# 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:** 15\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/141 "2021-11-13T00:07:22Z")
I own a copy of “The Columbo Collection,” a set of short stories written by William Link (and the bonus story that came from buying an early edition). They’re OK; print is a different animal than TV. One thing it did make me realize: as far as I remember, there are only two non-Caucasian Columbo murderers. I thought of it because one of the stories featured what would’ve been his first East Asian culprit. > **[The Columbo Collection: William Link: 8601404482182: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Columbo-Collection-William-Link/dp/1932009949)** > > The Columbo Collection \[William Link\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Columbo Collection ---
**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:** [November 13, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/142 "2021-11-13T06:00:52Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I thought of it because one of the stories featured what would’ve been his first East Asian culprit. “He’s the guy!” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/143 "2021-11-13T11:36:26Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > One thing it did make me realize: as far as I remember, there are only two non-Caucasian Columbo murderers. Namely? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/144 "2021-11-13T11:56:40Z")
Do you guys know that the guys who created murder she wrote ? id of loved to see that crossover And id of loved to see monk and Colombo on the same case … ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/145 "2021-11-13T12:06:32Z")
Luis Montoya (“A Matter of Honor”) and Hassan Salah (“A Case of Immunity”). I don’t _think_ I’m missing any. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/146 "2021-11-13T12:12:00Z")
I guess I’m wondering whether to count the murderer played by Academy Award winner José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón… ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/147 "2021-11-13T12:17:34Z")
Good question! Considering the casting of his character’s son, their shared last name, and the general attitude toward interracial marriage at the time, probably not…? ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/148 "2021-11-13T12:37:16Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Luis Montoya (“A Matter of Honor”) and Hassan Salah (“A Case of Immunity”). I don’t _think_ I’m missing any. The actor’s name for these are Ricardo Montalban and Hector Elizondo. And speaking of Monk and Hector Elizondo, he played Dr. Bell on Monk. ---
**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:** [November 13, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/149 "2021-11-13T17:49:54Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Good question! Considering the casting of **his character’s son,** their shared last name, and the general attitude toward interracial marriage at the time, probably not…? “Charlie X”?!? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/150 "2021-11-13T18:55:15Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Pretty good ep to go out on. A very young Matthew Rhys, looking almost like a teeanger, was the central bad guy (part of a team with his girlfriend). He plays a nightclub owner, allowing Columbo to interact with rave culture a mere ten years after it first became a thing. Here is a somewhat older Matthew Rhys on The Graham Norton Show, talking about that episode (and doing a pretty good Peter Falk impersonation): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZCqYTGX1TWI/maxresdefault.jpg "Matthew Rhys' Accent Kills Columbo | The Graham Norton Show | Friday at 11pm | BBC America") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCqYTGX1TWI) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2021, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/151 "2021-11-14T01:27:31Z")
> [@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_ . Another inspiration for the character: the detective in 1955’s _Diabolique_: > [@](#): > > …According to Word of God — a.k.a. prolific TV production partnership Levinson and Link — the film Les Diaboliques (1955) and its shabby inspector, Alfred Fichet, was the major initial inspiration for the character. Also Porfiry Petrovich, the similarly klutzy Russian inspector from Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and G. K. Chesterton’s humble Father Brown. … > **[Columbo](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/Columbo)** > > Columbo is a long-running American Mystery of the Week crime drama starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a beat-down, blue-collar Los Angeles homicide detective whose unkempt appearance, cheap cigars, and clownish antics hide an … > > [@hogarth](#): > > That’s why I wasn’t a fan of the later episodes of Columbo at the time (and why I haven’t watched them since). I’ve avoided all but one of the post-season-7 episodes—I caught the one starring Lindsay Crouse, possibly shortly after seeing the movie _House of Games_. As I recall the plot was very similar to that of one of the pre-1979 eps, though I don’t remember which one. The Levinson-Link era episodes–the 45 from seasons 1 through 7–had some clinkers, but overall the quality was amazing. Even the art direction and costuming made for a “timeless” quality; just look at other shows made in the seventies and the faddishness of their look contrasts sadly with _Columbo_. I have several favorite episodes, but top-of-mind at the moment is Season 3’s “Any Old Port in a Storm,” starring Donald Pleasence. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/152 "2021-11-15T00:33:06Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > The Levinson-Link era episodes–the 45 from seasons 1 through 7–had some clinkers, but overall the quality was amazing. Even the art direction and costuming made for a “timeless” quality; just look at other shows made in the seventies and the faddishness of their look contrasts sadly with _Columbo_. Considering how often the 1970s fashions in Columbo make me, someone born in the early 1980s, fall down laughing, I’m afraid to watch these “faddish” shows you talk about. I still haven’t recovered from Suzanne Pleschette’s [matching red kerchief and jacket](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066931/mediaviewer/rm2150279937/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) from the first season episode “Dead Weight.” ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/153 "2021-11-15T00:46:17Z")
> [@Catamount](#): > > Considering how often the 1970s fashions in Columbo make me, someone born in the early 1980s, fall down laughing, I’m afraid to watch these “faddish” shows you talk about. I still haven’t recovered from Suzanne Pleschette’s [matching red kerchief and jacket](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066931/mediaviewer/rm2150279937/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) from the first season episode “Dead Weight.” - Sure, the 70s _Columbo_ shows do clearly signal ‘made in the 70s’—but, truly, not to the extent of other 70s shows. Compare with _The Brady Bunch_, _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_, and even dramas like _Dallas_ and _Fantasy Island_. (I’m looking for a site to link, but most pages highlighting 70s fashion seem to be on sites such as Pinterest, which aren’t accessible except to account-holders. For example: > **[38 Bad 70s Fashion ideas in 2024 | 70s fashion, 1970s fashion, fashion](https://www.pinterest.com/only1kcm/bad-70s-fashion/)** > > Aug 14, 2024 - The '70s were just...bad. See more ideas about 70s fashion, 1970s fashion, fashion. ETA: Examples from shows mentioned can be found on this Google image search page: [https://www.google.com/search?q="television"+"fashion"+1970s&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiU18n9j5n0AhVI0FMKHYgsBN0Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq="television"+"fashion"+1970s&gs\_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIGCAAQCBAeOggIABAIEAcQHjoICAAQBxAFEB46BQgAEIAEOgYIABAHEB5QwAhY8Spgpi5oAHAAeACAAWiIAaAOkgEEMjMuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=iauRYdTuHMigzwKI2ZDoDQ&bih=834&biw=835&safe=active](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22television%22+%22fashion%22+1970s&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiU18n9j5n0AhVI0FMKHYgsBN0Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=%22television%22+%22fashion%22+1970s&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIGCAAQCBAeOggIABAIEAcQHjoICAAQBxAFEB46BQgAEIAEOgYIABAHEB5QwAhY8Spgpi5oAHAAeACAAWiIAaAOkgEEMjMuMZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=iauRYdTuHMigzwKI2ZDoDQ&bih=834&biw=835&safe=active) ---
**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:** [November 15, 2021, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/154 "2021-11-15T00:55:17Z")
There’s an outfit worn by Jo Ann Pflug in “The Night Strangler” that cracks me up every time I watch that movie. Basically tablecloth-style red and white checks with a Sly Stone hat. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2021, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309/155 "2021-11-15T08:02:00Z")
The fashions in the later _ **Columbo** _ episodes are even more outlandish than those filmed in the '70s. They’re on a par with the clothing in _ **Matlock** _, which ran from 1986 to 1995. As far as I remember the '70s, a lot of the crap shown in the links above was worn only by models in ads for “trendy” fashions. I don’t recall ever seeing most of it in real life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-rewatching-every-episode-of-columbo/953309.md?page=7)