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

[Mel O'Drama]

Death Lends A Hand / Dead Weight

continued
​

Meanwhile, over in Dead Weight, Helen Stewart (Suzanne Pleshette - best known to me as Annie Hayworth from The Birds and Karen Walker’s mother from Will & Grace) witnesses retired Marine Major General Martin Hollister shooting to death his accomplice in embezzlement. Helpfully, the young Colonel killed has done a lot of the work for Hollister in taking a lengthy leave after which he was planning to go AWOL anyway. By the time investigations are underway, the body is hidden - first in a secret compartment at his home, then it’s dumped at sea.

After learning of a witness who saw the shooting from a boat on the river outside his home, Hollister investigates, learns Helen’s identity and then turns up at her home. Something that took a little suspension of disbelief was Helen responding to Holllister’s harassment by falling for him. It was done over the course of several scenes, so there was a bit of a build-up, but it still felt like a stretch. I suppose she’s a graduate of the same hopeless romantic school as Lilly La Sanka (and, indeed, Annie Hayworth).

Helen’s unsupportive, disbelieving, critical mother Nora Walters, who approves of the good Major General, is played by Helen Reid best known to me as Aunt Lil “If only there was a man to take Michael in hand, Ray” Trotter. I didn’t recognise her until I DuckDuckGoed her name afterwards, and was very surprised to learn it’s the same actress. In Columbo I found her animated, engaging and likeable - three attributes I wouldn’t apply to Lil. And the banter between Nora and Helen was great fun, with Nora running down everything from Helen’s poor boating skills (she complains of whiplash after they dock) to her failed marriage (she accuses her daughter of being paranoid when her husband was running round with other women). The fact that she undermines her daughter at every opportunity also goes some way to explaining why Hollister is able to so easily take advantage of Helen and gaslight her into doubting herself over what she saw.

Pleshette is great in this episode. I was surprised how young she looks compared with in The Birds which was made before this (though not that long. It’s only eight years, even though I always think of The Birds as a mid-Fifties film). I think it’s a combination of the more vibrant casual clothes and the longer hair. She’s also completely convincing in the role of someone who is a far less confident kind of character than I suspect Suzanne herself would have been. Thankfully, there are also moments of fire and she’s not averse to the occasional quip and put-down in rebutting her mother or keeping Columbo at bay. There’s something of the Valene Ewing to her: the bad choices in the man department; the overbearing mother; the self doubt; the sweet, uncertain smile in the face of potential danger. She even sported a mullet. Speaking of things Knotsian, the young Colonel’s body later surfaces, next to a boat named Art’s Landing, somewhat foreshadowing the name of the series in which Suzanne’s cousin would become a regular.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Death Lends A Hand / Dead Weight

continued​

Even by this point in the series, Lt. Columbo feels like an old friend when he arrives on the scene. And he always hits the ground running.


I love all the little details that make him far less than a perfectionist in almost every area not relating to his work. Such as when he’s stopped by a traffic officer for having a tail light out. He then produces his police badge, which the officer points out to a surprised Columbo is due to expire the following week. When it’s cleared up, he’s offered an escort to the scene, which he accepts on the condition the officer doesn’t drive too quickly. We see him pull up outside Hollister’s house to be shooed away by an officer on guard, telling him the space is reserved. Columbo is about to comply when he suddenly seems to realise that he’s the one for whom the space is being held.

In Death Lends A Hand, Columbo joins Brimmer for lunch at his office. They talk about the case as they eat, but Columbo keeps stopping, first to ask how the dish is made and - a minute or two after Brimmer has offered to send the recipe - to make sure the recipe will be sent to his house and not the station. Shortly afterwards he walks over to Brimmer’s side of the table and leans over to emphatically discuss something, only for Brimmer to brush Columbo’s tie out of his side salad with some disgust. “Oh, I got a little tomato on it”, Columbo beams, tucking the tie back in.

In addition to disliking planes and helicopters, we learn Columbo has a similar aversion to boats when Hollister takes him out to sea. And it did look particularly choppy so who can blame him.

We also revisit Bert’s diner where Columbo is still on the chilli. It’s a nice bit of continuity and I hope we see more of Bert.

The cat and mouse angle remains thrilling. From working together with the killer who offers him a private detective job to get him off the case in Death Lends A Hand, to showing up on the dock outside Hollister’s house with his little fishing rod in Dead Weight, there’s always a fun arc of seeing Columbo toy with his key suspect. Turning down Brimmer’s job offer, he smilingly gives the reason he wants to stay on the Kennicut case because he’s sure he knows who the killer is and he’s looking forward to proving it. Hollister, meanwhile, tells Columbo to find another place to fish, because he’s not going to catch anything. It’s all very euphemistic and threatening without actually threatening. And I’m looking forward to more variations on this theme.

Robert Culp is such a great Columbo villain. It's easy to see why he came back for more. He's assured, confident and charismatic while still having an air of cold unpredictability and also an ability to blend in and seem almost Milquetoast-esque. He's got the charm and the intelligence to potentially get away with his crime. At the same time it's easy to see why his employees aren't too fond of him and why Lenore would rather risk the wrath of her husband than even considering working with him.

There’s a little question over some of Columbo’s methods. Such as telling Brimmer that Lenore was missing one contact lens that he is sure will be in the killer’s home or car, leading to Brimmer giving himself away. Columbo later reveals that she wasn’t actually missing a contact. The one Brimmer found in his car boot was either planted or left there by someone else. Which raises an interesting question in real world terms. Would Brimmer actually be let off, despite his confession, due to the way in which the confession was forced? Or does the end justify the means?

 

[Angela Channing]

Death Lends a Hand is another good episode and Robert Culp is great. It's also an unusual episode in that Columbo spends a lot of time with the character played by Ray Milland which is unusual because he isn't the murderer. Those scenes were so good I'm sure it was why they invited Ray Milland back in to play the murderer in a future episode.

I don't remember much about Dead Weight except that Eddie Albert was the murderer so I think either I've not seen it very often or it was just a average episode with nothing specific in it that sticks in my mind.

With the murder and the immediate aftermath came the most creative piece of direction yet: the “glasses effect”, in which we see a very tight close up of Robert Culp's spectacles with each lens showing different moving images featuring different stages of Brimmer clearing up and disposing of the body. Fifty years on, it still impresses

This was another of the most memorable cinematic effects used in Columbo. It looks a bit old fashioned in that they used a still picture for the close up of Robert Culp's glasses rather than a film with motion but that aside it's still an effective and impressive way to show viewers the aftermath of the murder.

Robert Culp is such a great Columbo villain. It's easy to see why he came back for more. He's assured, confident and charismatic while still having an air of cold unpredictability and also an ability to blend in and seem almost Milquetoast-ish. He's got the charm and the intelligence to potentially get away with his crime. And at the same time it's easy to see why his employees aren't too fond of him and why Lenore would rather risk the wrath of her husband than even considering working with him.

Of all the actors who played murderers more than once, Jack Cassidy, Robert Culp, Patrick McGoohan and William Shatner (have I forgotten anyone?), Robert Culp was my favourite. There was always an anger, aggression, unpredictability and danger in his performance and his interactions with Columbo are more confrontational rather than being a playful cat and mouse interaction that was a feature of so many of the other murderers on the show.

There’s a little question over some of Columbo’s methods.

My main question about Columbo methods in general are how he never preserves a crime scene. He goes stomping through the scene of a murder potentially contaminating evidence. He also occasionally does instant on location destructive forensic analysis of items (e.g. picking up guns with a pen, touching corpses or going through their pockets) rather than sending things to the lab for a proper investigation.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It's also an unusual episode in that Columbo spends a lot of time with the character played by Ray Milland which is unusual because he isn't the murderer. Those scenes were so good I'm sure it was why they invited Ray Milland back in to play the murderer in a future episode.

That's a nice observation. I'd enjoyed the scenes with Ray Milland, but hadn't consciously noticed that this was unusual. They worked really well together, and I loved the scene where he warned Columbo that he didn't intend to be patient during the investigation. If we hadn't seen the murder (in other words, if this were a traditional whodunnit) his character would have seemed like a prime candidate to be the killer.

He was a great character and said a lot even with little dialogue: from the relief/confusion/guilt on being told his wife had been faithful even though his instincts were telling him otherwise to him listening to Brimmer's confession and direct apology.

I don't remember much about Dead Weight except that Eddie Albert was the murderer so I think either I've not seen it very often or it was just a average episode with nothing specific in it that sticks in my mind.

I thought it was a good enough episode. Having no dead body for a good part of the episode added a unique angle to this one.

Your saying about the Falk/Milland scenes reminded me of something. While watching Dead Weight I remember thinking how unusual it was to have a romance storyline. All right, it was the murderer wooing a witness to suit his own purposes, but it still had a fair amount of screen-time. We had Eddie Albert and Suzanne Pleshette, with Helen Reid as the mother trying to push her daughter into the ill-advised with a respected older man. At times it almost had a sitcom kind of vibe.

It looks a bit old fashioned in that they used a still picture for the close up of Robert Culp's glasses rather than a film with motion but that aside it's still an effective and impressive way to show viewers the aftermath of the murder.

True, but I liked that it looked old-fashioned. It's kind of like the murder of Lilly La Sanka in Murder By The Book in that it looked like it could be right out of a Hitchcock film from some years before.

Of all the actors who played murderers more than once, Jack Cassidy, Robert Culp, Patrick McGoohan and William Shatner (have I forgotten anyone?), Robert Culp was my favourite. There was always an anger, aggression, unpredictability and danger in his performance and his interactions with Columbo are more confrontational rather than being a playful cat and mouse interaction that was a feature of so many of the other murderers on the show.

I'm already looking forward to seeing him return, but I'm not sure how long I'll have to wait. A couple of seasons, I suspect.

My main question about Columbo methods in general are how he never preserves a crime scene. He goes stomping through the scene of a murder potentially contaminating evidence. He also occasionally does instant on location destructive forensic analysis of items (e.g. picking up guns with a pen, touching corpses or going through their pockets) rather than sending things to the lab for a proper investigation.

Ha ha. Yes absolutely. That thought has crossed my mind a few times already. I know he's laid back, but it's possible to be too relaxed.

Along similar lines I noticed that Robert Culp didn't appear to be wearing gloves during the scene where Brimmer was dumping his victim's body out of the boot on to the wasteland. I know the car was his, but it just seemed a bit sloppy for someone so meticulous.

 

[Julia's Gun]

I wish I had the time to re-watch all these with you..... Am tempted to buy the box set off Amazon, but I only get a bit of free time at weekends, so will always be behind...

Oh well, i'll try and contribute to the ones I remember well.... And do you think I should buy this mug? It would look great on my desk:

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I wish I had the time to re-watch all these with you..... Am tempted to buy the box set off Amazon, but I only get a bit of free time at weekends, so will always be behind...

I know what you mean. I'm quite lucky to have a fair bit of free time at the moment.

Because Columbo episodes are quite long I find it needs a bit more consideration than other series that are twenty five minutes here and there and can easily be fitted around other stuff. I'm sure there'll be a number of evenings when I just haven't got time for a Columbo (and that's probably when I'll dive back into The Two Ronnies occasionally).

Anyway, if you give in to temptation and get the set, you can always watch at your own pace. The thread isn't going anywhere, so you can just dip into the thread as you watch.

Oh well, i'll try and contribute to the ones I remember well....

That'll be great!!

And do you think I should buy this mug? It would look great on my desk

That depends. Does Columbo's suit come off when there's a hot drink inside?

 

[Mel O'Drama]

This is kind of brilliant...

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Suitable For Framing

​

Well, this is the quickest murder yet, I think. It happened just one minute in, with the victim having no real dialogue. This allowed plenty of time for the murder plot. When Dale Kingston covered his victim with the electric blanket, I knew we’d be in for a nice bit of business with concealing the actual time of the murder. This gave an unsinkable alibi, when his accomplice made sure a security patrol guard heard her fire a gun at a much later hour, while Kingston was at a public event.

The murderer’s female lover accomplice arriving after the murder and staying to make sure the plan is executed had echoes of Prescription: Murder. Even the scene where Tracy came in and had a bit of a turn on seeing the body felt very similarly staged to the earlier episode. The pair’s story was also given a Murder By The Book twist when the woman who knew too much was then dispensed with, making this the second episode with a double murder.

It’s interesting to note that, like Lilly La Sanka before her, Tracy’s murder was very low key. Once again, we simply saw her shocked face as the killer approached her with an object (a rock this time round). Considering how elaborate some of the opening murder scenes have been it’s almost surprising, until I consider that to have a drawn out second murder and cover up would shift the focus away from the main murder. These second murders are simply plot points or detours (albeit important ones) rather than being the story. The interest comes from seeing Columbo take the threads of a seemingly unrelated murder with a different M.O. and use it to strengthen his pursuit.

Tracy, by the way, is played by Rosanna Huffman, AKA Mrs Richard Levinson. Which may or may not explain her appearing a couple of times in Columbo, as well as numerous times in Murder, She Wrote. Although to be fair she was an established stage actress before the marriage, and is perfectly watchable here. Her pudding bowl hairdo and penchant for necklaces over polo necks gave her a bit of a pre-Sabrina Duncan vibe which is no bad thing.

Like most of the murderers so far, Ross Martin isn’t an actor I associate with any particular role. I’m not even sure I’ve seen him in anything other than this. I think this helps. His friendly round face and cheeky impish smile make him seem perhaps the most unlikely murderer to date. He’s got the kind of looks that work well in comedy roles because there’s something innately likeable about him. I’d almost expect him to be the sidekick rather than the mastermind. All of which works to make him seem more difficult to catch.

He’s also perhaps the person who is least tolerant of Columbo of all the killers so far. The weary sighs and exasperated eyeballs come quite early on in the relationship, and it’s clear he has a low Columbo threshold. Perhaps it’s because he’s used to getting away with so much, or perhaps it’s simply a choice Ross makes in his delivery. Either way, Dale losing his cool felt very much like a journey and made the inevitable outburst in the final scene feel more organic.

There’s a lovely little moment for Ross Martin which nicely highlights both sides of his character’s persona when we watch the end of Kingston’s art show as it appears on television. He delivers his closing words and smiles. The camera stays on him as an announcement is made before the credits roll. His frozen smile is a little awkward and at one point when the voiceover starts his eyes dart sideways briefly for just a fraction of a second, before returning to look into camera. I initially thought this was an awkward moment for the actor and something to do with the production values of the time not allowing for it to be re-shot. But once we got so studio and see Kingston after the cameras are off, he was berating someone for keeping the camera on him and saying he wanted to change the way it’s done. Something I’d thought was a minor slip on the part of the actor was actually contextualised as an awkward moment for the character. It was perfectly played and with such attention to detail.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Suitable For Framing

continued​

I’m a bit torn with this episode. It was very watchable and had some nice twists. But at the same time, a couple of elements (the glamorous assistant; the double murder) felt a little like reprises of what’s come before. Which is the nature of the beast, I suppose. Had this aired before, say, Murder By The Book, the second murder twist might have been more impactive.

The cat and mouse between Columbo and Kingston was enjoyable, and I really liked the spoilt child element to Kingston, the whole scheme having come from his uncle’s will being changed and him having a tantrum over not inheriting the art. His scheme to frame his aunt for the crime, which would mean the art going to him as next of kin was enjoyably cold. It was like a mini Kind Hearts And Coronets.

In terms of small moments for Lt. Columbo, there’s not a “tie in the tomatoes” moment. No chilli and crackers or that kind of thing. But his initial conversations with Kingston over art, with Kingston wondering who the hell he was can’t be watched without raising a broad smile.

There’s also that cracking scene mid-episode where Kingston arrives at his home with the stolen paintings only to find Columbo asleep in the chair (he’d earlier given him the key in a moment of bluster). Peter Falk is brilliant here, with Columbo evidently dazed, disorientated and more adorably sleepy than usual (or is he?).

There follows a little suspense for the audience, because we know Kingston has the stolen paintings and if Columbo sees them it’s game over. Columbo casually asks what Kingston is carrying, and is told - almost as casually - that it’s just a couple of old prints. Columbo asks to see them, reaching into the bag as he does so, but Kingston pulls them away and, after the phone rings, manages to tuck them away behind some other paintings.

It’s a brilliant moment in and of itself. But there’s also a payoff as it sets up a truly terrific “gotcha” moment at the end. One of the best so far, and perhaps even the best.

In fact there were a few little gotchas scattered throughout the episode as Lt. Columbo laid his trap. Like asking for Kingston’s opinion on an artist and being told it’s rubbbish, only to reveal it’s by the artist he’d given a such a favourable review.

The denouement’s king of all gotchas came with the framing of Aunt Edna when the police descended to search her house at Kingston’s insistence (ostensibly to prove her innocence and rule her out as a suspect). With the planted paintings discovered, it looked as though Edna was about to be arrested, only for Columbo to direct the men to fingerprint the frames. Kingston, naturally, insisted that his fingerprints would be all over the frames anyway, but then it was pointed out that they were looking for Columbo’s prints from when he’d reached into the bag. Kingston protested that he’d been set up and Columbo had planted his fingerprints just that very minute only for the Lieutenant to remove his hands from his pockets and hold them up to reveal he’s wearing gloves.

​

It’s very nicely done and it was right under our nose. Without the need of the killer’s monologued confession the episode wisely ends exactly there.

 

[Angela Channing]

Suitable For Framing

continued​

I’m a bit torn with this episode. It was very watchable and had some nice twists. But at the same time, a couple of elements (the glamorous assistant; the double murder) felt a little like reprises of what’s come before. Which is the nature of the beast, I suppose. Had this aired before, say, Murder By The Book, the second murder twist might have been more impactive.

The cat and mouse between Columbo and Kingston was enjoyable, and I really liked the spoilt child element to Kingston, the whole scheme having come from his uncle’s will being changed and him having a tantrum over not inheriting the art. His scheme to frame his aunt for the crime, which would mean the art going to him as next of kin was enjoyably cold. It was like a mini Kind Hearts And Coronets.

In terms of small moments for Lt. Columbo, there’s not a “tie in the tomatoes” moment. No chilli and crackers or that kind of thing. But his initial conversations with Kingston over art, with Kingston wondering who the hell he was can’t be watched without raising a broad smile.

There’s also that cracking scene mid-episode where Kingston arrives at his home with the stolen paintings only to find Columbo asleep in the chair (he’d earlier given him the key in a moment of bluster). Peter Falk is brilliant here, with Columbo evidently dazed, disorientated and more adorably sleepy than usual (or is he?).

There follows a little suspense for the audience, because we know Kingston has the stolen paintings and if Columbo sees them it’s game over. Columbo casually asks what Kingston is carrying, and is told - almost as casually - that it’s just a couple of old prints. Columbo asks to see them, reaching into the bag as he does so, but Kingston pulls them away and, after the phone rings, manages to tuck them away behind some other paintings.

It’s a brilliant moment in and of itself. But there’s also a payoff as it sets up a truly terrific “gotcha” moment at the end. One of the best so far, and perhaps even the best.

In fact there were a few little gotchas scattered throughout the episode as Lt. Columbo laid his trap. Like asking for Kingston’s opinion on an artist and being told it’s rubbbish, only to reveal it’s by the artist he’d given a such a favourable review.

The denouement’s king of all gotchas came with the framing of Aunt Edna when the police descended to search her house at Kingston’s insistence (ostensibly to prove her innocence and rule her out as a suspect). With the planted paintings discovered, it looked as though Edna was about to be arrested, only for Columbo to direct the men to fingerprint the frames. Kingston, naturally, insisted that his fingerprints would be all over the frames anyway, but then it was pointed out that they were looking for Columbo’s prints from when he’d reached into the bag. Kingston protested that he’d been set up and Columbo had planted his fingerprints just that very minute only for the Lieutenant to remove his hands from his pockets and hold them up to reveal he’s wearing gloves.

​

It’s very nicely done and it was right under our nose. Without the need of the killer’s monologued confession the episode wisely ends exactly there.

Interesting that you said you are torn with this episode as I would rate it as one of my top 10 Columbo episodes (maybe even one of my top 5 episodes) mainly because it has one of the greatest gotchas ever when Columbo removes his hands from the pockets of his famous coat to reveal he is wearing gloves. I also liked that they got the murder out the way quickly without the usual setting the scene to establish who the characters are and their motive for the murder and spent more time of the aftermath of the murder and Columbo's investigation.

Like you, I never saw the actor who played the murderer before or since but he was great in the role. He looked like a friendly uncle but was a totally unpleasant character. I loved his scenes with Columbo and the offhand arrogant manner he took with the lieutenant. A really memorable episode .

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Interesting that you said you are torn with this episode as I would rate it as one of my top 10 Columbo episodes (maybe even one of my top 5 episodes) mainly because it has one of the greatest gotchas ever when Columbo removes his hands from the pockets of his famous coat to reveal he is wearing gloves. I also liked that they got the murder out the way quickly without the usual setting the scene to establish who the characters are and their motive for the murder and spent more time of the aftermath of the murder and Columbo's investigation.

Oh, it's still a great episode even though I was torn. The main issue I had with it was that a couple of the notes had been hit in earlier instalments (the female lover coming along to help cover up the crime/the woman who knew too much becoming the second victim).

Also, I really like to spend a bit of time with the character who gets killed. Sometimes it's not aways clear who will end up dying and so it becomes a fun little guessing game.

Neither of these things are dealbreakers for me by any means. The quick murder was a bit of a change, and the story had its own twists. There was still lots to love and it's still possible I'll come out of this rewatch viewing it as a Top Ten episode as well.

He looked like a friendly uncle but was a totally unpleasant character.

Oh yes - that sums him up perfectly. I think he was quite a dangerous adversary because he had the kind of almost sweet face that looks as though he can be trusted, but very few redeeming qualities once you looked past the surface.

 

[Angela Channing]

The main issue I had with it was that a couple of the notes had been hit in earlier instalments (the female lover coming along to help cover up the crime/the woman who knew too much becoming the second victim.

I won’t spoil it for you but when the episode with Faye Dunnaway comes up, think back to this point.

Also, I really like to spend a bit of time with the character who gets killed. Sometimes it's not aways clear who will end up dying and so it becomes a fun little guessing game.

I agree but I like how they mix it up so you never know what to expect.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I won’t spoil it for you but when the episode with Faye Dunnaway comes up, think back to this point.

Intriguing. I'll try to remember this.

I agree but I like how they mix it up so you never know what to expect.

Yes. It was a nice change of pace to have such an abrupt start and have to put the pieces together about what had led up to this murder.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Lady In Waiting

​

Of all the guest-stars yet seen, Richard Anderson is the one most familiar to me. He’s also someone I strongly associate with a particular role. Indeed, I’ve seen a great deal of him as Oscar Goldman very recently when rewatching The Bionic Woman. As someone tall, imposing and very intense, Richard would seem a natural choice for the killer. It’s quite a bold move, in that case, to play against the obvious and have Richard as this episode’s victim.

It’s a full twenty minutes before Columbo is seen on-screen, so the scene is set well and we spend a decent amount of time with Richard’s character, Bryce Chadwick and his little sister Beth. As they breakfast in the grounds of their opulent home we get insight into the dynamics of their relationship and the resentments. Bryce, unhappy that Beth has taken up with Peter Hamilton, an employee of their company, tells her he plans to sack Peter if it continues. Beth sulks and stews over her brother’s controlling nature. She reminds him he’s not father. He asks her to consider if Peter would be interested were she not wealthy. There’s no doubting Beth’s motive for wanting Bryce out of the way.

Unusually, there’s a sequence in which we see the murder play out in Beth’s head as she fantasises while preparing for it. It’s a sequence that should probably come with a migraine-inducement warning, what with the eerie screeching strings and the out of focus rippling images. Nonetheless it’s very creatively filmed, and the scheme to make the shooting look accidental (by hiding his key and shooting him as he came into the alternative door into her bedroom) is enjoyably elaborate and clever.

I’m not sure how it would have been received fifty years ago, but this “preview” would be a red flag to more sophisticated (and jaded) twenty first century viewers that the scheme isn’t going to go to plan. Even so, this sets up the anticipation of how it’s going to go wrong. And for this particular twenty first century viewer it was still a bit of a jolt when, as Beth waited for him to come in through her external bedroom door, the tense music was suddenly overridden by Bryce’s voice from inside Beth’s room. She hadn’t considered his hidden spare key. But she goes ahead and shoots him anyway.

Another thing Beth hadn’t counted on was her lover Peter unexpectedly arriving to have it out with Bryce over the letter threatening his position with the company. Not only does this add a frantic urgency to Beth’s movements as she tries to hide the spare key and set the room up to look as though Peter had been near the exterior door when he was shot, it also means there’s a somewhat neutral earwitness, which will come back to haunt Beth in the final act.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Lady In Waiting​

continued

​

Peter is played by the one and only Leslie Nielsen, back in the days when he was a solid and reliable actor bringing a certain gravitas to his numerous guest-starring roles. Nowadays - to me at least - I find myself waiting for the deadpanned punchline. But this was almost a decade before “Don’t call me Shirley”, and some seventeen years before “Nice beaver”. He’s great here.

Peter is slick and confident but, with nothing to hide, he’s also disarmingly direct. This comes across especially in two memorable scenes with Lt. Columbo. One takes place in Columbo’s Peugeot as they have lunch (Columbo’s treat) in a drive-in burger place. This is the scene which memorably ends with Columbo starting to drive away with the tray still attached to his window. The other scene between them is in a bar. Both scenes see Peter cut through Columbo’s waffle and go straight to the meat. It’s Peter himself who raises the question of whether he’s after Beth’s money, and of whether he and Beth colluded to kill Bryce. He does so with a smile and while maintaining eye contact because it seems both ideas are an anathema to him. The chemistry between Nielsen and Peter Falk is great. It’s so good to see these two sparking off one another.

Beth, meanwhile, turns out to be far more cold-blooded than first appeared. As if killing a sibling because they didn’t approve of her partner isn’t bad enough.

Beth undergoes both an external makeover and a transformation in personality. On goes the makeup; there’s a glamorous new flipped bouffant and Beth frequents the most fashionable boutiques to take on a youthful new image. The ugly duckling has become a swan.

In terms of new external trappings, Beth’s beautiful new Ferrari Daytona is perhaps the most telling. As Columbo points out, it would have needed to be ordered many weeks ahead of time, which shows a great deal of premeditation.

Beth’s new personality is one of instant diva. Eleven years before Alexis Carrington Colby, Beth has her “Adam, may I have a glass of water” moment when she calls a board meeting to set out the new order under her reign, with thinly veiled threats of dismissal for insubordinate board members. Her first act is to elevate Peter to a key position within the company, right before she announces their engagement to the board… before discussing it with Peter.

Peter’s reactions to Beth’s ugly new personality make an interesting watch, in large part because of their genders. Certainly at this time, the power mad dominant partner was invariably male, and so there’s an element of role reversal.

Also witness to the changes is Beth and Bryce’s mother, played by familiar character actress Jessie Royce Landis in her final screen appearance. She’s great fun. Permanently accompanied by her little terrier (to me it looks like a Yorkie, but she calls it a “Silky” and a quick search tells me they are distinct breeds), there’s a funny little running gag where it runs up to Columbo, tail wagging, and starts yapping threateningly.

Mrs Chadwick certainly makes a formidable first impression. She starts out by ordering Columbo to pay for her taxi and bring in her luggage (which he dutifully does, and is then most concerned about retrieving the eleven dollars). On first seeing her daughter, Mrs Chadwick walks elegantly up to her and then slaps Beth in the face for killing her son.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Lady In Waiting​

continued

​

The power-mad aspect with Beth is far from subtle. Partly this is necessary because of the episodic nature. But it also goes to effectively show how untouchable she feels.

A unique angle with this episode is that Beth was tried early in the episode and the jury found the killing to be an accident. Because of this, Beth now feels she can do as she pleases with impunity. Her angry dismissal of Columbo after humouring him for a period of time feels very truthful because, in the eyes of the law, she is technically a free woman.

This does raise the question of whether she is, in fact free. I’m not too au fait with the law here so I’m not sure how accurate this is. From time to time it’ll be mentioned in certain shows that someone can’t be tried for the same crime twice, but I’ll assume that this isn’t the case here. Perhaps because the charges would be different, or in light of new evidence.

I also have to say that the evidence doesn’t seem very concrete to me. Naturally, Columbo notices lots of little things: the new porch bulb that was supposed to have burnt out; the lack of grass on Bryce’s shoes suggesting he had in fact entered the house through the front door (there’s a cute and funny little moment where two perplexed household staff members watch Columbo walking gingerly on the grass before taking off one of his shoes to look at the bottom); the late edition newspaper on the table by the front door (again, a sign that Bryce had entered through the main door); the imprint of the spare key in the hanging planter by the front door.

The key piece of evidence comes from Peter himself, who remembers hearing the gunshot before the alarm was set off. It’s all good detective work, but in terms of reopening a case like this, I’m not sure how definitive this evidence would be considered.

Is Columbo’s dogged pursuit of evidence actually harassment? It’s hard to say, because Columbo almost always seems to be a lone wolf. But I’d have to assume (if only to stop me over-thinking things) that the department is behind him on his continued investigation.

There was lots to like about this episode: the plan for the killing; killer being up-front about having pulled the trigger; the initial “not guilty” verdict.

Unusually for this series, some of my favourite Lt. Columbo scenes were not between he and the killer but with the supporting characters, Peter and Mrs Chadwick. The family and relationship dynamics got into soap opera territory at times. But I’m not averse to a bit of soap, and it certainly made this a very character-driven episode. Always a good thing in my book.

 

[Angela Channing]

Although I have seen Lady In Waiting, I don't remember it quite as a well as some of the other episodes so I think I've only seen it once or maybe twice.

A unique angle with this episode is that Beth was tried early in the episode and the jury found the killing to be an accident. Because of this, Beth now feels she can do as she pleases with impunity. Her angry dismissal of Columbo after humouring him for a period of time feels very truthful because, in the eyes of the law, she is technically a free woman.

I do remember this though as any deviation from the usual Columbo format generally sticks in the mind. I'm going to have to watch this episode soon to remind myself of the details as your description suggests it is a good episode.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Although I have seen Lady In Waiting, I don't remember it quite as a well as some of the other episodes so I think I've only seen it once or maybe twice.

That's interesting. I think it might be one of those "under the radar" episodes in general. With some episodes, some scenes have felt a little familiar as I watched, but this one all felt entirely unfamiliar even though I know I've watched it before.

I do remember this though as any deviation from the usual Columbo format generally sticks in the mind.

Understandably. It's the only time so far that we've seen the justice system at this level (unless you count the scenes with Lee Grant's lawyer character working in court in Ransom For A Dead Man).

I'm going to have to watch this episode soon to remind myself of the details as your description suggests it is a good episode.

It's worth a look, I think.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Short Fuse / Blueprint For Murder

​

For whatever reason reason I was convinced that Roddy McDowall was one of those recurring Columbo murderers who appeared in three or four episodes over the years. On closer inspection it seems Short Fuse is his sole outing in the series. Perhaps my false memory is coming from the fact that this performance is such a memorable one. Certainly, of all the first season episodes this is the one that felt most familiar as I rewatched.


As this series goes, McDowall’s performance as Roger Stanford seems rather out there. I don’t know whether this is an extreme characterisation or a reflection of McDowall himself. Dare I say there was a hint of the Jim Carrey to him at times.

Even Roger’s mode of murder seems a little cartoony on paper: a bomb hidden in a box of cigars that blew a Lincoln Limousine sky high. All that's missing is Road Runner. Still, it’s a creative choice and meant that the killer could be elsewhere when the murder took place. And in the context of the murderer being a chemist and the family business involving knowledge of chemicals it all feels logical enough.

Besides this episode I know Roddy best from his turn as The Bookworm in the Adam West Batman series. There are shades of that here. Certainly, the characters share an eccentricity and obsessive personality. Actually though, in Batman ’66 terms his performance here feels quite close to that of Frank Gorshin’s Riddler, who always felt frighteningly on the edge, with a manic insanity just below the surface that suggested a personality disorder or psychopathy of some kind.


I get the sense that McDowall doesn't so much ad lib as invoke each line with new meaning because of his delivery. It's always fresh and energetic, and I suspect you'd have to be a real pro to keep up with him due to the unpredictable choices he makes. There's a fair bit of business with silly string, evidently something very few people had heard of at the time (judging by the excited reactions of the characters). In one scene, Lt. Columbo inspects the aerosol and ends up covered in the stuff. McDowall spends the rest of the scene carefully - almost tenderly - picking the string out of Columbo's hair as their dialogue continues. It's unforgettable.


It may be quite a broad performance on the surface, but it also felt truthful and intense. This is not a character with whom I’d feel comfortable spending any length of time alone.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Short Fuse / Blueprint For Murder​

continued​

Short Fuse felt like a particularly kinetic episode in terms of its staging, what with the murder taking place in a moving vehicle, fast intercuts of clocks moving, and conversations taking place while whizzing round the factory grounds in that cute little Harley-Davidson DE golf buggy. And then there are those aerial journeys which included the memorable denouement.

The supporting cast with this one was great. Ida Lupino was Roddy’s aunt, but even more substantial was Anne Francis as Valerie Bishop, the company secretary who is romanced by Roger and unknowingly becomes his alibi.

Along for this final ride was Levinson/Link favourite William Windom in his second Columbo appearance. Here he’s Everett Logan, the second-in-line president of Roger’s murdered uncle’s company, whom he had discredited in order to gain control. His presence added balance and gravitas to this final scene as Roger’s guilt became apparent to him during the course of that cable car journey.

Cable cars have been added to the ever-growing list of transport modes which fill Columbo with dread. But he managed to turn the tables at the end for one of the most visually thrilling Gotchas. Once again, his methods are unorthodox and a little extreme, but this was such great fun I’m right behind him. I knew the cigar box Columbo produced wasn’t going to be the actual exploding one (perhaps because I remembered this one. For all I know I may have been fooled the first time round). While this knowledge meant that there wasn’t the suspense angle for me, it also meant I could enjoy it on the level of comedy. Each time Lt. Columbo slapped the cigar box or slammed it down I found myself chuckling. Roger’s reaction to each of these added to the fun.

Adding to the iconography of this scene is Roddy’s manic laughter, echoing out into the mountains and forever beyond as Roger goes into an almost inevitable meltdown that’s part resignation and part admiration of Columbo. The laughter is quite chilling and haunting and added to the factors that make this a contender for my favourite Gotcha so far.

continued...​