Re: Columbo appreciation
 

I love Columbo and the Dick Van Dyke episode is one of my favorites too. They're both great in that one.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

This is a great idea. This show has such a huge underground of fans. With the right talent, I really think this show could be brought revived. If properly done, I would love to see a new series.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

I recently rewatched this one ("The Bye Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case", stupid name) and while it has some great scenes, it's doesn't hold up as well as some other episodes. It's got a weirdly offbeat (and off-putting) tone to it, the direction is sloppy and I didn't like the murderer's performance very much. I wouldn't put it in the top tier.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

I totally agree that many of the clues and "gotchas" are pretty flimsy. It doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the series, though.

There's a great Columbo podcast done out of Glasgow (www.columbopodcast.com). They've reviewed pretty much every episode. At the end of each season, they go back, review the evidence and try to determine if the murderer would have actually been convicted. They'd certainly agree as well, the convict rate is surprisingly low.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

Just watched "Double Exposure" starring Culp, in his third role as murderer. Now, it didn't explain cigarette burns, but it did have a similar projector trick for noting reel changes called a "nickel drop."
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...6161711AAlB6Zj
I think that's possibly where the confusion comes in, since both have a murder involve projectors, both involving reel changes, and both have the murderer trying to alter the expected time of the murder.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

Columbo holds up very well. I can't think of another 1970s show that works as well today. I tried to watch Quincy, and I gave up after two episodes.

Mrs Danger's favorite episode is the one where Roddy McDowell makes an exploding cigar, then Columbo takes him up in an aerial tram with a box of cigars.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

Ordered the complete box set on Amazon a couple of months ago, happy to have it in my collection, but haven't cracked the seal yet!

Going to dig in again over the summer...

Great show.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

I always thought it was hysterical how he would walk into people's houses smoking a stinky cigar and ask for an ashtray or a light.
I think in one episode he was smoking in somebody's hospital room.
Funny how public smoking pretty much anywhere was not a big deal back then.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

Just caught the 60's pilot last week on Me-TV. This coming Sunday, they will be airing Ransom For A Dead Man (The second pilot).

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

The first TV Movie, Prescription Murder, wasn't actually a pilot; it was a one-off TV-Movie, based on a play, based on a teleplay from another show, based on a short story. When Prescription Murder was produced, there weren't any plans to make it a TV series.

Ransom For A Dead Man was the actual pilot for the show, since it was produced explicitly to see if making a show based on the character Columbo was viable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columb...played_Columbo

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

One of my cable channels runs, or at least until a month or so ago ran, quincy every weekday. I caught a few episodes and thing thing that got old quick was Quincy's moralizing on some social or medical issue. It wouldn't be so bad except he's very sanctimonious and not always on the right side of history.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

Second series (80's~90's) begins Jan 1st on MeTv.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

I used to watch "Quincy" back in it's original run, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I thought it took a dip when episodic TV vet Lynette Metty was dropped as his girlfriend early on. Unfortunately, like many series, the character ("Quincy") essentially adopted the mindset of the actor ("Jack Klugman").

Here's a quote from the IMDB:

[on what made Quincy M.E. (1976) a hit] Quincy was a muckraker, like Upton Sinclair, who wrote about injustices. He was my ideal as a youngster, my author, my hero. Everybody said, "Quincy' will never be a hit.". I said, "You guys are wrong. He's two heroes in one, a cop and a doctor". A coroner has power. He can tell the police commissioner to investigate a murder. I saw the opportunity to do what I'd gotten into the theater to do--give a message. They were going to do cops and robbers with "Quincy". I said, "You promised me I could do causes". They said, "Nobody wants to see that" I said, "Look at the success of 60 Minutes (1968). They want to see it if you present it as entertainment".

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

I just want someone to give Rufalo enough money to do a Columbo revival.

Re: Columbo appreciation
 

I have begun watching the Season 6/7 set. I didn't really watch the revival series, so watching these is bittersweet. I am really enjoying, relishing this final set of episodes - Ruth Gordon, Louis Jourdan. Great set of episodes.