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

[Mel O'Drama]

From the far-fetched type of water examination (which usually only works in an autopsy setting "the victim was supposed to have drowned in the sea, but there's no salt water in his lungs"), to the schedule of the ice cream vans, to the American tradition of buying ice creams only at certain times of the day (really??), to the distortion of the radio signal, to the possible involvement of a secretary who was employed for only a few days.
There was almost something desperate about it so perhaps it was interesting and ironic that the one thing that didn't happen turned out to be the proof Columbo was looking for.

All of this just reinforces how quickly I've forgotten the episode details. I don't remember most of this (which is good news for me when I come to rewatch).

 

[Chris2]

I think Susan Clark plays it brilliantly, and there's a strong sense of aggression and callousness to her Columbo character that hints at insanity.
Even though she had planned everything and also has an answer for everything ("they cleaned the light bulb") it looks as if she has her head in the clouds.

I watched this one the other night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Clark is very good . Her initially mousy character becomes progressively more bold and unlikable throughout the episode, culminating in a ridiculous new wardrobe and outfit by the end. The episode length is perfect too - 75 min without commercials.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Whether or not this influenced the way I viewed the episode is difficult to say but, whatever the case, A Stitch In Crime proved to be one of the most enjoyable for me so far.

I completely agree. A Stitch In Crime is one of my favourite episodes, definitely in my top 10 best episodes, possibly in my top 5

Yeah, I thought this was a very good one. And the kind of cleverly technical crime that I could actually understand (as opposed to the one in which Columbo spotted water without chlorine).

Mayfield’s two victims were familiar faces to me. Suspicious Nurse Sharon Martin was the gorgeous Anne Francis, last seen making goo goo eyes at Roddy McDowall in Season One’s Short Fuse. Jared Martin is, of course, best known to me for Dallas. Another familiar soap face appeared in the following episode with the ubiquitous Lloyd Bochner - the future Cecil Colby - playing the victim’s coach.

My favourite character this episode was Nurse Sharon's roommate played by Nita Talbot.

I am career oriented. I have personal, selfish goals, and Sharon was devoted to humanity.

That's how she introduced herself to Columbo and I instantly liked her. Maybe it was the Meg Foster/Kirstie Alley vibes.

She seems like the person who was taught to be feminine and pleasant in the company of men, and she's also very eager to assist in the murder investigation.
Had this been a 1950s episode she would have asked "is my name going to be in the newspaper?"
The kind of not-too-reliable witness who will tell you what you want to hear if that means she's going to be taken seriously. Nita plays it as colourful as possible.

I'm surprised the episode turned out to be as good as it was because the first scenes cut to the chase in a most unsubtle fashion.
Fictional characters are not supposed to know they're in a film or TV episode and that's why they usually don't expect the worst to happen all the time.
What looks like gullibility to the viewer is actually quite realistic from the character's point of view.
Not in the case of nurse Sharon who connects the dots and basically solves the crime within minutes. Not only does she dislike her superior, Dr. Mayfield, she even considers the idea that he would do it. This all comes before "this could be a bizarre mistake".
After that, Columbo pinpoints his suspect (and investigation victim) right after his first meeting with Dr. Mayfield. It's the kind of reveal that would confirm a suspicion - "remember when you received the news of nurse Sharon's death?" - but here it's almost treated like a confession.

Naturally, this is not unusual in the Columbo format since Columbo returning for more questions forces to killer to take further action and tangle him/herself up in a web of deceit and contradictions. But sometimes it's just a little bit more noticeable.
Also, Dr. Mayfield's eagerness to frame Dusty Farlow instantly followed by evidence that supports the faked suspicion is kind of hilarious. The character had not been on anyone's radar and all of sudden he's involved with narcotics, theft and murder. Just because someone had mentioned his name.
At the same time it underlines Dr. Mayfield's complete disregard for our bumbling detective (that's a genre, according to IMDB), thinking it should be so easy to hijack the murder investigation. And he keeps the upper hand almost to the very last nerve-racking second.
Definitely one of the coolest killers so far.

I also liked the previous episode starring Anne Baxter looking gorgeous and glamorous.
There's that cringe moment when Columbo asks her to say something to his wife over the telephone. She's an evil killer and yet in that scene I wanted to protect her.

The episode before that, the farcical stage play accidental murder, was not really my thing, and it takes more than showing London scenery or slapping the Shakespeare name onto its theme to make it a truly British story (imho).
I didn't see any chemistry between the actors and it just wasn't very convincing or convincingly funny. But let's not dwell on the occasional miss.
Cecil Colby is in the next story, but I really really want to see the episode starring Rita Lesley's dircectorJoel Abrigore. I've already seen the gotcha on youtube and it looks very good, and I still don't know how the mistake was made.