This one has that great line that goes something like "Let's stop pretending that I'm a genius and that you're stupid." Probably nearly every murderer has wanted to say that to Columbo.
I love that throughout most of this episode, Shatner's character kept slipping into character, trying to help Columbo solve the crime even when it was really against his best interests.
I agree with some other people's takes on this that Ward Fowler no longer has all his marbles, he confuses reality and fantasy, and is suffering from some sort of multiple personality disorder, honestly thinking he is Detective Lucerne for short periods of time.
@@parcivale Truly a portrayal of mental illness. Wish publisher provided more info. Diary of a Mad Housewife was a recent box office hit. Or you could say you see Shatner’s personality surging and ebbing.
@@MedXOR Shatner is a better actor than he's often given credit for. He usually performs his characters as big and scenery-eating because that's the way they're written (Denny Crane) and that's what he's hired to do. But he can be quite layered as he was here. But I think you're thinking of John Cassavetes' "Woman Under The Influence" that starred Falk and Gena Rowlands that came out in 1974-5. But, yeah, I'd never considered how that film might have influenced that Columbo episode.
Shatner is honestly the best sport about being caught I've seen on the show. Most are either mortified or sink into a deep resignation/depression. Shatner just looked disappointed that he overlooked the minor detail of the bullet but instantly got over it and gave Columbo his prize of a full confession.
I think it’s inferred that he’s mentally ill, so he’s not living totally in reality at this point. The way he thought he was the Lieutenant character and referred to Ward Fowler as if he were another person showed that he had lost it.
Two things that spring to mind, one we never get to see the person Columbo arrests go to court and have a trial to see if Columbo's evidence against them really adds up. In some episodes like the Johnny Cash one he tells columbo he would have confessed eventually even if he had not been caught because the guilt was weighing on him.
Colombo's tag line "Uh, just one more thing" came about completely by accident. During taping Peter Falk forgot to complete one of his scripted lines, so to cover, he added "Just one more thing, Sir". They left it in the pilot, & the rest is history.
Close, but not quite. The SCRIPTWRITERS forgot to put in the last question. And since this was back in the days of typewriters, rather than wasting a page and retyping everything, they just added the “One more thing” line
@baronvonnembles when the scriptwriters for the show were typing up the original script, they realized they had forgotten to include a detail in the scene that was present in the original draft. So, rather than throw out the page and retype the entire thing, they added a bit at the end where Columbo goes “Just one more thing”
I like the fact that Columbo and Fowler really seemed to enjoy each others company during the episode. The murderers on this show were often condescending towards Columbo, annoyed by his presence and they generally underestimated him - but not Fowler. He was genuinely friendly and respectful to him and you could really tell that Columbo appreciated that. It was a nice change of dynamic, especially for this kind of meta-episode. Of course there were other sympathic antagonists within the show (especially later on) but Ward Fowler is a great blueprint for these kinds of "other" murderers in the Columbo-verse - besides Adrian Carsini of course :)
Who was Adrian Carsini? Was that the Wine guy? I think FAye Dunaway also played a sympathtic Murderess who only murdered to protect Her Daughter if Memory servies me right.
I always admired the fact that Shatner was willing to admit that he wore lifts and a hair piece in this episode. He has a reputation of being vain and egotistical. Yet, he was willing to reveal these "flaws" (?) for this show.
@@grf15 I think a lot of people hate on Shatner because it's fashionable (and has been) to do so because he was "the star" and, by his own admission, he was a jerk to a lot of fans when Star Trek took off like it did. (Some of his co-stars never went anywhere after Star Trek and some of them are just petty, angry little men overall *cough* George Takei) I believe though that he, like Mr. T. and Adam West, went on to make a living out of enjoying parodying themselves and the way they acted. I agree with you, though, that it was a most excellent shot on his part that he allowed that in this script and played it so well.
"Without the platform shoes." . .Columbo really knows how to go for the jugular there. Look how devastated Fowler was by Columbo saying that in front of other people.
@@BTX61 Wonderful point . . . I think it's because he knew as an actor how dramatically effective it would be for Columbo to drop that bomb on him in front of other people.
This was a brilliant episode...made all the more so by Shatner's slipping in and out of character as Lieutenant Lecerne. Did anyone else notice that, right at the start of this clip when Falk & Shatner stand up, there is a picture (Line drawing it looks like) of Shatner as Captain Kirk on the desk?
I see Shatner's face over a V-neck sweater but James T Kirk doesn't have a monopoly on V-neck sweaters, does he? There's no reason to believe that this was meant to be some cute Fourth Wall reference to Star Trek.
that actually would make a decent alibi if you get the person your with drunk pass out and see the game they are watching still going on and then you tell him. You still too drunk why don't you go to sleep. still you got to hope he remember he woke up at the hour you wanted him .
What I love about Columbo, is apart from the plots and acting, which were a bit variable, is that it went on so long, that it's a Sociological study of American technology. In the UK, the episodes tend to turn up in random order. In one he's dealing with a mainframe computer, in the next one he's fascinated by a phone answering machine. The constant of the reasons for murder, remain unchanging, against a ever changing backdrop of different backgrounds. It's like only the world and Columbo change, the killer's motives remain.
@@Marveryn It would have been a better alibi if HE DIDN'T SHOW IT TO COLUMBO AND EXPLAIN HOW IT WORKS! Ward Fowler subconsciously really wanted to get caught.
Love the old Columbo shows. A distinct memory of this show being on at my grandparents home during Sunday afternoon visits. Always had a nice pace to these shows, not too rushed. Allowing the actors to do just that, act. Allowing for pause and reflection by the audience. Shatner made for a decent villain. This episode has long stuck in my memory.
Lieutenant you would do me an Enormous favor if you would stop calling me sir. Wow. What a line of respect from a criminal. Unlike most criminals who are annoyed and condescending towards Colombo. Shatner’s character could appreciate the skill and perception of a master chess player and had enough grace to congratulate him. Up until the time he was playing the part of an innocent man he could be recognized as Sir, but once it was revealed that he was a murderer, in his eyes he didn’t deserve that respect anymore. That’s class. I love William Shatner I don’t know why peopleAlways complain that he overreacts. He’s brilliant and so subtle it his performance. I can see why he was a favorite character on Colombo. As anything knows this wasn’t his first appearance.
Legendary scene , William shatner’s talent is immense but Columbo is legendary. Peter Falk would beat every guest star on Columbo to any kind of award. The right man for the right show,
Patrick MacGoohan was a very good foil for Peter Falk, though. I am sure there was a very good reason for Patrick MacGoohan being the guest star as many times as he was.
As excellently played by William Shatner, dare I say it, but Ward Fowler/Lt Lucerne may be the most LIKABLE Columbo murderer! This is one of the more refreshing episodes of the series because at no point does Fowler get angry with Columbo or threaten him or insults him. He plays along the whole time being completely helpful and friendly to the Lieutenant. Strangely this episode reminds me somewhat of "By Dawn's Early Light" where the Colonel was fully supportive of Columbo and connected with him just hoping he'd get away with it, but proudly accepting his fate in the end. Unlike most other murderers, I felt a sense of genuine friendship between Fowler and Columbo. Most of the bad guys either play along early on then get pissed and threaten Columbo with lawsuits, or begrudgingly put up with his antics, or they don't put up a facade at all and let him know immediately they don't like him. It's like Fowler knew from the jump that Columbo was someone not to be played with, anticipating his every move and question, but at the same time knowing that Columbo knew he was guilty from the start. This may be a top 10 episode of the show.
The funniest Columbo episode. These two did make a great team in this episode, great chemistry between them and they played off each other brilliantly.
It is the actual Columbo formula. Columbo movies are not really mysteries. They are a modern variation of the classical Greek tragedy, with the important difference that the central character of the drama, the murderer, is not someone that the audience will sympathize with. Columbo does not investigate the crime to find the murderer and arrest him, Columbo shows up and hounds the murderer to their destruction. In some of the films he is crueler than others, but, when Columbo is done, the killer is thankful to be arrested, as it mean that they will never again hear "Just one more thing".
Sometimes it does; there are cases where the killer just admits everything to get it over with. And of course the notorious case of Ed Kemper who actually told the police himself that he was a serial killer despite not being suspected of anything, and he wasn't even believed at first.
Yeah, that's so unrealistic. Today's murderers post their confessions on Facebook. That makes much more sense. Truth is a lot stranger than fiction these days.
Interrogaters know that a criminal especially murders are proud and arrogant and if you play them long enough their pride will get them to admit by accident because they perceive themselves as smarter than the average police interrogater. The psychopath of course KNOWS he /she is smarter than everyone else and anyway they didn’t do anything wrong
This actually I believe is one of Shatner's better "over the top" acting gigs. He played The part with in a contrived conceit context as usual, but unlike his Fielding Chase character, this was actually good.
I always thought that the character of Fielding Chase was meant as a barb applied against the ego of Rush Limbaugh. As an embodiment of what liberals hate about Limbaugh, Fielding Chase is well played.
@Angie H. I know of the edit potential and use it often thank you. But once a typo I'd made past my editing stage and posted and then pointed out by someone like yourself, I figured everybody knows I made an error and that someone else (you in this case) has corrected it. Why should I need to waste time to go back an correct a single letter in this case when you've already plainly pointed out my oops. I have better things to write, sat, search and read than spending time going back and corrected a single word or single letter mistake. If it's a grammatically incorrect sentence or subject matter, then by all means I will go back and edit my original post. You've already corrected it for all those who didn't know it from my post. Done deal.
I had to come back to this one.. I still haven't gone back to the "modern" one. This one is a lot better than I expected. I was expecting the William Shatner Hour.. which is kind of what we got but the chemistry between Falk and Shatner was great.
With Columbo I always enjoy watching it, trying to guess when it was made, before it becomes obvious. The other day I started watching it, and Columbo had a neat haircut and was wearing a sharp suit with really narrow lapels. I thought, ah ha, the 80s, they've realised the shambling detective thing is getting a bit stale, with the changing fashions of the 80s, so they've cleaned him up and bit for the Reaganite era. I was wrong, it was the first one ever made, in the 60s.
Little Fact - this house set was simply a redressed set from the house interior and exterior used as Nelson Brenner's home in the 1975 episode "Identity Crisis".
“Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?”― Tennessee Williams
Has it ever occurred to you that your incessant repetition of this quote is not only pointless but leaves most people wondering what in the nine Hells it has to do with Columbo itself, or the clip we just watched? You made whatever "point" you had a long time ago.
Shatners performance in this was amazing! I love the way he has that cheeky smile when he is playing a psychological games of chess with Colombo. Colombo WON!
You bump into him as you go out to your car, turns out his wife convinced him to get a time share there and he's got a few questions for you, now that he's got the chance to ask you them.
Little Fact - this house set was simply a redressed set from the house interior and exterior used as Nelson Brenner's home in the 1975 episode "Identity Crisis".
@@Mistahhuntah Ugh, REALLY? Do you REALLY want to go toe-to-toe with me on this and supply you with CHAPTER and VERSE proof, meaning episode names and season numbers?
@@SECRETARIATguy224 only someone who hasn't watched it in 15 years would babble such ignorance. Just one more thing goes back to prescription murder and was used at least once in every episode. I have both The Columbophile and shooting columbo to back me up on that.
General conviction rates are around 85%. Given that Columbo usually either finds substantial physical evidence or gets a witnessed confession I’m guessing his rate is probably over 95%. (Around 50% of murders result in an arrest).
@@fredbloggs5902 Conviction rates are at 85% because the vast majority of defendants plead out before going to trial. A paid lawyer will spend nearly 100 hours on your case *Before* trial begins, whereas a public defender spends on average only a single hour looking over a defendant's case file.
That house was used in Double Shock and the Colombo episode with Patrick McGoohan, Identity Crisis I think it was titled. It was also used in the 1990 movie about the life of Rock Hudson. Not sure if it's still standing.
I noticed it got used quite a bit, too. Even the same throw pillows, not even moved at all, positioned the same, like they didn’t even fall over and get put in place again, even some of the same furniture and so forth.
@@_Meng_Lan I remember an old Mannix episode where Mannix goes to a house party-- the house he goes to is the Brady Bunch house! From the front entryway to the living room...they just set up shop right there. Same set.
Think of the people who were and still are framed...Before the test for human blood, animal blood was often used to frame someone, then it progressed to blood types, helped a little more, and now the DNA. There may even be another level yet to be discovered. There are a lot of people in prison waiting to get the justice system to actually test the DNA that is in evidence, but never tested. You would think that if they had a DNA sample from the scene of the crime, by law they should have to test it before they can put somebody in prison they are proclaiming their innocence. But, they don’t. They will say it’s “too expensive“, or “to time consuming“, other lame excuses. If Putin were in charge, he’d say “fix it” and it would be fixed. Everyone’s DNA evidence would get tested right away. I’ve watched him rip his people on camera for departmental incompetence on many occasions, mistakes that were seriously and negatively affecting the lives of citizens. And some of the mistakes were so embarrassingly stupid, it’s clear that bureaucratic stupidity pisses him off. He doesn’t say it behind closed doors where he can try to retract what he said and pretend he didn’t say it, either. He says it on camera, so everyone can hold him accountable if he doesn’t follow through. We need some of that here. Correct it. Now.
It's nice to see Peter Falk and Shatner being so young. One supplication to the Gods of TV: Please find another season of Columbo lying around somewhere !
I watched it on Peacock and the stupid people who cue up the next episode cut off the ending. I had to come here to finally get closure on the episode! What a great show, loved Shatner's performance.
In this episode, Shatner demonstrated his new VCR and color camera. The camera was the latest thing in those days. It is a beast by our standards today. It was a Panasonic WV-2200. It used two camera tubes to produce a color picture. The hand held part weighs quite a bit AND it has a huge external unit that was carried on a strap to complete the system. I own one of these cameras and will be restoring it very soon. I tried to post the video clip of Shatner with the camera and got and immediate copyright strike, so I took it down. I would love to get permission to legally include that about one minute clip in my video. Can you advise?
would have been funny if someone did a spoof of this. when Colombo let William Shatner's character know that he was found out, Shatner pulled a transponder out of his pocket and said Beam me up Scotty! and disappeared in a transporter beam.
(1) Interesting to watch this clip about a prop gun on 10/23/2021 in the wake of the Alec Baldwin incident. (2) This is really really fine acting by Peter Falk and good work by William Shatner.
Always wear gloves when using the incriminating evidence. Wear double latex gloves to prevent gun shot residue from adhering to the glove that also has your fingerprints.
Columbo, Monk, and Inspector French are my holy trinity of detectives. I reckon some folk out there will know who the third one is. Freeman Wills Crofts invented the bullet finger prints and the murderer-already-in-the-room, behind the door, ideas.
Falk & Shatner together have probably given me more pleasure from their performances than the rest of the actors on earth or under it. Always loved Peter, I was a small boy when Trials of O'Brian debuted, competing with Get Smart. The competition did not last long. But I horrified my parents by doing an uncanny and compulsive impression of Peter for a summer. Then, Columbo. In-Laws. The man was a genius. Shatner may be self-parody but he also takes it to the level of genius. He spoke dialogue from 60s TV like it was Shakespeare. But over time, I grew to appreciate his creative energy. At 75 he created Denny Crane, one of the most vivid personalities in television history. Was this the best Columbo episode? Probably not. Shatner was in a career dip, soon to snap out of it. His over-acting here has not yet reached Master level, it's slightly annoying. But I love both these artists and I am grateful to them.
The sly genius that is Colombo. He acts stupid in order to catch out the killers and literally gets them to incriminate themselves by confessing to the murder. The killers often underestimated Colombo and thought he was an incompetent fool, until it was too late.
I guess I never saw this episode. I knew Shatner starred in one Columbo episode - the radio personality with a moustache (har har!) - but I did not know he was a guest star on a second Columbo. That's pretty damned cool!
William Shatner was awesome in this episode. IMO he was one of the more sympathetic killers in Columbo. Interestingly in his second outing as the killer, Butterfly in Shades of Grey 1994, Shatner was thoroughly unlikable. Surely old Bill deserves immense credit for such versatility?
Out of all suspects until that point, this guy was the most insane. Kept slipping in and out of character, saying he interrogated himself as a detective. I know it's not the Columbo way but I would have never approached him unarmed lol
A real decent bit of acting from William here! But Peter Falk was always incredible as columbo. Poor William is wearing a rather poor rug here, that screams toupee!
The best part of this denouement, starts at 6:08 . It's pure jambon , delivered with scene stealing delight. Also, correct me if I'm mistaken (ahem), but at 6:17, is Ward Fowler holding a cigarette in a cigarette holder?
This one has that great line that goes something like "Let's stop pretending that I'm a genius and that you're stupid."
Probably nearly every murderer has wanted to say that to Columbo.
Yep. Really meta.
Lowering the guard of the suspect is Columbo's super power.
villain does this in ep 1 too
I love that throughout most of this episode, Shatner's character kept slipping into character, trying to help Columbo solve the crime even when it was really against his best interests.
His big mouth worked against himself.
I agree with some other people's takes on this that Ward Fowler no longer has all his marbles, he confuses reality and fantasy, and is suffering from some sort of multiple personality disorder, honestly thinking he is Detective Lucerne for short periods of time.
@@parcivale Truly a portrayal of mental illness.
Wish publisher provided more info. Diary of a Mad Housewife was a recent box office hit.
Or you could say you see Shatner’s personality surging and ebbing.
@@MedXOR Shatner is a better actor than he's often given credit for. He usually performs his characters as big and scenery-eating because that's the way they're written (Denny Crane) and that's what he's hired to do. But he can be quite layered as he was here. But I think you're thinking of John Cassavetes' "Woman Under The Influence" that starred Falk and Gena Rowlands that came out in 1974-5. But, yeah, I'd never considered how that film might have influenced that Columbo episode.
@@parcivale Way above my pay grade, sir!
Shatner is honestly the best sport about being caught I've seen on the show. Most are either mortified or sink into a deep resignation/depression. Shatner just looked disappointed that he overlooked the minor detail of the bullet but instantly got over it and gave Columbo his prize of a full confession.
I think it’s inferred that he’s mentally ill, so he’s not living totally in reality at this point. The way he thought he was the Lieutenant character and referred to Ward Fowler as if he were another person showed that he had lost it.
Roddy McDowall got a big kick out of being busted. Columbo and William Windom actually seem a little embarrassed by it.
Two things that spring to mind, one we never get to see the person Columbo arrests go to court and have a trial to see if Columbo's evidence against them really adds up. In some episodes like the Johnny Cash one he tells columbo he would have confessed eventually even if he had not been caught because the guilt was weighing on him.
@@johnfinnegan8474 because it's a detective show, not a court show.
🤔🤣👍🇬🇧
Both Captain Kirk and Spock can't get away with murder
Yeah!
It's either one or the other
(that can get away with murder).
🤔🤣👍🇬🇧
Modern Columbo: Mr Syler just one more question...
Quinto:... At least he's not calling me Spock
@Angie H. No, Kirk and Spock's ancestors ;-)
@@gdwnet Ha Ha.
Colombo's tag line "Uh, just one more thing" came about completely by accident.
During taping Peter Falk forgot to complete one of his scripted lines, so to cover, he added "Just one more thing, Sir".
They left it in the pilot, & the rest is history.
Close, but not quite. The SCRIPTWRITERS forgot to put in the last question. And since this was back in the days of typewriters, rather than wasting a page and retyping everything, they just added the “One more thing” line
@baronvonnembles when the scriptwriters for the show were typing up the original script, they realized they had forgotten to include a detail in the scene that was present in the original draft. So, rather than throw out the page and retype the entire thing, they added a bit at the end where Columbo goes “Just one more thing”
I like the fact that Columbo and Fowler really seemed to enjoy each others company during the episode. The murderers on this show were often condescending towards Columbo, annoyed by his presence and they generally underestimated him - but not Fowler. He was genuinely friendly and respectful to him and you could really tell that Columbo appreciated that. It was a nice change of dynamic, especially for this kind of meta-episode. Of course there were other sympathic antagonists within the show (especially later on) but Ward Fowler is a great blueprint for these kinds of "other" murderers in the Columbo-verse - besides Adrian Carsini of course :)
That's Colombo for you. He is a lot smarter than he looks. He only pretends to stupid to catch the murderer out and get them to admit their guilt.
Who was Adrian Carsini? Was that the Wine guy? I think FAye Dunaway also played a sympathtic Murderess who only murdered to protect Her Daughter if Memory servies me right.
I love Shatners face when Columbo mentions his platform shoes … excellent acting by Shatner in this episode 👍
Shatner's acting is always excellent.
👡 👈👀👉 🤔🤣👍🇬🇧
I always admired the fact that Shatner was willing to admit that he wore lifts and a hair piece in this episode. He has a reputation of being vain and egotistical. Yet, he was willing to reveal these "flaws" (?) for this show.
@@grf15 I think a lot of people hate on Shatner because it's fashionable (and has been) to do so because he was "the star" and, by his own admission, he was a jerk to a lot of fans when Star Trek took off like it did. (Some of his co-stars never went anywhere after Star Trek and some of them are just petty, angry little men overall *cough* George Takei) I believe though that he, like Mr. T. and Adam West, went on to make a living out of enjoying parodying themselves and the way they acted. I agree with you, though, that it was a most excellent shot on his part that he allowed that in this script and played it so well.
@@jasonmichael3676 No. Not always. But when he is on, he is riveting.
"Forgot what?"
Shatner's smug grin when he says that. He still thought up to the last second that he was going to get away with the murder.
"Without the platform shoes." . .Columbo really knows how to go for the jugular there. Look how devastated Fowler was by Columbo saying that in front of other people.
I’m surprised Shatner let that one go through… he was always a shortie…..
@@BTX61 Wonderful point . . . I think it's because he knew as an actor how dramatically effective it would be for Columbo to drop that bomb on him in front of other people.
He was cruzen on platform short guys.
lol worse than a swear word
@@edge918 Absolutely. It's literally the worst thing he could possibly say . . . from Fowler's point of view.
This was a brilliant episode...made all the more so by Shatner's slipping in and out of character as Lieutenant Lecerne. Did anyone else notice that, right at the start of this clip when Falk & Shatner stand up, there is a picture (Line drawing it looks like) of Shatner as Captain Kirk on the desk?
Wow that’s a great catch lol
Lol awesome!
I saw that- thanks!
I see Shatner's face over a V-neck sweater but James T Kirk doesn't have a monopoly on V-neck sweaters, does he? There's no reason to believe that this was meant to be some cute Fourth Wall reference to Star Trek.
@@TallSilentGuy Well yeah, but isn't it fun to think so?
"Lieutenant, you would do me an enormous favor if you stopped calling me sir" lol
Why?
@@cloudybookcase9189 I don't think I understand that either. Is he ashamed of himself and thinks he doesn't deserve to be called sir? Is that it?
@@HC-cb4yp Yes that's it, he was ashamed about being a killer.
@@clhound Or he wants Columbo to drop the facade of being deferential and perpetually confused-he was going for the jugular the whole time.
@@VideoMask93 Yup ^^^^ this ^^^
In this episode, the killer used a videotape machine ($1100 retail in 1976) to manufacture his alibi, a novel idea, then.
that actually would make a decent alibi if you get the person your with drunk pass out and see the game they are watching still going on and then you tell him. You still too drunk why don't you go to sleep. still you got to hope he remember he woke up at the hour you wanted him .
I checked and that would be $5252 today.
What I love about Columbo, is apart from the plots and acting, which were a bit variable, is that it went on so long, that it's a Sociological study of American technology. In the UK, the episodes tend to turn up in random order. In one he's dealing with a mainframe computer, in the next one he's fascinated by a phone answering machine. The constant of the reasons for murder, remain unchanging, against a ever changing backdrop of different backgrounds. It's like only the world and Columbo change, the killer's motives remain.
@@lewisner It went down to 100 in a decade, but ten years earlier they cost 20,000 and filled a room.
@@Marveryn It would have been a better alibi if HE DIDN'T SHOW IT TO COLUMBO AND EXPLAIN HOW IT WORKS! Ward Fowler subconsciously really wanted to get caught.
Love the old Columbo shows. A distinct memory of this show being on at my grandparents home during Sunday afternoon visits. Always had a nice pace to these shows, not too rushed. Allowing the actors to do just that, act. Allowing for pause and reflection by the audience.
Shatner made for a decent villain. This episode has long stuck in my memory.
Shatner is always worth watching and so is Peter Falk - great television.
Lieutenant you would do me an Enormous favor if you would stop calling me sir. Wow. What a line of respect from a criminal. Unlike most criminals who are annoyed and condescending towards Colombo. Shatner’s character could appreciate the skill and perception of a master chess player and had enough grace to congratulate him. Up until the time he was playing the part of an innocent man he could be recognized as Sir, but once it was revealed that he was a murderer, in his eyes he didn’t deserve that respect anymore. That’s class. I love William Shatner I don’t know why peopleAlways complain that he overreacts. He’s brilliant and so subtle it his performance. I can see why he was a favorite character on Colombo. As anything knows this wasn’t his first appearance.
Agree with you
Shatner didn't overact in this episode at all. This is probably one of the best performances of his career.
I don't just love William Shatner because he's Captain Kirk, but because he's an excellent actor. ✨
Legendary scene , William shatner’s talent is immense but Columbo is legendary.
Peter Falk would beat every guest star on Columbo to any kind of award. The right man for the right show,
Patrick MacGoohan was a very good foil for Peter Falk, though. I am sure there was a very good reason for Patrick MacGoohan being the guest star as many times as he was.
@@richardbell7678 Tea for two ;)
"Will you stop calling him Lieutenant Lucerne! ..." LOL! Too funny! Great writing and casting.
"There should be a 'Captain' in there somewhere."
great writing, these episodes were/are so much fun
But I think it's more than a joke. Calling him by that name encouraged him to go into detective mode and unwittingly help solve the case.
As excellently played by William Shatner, dare I say it, but Ward Fowler/Lt Lucerne may be the most LIKABLE Columbo murderer! This is one of the more refreshing episodes of the series because at no point does Fowler get angry with Columbo or threaten him or insults him. He plays along the whole time being completely helpful and friendly to the Lieutenant. Strangely this episode reminds me somewhat of "By Dawn's Early Light" where the Colonel was fully supportive of Columbo and connected with him just hoping he'd get away with it, but proudly accepting his fate in the end. Unlike most other murderers, I felt a sense of genuine friendship between Fowler and Columbo. Most of the bad guys either play along early on then get pissed and threaten Columbo with lawsuits, or begrudgingly put up with his antics, or they don't put up a facade at all and let him know immediately they don't like him. It's like Fowler knew from the jump that Columbo was someone not to be played with, anticipating his every move and question, but at the same time knowing that Columbo knew he was guilty from the start. This may be a top 10 episode of the show.
Agreed, the Ruth Gordon episode was another in the same vein.
The funniest Columbo episode. These two did make a great team in this episode, great chemistry between them and they played off each other brilliantly.
If only this happened in real life, dang, you got me, here’s a full confession!
It is the actual Columbo formula. Columbo movies are not really mysteries. They are a modern variation of the classical Greek tragedy, with the important difference that the central character of the drama, the murderer, is not someone that the audience will sympathize with. Columbo does not investigate the crime to find the murderer and arrest him, Columbo shows up and hounds the murderer to their destruction. In some of the films he is crueler than others, but, when Columbo is done, the killer is thankful to be arrested, as it mean that they will never again hear "Just one more thing".
Sometimes it does; there are cases where the killer just admits everything to get it over with.
And of course the notorious case of Ed Kemper who actually told the police himself that he was a serial killer despite not being suspected of anything, and he wasn't even believed at first.
Yeah, that's so unrealistic. Today's murderers post their confessions on Facebook. That makes much more sense. Truth is a lot stranger than fiction these days.
@@richardbell7678 😂😂😂😂😂 excellent point there
Interrogaters know that a criminal especially murders are proud and arrogant and if you play them long enough their pride will get them to admit by accident because they perceive themselves as smarter than the average police interrogater. The psychopath of course KNOWS he /she is smarter than everyone else and anyway they didn’t do anything wrong
I AM ALMOST 42 AND COLUMBO IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC DETECTIVE SHOWS ON TELEVISION.
I'll be 42 on December 28th. We had great TV growing up in the 80s didn't we.
42, eh kid ? I'm 66 and I agree with you- cheers!
That's 2 facts.
30 steps to the door before he says the famous line: “ just one more thing…”
This actually I believe is one of Shatner's better "over the top" acting gigs. He played The part with in a contrived conceit context as usual, but unlike his Fielding Chase character, this was actually good.
I agree. The Fielding Chase character was not very good
@Angie H. Oops. 🤣
I always thought that the character of Fielding Chase was meant as a barb applied against the ego of Rush Limbaugh. As an embodiment of what liberals hate about Limbaugh, Fielding Chase is well played.
@Angie H. I know of the edit potential and use it often thank you. But once a typo I'd made past my editing stage and posted and then pointed out by someone like yourself, I figured everybody knows I made an error and that someone else (you in this case) has corrected it. Why should I need to waste time to go back an correct a single letter in this case when you've already plainly pointed out my oops. I have better things to write, sat, search and read than spending time going back and corrected a single word or single letter mistake. If it's a grammatically incorrect sentence or subject matter, then by all means I will go back and edit my original post. You've already corrected it for all those who didn't know it from my post. Done deal.
I had to come back to this one.. I still haven't gone back to the "modern" one. This one is a lot better than I expected. I was expecting the William Shatner Hour.. which is kind of what we got but the chemistry between Falk and Shatner was great.
With Columbo I always enjoy watching it, trying to guess when it was made, before it becomes obvious. The other day I started watching it, and Columbo had a neat haircut and was wearing a sharp suit with really narrow lapels. I thought, ah ha, the 80s, they've realised the shambling detective thing is getting a bit stale, with the changing fashions of the 80s, so they've cleaned him up and bit for the Reaganite era.
I was wrong, it was the first one ever made, in the 60s.
I love it when Columbo always has the evidence in a paper bag..utterly genius...
Columbo knew that plastic was very bad for the environment, even back then. He truly was a genius.
"Paper Bag.", punch line to a naughty joke.
The best "Oh, one more thing..." in the series.
Colombo fighting with the door was the best parts.
Little Fact - this house set was simply a redressed set from the house interior and exterior used as Nelson Brenner's home in the 1975 episode "Identity Crisis".
And the black cop over emphasising his lines because he was so excited to have a part in Columbo.
When 2 legends work together, the result is nothing less than outstanding🤘
Two of my favorite actors on screen together. Love Colombo and captian Kirk.
“Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?”― Tennessee Williams
Columbo >>> Tennessee Williams
Has it ever occurred to you that your incessant repetition of this quote is not only pointless but leaves most people wondering what in the nine Hells it has to do with Columbo itself, or the clip we just watched? You made whatever "point" you had a long time ago.
No wonder Williams was such a great writer.
Shatners performance in this was amazing!
I love the way he has that cheeky smile when he is playing a psychological games of chess with Colombo.
Colombo WON!
a great clip from a great episode ,;showing another big star in hollywood in that date and time ...cpt. kirk and lt. columbo
Never talk to Columbo, NEVER TALK TO COLUMBO. If I find out Columbo is a case that could involve me I am moving to sweet sweet Mexico for a long time.
You bump into him as you go out to your car, turns out his wife convinced him to get a time share there and he's got a few questions for you, now that he's got the chance to ask you them.
Little Fact - this house set was simply a redressed set from the house interior and exterior used as Nelson Brenner's home in the 1975 episode "Identity Crisis".
The sound recordings and post production dubbing always gives me Unintentional ASMR
4:05 That wince Shatner makes over Columbo remarks about their respective heights 🤣
Finally, an episode clip where he does say, "Oh, one more thing, sir." I was beginning to think it was a trope just from one episode or something.
No he says it in every episode.
@@Mistahhuntah No he doesn't. Only someone who hasn't watched all of them would ever say that.
@@SECRETARIATguy224 yes he absolutely does.
@@Mistahhuntah Ugh, REALLY? Do you REALLY want to go toe-to-toe with me on this and supply you with CHAPTER and VERSE proof, meaning episode names and season numbers?
@@SECRETARIATguy224 only someone who hasn't watched it in 15 years would babble such ignorance. Just one more thing goes back to prescription murder and was used at least once in every episode. I have both The Columbophile and shooting columbo to back me up on that.
LOVE this episode. Shatner is so perfectly extra.
Shatner had excellent chemistry with Falk and I'm glad that Shatner returned to Columbo in Butterfly In Shades Of Grey.
Yep fingerprints helped Columbo again. It was fitting that he got the confession as a bonus.
But he may not have actually had recoverable fingerprints on the casings ...
@@eddarby469 I would have made a point to wipe down the bullets as well. Not that I've spent a lot of time thinking about murder or anything...
As with every Columbo case, a good lawyer is all that stands between his detective work and a successful outcome.
No such thing as a good lawyer, just varying degrees of evil.
General conviction rates are around 85%.
Given that Columbo usually either finds substantial physical evidence or gets a witnessed confession I’m guessing his rate is probably over 95%.
(Around 50% of murders result in an arrest).
@@fredbloggs5902 Conviction rates are at 85% because the vast majority of defendants plead out before going to trial. A paid lawyer will spend nearly 100 hours on your case *Before* trial begins, whereas a public defender spends on average only a single hour looking over a defendant's case file.
I love Columbo even better if William Shatner is in it, I love the way they always confess at the end.
When Colombo brings a brown bag to the party... just know your goose is cooked.
I can't believe this Channel still hasn't made a million subscribers.
The channel NoLifeShaq has 3.2 million subscribers. He is quite entertaining.
Columbo always carrying evidence in an old crumpled up brown paper bag.
"About my height and your height..without the platform shoes" In reality Shatner was 3 inches taller than Falk.
But way shorter than Nimoy….
@@BTX61 Actually Nimoy is quite short in real life too. I met him once in 1984.
@@roylavecchia1436 Really!?
And this dude, Shatner, still alive and looking marvelous
Still kicking..
That house was used in Double Shock and the Colombo episode with Patrick McGoohan, Identity Crisis I think it was titled. It was also used in the 1990 movie about the life of Rock Hudson. Not sure if it's still standing.
I noticed it got used quite a bit, too. Even the same throw pillows, not even moved at all, positioned the same, like they didn’t even fall over and get put in place again, even some of the same furniture and so forth.
@@_Meng_Lan I remember an old Mannix episode where Mannix goes to a house party-- the house he goes to is the Brady Bunch house! From the front entryway to the living room...they just set up shop right there. Same set.
Only if Columbo had access to DNA technology back in the 1970's... But then again, that never stopped him from finding murderers.
Think of the people who were and still are framed...Before the test for human blood, animal blood was often used to frame someone, then it progressed to blood types, helped a little more, and now the DNA. There may even be another level yet to be discovered.
There are a lot of people in prison waiting to get the justice system to actually test the DNA that is in evidence, but never tested. You would think that if they had a DNA sample from the scene of the crime, by law they should have to test it before they can put somebody in prison they are proclaiming their innocence. But, they don’t. They will say it’s “too expensive“, or “to time consuming“, other lame excuses.
If Putin were in charge, he’d say “fix it” and it would be fixed. Everyone’s DNA evidence would get tested right away. I’ve watched him rip his people on camera for departmental incompetence on many occasions, mistakes that were seriously and negatively affecting the lives of citizens. And some of the mistakes were so embarrassingly stupid, it’s clear that bureaucratic stupidity pisses him off. He doesn’t say it behind closed doors where he can try to retract what he said and pretend he didn’t say it, either. He says it on camera, so everyone can hold him accountable if he doesn’t follow through.
We need some of that here. Correct it. Now.
@@misskim2058 100% agree
Ward Fowler is easily in the top 10 villians of the 1970's Columbo series. Perhaps top 5.
He wasn't entirely a villain though. She was blackmailing him.
I love the choice of dialogue at 4:25 "Endlessly Fascinating Lieutenant, " a little nod to Spock?
5:51 🤣Shatner's face!
He could have used his transporter device and beamed away too.
Mister Scott would never help a killer, transport denied.
@@oogiev2
Mr. Scott would never disobey an order from Captain Kirk.
@@289cobra9 Mr. Scott would never commit a crime like abetting, so unlawful orders even from Murderer Kirk will not be obeyed.
😁😄😆
@@nildabridgeman8104 Mister Spock finds it illogical that you would post smiling faces on such a serious topic.
Columbo had some very good big name guest actors on the series. Shatner was one of them.
The fact that the victim was killed by a phaser was the giveaway!
Great scene. I love both of these actors so much.
"Lieutenant, you would do me an enormous favor.. if you would stop calling me 'sir' "
Lovely.
It's nice to see Peter Falk and Shatner being so young.
One supplication to the Gods of TV: Please find another season of Columbo lying around somewhere !
I was expecting Shatner to admit his guilt and say, "Enterprise, get me outta here. One to beam up immediately."
That would have been outstanding 😀
One of my favorite episodes!✨
I watched it on Peacock and the stupid people who cue up the next episode cut off the ending. I had to come here to finally get closure on the episode! What a great show, loved Shatner's performance.
"Oh and one more thing...... Who's that gangly looking fellow you got with you over there?"
"what did you say your dad did for a living again?"
In this episode, Shatner demonstrated his new VCR and color camera. The camera was the latest thing in those days. It is a beast by our standards today. It was a Panasonic WV-2200. It used two camera tubes to produce a color picture. The hand held part weighs quite a bit AND it has a huge external unit that was carried on a strap to complete the system. I own one of these cameras and will be restoring it very soon. I tried to post the video clip of Shatner with the camera and got and immediate copyright strike, so I took it down. I would love to get permission to legally include that about one minute clip in my video. Can you advise?
The quintessential "Oh, one more thing Sir"....had to be with Shatner.
Most everyone has impeccable manners in this series.
Two stars I truly love...Peter Falk and William Shatner .
Amazing how Claire's husband is right there and doesn't go to attack Ward after he admits to murdering her.
It was more watered down in those days?
*Kirk:* What would ....Fowler need ...with ...a plea deal?
Can you open this sir I simply don't have the knack, so shatner simply unlocks the door and opens it, Lol. Alway's making people think he's an idiot.
It's so convenient how everyone always confesses for columbo.
would have been funny if someone did a spoof of this.
when Colombo let William Shatner's character know that he was found out,
Shatner pulled a transponder out of his pocket and said Beam me up Scotty!
and disappeared in a transporter beam.
(1) Interesting to watch this clip about a prop gun on 10/23/2021 in the wake of the Alec Baldwin incident. (2) This is really really fine acting by Peter Falk and good work by William Shatner.
Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov ) was also in this episode playing Stg.Johnson.
"you certainly like to take a chance" lol!😂🤣
Always wear gloves when using the incriminating evidence. Wear double latex gloves to prevent gun shot residue from adhering to the glove that also has your fingerprints.
Columbo, Monk, and Inspector French are my holy trinity of detectives. I reckon some folk out there will know who the third one is. Freeman Wills Crofts invented the bullet finger prints and the murderer-already-in-the-room, behind the door, ideas.
It is true: the wider the shirt collar the greater the odds someone is a killer on Colombo.
Falk & Shatner together have probably given me more pleasure from their performances than the rest of the actors on earth or under it.
Always loved Peter, I was a small boy when Trials of O'Brian debuted, competing with Get Smart. The competition did not last long. But I horrified my parents by doing an uncanny and compulsive impression of Peter for a summer. Then, Columbo. In-Laws. The man was a genius.
Shatner may be self-parody but he also takes it to the level of genius. He spoke dialogue from 60s TV like it was Shakespeare. But over time, I grew to appreciate his creative energy. At 75 he created Denny Crane, one of the most vivid personalities in television history.
Was this the best Columbo episode? Probably not. Shatner was in a career dip, soon to snap out of it. His over-acting here has not yet reached Master level, it's slightly annoying. But I love both these artists and I am grateful to them.
love the Shat in this!
"You did kill Claire Daley. didn’t you, sir?"
**quickly opens communicator**
'Scotty, emergency beam up!'
"Quit calling me sir." But a captain outranks a lieutenant.
The charisma of these two actors is greater than the whole of present-day Hollywood has, combined.
0:15 *Game over*
Can you get me out of this mess Bones? Dammit Jim I’m a doctor not a lawyer!
don't call me sir, call me Shirley, like Bubba will in the slammer...hahahaahahahahaaaaaa
Now imagine Peter Falk playing the extra terrestrial threat in Star Trek 😂😂
Lieutenant Columbo used the word ‘sir’ 30 times in this scene alone. 😂
Shatner's so camp here. Brilliant interplay with Peter's Columbo.
The sly genius that is Colombo. He acts stupid in order to catch out the killers and literally gets them to incriminate themselves by confessing to the murder.
The killers often underestimated Colombo and thought he was an incompetent fool, until it was too late.
Great series. Small typo in the description, this is Season 6, Episode 1. I streamed them all on Peacock as suggested.
I guess I never saw this episode. I knew Shatner starred in one Columbo episode - the radio personality with a moustache (har har!) - but I did not know he was a guest star on a second Columbo. That's pretty damned cool!
The secretary, Shera Danese, is Peter Faik's wife.
William Shatner was awesome in this episode. IMO he was one of the more sympathetic killers in Columbo. Interestingly in his second outing as the killer, Butterfly in Shades of Grey 1994, Shatner was thoroughly unlikable. Surely old Bill deserves immense credit for such versatility?
Did you know Columbo is from a void dimension and that's where he goes when he's not working. The writers said so not me
Mr. Columbo? Yes Sir? Do me a favor and stop calling me Sir, Call me Captain Kirk!
Out of all suspects until that point, this guy was the most insane. Kept slipping in and out of character, saying he interrogated himself as a detective. I know it's not the Columbo way but I would have never approached him unarmed lol
Love these Columbo snippets, but hate that over the top music at the end. As if some epic greatness has been done.
A real decent bit of acting from William here! But Peter Falk was always incredible as columbo. Poor William is wearing a rather poor rug here, that screams toupee!
I Love Columbo!
And I still watch it to this day
On Saturdays at 8:00
"Beam me up, Scotty!" is not going to get you out of this one, Captain Kirk.
The best part of this denouement, starts at 6:08 . It's pure jambon , delivered with scene stealing delight.
Also, correct me if I'm mistaken (ahem), but at 6:17, is Ward Fowler holding a cigarette in a cigarette holder?