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

[Mel O'Drama]

Columbo Likes The Nightlife

​

Here we go then… the end of the road for my 2021 Columbo rewatch.

It’s a slightly inauspicious note to leave things on, not because it’s a bad story but because there’s so much about it that just doesn’t feel like Columbo.

From the semi-transparent opening titles that swirl around the screen to the thumping electronic soundtrack (I’m with Columbo. It’s just noise to me) to the kinetic, documentary type camera movements, the episode feels like a mishmash of several different sources.

At times it’s almost like a cheesy slasher (the Sarah Michelle Gellar lookalike with the Drew Barrymore Scream hairdo receiving threatening phone calls at home from someone telling her she knows what she did could be lifted from any generic glossy slasher film of the early Noughties). But at other times there are shades of This Life or perhaps a fast-paced contemporary procedural series.

Part of me is inclined to place more expectation on the episode as it’s the last one, while another part of me feels like being more generous for the same reason. Which I suppose all balances out.

My stomach turned as I watched the very un-Columbo feeling opening titles played out, and as the opening minutes ticked by I felt the episode was going to be something of an endurance test. All the same I found myself getting interested enough in the story as it unfolded to enjoy it, even though I found myself mentally compartmentalising it and viewing it as a different animal to the series I’ve been watching.

The initial death-by-table reminded me a little of Death Lends A Hand - albeit far less creatively shot this time round. And I thought it was a nice touch that the second death became the real murder of the episode, essentially bumping up the blackmail plots that unfolded midway through some earlier episodes to the first act here. I did feel the strangulation scene was a bit laboured, and then it went into the whole business with the victim reviving which all felt a bit like ersatz Tarantino and - for my money - lacked the class of many of the murders (strange as it seems to write that).

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Columbo Likes The Nightlife


continued​

Despite Vanessa Farrow being the cause of the first death, she ends up being very much sidelined by the end of the first act as Justin Price commits the episode’s premeditated murder to cover up the initial murder. It’s a fairly simple transition on paper, but because the first death in Columbo is usually the key one, it does make things feel a little off-kilter in terms of setting up the episode’s main antagonist as Justin goes from accessory after the fact to cold-blooded killer.

Not helping the situation is that twenty nine year old Matthew Rhys doesn’t have a particularly strong presence to my mind. Certainly not the presence, intensity and/or charm I’ve come to expect in Columbo killers. There’s a certain kind of naturalism to his performance that would probably make him right for a contemporary soapy drama (I’ve never seen Brothers & Sisters due to my aversion to Callista Flockhart but it seems he was well-received there). But here he never got there in terms of being a memorable adversary.

It’s not all down to him, though. The plot called for young trendies and so the die was cast. It's also worth noting that, while owning and running a nightclub is an achievement, Price lacked the kind of real influence or power that often makes Columbo antagonists feel more challenging to catch. There was never any question of Columbo being pressured into stopping (in fact, the powerful and dangerous influences were well and truly on Columbo's side this time round) and no element of doubt that he'd catch this young man. The good news is that while the writing created a situation with some challenges to the formula, it also overcame most of them to a lesser or greater degree.

There were two words Price kept using that irritated me no end as the episode went on. One was “babe”, which he repeatedly called Vanessa during all their conversations. The other was “Lieutenant”. The latter being because one of my bugbears is British people using American pronunciations which invariably sounds a bit silly and childish (and at worst is cultural appropriation). But then I suppose it could be argued that he’s living in Los Angeles, and when in Rome…

It’s a slightly surreal treat to hear a Cardiff accent on Columbo. It’s an underrepresented accent on TV and film even in the UK. It’s almost a shame none of the characters commented on it.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Columbo Likes The Nightlife


continued​

Curiously for a Columbo episode, it felt that there were as many scenes from the killer’s point of view as that of Columbo. Perhaps it just seemed that way because the killers weren’t particularly interesting as characters and so their scenes felt longer.

Even the Columboisms felt very sparse here, though his arrival at the crime scene desperate for coffee felt pleasingly traditional. Even here, though, the scene went on to violate a certain unspoken Columbo code of conduct by lingering on the very visible body for a significant period of time. Indeed, both corpses were clearly shown onscreen, including faces, which detracted from the scenes in question. The whole point is that we know there’s a body, but that’s not where our focus is intended to be, any more than Columbo’s really is. He’s already thinking about the killer.

Perhaps tellingly, the scenes that felt most like traditional Columbo didn’t involve Price. Apart from the crime scene arrival, there are Columbo's visits to Vanessa’s home and his interactions with her after this. Jennifer Sky brings a wide-eyed, vulnerable kind of skittishness to Vanessa who is clearly wrestling with a guilty conscience and not a natural at this kind of deception in the way that Price is. This makes the dynamic between Columbo and Jennifer fascinating to watch. He’s warm and avuncular and this carries through to the scenes where he tells her he suspects her of the killing and even the Gotcha. The iron fist in the velvet glove.

There’s also a nice scene where Columbo visits a neighbour of Vanessa and climbs a tree in order to work out where second victim - a sleazy, blackmailing tabloid photographer - fitted in (that tree was the spot where the photographer had captured images of the first death). It’s not a great scene by any means, but it’s just Columbo being Columbo and it’s also good to see some sunny outdoor scenery in an episode which has far less of that than your average Columbo instalment.

Oh, and Valerie Landsburg- best remembered as the TV version of Doris in Fame - interacts with Columbo in her one scene. It was nice to see her.

Sadly, for a farewell episode, there’s no This Old Man. No dog. No hard boiled egg. No ordering chilli at the diner. I don’t even recall a mention of Mrs Columbo. Columbo’s Peugeot is present and almost correct, though it’s worth mentioning that it appears to have been resprayed or replaced at some point since it looks bluer here than it did in earlier episodes (though this change might have occurred earlier and I just hadn’t noticed until now).

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Columbo Likes The Nightlife


continued​

The Gotcha was effective enough. The reveal of the body under the fish tanks in the club floor felt like a bit of a cheat since I don’t think we knew where the body was. It’s the kind of concealment I’d usually feel very frustrated by, but this was mitigated by the fact that Tony’s death was almost the secondary one compared with Price’s murder of the journalist, and the audience was entirely in on what had happened there.

What I did like about the Gotcha was the shrewd detective work that led Columbo there. All through the episode we’d seen him linking up the connections between characters and crimes by doing legwork, looking through files, spotting things that struck him as odd and listening to his gut instincts.

The observation about the koi was a particularly good one, and I enjoyed his lengthy exposition (as other characters waited for him to get to the point) about how much water each fish needs, which led him to suspect one of the floor tanks was shallower than the others. My one gripe with this is that I don’t think it's something the audience could have worked out based on the information we were given. But I can forgive that because it all helped make the Gotcha more effective, and I enjoyed watching it sink in with Price and Vanessa as they slowly realised they were about to be found out.

The whole radar technology used to observe the body was a very twenty first century kind of thing and almost felt too much and malapropos. But I found it acceptable firstly because even back in the Seventies this series hasn’t shied away from using technology against killers; and secondly because the killer’s fates were sealed before we saw the infrared image of the body thanks to Columbo’s detective work.

All in all, it’s a watchable episode that would no doubt be a forgotten episode other than by virtue of being the last ever episode (and even then, I’d guess very few viewers could name or describe this episode).

It’s by no means a great episode and certainly not a fitting note on which to end the series compared with the previous two episodes. But it could have been a lot worse. At least Ed McBain never got the last word.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Just for fun I thought I'd post a very rough, very fluid Top Twenty episodes based on this rewatch. I'm sure there'll be a classic or two I've overlooked, but these are the ones I remember resonating most with me:

1. Double Exposure
2. Any Old Port In A Storm
3. Try And Catch Me
4. A Stitch In Crime
5. Murder By The Book
6. Prescription: Murder
7. A Friend In Deed
8. Forgotten Lady
9. Death Lends A Hand
10. Étude In Black
11. Ransom For A Dead Man
12. Suitable For Framing
13. An Exercise In Fatality
14. Double Shock
15. Negative Reaction
16. By Dawn's Early Light
17. Lady In Waiting
18. Agenda For Murder
19. The Most Crucial Game
20. Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

 

[Angela Channing]

Here we go then… the end of the road for my 2021 Columbo rewatch.

All good things must come to an end however I have really enjoyed reading your reviews of all the Columbo episodes and making my own contributions to this thread. We haven't always agreed on whether episodes have been good, bad or one of the all time greats but I've always been interested to understand why you felt a particular way about a particular episode.

It would have been nice to end in agreement but alas that wasn't to be because I really like Columbo Likes The Nightlife.

The whole episode has a completely different vibe to all the others that proceeded it. The camera movement, the rave soundtrack, mostly younger actors in all the main roles, the more graphic than usual murder and the faster edits gave the whole show a much more contemporary feel while sticking to the traditional Columbo formula. I also thought the lack of Columbo mannerisms and quirks, none of the forced humour and the overuse of Nick Knack Paddy Whack that were features of so many of the newer episodes made everything seem more serious and professional and contributed to the overall different feel of the episode.

I often thought that towards the end of Columbo's run Peter Falk played Columbo as a caricature of the lieutenant but not here, he played the role with a seriousness that we hadn't seen in a long time. Although I can understand why Columbo traditionalists may not appreciate these changes, I applaud them for trying something new. It was like they felt if they were going to bring Columbo back one more time they should try something different to breathe new life into the show and I think they pulled it off. The new energy in this episode made it more exciting to watch. This is a Columbo for the 21 Century.

The episode itself was well written: the storyline was good and I thought it was effectively acted by all the cast and the main characters were three dimensional. The appearance of Valerie Landsburg gave the show a bit of additional star quality. The gotcha was good and it was down to detective work rather than Columbo trickery or the murderer making a mistake, and it was all the better for it.

Is Columbo Likes The Nightlife how I would have wanted the series to end? No, a slightly tweaked version of Death With Too Many Notes would have worked better for me. Was this one of the great Columbo episodes? Far from it. Was it an entertaining episode and a strong addition to the Columbo series and a decent enough way to say goodbye to a show and a character that I loved? Yes, absolutely.

 

[Angela Channing]

Just for fun I thought I'd post a very rough, very fluid Top Twenty episodes based on this rewatch. I'm sure there'll be a classic or two I've overlooked, but these are the ones I remember resonating most with me:

1. Double Exposure
2. Any Old Port In A Storm
3. Try And Catch Me
4. A Stitch In Crime
5. Murder By The Book
6. Prescription: Murder
7. A Friend In Deed
8. Forgotten Lady
9. Death Lends A Hand
10. Étude In Black
11. Ransom For A Dead Man
12. Suitable For Framing
13. An Exercise In Fatality
14. Double Shock
15. Negative Reaction
16. By Dawn's Early Light
17. Lady In Waiting
18. Agenda For Murder
19. The Most Crucial Game
20. Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

This is a great list and I broadly agree with the episodes in it however I would probably place them in a different order. I would find it near impossible to do a top 20 but I'll give it some thought as see it I can come up with my own list.

My favourite episodes are Try and Catch Me and Any Old Port In A Storm. My choice for the top spot changes every time I watch either of these episodes so I would probably have them as joint top but if I were really pushed, I would say Try and Catch Me just edges it. Third position is a toss up between A Friend In Deed and A Stitch In Crime but maybe I would give it to A Friend In Deed because it has one of my all time favourite gotchas. Then it gets difficult because there are a bunch of great episodes which are just below my top 4 but are very equally matched. For example, I really like Double Shock because it has my all time favourite Columbo scene (the TV cooking broadcast) but without that scene I wouldn't say it's significantly better than Negative Reaction, By Dawn's Early Light or Double Exposure, for example. So for now I'll just do a top 4 and I might come back with a longer list after giving it more thought.

1. Try and Catch Me
2. Any Old Port In A Storm
3. A Friend In Deed
4. A Stitch In Crime

 

[Angela Channing]

It's an impossible task and I know if I were to watch Columbo again my list would change significantly but this is how I feel today.

1. Try and Catch Me
2. Any Old Port In A Storm
3. A Friend In Deed
4. A Stitch In Crime
5. Negative Reaction
6. Double Exposure
7. By Dawn's Early Light
8. Double Shock
9. Forgotten Lady
10. Ransom for a Dead Man
11. An Exercise in Fatality
12. Murder By The Book
13. Etude In Black
14. Death Lends a Hand
15. Prescription: Murder
16. Suitable for Framing
17. Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health
18. Now You See Him
19. Columbo Cries Wolf
20. How To Dial A Murder

Disappointed I couldn't fit Columbo Goes To College, Make Me A Perfect Murder, Agenda For Murder and Death Hits The Jackpot and a few others in my top 20 and if I compiled this list tomorrow or another day they may well feature in place of some of those in my current list.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

All good things must come to an end however I have really enjoyed reading your reviews of all the Columbo episodes and making my own contributions to this thread.

Oh thanks. And I echo that sentiment. My rewatch has been made so much more enjoyable by your contributions and it's been great to hear your perspective and memories about each episode. You certainly know the series really well.

We haven't always agreed on whether episodes have been good, bad or one of the all time greats but I've always been interested to understand why you felt a particular way about a particular episode.

Same here. Whenever I posted about a new episode I was always curious to see whether or not we'd hold similar views about it, and whenever we've viewed things differently it's been good for me to think back over the episode with your comments in mind and see it in a slightly different way.

It would have been nice to end in agreement but alas that wasn't to be because I really like Columbo Likes The Nightlife.

Oh, I probably liked it more than it might have come across in my posts about it. I thought the story was really good, as were most of the performances.

The camera movement, the rave soundtrack, mostly younger actors in all the main roles, the more graphic than usual murder and the faster edits gave the whole show a much more contemporary feel while sticking to the traditional Columbo formula.

These more contemporary elements were where I struggled, which has a lot to do with placement. If it had been shown earlier in the final run, or if it was the beginning of a rebooted series I'd probably view it differently, but I suppose I just craved something a little more traditional in tone for the final episode to bring things full circle.

I do agree that the formula was there and it was a Columbo for the 21st Century, and I thought it was a well constructed episode. Setting aside the contemporary tones and slick production, I suspect the script reads very much like a traditional episode.

I also thought the lack of Columbo mannerisms and quirks, none of the forced humour and the overuse of Nick Knack Paddy Whack that were features of so many of the newer episodes made everything seem more serious and professional and contributed to the overall different feel of the episode.

I often thought that towards the end of Columbo's run Peter Falk played Columbo as a caricature of the lieutenant but not here, he played the role with a seriousness that we hadn't seen in a long time.

I wholeheartedly agree with this, and I suppose the series did come full circle in that regard. As in Prescription: Murder, we saw some real gravitas to him as the episode progressed and things got serious. And it was a nice surprise all over again because Lt. Columbo has been increasingly broad, so I was glad to see him really on form for the final Gotcha.

Was it an entertaining episode and a strong addition to the Columbo series and a decent enough way to say goodbye to a show and a character that I loved? Yes, absolutely.

Yes. While not as great as many, it's far better than some episodes we've been given, especially in the revival. So I'll take it.

My favourite episodes are Try and Catch Me and Any Old Port In A Storm.

I think if I was talking to someone who's never seen a Columbo episode and could watch just one episode, I'd suggest Any Old Port... It's all in there, and it just oozes with quality and cinematic class.

It's an impossible task and I know if I were to watch Columbo again my list would change significantly but this is how I feel today.

Oh wow. We really do agree on these. Seventeen episodes feature in both our top twenties, and another - Now You See Him - was very close to being included in mine.

Like you, there are so many others that I could include and past my top five or six it's a pretty level playing field. The number of truly brilliant episodes in this series - particularly through the Seventies - is breathtaking.

 

[Angela Channing]

My rewatch has been made so much more enjoyable by your contributions and it's been great to hear your perspective and memories about each episode. You certainly know the series really well.

Thank you.

I started watching Columbo when I was 7 and I used to think I watched it when it was first broadcast but with the advent of the internet and seeing when they were first broadcast I realised I must have been watching repeats unless they were shown in the UK many years after they were originally screened in the USA. Because they have been repeated often over the last 4 decades, I've seen most episodes of the original run multiple times and other than Dallas, it's probably the show that I've watched most often so I am very familiar with the series. However, reading your reviews often brought up interesting observations that I never before noticed so maybe I don't know it as well as I sometimes think.

These more contemporary elements were where I struggled, which has a lot to do with placement. If it had been shown earlier in the final run, or if it was the beginning of a rebooted series I'd probably view it differently, but I suppose I just craved something a little more traditional in tone for the final episode to bring things full circle.

I totally get what you're saying and it is odd that they would take a completely new approach to telling the story for the last episode. My theory was that it wasn't meant to be the last episode and they were using this episode to show the network they could inject new energy into the old format to attract new audiences.

I recall reading in a newspaper around the time Columbo Likes The Nightlife was broadcast that the next episode was going to be based around a murder in a Big Brother type setting and all the suspects and everything they did would have been recorded on camera. I think that would have been fascinating and would again be a episode that was more orientated towards a younger audience. Obviously, it never happened. I also read they again tried to bring it back for a final episode called Columbo Last Case which involved a murder taking place around Columbo's retirement from the LAPD but by then the network was no longer interested in making the show.

Oh wow. We really do agree on these. Seventeen episodes feature in both our top twenties, and another - Now You See Him - was very close to being included in mine.

Like you, there are so many others that I could include and past my top five or six it's a pretty level playing field. The number of truly brilliant episodes in this series - particularly through the Seventies - is breathtaking.

I think there are a handful of episode that are so good they are a notch above all the rest and I'd probably say they were the top 8 to 10 in my list and I think they would feature in most people's top 20. Of the other episode, there are around 30 more that I would still rate as beingvery good and any of them could have made my top twenty on another day. Then there are around 20 more that are reasonably good but didn't really blow me away and finally another 10 that are stinkers.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I started watching Columbo when I was 7 and I used to think I watched it when it was first broadcast but with the advent of the internet and seeing when they were first broadcast I realised I must have been watching repeats unless they were shown in the UK many years after they were originally screened in the USA. Because they have been repeated often over the last 4 decades, I've seen most episodes of the original run multiple times and other than Dallas, it's probably the show that I've watched most often so I am very familiar with the series.

That's great. I'm fascinated by people's personal histories with certain TV series as much as the series themselves. The more TV I've watched, the more I feel a bit like a Jack of all trades. I'd struggle to pick a show that I could have as a specialist subject on Mastermind, but I'm thinking you might do quite well with Columbo as yours.

My theory was that it wasn't meant to be the last episode

I'd agree with that. I really think they'd have added something that felt more definitive for the final few moments if it was. I suppose that's the risk with the sporadic way it was being shown at the end. The choice was either go overboard with each ending or to risk the entire series ending on a less memorable note.

and they were using this episode to show the network they could inject new energy into the old format to attract new audiences.

It certainly felt like this. In its way it felt like a new start, and I suppose the slick, cutting edge style kind of echoed what was done in early episodes where there were lots of little cinematic and experimental flourishes that would have been very new at the time.

I recall reading in a newspaper around the time Columbo Likes The Nightlife was broadcast that the next episode was going to be based around a murder in a Big Brother type setting and all the suspects and everything they did would have been recorded on camera. I think that would have been fascinating and would again be a episode that was more orientated towards a younger audience. Obviously, it never happened. I also read they again tried to bring it back for a final episode called Columbo Last Case which involved a murder taking place around Columbo's retirement from the LAPD but by then the network was no longer interested in making the show.

Interesting. I wonder if any of these elements made their way into other stories elsewhere. The Big Brother documentary style seemed to be a standard for some horror films of the era.

I'd also be interested to know how Columbo was received in its latter days. Did it do OK in the ratings, for example. And was there a loyal fanbase? Or critics who still loved it?

I think there are a handful of episode that are so good they are a notch above all the rest and I'd probably say they were the top 8 to 10 in my list and I think they would feature in most people's top 20. Of the other episode, there are around 30 more that I would still rate as beingvery good and any of them could have made my top twenty on another day. Then there are around 20 more that are reasonably good but didn't really blow me away and finally another 10 that are stinkers.

That's probably very similar to how my ratio would be.

 

[Angela Channing]

I'm thinking you might do quite well with Columbo as yours.

I think I would be able to give it a good shot but I suspect I might do better with Dallas.

I'd also be interested to know how Columbo was received in its latter days. Did it do OK in the ratings, for example. And was there a loyal fanbase? Or critics who still loved it?

I've often wondered about this too but because the series pre-dated the internet it's difficult to find accurate information.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I think I would be able to give it a good shot but I suspect I might do better with Dallas.

Either way, it's great you have a couple of choices for if you ever come face-to-face with Clive Myrie.

I've often wondered about this too but because the series pre-dated the internet it's difficult to find accurate information.

I suppose the air of mystery is at least appropriate for this series.

 

[Angela Channing]

There was this nice article about Columbo on the BBC website at the end of last week. There's nothing particularly new in it but its interesting to read nonetheless.

Why the world still loves 1970s detective show Columbo

Fifty years on, the cop show featuring a bumbling but brilliant homicide detective has attracted a new generation of fans. Shaun Curran explores the series' timeless appeal.

www.bbc.com

 

[Chris2]

I know that when Columbo returned in 1989 as part of the “ABC Mystery Movie”, it regularly ranked in the top 20 and occasionally the top 10 (unlike the other spokes of the wheel: BL Stryker and Gideon Oliver).

 

[Mel O'Drama]

There was this nice article about Columbo on the BBC website at the end of last week. There's nothing particularly new in it but its interesting to read nonetheless.

What a lovely article. It's so good to see a current article praising the series.

It's hard to believe that Murder By The Book is now over half a century old. And it's still one of the best pieces of television ever created.

I know that when Columbo returned in 1989 as part of the “ABC Mystery Movie”, it regularly ranked in the top 20 and occasionally the top 10 (unlike the other spokes of the wheel: BL Stryker and Gideon Oliver).

That's good to know. Especially with TV being quite a different landscape to when Columbo had ended in 1977.

 

[TheDeadBobby]

Season One (1971-72)

Murder By The Book

​

Directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Steven Bochco and with the lingering memory of the impression this episode left on me, it’s fair to say I had high hopes for this one.

In most ways it delivered, but I have a couple of little gripes as well, so I’ll get them over with.

Firstly, if Ken had previously told Jim about his perfect murder idea and Jim had been taken enough with this to write it down, why didn’t Jim notice the similarities with what Ken was doing? There was also a lot left to chance with the way Ken carried it out. What if Jim had wandered into Lilly’s store to use the toilet or the telephone, or to pick up something? What if he’d decided to tell his wife the truth - that his partner had whisked him away for a couple of hours to see his new cabin - which would surely placate her as much as a lie about him working late at the office? It’s all very convenient. Then there’s the question of how Ken managed to place Jim's body in full view in front of his home without it being seen and without anyone else reporting the body before he did.

That said, I did enjoy that one “what if” angle was well and truly exploited when Lilly saw Jim in the car and decided to blackmail Ken. It was a really interesting angle to take and led to this becoming Columbo’s first double murder.

I also really liked the motive behind Ken wanting Jim dead: his fear that once Jim ended their writing partnership it would become apparent to everyone that Jim was the writing talent and Ken the one who lapped up the credit with appearances on talk shows. Yes, of course it made him a key suspect, but he had that covered with his smokescreen about threats from mobsters due to the expose he claimed Jim wanted to write. The detail about him “accidentally” handing Jim the piece of paper with names on so that his fingerprints would be present to validate Ken’s story later on was a really nice touch.

Casting as always is spot-on. Jack Cassidy - in his first time out as the murderer - makes the perfect foil for Lt. Columbo. He brings great charm paired with an intense vanity to Ken. One feels he’s quite used to getting his own way with a flash of his pearly whites - something to which Columbo is quite immune, and matches with his own bumbling chit chat.

The relationship between Columbo and Jim’s wife Joanna is a convincing one. I loved the scene where he’s chatting away to her while making her an omelette in her kitchen, occasionally asking where he can find a bowl for the eggshells, or a skillet. There’s a sense that he’s genuinely incredibly interested in people, and taking the time to connect with people in order to get the full picture is part of what makes him such a force.

continued...
​

Murder by the Book is the first one that really grabbed me, I think it was the camera work that blew me away! Spielberg was pretty amazing even back then. I love Jack Cassidy too as a guest star and glad he re appeared a few more times after this one.

Awesome review of the series, I have the box set and have probably watched them all several times over the years.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Murder by the Book is the first one that really grabbed me

Same here. The first time I watched the series this really wowed me.

I think it was the camera work that blew me away! Spielberg was pretty amazing even back then.

He was indeed. I love how he combines creativity and naturalism and that's a great fit for Columbo.

Awesome review of the series, I have the box set and have probably watched them all several times over the years.

Thanks TDB. I'm glad you enjoyed the review and I hope you continue to enjoy watching the series.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

This afternoon I've stumbled upon a some spot-on Columbo re-creations by Tim Vine.

Here are a few that I think @Angela Channing will recognise and enjoy:

 

[Angela Channing]

This afternoon I've stumbled upon a some spot-on Columbo re-creations by Tim Vine.

Here are a few that I think @Angela Channing will recognise and enjoy:

Tim Vine clearly had too much spare time on his hands during the last lockdown. He's clearly a fan and did a very good job there.