# I'm rewatching every episode of Columbo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [October 27, 2021, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309 "2021-10-27T12:45:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/41 "2021-10-27T17:41:09Z")
Another movie worth seeking out – featured the dynamite combo of Falk and Alan Arkin. > **[The In-Laws (1979) ⭐ 7.3 | Action, Adventure, Comedy](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079336/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0)** > > 1h 43m | PG > In preparation for his daughter’s wedding, dentist Sheldon Kornpett meets Vince Ricardo, the groom’s father. Vince, a manic fellow who claims to be a government agent, then proceeds to drag Sheldon into a series of chases and misadventures from New York to Central America. It has hilarious dialogue that supplied me and my husband with one-liners to lob at each other throughout our whole marriage. _“Serpentine! Serpentine!”_ Bit of trivia from IMDB: > In the 2003 DVD commentary, [Alan Arkin](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000273) relates that [Marlon Brando](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000008) once told him he had seen this film 20 times and even imitated Arkin’s delivery of certain lines from the film. Writer [Andrew Bergman](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000921) concurs that Brando’s appreciation of his script was integral to getting Brando to star in [The Freshman](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099615) (1990). ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/42 "2021-10-27T17:56:33Z")
I’m curious if your run began with “Ransom for a Dead Man” or “Prescription: Murder.” The latter was the “original” pilot, predating the former by 3 years, and while still played by Peter Falk, Columbo is a very different character than he was for the rest of the series. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/43 "2021-10-27T18:16:56Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m curious if your run began with “Ransom for a Dead Man” or “Prescription: Murder.” “Prescription: Murder.” came first in line in the Tubi lineup. I hadn’t noticed how much earlier it was from the others, since it and “Ransom for a Dead Man” were listed as ep1 and ep2 of season 1. I didn’t notice that Columbo’s character in that first ep was any different from the rest of the series-- in fact I had noticed that they set Columbo’s whole shtick in stone in that very first episode when the murdering psychiatrist says something like (paraphraisng from memory): “I see through your charade, detective. You act all absentminded and bumbling, but you know exactly what you’re doing. Even your cigar is a prop!” It seems to me right from the start the show knew exactly what it was, and never deviated. Another Columbo fun fact I’ve mentioned in other threads: The wriitng team based the character of Columbo on the detective in Dostoevsky’s _Crime & Punishment_. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/44 "2021-10-27T18:44:18Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Dick Van Dyke played a murderer-- that was a bit of a surprise. Wonder if that was the only time he ever played a bad guy in anything? He was a surprisingly good arrogant asshole, too. He played an assassin on _Supertrain_. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/45 "2021-10-27T18:48:48Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > _almost_ leaving the room-- _“Just ONE more thing, sir, please.”_ The authors noted that this was first used when they were typing a script, and noticed that they had left out a part. Rather than retyping the whole page, they added the missing section as “just one more question”. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/46 "2021-10-27T19:03:06Z")
My favorite Columbo moment is when there’s a murder victim at a garbage dump. Columbo drives up and a uniformed officer tells him that he can’t drop off his junker car that day. Columbo is offended. He says something like, “This car is a classic!” And in another episode, he walks into a soup kitchen to ask about a suspect and a nun assumes that he’s down on his luck. She gets him food and tells him she’ll find a better coat for him. After a while, he doesn’t even try to explain. I also like one episode where the murderer’s a member of Mensa (or the equivalent) and after Columbo catches him, he gives Columbo the Mensa entry exam, which he aces. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/47 "2021-10-27T19:20:31Z")
McCloud-“Night of the Shark” best episode. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/48 "2021-10-27T19:45:07Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > The killer in the last Columbo was Matthew Rhys, who hangs a man and leaves a faked suicide note, a tactic he would repeat in an episode of “The Americans”. Not just a note, but a note on a _computer_! By sheer coincidence, I saw both episodes on different channels about two hours apart. I had a strong feeling of _deja vu._ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/49 "2021-10-27T19:49:17Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Another Columbo fun fact I’ve mentioned in other threads: The wriitng team based the character of Columbo on the detective in Dostoevsky’s _Crime & Punishment_. Watch the Soviet film version of _ **C&P** _ sometime (it comes with English subtitles) and you’ll understand why. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/50 "2021-10-27T20:13:26Z")
Love that show! For a while I had every episode of the original series on VHS, painstaking recorded from late night TV broadcasts. My favorite episode is the one with Dick Van Dyke mentioned a few times in this thread, “Negative Reaction”. The crime seems almost foolproof, and they way Colombo catches him in the end is surprising and brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/51 "2021-10-27T20:31:23Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > Another Columbo fun fact I’ve mentioned in other threads: The wriitng team based the character of Columbo on the detective in Dostoevsky’s _Crime & Punishment_. > > Watch the Soviet film version of _ **C&P** _ sometime (it comes with English subtitles) and you’ll understand why. I read the book in my late teens, and I totally understand why. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/52 "2021-10-27T20:36:44Z")
I’ve read the book too, but the performance in the film is chilling. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/53 "2021-10-27T21:37:17Z")
Also part of the Mystery Movie franchise, Richard Boone in _Hec Ramsey_. It was a sort of revival of his Paladin character. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/54 "2021-10-27T22:07:10Z")
Hmm. Sounds interesting then, though I have no idea where I’d get a copy of that for viewing. I doubt it’s streaming anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/55 "2021-10-27T22:20:41Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Dick Van Dyke played a murderer-- that was a bit of a surprise. Wonder if that was the only time he ever played a bad guy in anything? He was a surprisingly good arrogant asshole, too. Slightly off topic and I don’t even know why I remember this, but he played a hardcore alcoholic in _The Morning After_ . I think he won a drama Emmy for that role. > **[The Morning After (TV Movie 1974) ⭐ 7.7 | Drama](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071856/)** > > 1h 15m ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/56 "2021-10-27T22:30:01Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > Also part of the Mystery Movie franchise, Richard Boone in _Hec Ramsey_ . How could I forget him! The 19th century CSI. Brisco County without the laughs. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/57 "2021-10-27T22:40:38Z")
Wow, geez. I am watching Columbo for the first time, with my old man. We’re slogging through 'em, very slowly, maybe two episodes a month or less frequently. Got the whole boxed set. Love his green cigars, the dog, the wife who may or may not exist, and the old jalopy, which I am told was actually a really beautiful model back in the day. I am also reading the Sherlocke Holmes stories, having only read two in my school years. The two series accompany each other quite well! ~Max ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/58 "2021-10-27T23:04:44Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Hmm. Sounds interesting then, though I have no idea where I’d get a copy of that for viewing. I doubt it’s streaming anywhere. It’s on YouTube. Look for the 1970 version. You can watch it from start to finish or in eight segments of about 15 minutes each ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/59 "2021-10-27T23:14:56Z")
This the one? Quite the panoramic aspect ratio: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4RbMsU2WElM/hqdefault.jpg "Crime and Punishment 1970") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RbMsU2WElM) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/60 "2021-10-27T23:16:33Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > There’s an episode where one of the higher ups (police commissioner?) kills his wife and specifically asks for Columbo to take the case. I’m not sure if the commissioner asks for him because he’s a very egotistical man and he thinks Columbo is going to be easy to fool, or if because he’s very egotistical and he wants to prove even The Great Columbo can’t pin it on him. “A Friend in Need.” I found it hard to believe that a police commissioner wouldn’t know a forensics lab can tell if a person drowned in a bathtub or a swimming pool. Did you notice, BTW, that the episode in the '90s where Columbo nails the two college kids who murder their professor was basically a rewrite of “A Friend in Need”? He even tricked them into acting on “evidence” he planted, just like he did with the commissioner. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309.md?page=4)