden. I remembered him being a more convincing actor when he was in Dallas.

The Gotcha was very unsatisfying as well. The label on the knickers was on the wrong side. So what? Who hasn’t dressed hurriedly and later realised their underwear was back to front or inside out or whatever? It’s all very tenuous.

I never have put my underpants on back to front but I have put them on inside out before (boxers not panties!) so yes, it's an easy mistake to make. I think they knew it was a weak clue which is why Columbo said arrest him on "suspicion" of murder rather than something more conclusive. I can't recall him ever saying this in any other episode. At least they spared us the Scooby Doo moment when the murderer gives a full confession when presented with shaky evidence.

 

[David123]

>Same here. I think it's good that they gave this new run of episodes its own distinct image.

I couldn't disagree more. Throughout the the later Columbo series, Falk is hamming it up in a way that he didn't in the earlier series. Understated is often more effective. I had to watch all of the later series, but you can't watch the episodes of the later series an endless number of times the way you can most episodes of the original series from the late 60s and the 70s. The original series was just better done. If the "distinct image" is accomplished by dint of inferior artistry, how is that a "good thing"?

 

[Mel O'Drama]

from what you say it seems like he is a bit part actor trying his best to make the most of his appearance in a prime time show.

It's hard to know how it was scripted as well. Did the script say "And he does a terrible Jack Nicholson impression" or was that him. Whatever the case, I think I could have done without most of the poker ensemble.

I think I read somewhere there were difficulties getting TV studios to commit to making a full series so they made episodes on a more ad hoc basis and at the time they were all billed as "specials" or to return to a previous discussion, they could be considered to be individual TV movies. I guess when they came to release them on DVD they lumped them all together as one season for marketing purposes but they never really were commissioned, filmed or broadcast collectively as a season.

That's my understanding as well. It does seem hard to get a definite consensus on where the specials begin though.

Peter Falk still thought hair dye was a good idea for Columbo which doesn't really fit with the character everyone thought they knew who wasn't particularly bothered about his appearance.

Agreed. I commented on his mahogany barnet at some point in the last couple of seasons. Grey would be my preference as well.

My overriding memory of this episode is the scene in which Columbo says "panties" about 100 times. Well, it's not actually as many as that but he says it so often that it feels as though it is 100 times. Maybe it's an American thing but it's not a word I hear anyone say in normal life and I always found it surprising that Columbo didn't refer to the garment as "underwear".

Ha ha. I think you mentioned this earlier in the thread somewhere as well.

I must confess I thought it sounded like an expression he'd use occasionally. But not this much!

I also think Peter Falk used a fake cigar in this episode. He might have used it before but his was the first time I remember noticing it. There was one scene in which his cigar had a huge length of ash on the end and he's waving his arm around while he's talking and the ash remains in place. The length of the cigar stays the same length throughout the scene and as I mentioned previously there were often continuity inconsistencies with his cigar and I can't imagine they would have got it right with so much ash on his cigar.

Interesting observation. I'll keep an eye out for this.

I never have put my underpants on back to front but I have put them on inside out before (boxers not panties!) so yes, it's an easy mistake to make.

Same here.

you can't watch the episodes of the later series an endless number of times the way you can most episodes of the original series from the late 60s and the 70s. The original series was just better done. If the "distinct image" is accomplished by dint of inferior artistry, how is that a "good thing"?

I don't think many would disagree that understated is more effective, that the original series has more rewatch value nor that Falk hammed it up greatly in the revival.

The quote you posted above was part of a broader conversation about there being a separation between the old series and the new. Yes, the ideal would be for the quality of all aspects of the newer series to match that of the original, but we're in agreement that it isn't. And since the original run is superior in just about every way, having that separation - and viewing the new series is a different animal - is a good thing. In my book at least.

 

[Angela Channing]

>Same here. I think it's good that they gave this new run of episodes its own distinct image.

I couldn't disagree more. Throughout the the later Columbo series, Falk is hamming it up in a way that he didn't in the earlier series. Understated is often more effective. I had to watch all of the later series, but you can't watch the episodes of the later series an endless number of times the way you can most episodes of the original series from the late 60s and the 70s. The original series was just better done. If the "distinct image" is accomplished by dint of inferior artistry, how is that a "good thing"?

Hey David, your first post is about Columbo! Welcome to the forum.

I totally get what you mean but I will attempt to push back on some of what you said.

Yes, 1990s Columbo a a whole wasn't as good as 1970s Columbo as a whole but TV had moved on and it was right that the series moved on too. I think the quality of the new episodes was more of a reflection of some of the writing and the budgets that were available for the cast than it was for trying to give the New Columbo a distinct feel. I think it's wrong to be dismissive about all the 1990s episodes because I think there were a few diamonds amongst the dirt. Similarly, it's easy to think of the 1970s episodes as being better but there were a few stinkers back then that were far worse than some of the newer episodes.

Peter Falk's performance was much less nuanced in the new episodes and at times Columbo became more of a caricature but I think this was more about trying to attract audiences by giving them what the producers thought viewers liked about the character. People liked his quirks so I can imagine a decision was taken to put more of them in and to make them more obvious. Did that make New Columbo bad or did it make it different? It probably did both but it wouldn't necessarily feel that way to someone who hadn't seen the original series.

There are some episodes of the 1990s series that I would happily watch "an endless number of times the way you can most episodes of the original series from the late 60s and the 70s" but given the choice, I would chose an episode from the original series.

 

[Angela Channing]

It's hard to know how it was scripted as well. Did the script say "And he does a terrible Jack Nicholson impression" or was that him. Whatever the case, I think I could have done without most of the poker ensemble.

They had the poker scene in the McMillan episode too but it was shorter and they didn't use actors playing themselves and I think it worked a lot better.

Ha ha. I think you mentioned this earlier in the thread somewhere as well.

I must confess I thought it sounded like an expression he'd use occasionally. But not this much!

It was quite an interesting observation though because I thought the label would have been in the middle of the back of the underwear, not on the left side (or was it the right?) so I would have dressed her incorrectly too. Although, had I know Columbo was going to say "panties" quite so often, I would have done my research beforehand to stop him from doing that.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

They had the poker scene in the McMillan episode too but it was shorter and they didn't use actors playing themselves and I think it worked a lot better.

I'll have to check out this episode at some point.

It's bizarre to think of a Columbo episode being essentially a remake, and I recently had a similar experience watching The Bionic Woman, a couple of episodes of which reworked scripts from other series.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

The Specials (1990-2003)

Columbo Goes To College

​

Knowing that Robert Culp would be appearing gave me high hopes for this episode. I knew he wasn’t going to be the killer and that his role would be more secondary than his previous appearances. Nonetheless, I associate him with the best of Columbo which possibly affected how I feel about this episode overall.

This one has a lot of the ingredients that make Columbo great. A clever murder with a clear motive. Some genuine detective work for Columbo himself. Nice location work. And a very satisfying Gotcha. Story-wise there’s very little to fault.

A couple of Knotsy casting connections: Laura’s fake mother was Robert Culp’s wife. And I spotted Dr Ackerman’s name in the credits as the dean, even though I didn’t spot him as I watched.

Culp himself is great and it’s wonderful to see these two working together again. It’s a shame he had relatively little screen-time, but I’ll take what I can.

I’m on the fence with the killers. Having two killers always dilutes the energy for me. And they were young which is another strike. I like to see some gravitas in my Columbo antagonists as they go toe-to-toe with him, and I didn’t really see that here. I didn’t even find anything to like in them as I frequently do with the antagonists in this series. I was rooting for Columbo to wipe the smug grins off the faces of these two snotty, spoilt brats.

And it seems very wrong to have a killer doing an impersonation of Columbo as though he’s on Saturday Night Live. It just felt too meta.

However, both were well-played and the fact that they were frighteningly convincing as entitled young sociopaths added a truth too this. The funny handshake they did after carrying out their plan was quite chilling as I’m sure I remember recently reading about young killers doing something similar in a news article.

I’m not sure if this is intentional, but I got a Leopold-Loeb vibe from them, which in turn reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, where one man got to the truth, just as Columbo did here. To a lesser degree, I was again reminded of what would come in Scream; particularly with the two killers attending a big party, and utilising Nineties technology to carry out their plan.

Indeed this episode feels very of its time, but up to a point I’m OK with that in a Columbo. I liked that he got au fait with how the tech works, replicating it in order to capture them, similar to what he did in Robert Culp’s previous episode some seventeen years earlier.

As I said, there’s little to fault. Thanks mainly to the lack of a one-to-one relationship between Columbo and killer it lacked a certain magic for me, and if anything Robert Culp's appearance made me even more nostalgic for that kind of dynamic. But it’s a decent enough episode, and one of the better revival episodes.

 

[Angela Channing]

I really like Columbo Goes To College, in fact it's one of my favourite New Columbo episodes. It has a well planned murder, interesting murderers who had an different but still fascinating relationship with Columbo, a nice gotcha and the return of Robert Culp.

I’m on the fence with the killers. Having two killers always dilutes the energy for me. And they were young which is another strike. I like to see some gravitas in my Columbo antagonists as they go toe-to-toe with him, and I didn’t really see that here. I didn’t even find anything to like in them as I frequently do with the antagonists in this series. I was rooting for Columbo to wipe the smug grins off the faces of these two snotty, spoilt brats.

I hated the murderers but in a good way. I thought they were thoroughly despicable people. Overprivileged people who think the world should revolve around them and they can do what ever they like regardless of how it impacts on other people are one of the worse subsets of humankind in my opinion. They were the kind of people that grow up to become people like David Cameron and Boris Johnson so I was looking forward to seeing them get their comeuppance. I usually think the best Columbo episodes are when they have murderers who are likeable but it also works well when they are loathsome individuals.

I also liked the relationship they had with Columbo because they were both playing each other. The the college boys were mocking him and thought they were manipulating his investigation whereas in reality Columbo was in total control. There wasn't the usual rapport that Columbo sometime had with the murder but it didn't matter here because there was another interesting relationship in the mix, that between the 2 college boys. Being able to vocalise their thoughts to each other gave the viewer an insight into their views on proceedings from their perspective which normally is only something we have to infer from the murderer's interactions with Columbo.

Culp himself is great and it’s wonderful to see these two working together again. It’s a shame he had relatively little screen-time, but I’ll take what I can.

I wonder whether they couldn't afford to pay him enough to do any more than play a small part. I imagine by this stage Peter Falk was on mega bucks so savins had to be found elsewhere. Whatever the reason, it was great to see him and he nailed the part of the rich dad. He always brings the right amount of anger and menace to his roles on Columbo.

And a very satisfying Gotcha.

The gotcha reminded me of the one in A Friend In Deed in how Columbo manipulated the killers into planting incriminating evidence on the lieutenant's own or in this case, his wife's property.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I hated the murderers but in a good way. I thought they were thoroughly despicable people. Overprivileged people who think the world should revolve around them and they can do what ever they like regardless of how it impacts on other people are one of the worse subsets of humankind in my opinion. They were the kind of people that grow up to become people like David Cameron and Boris Johnson so I was looking forward to seeing them get their comeuppance.

Yes. Part of the reason I described them as "frighteningly convincing" is because I could see in them a certain type of person that actually exists. The way they really got into - and seemed to enjoy - the deception, justifying it all along the way is scarily real. We hear about Coop and Justins every day in the news.

It's definitely the kind of situation I can believe Columbo coming up against as he enters the Nineties. And I liked that it was the old dinosaur versus the young whippersnappers.

There wasn't the usual rapport that Columbo sometime had with the murder but it didn't matter here because there was another interesting relationship in the mix, that between the 2 college boys. Being able to vocalise their thoughts to each other gave the viewer an insight into their views on proceedings from their perspective which normally is only something we have to infer from the murderer's interactions with Columbo.

I agree it worked well, and made for a slightly different way of storytelling. But this was also something I found off-putting by virtue of the fact that it was different.

I wonder whether they couldn't afford to pay him enough to do any more than play a small part. I imagine by this stage Peter Falk was on mega bucks so savins had to be found elsewhere.

Yes, that makes sense.

Whatever the reason, it was great to see him and he nailed the part of the rich dad. He always brings the right amount of anger and menace to his roles on Columbo.

Absolutely. If I had to pick a favourite recurring killer on the series it would probably be Robert Culp.

But of course I love them all in different ways. And I still have a few returnees to come, including one in the next episode!!

The gotcha reminded me of the one in A Friend In Deed in how Columbo manipulated the killers into planting incriminating evidence on the lieutenant's own or in this case, his wife's property.

Oh yes. That sprang to mind for me as well. In fact there were two of us watching last night, and both of us had thought of that scene in Columbo's rented flat. Even the dialogue was similar, with him holding up the photograph of a relative. It was a really nice touch.

 

[Angela Channing]

It's definitely the kind of situation I can believe Columbo coming up against as he enters the Nineties. And I liked that it was the old dinosaur versus the young whippersnappers.

I completely agree and it was particularly interesting to see Columbo face a different type of murderer as he mostly investigated middle aged or old killers. These were probably the youngest murderers in the entire run of Columbo and that creates a different dynamic between the two parties. The warm, respectful Adrian Carsini and Abigail Mitchell relationship wouldn't have worked here.

Absolutely. If I had to pick a favourite recurring killer on the series it would probably be Robert Culp.

Me too and his performances additionally stood out because his parts in Columbo were against type as he usually played comedy roles or good guys.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I completely agree and it was particularly interesting to see Columbo face a different type of murderer as he mostly investigated middle aged or old killers. These were probably the youngest murderers in the entire run of Columbo and that creates a different dynamic between the two parties. The warm, respectful Adrian Carsini and Abigail Mitchell relationship wouldn't have worked here.

Absolutely, and as a one-off I think it made a fascinating change.

Me too and his performances additionally stood out because his parts in Columbo were against type as he usually played comedy roles or good guys.

Do you know, I don't think I've seen him in much else. I know he's known for I Spy (which I've never seen). I think I'll have to see what's available on Prime

 

[Angela Channing]

Do you know, I don't think I've seen him in much else. I know he's known for I Spy (which I've never seen). I think I'll have to see what's available on Prime

Yes, he is best know for I Spy but more recently he played a recurring role in Everybody Loves Raymond (another comedy role) which I often watch in the mornings when I'm on the treadmill at the gym. I always think of him as primarily being a comedy actor so seeing him play a menacing killer or angry father in Columbo is unexpected.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

more recently he played a recurring role in Everybody Loves Raymond (another comedy role)

Another one for me to look out for.

I always think of him as primarily being a comedy actor so seeing him play a menacing killer or angry father in Columbo is unexpected.

Because I so strongly associate him with Columbo I suspect I'd have the opposite experience. It would feel very unexpected to see him in a comedy role.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

​

Before we even begin, I’m fairly certain this is the winner in the “Longest Episode Title” category.

Well, the opening scene had me worried with its terrible acting. What a relief to have the reveal that we were watching a crime reconstruction on CrimeAlert.

The unhurried first act was very welcome. This is one of only two episodes - the other being Agenda For Murder - that has reeled me in as I watch the killer laying the groundwork for their plan without knowing exactly what they’re doing. In this case, while it was clear that Wade Anders was poisoning the cigarettes and editing the surveillance tape to make it seem as though he hadn’t left his office, I couldn’t work out why he was burning some “clean” cigarettes and saving the butts and ashes. Which meant there was no question of me not staying tuned to see his plan come to fruition.

As Budd Clarke, Peter Haskell made a great victim. There was an air of authority to him, and also of genuine menace. I could understand why Anders would see this as his only way to stop the blackmail, and I actually found the backstory - with Anders having done Clarke out of the role of host, and Clarke finding dirt on Anders in order to force him to quit - highly intriguing.

Haskell was really familiar to me, but I couldn’t pin him down to one familiar role. Looking at his IMDb it’s easy to see why. He seems to have done guest shots on half the major series of the Seventies and Eighties. He was last seen in O’Dramavision in an episode of The Bionic Woman where he played a similarly ruthless character, albeit one with a soft underbelly.

In other cast, Penny Johnson has an almost thankless role as an assistant frequently required to stand in the background, yet she brings an interesting energy to a small role that adds a reality to the environment. Perhaps most notably, Steven Gilborn is back as lab assistant George, another small role, but one that requires a good character actor. As in his previous episodes, the energy between he and Columbo is great fun. I liked the subtle recurring motif of Columbo looking guilty whenever George mentioned the negative impact smoking has on health

Peter Falk himself was enjoyable to watch here, thanks to some genuinely decent detective work, and the interactions between Columbo and the killer and Columbo which were terrific. In many of the right ways, this feels as old-school an episode as we’ve seen in the revival.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous To Your Health​

continued​

The “skin flick” original sin of Anders was a nice touch (Holly Does Houston being a sledgehammer nod to Debbie Does Dallas). When the actual film was played, I was disappointed to see some very poor ageing effects applied to a film clearly shot at the same time as the episode using a younger actor to play Anders. It would have been a nice touch if they’d incorporated genuine old film of George Hamilton in the same way they had Janet Leigh.

Columbo’s flasher mac finally got an appropriate environment when he went into the adult video shop. It was a nice touch that he found himself standing alongside a patron wearing exactly the same coat, however I don’t think the dialogue from the other man was needed. Just the visual of the two side by side was plenty.

Another scene where the “less is more” approach might have been of benefit was the slightly bizarre scene with the standoff between Columbo and Anders as they pulled onto a forecourt drive from opposite directions. It’s completely in character for Columbo to drive poorly, but I had to question why, after ordering Columbo to reverse, Anders himself also reversed only for them both to drive back into the same position. It was funny, but it went on a bit too long and in the moment it felt that the situational comedy overrode character. In other words, the episode could almost have done without it. And I say almost, because it afforded Columbo a close look at the paintwork of the Mercedes which came back to surprise in the Gotcha.

The Gotcha itself was great. As with all great Columbos, a series of clues led up to it, beginning with Columbo noticing the different ways the cigarettes had been extinguished (twisted versus stubbed) and, from this, that many of the cigarettes hadn’t been smoked as there were no nicotine stains on the filters (following on from these,). The surveillance tape clue was great. I’m assuming this was something the extremely observant viewer (or one informed with the facts) might have noticed, but - as with the similar Playback Gotcha - it showed Columbo as having an incredible eye for detail.

George Hamilton is a brilliant Columbo antagonist, with a 100% success rate of great episodes. His agelessness greatly helps this feel like a classic Columbo episode. I feel I want to say that this is at least as good as his previous episode, A Deadly State Of Mind. However, context is everything so it’s difficult to say how they’d compare back-to-back. What I can say without doubt is that this is episode makes it onto the Top Two of episodes from the revival series to date. And given that it didn’t telegraph its Gotcha in the way the nibbled cheese did in Agenda For Murder, it’s quite feasible that Murder Can Be Hazardous… might end up as my #1 episode of New Columbo. Not too shabby.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Meanwhile, in pop culture news and Nineties status symbols: Columbo considers getting a tape deck for his car. Among the tapes in Budd Clarke's car are a Thompson Twins album and the soundtrack to West Side Story. Columbo is disappointed to find that Roseanne Barr hasn't arrived when he rocks up at the awards show. And in a slightly meta touch, Anders is announcing an award for Outstanding Limited Series.

 

[Angela Channing]

Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

​

Before we even begin, I’m fairly certain this is the winner in the “Longest Episode Title” category.

Well, the opening scene had me worried with its terrible acting. What a relief to have the reveal that we were watching a crime reconstruction on CrimeAlert.

The unhurried first act was very welcome. This is one of only two episodes - the other being Agenda For Murder - that has reeled me in as I watch the killer laying the groundwork for their plan without knowing exactly what they’re doing. In this case, while it was clear that Wade Anders was poisoning the cigarettes and editing the surveillance tape to make it seem as though he hadn’t left his office, I couldn’t work out why he was burning some “clean” cigarettes and saving the butts and ashes. Which meant there was no question of me not staying tuned to see his plan come to fruition.

As Budd Clarke, Peter Haskell made a great victim. There was an air of authority to him, and also of genuine menace. I could understand why Anders would see this as his only way to stop the blackmail, and I actually found the backstory - with Anders having done Clarke out of the role of host, and Clarke finding dirt on Anders in order to force him to quit - highly intriguing.

Haskell was really familiar to me, but I couldn’t pin him down to one familiar role. Looking at his IMDb it’s easy to see why. He seems to have done guest shots on half the major series of the Seventies and Eighties. He was last seen in O’Dramavision in an episode of The Bionic Woman where he played a similarly ruthless character, albeit one with a soft underbelly.

In other cast, Penny Johnson has an almost thankless role as an assistant frequently required to stand in the background, yet she brings an interesting energy to a small role that adds a reality to the environment. Perhaps most notably, Steven Gilborn is back as lab assistant George, another small role, but one that requires a good character actor. As in his previous episodes, the energy between he and Columbo is great fun. I liked the subtle recurring motif of Columbo looking guilty whenever George mentioned the negative impact smoking has on health

Peter Falk himself was enjoyable to watch here, thanks to some genuinely decent detective work, and the interactions between Columbo and the killer and Columbo which were terrific. In many of the right ways, this feels as old-school an episode as we’ve seen in the revival.

continued...​

This is a great review and I agree with your analysis of this episode. It's another one of my favourites of the reboot series and it ticks every box in my list of what makes a great Columbo episode (meticulously planned murder, interesting murderer and preferably played by a well known actor, great gotcha, nice rapport with Columbo, etc).

Although this would still be a good episode if the murderer was played by a daytime soap star, having an high profile actor like George Hamilton provides additional interest. He is also a top class actor and is very good in this episode.

The supporting cast is also strong and it's always good to see Penny Johnson on TV as I've always liked her since she appeared in The Larry Sanders Show.

The clues in this episode are also top drawer, in fact they're up there with some of the best Columbo clues ever. There is one more episode to go which has another of my all time favourite Columbo clues, but I'll say more on that when you review that one. (How's that for a teaser!)

I thought the scene in the sex shop was a lot of fun. Often in New Columbo, the humour seems too forced but here the scene with the other guy in the raincoat was genuinely funny and naturally developed out of the situation that Columbo was in.

A really good episode all round. When people say the reboot series isn't as good as the original, this is one of the episodes I suggest they watch to challenge that opinion.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

it ticks every box in my list of what makes a great Columbo episode (meticulously planned murder, interesting murderer and preferably played by a well known actor, great gotcha, nice rapport with Columbo, etc).

Well said. I feel the same way as you could probably tell.

having an high profile actor like George Hamilton provides additional interest. He is also a top class actor and is very good in this episode.

Definitely. It's funny we were talking about Robert Culp's screen-time being so low and wondering if it was because of budget. Was George cheaper, I wonder. Or were they saving the pennies in order to pay for him?

it's always good to see Penny Johnson on TV as I've always liked her since she appeared in The Larry Sanders Show.

Like many actors who appear in Columbo, I don't recognise her from any specific role, though I dare say I've seen her in other things. I definitely liked what I saw of her here.

The clues in this episode are also top drawer, in fact they're up there with some of the best Columbo clues ever.

Yes. It's certainly a really well-plotted episode.

There is one more episode to go which has another of my all time favourite Columbo clues, but I'll say more on that when you review that one. (How's that for a teaser!)

Oh - that sounds very promising indeed.

When people say the reboot series isn't as good as the original, this is one of the episodes I suggest they watch to challenge that opinion.

It's up there with a good number of the original series episodes, I'd say. And far better than some.