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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 280739" data-attributes="member: 23">Season Six (1976-77) Fade In To Murder <img src="https://pics.filmaffinity.com/Columbo_Fade_in_to_Murder_TV-858083255-large.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 504px" /><img src="https://i2.wp.com/columbophile.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/fade-1.jpg?fit=608%2C440&ssl=1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 524px" /> In which Captain Kirk murders Constance Mackenzie and drugs Dandy Dandrige to obtain his alibi. In Requiem For A Falling Star, Columbo visited a large film studio and was awed by the grandeur and celebrity. This episode has similar themes and similar scenes, but in a number of ways feels a little more knowing and meta. For a start, there’s the killer in question: Ward Fowler is an egotistical and temperamental actor who plays a beloved TV detective, and who is holding out for a significant pay rise as part of negotiating his new contract. As I understand it, Peter Falk’s contract had expired at the end of Season Five, with this episode marking the first of his new contract. Someone, somewhere was certainly saying something here. This setting naturally gives scope for clumsy Columbo high jinx, and the tone is somewhat set when he arrives on set and ruins a shot in progress by walking back and forth between the set window and the backdrop, apparently oblivious to the fact that he can be seen. It’s another of those grey areas which makes me question if he’s really that clueless or if it’s part of his elaborate image. Adding to the meta feel, it’s established we’re at Universal Studios, made crystal clear by a scene which uses the backlot’s Amity Island set for the Jaws Ride. The original Ride’s carrot-toothed version of Bruce the shark even has some screen time and, after being told it’s the same shark from the film, Columbo wisely observes that it looks different. When I think of William Shatner’s acting style I go to the  jerky, staccato caricature in Family Guy. [MEDIA=youtube]S43hytfBMAk:2[/MEDIA]While for my money, the real Shat lacks the subtlety and gravitas to make the Columbo Killer Hall Of Fame, neither is he stiff and awkward. In fact Fowler - boosted by his ego and hubris - is one of the more relaxed killers, which adds a nice layer or two of menace to him. Shat certainly has a certain charismatic screen presence, with looks and charm enough to carry him through. From their scenes, I also got the sense that Falk and Shatner were enjoying working together, which helped the watchability. There’s a bit of goofing around which I could have done without, though Fowler filming Columbo on his video camera was at least necessary to the plot which makes my view of it slightly less dim. The alibi involving drugging, changing the time on watches and clocks and recording a sports game on the VCR to create the illusion no time had passed was clever enough (a VCR in 1976 apparently went for USD$3000, not including the camera). And the fingerprints-on-the-bullets Gotcha did the job well enough. All in all, while not Columbo at its best I’d say this is a watchable second tier episode. </blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?