New posts

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 281822" data-attributes="member: 23">The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case <img src="https://i1.wp.com/columbophile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Bye-Bye-titles.jpg?resize=459%2C344&ssl=1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 508px" /><img src="https://i2.wp.com/columbophile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Ice-cream-1.jpg?resize=506%2C380&ssl=1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Already the winner of the “longest Columbo episode title” contest, and a contender for the quirkiest title in addition. Theodore Bikel is a familiar face who seemed to crop up in numerous shows of the era playing East Europeans of varying trustworthiness. Perhaps because I’ve watched it more than some of his others, I instantly associate him with the episode of Charlie’s Angels in which he played an influential Polish professor kidnapped after making Sabrina weak at the knees due to her thing with the polonaise. He’s an actor with an imposing presence, making him a natural for a Columbo killer. I enjoyed how unfazed he was for the first two thirds of the episode, appearing interested in Columbo’s theories (and his IQ). I’d say the chemistry with Peter Falk is pretty good. Seeing Columbo matching wits with Oliver Brandt is a bit like watching him taking the high offer from Mark Labett on The Chase. He seems way out of his league, which makes it more surprising when he starts matching him answer for answer. Watching last night, I had thought Sorrell Booke was unfamiliar to me. Imagine my surprise to realise this morning that he’d gone on to play Boss Hogg in The Dukes Of Hazzard. Oh - and he’d previously appeared in Swan Song. There are plenty of very watchable faces among the larger cast. Samantha Eggar is just enchanting. I thought at first she was Jacqueline Bissett. Apparently she was Maggie Gioberti in the Falcon Crest pilot. I wonder why she was recast for the series?Kenneth Mars’s face is most familiar to me from The New, Original Wonder Woman pilot episode. Here, as there, his character looks stand out among a slew of interesting characters. The think tank theme has been done on Columbo already with Mind Over Mayhem. With that previous episode being a poor one, perhaps it was felt the series wanted to try and do it better. And on that level it’s certainly a success. As in the earlier episode, there’s a wunderkind. This one is thankfully less precocious and actually makes an interesting little almost-sidekick as she tries to help. There is one exhange that raised an eyebrow when Columbo told the girl she’s pretty and she commented with a huge smile that it’s the first time someone’s liked her for her body rather than her mind. That would never fly today, but these were more innocent times in many ways. Jamie Lee Curtis’s role as the waitress-with-attitude might be small but it’s memorable and made this a thoroughly enjoyable scene. Even in this early role, her confidence and charisma shines through and it’s easy to see why her career took off the way it did soon afterwards. continued...</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?