Why Columbo Works - An Anatomy of an Episode
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- I had a version of this video that used the actual clips but the NBC copyright claims bot does not mess around.
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'A sweet, simple, salt-of-the-earth scruffball: why I love Columbo' by Paul Verhoeven -- www.theguardia...
'The Making of Mikey and Nicky' -- • The making of MIKEY AN...
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I think the best description of columbo came actually from a murderer in the show itself: "For everyone that looks at you at a glance you are just a silly little man in a silly little coat, digging holes in the backyard, but if one looks closer he realises you are laying out a minefield"
I'm just rewatching the movies now, one description talked about "the bumbling detective". He's not bumbling at all, that's his perfect camouflage, everything he does and says is precision detecting.
@@19hadley74 He's like what Lucas originally intended Jar Jar Binks to be, except for law and order instead of the empire.
Here's the thing: Columbo isn't a police procedural. It's a series of TV mystery movies. It was not originally supposed to be organized into seasons like we have it now. That's why it feels different
That’s why I like it. I just started watching it and each “episode” feels like a movie.
@@Haddonfield63Cuz it _IS_ a movie.
The episodes were "movies." They were 90 or 120 minutes long (with ads) that were aired on Sunday nights in the early-mid 1970s, alternating with "McCloud" and "McMillan & Wife."
@@gogreen7794 Along with the moon landings and the Nixon tapes, I couldn't wait for the next Colombo. Was SO happy to have Donald Pleasence ('Great Escape', 'Twilight Zone', etc.) in my favorite episode. He had a lot of fans in the USA, even before 'Halloween'!
There was a time when it could be assumed that the killer was haunted by a guilty conscience, as in Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. That idea came to be considered quaint, naive, even passe. Yet Columbo is the persistence of conscience in a coldblooded modern era. He becomes the conscience that the killer ought to have. Lady Macbeth can cry "Out, out, damned spot!" but Columbo is all about the stubborn spot and the truth behind it. If conscience will no longer haunt a killer, Columbo will, always turning back up, always coming up with yet another needling question.
It's funny how this literally happens in Season 2, Episode 4: "Dagger of the Mind"
I get that sense too. I've heard interviews where one of the creators of the character wanted him to have an almost supernaturally foreboding presence about him.
@@HankMeyer As he is played by Peter Falk Columbo is more foreboding, more quietly terrifying than any larger than life actor could portray him.
Monk said it best: a cop's best friend is a guilty conscience. Makes killer do a lot of stupid things, from fear of being caught, even more so with cops following their trail.
Aside from the story, one of my favorite aspects of Columbo is seeing the beautiful 1970s clothing, cars, and architecture.
Same with me, street sceneries and "daily life" from another time, I think we kind of forget it have a "film" quality usually missing in tv-series, also, in addition excellent acting
I simply love the Columbo character. He's my favorite TV detective, possibly my favorite TV character or fictional detective. He's a character that reminds you to be humble, respectful, patient, attentative, and why those qualities are more important than wealth, fame, or intellect.
The Humility stands out. I too love this character. NEVER EVER arrogant. That is amazing.
Mix of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw traits.
I always liked the way that Columbo didn’t mind playing an idiot. He always allowed the murderer to believe that they are way too smart for him. He leads them to believe they have him stumped, but it is just him allowing them to become too confident and let down their guard.
It’s usually just when they believe they have pulled everything over on him, which is why he is “one more thing” is so iconic. The one last thing is usually when he makes them think he is about to give up and close the investigation, then he tosses in that one last thing and nails them.
I’ve been rewatching the series. I have a new appreciation for it at the ripe old age of 32. I’m glad the creators wanted the series to have a film feeling to it, instead of veering into the television style of filmmaking. It makes sense since there were the two pilot films that predated it. In a tv landscape with car chases and explosions, Columbo didn’t even carry a gun.
Very nice! I had noticed on my own that Columbo is always up against people who "should" be smarter than him - chessmasters, generals, psychologists, scientists, etc - but I never noticed that they all consider themselves in an elevated station, and part of the fun is that they are brought down by a common man. Not a dashing private eye, but a public servant who takes them down because he believes nobody is above the law.
Ruth Gordon had the best line of any co-star in the series: “Oh, just one more thing, Lieutenant…”
The look he gave her was so precious!
The "hit" for "Columbo" was the class difference. The bad guys are always rich and powerful and even famous. Then along comes a guy that drives an old car, wearing an old coat, with his tie loosely knotted, asking seemingly random questions. Someone everyone thinks isn't as smart as they are. Then we see him trip them up. Columbo was a wish fulfillment show.
Gotta love that car. "Why don't you get a new car, Lieutenant?" "I've got one. My wife drives it."
The condescension was a key requirement for the villain, but the class difference was just for contrast.
Nothing to do with the 'big names'. Everything to do with Columbo's understated method of letting the villain slowly hang themselves while they think they're winning against this impossible dufus.
One thing that always struck me about Columbo as a character..he didn't gloat, he didn't celebrate, there was a kind of grim satisfaction.. A grim resignation that the job had to be done and he did it..
Colombo actually had a number of approaches to his suspects. In many cases, he respected them, even occasionally sympathized with them. Even though he never let them get away with it (Maybe once or twice? I'm not sure) he would on occasion try to make sure they got some kind of justice.
The really fun ones, though, were the arrogant, egotistical villains who were just sure of their mental superiority. Columbo delighted in driving them up the wall. The show always made clear that it wasn't that Columbo was smarter. He didn't have a photographic memory or the ability to process multiple problems at the same time. But he had a keen eye for details, and once he set his eye on the right suspect, he never, ever, ever let go.
Once because the Killer had a brain Tumor and didn't even remember the crime and would be dead within the year and he saw no sense in filling their last year with court proceedings.
Charlie Brooker once wonderfully described Columbo as a detective "who irritates the criminal into confessing." Aside from minor details like the "John Deere" letter and the rather fun renaming of Donald Pleasence as "Donald Pleasant," a fascinating and well-observed analysis of a unique show.
This reminded me of Mentalist so much; how he'll willingly throw innocent people into chaos just to see how they react.
I need to return to the old Brooker Screenwipes, been too long
Correction--chess murderer was played by Laurence Harvey who was an Academy Award nominated movie star. He died shortly after the episode was made. His star was fading through the late 1960s, but for TV at the time, this was definitely a star turn.
Yeah, I've had a few people pick me up that one. Afraid that's on me.
@@katamazov Manchurian Candidate is one of my favorite movies. He did a pretty thorough job of ruining his reputation over his last few years, so he's really somewhat forgotten. Good video, btw. Thanks!
Yes, I was about to mention this…
He also won a posthumous Oscar so maybe he passed just short of a comeback.
Great, great job.
Another great aspect of Columbo is that sometimes he genuinely likes and respects the murderer, but has a job to do (Donald Pleasance, Ruth Gordon, Joyce van Patten), while other times, rarer, you can feel the disdain.
When he likes them, the final scene is always poignant.
Columbo really is the perfect person to show them humility.
Columbo is probably my all time favs however, I tuned out when he reprised the role in the late 80’s early 90’s. The writers in the 70’s series were on a completely different level.
They would spend DAYS to come up with one deliciously unexpected twist or piece of evidence. It got exhausting.
Agreed. They should have remembered the old adage "if it ain't broke why fix it?"
I want to point out something about this episode. It was coming after the Fischer-Spassky 1972 Chess Match and the great boom in chess at that time. The characters are obviously playing off of Fischer's known antics and insecurities.
You are correct. I remember when it first aired.
@@deborahfay102
Fischer was such an all round douche that The Western World rooted for The Russian.
@@alanpennie8013 I remember. McEnroe and Fischer were the big primadommas back then.
Always loved Columbo. Many a murderer kills someone who is about to reveal dirty secrets and sometimes in a second murder, someone who knows and foolishly tries to blackmail the killer. I love it when the murderer in the end calmly admits that Columbo caught him. I always assumed that there is some kind of agreement: the murderer, finally relieved by the truth, will plead guilty in court, keeping the promise of that agreement. You said it better: "Columbo wants humility" and of course he always gets it. Sometimes there is a great end scene, when Columbo even shows some kind of genuine pity after the murderer finally admits to having been defeated. Any Old Port In The Storm and Swan Song come to mind.
what make the columbo so good is not only do you see the murder happen but you are trying to figure out how the murder going to get caught cause in most episode he does such a good job that he should be able to escape. It Show these are america dumbest criminals. they are highly intelligent with money and power. People that in most case are the smartest person in the room. Only for columbo to slide and twist them to the point till they make a blunder. One more things columbo will always be my favorite dective.
Wonderful! Columbo was and remains one of my favorite detectives. His brilliance along with his wholesome nature (humble, patient, family man) really strikes it home. Especially today when cynicism and nihilism are the usual go-to story elements. Everyone has to be damaged or tortured in some way. But as Columbo says during Try and Catch Me "I like my job. Oh, I like it a lot. And I'm not depressed by it and I don't think the world is full of criminals and full of murderers because it isn't. It's full of nice people just like you."
My dad LOVED Columbo. As an adult I have watched them and I had previously never realized how many mystery TV productions are informed by Columbo. They are true films. Each scene is carefully composed, each actor is carefully directed, nothing feels left to chance. So satisfying to watch! Thank you for this video!
Columbo is a treasure. Here in Italy we spelt it Colombo with an O, of course ;) Being as young as the show is (born a few weeks after the Spielberg's pilot aired - there were other pilots prior to that tbh), it's been a nice and long ride. It exudes '70s magic from every pore. A clever inversion of the whodunnit rule, picked up a few years later also by another detective giant - the German Derrick, the right duration, a sort of minifilm, just a few episodes per year, instead of the mortgage-long series we've been condemned to in the past 30 years or so; a peculiar character played by the perfect actor for the role, the guest stars (but thanks to great writing, even less famous actors could have done), a superb score by Heny Mancini, and a whole series of ticks, habits, one liners, situations and so on which stay with us 52 years later.
Quality over quantity, simplicity with style, no need for improbable action scenes or hypertroubled cops, or unbelievable plot twists or cliffhangers: no need thanks to good overall film work: You knew who did it, you knew Columbo would nail them but you still watched on the edge of your seat.
It should be compulsory study material for any film and TV professional, no matter the role.
well said!!
@@mhrgall Thanks!
It's the clash of talented people with big egos against someone of equal talent, but a small ego. Columbo knows he's good at his job. He knows he's smart. He simply doesn't need to broadcast it. He doesn't need the validation of the crowd. It's always great how often the perpetrator will just sigh at being outsmarted by this little man they underestimated for too long.
Peter Falk really is brilliant and just oozes charisma and personality. Watch him in the original version of "The In-Laws" with Alan Arkin for another masterful performance.
The part with Robert Culp's glasses is the scene that gets cut out of reruns all the time to make space for more ads.
Yes, that's so tragic; &, I always miss it terribly°°°
One of the Great gotchas was when Columbo antagonized the genius into placing the highlighter between the phonograph record arm and the dictionary
Colombo had two pilots before Spielberg directed the first episode of the series after it was picked up by NBC. The first pilot was based on a stage play that was adapted from an episode of the Chevy Mystery Hour in the early sixties.
I have been looking for that episode. But all I can find is a retrospective interview from UCLA on Vimeo
Thanks for this dive into columbo. He really is iconic ❤ glad the algorithm finally brought your channel to my attention!! 😊
Few shows capture the atmosphere and time of the early seventies like Columbo. Because of the extended running time of the episodes we get marvelous comedic touches which pushed these Productions into greatness
I HATED "Murder She Wrote". It was INCREDIBLY dumbed down and boring. One thing wrong was that it did one of my pet peeves about fictional mysteries - it made the police stupid. That doesn't make the hero seem like a genius detective, they solve the crime because the police are unable to solve it. Here's my impression of an episode of MSW : there is a murder. a dozen police show up at the scene and after several hours they were unable to find one clue to the murderer's identity. Then Jessica walks in, looks down and immediately sees an earring lying under a table. The camera does a close-up of the earring and signs pop up with arrows pointing at the earring flashing the word "CLUE CLUE CLUE". 5 seconds later a woman walks into the room. she comments what a beautiful room it is and that she had NEVER been in that room before. Suddenly she finds that one of her earrings is missing. She shows the other earring and says that it looks just like that - a match to the one found under the table. The cops are still too DUMB to get the clue but Jessica, with her Einstein like brain, gets it immediately. The End.
You have to watch the show as she is a serial killer murdering people in the town she has just arrived in and then pinning the murder on someone else. Makes it more fun.
Yeah, but Pushing Up Rose's does some phenomenal recaps.
Well, that's the thing - you don't watch Murder, She Wrote for the mystery, you watch for the ham and camp...
And also, have you read the news?
The police flanderize and demonize themselves enough IRL, Mrs. Fletcher didn't have to help them look stupid.
@@shelbyherring92 After watching a few shows, I stopped watching. I also doubt and ALL the police in this country are as stupid as the ones on Murder She Wrote.
I enjoy watching mysteries from the BBC like Poirot and Miss Marple.
Wow - incompetence in the police department? Is that possible? Hell yeah, ever since senior police officers have turned into management clones, spouting typical management b/s ("...ringfencing our key resources whilst adhering to the core dynamic of the requisite synergies...." - "em, you mean assigning the correct officers?" - "I believe I categorically stated that in my previous statement blah blah....".
I really really miss the typical shouting captain/lieutenant of '70s & '80s movies & tv - "YOU'RE A LOOSE CANNON [insert character name here]; THANKS TO YOU THE MAYOR WAS ON THE PHONE BEFORE BREAKFAST, THE MEDIA IS HOUNDING ME, MY ULCER NOW HAS ITS OWN MIGRAINE AND WHAT DO I TELL THE CHIEF? HUH?" - "Just give me another 48 hours shouting captain/lieutenant, I'll have this case wrapped in a pretty ribbon for you" - "YOU'VE GOT 24, NOW GET OUT....". GREAT!
This is my first time watching one of your videos sir. And only halfway through it many kudos sir. Yes I love Columbo having been introduced to it as a child by my parents and quickly being drawn in. But also I really resonate with your mentality in regard to the nuances you bring up. Too many things I agree with you on to mention right now. Sir please continue to put out these videos. Again yes I happen to agree with WHAT you are saying here. Yet even more appreciated is your approach that is intelligently thought our and expressed in a compelling manner. So refreshing to have a content creator who has a brain and uses it. Thank you sir and keep it up.
Thank you so much! This really means a lot! Hoping to have more videos out soon (including videos on more detective shows)
We are so lucky to be able to stream all of the episodes now. I bet a lot of people missed a ton of them on late night TV back then.
Collumbo is still pretty based even today. He's a grubby little man who spends an hour completely trolling some rich and powerful asshole who thinks they can get away with anything.
Also, even though it's a cop show it also teaches you that when you think a cop is your friend, he's not and you should not let your guard down lol
That's a good summary. It's the thrill of the comeuppance, the slob vs the snob. The culprit underestimates Columbo and thinks they're smarter than him, and we get to see it slowly dawn on them that he's going to take them down. And it's an hour-long takedown, so it gives us the sadistic glee of watching the villain slowly and surely get what he deserves. It's psychological torture for the bad guy.
Oy vey
Loved this! To me the modern show with the closest approach is White Collar. The older FBI man in that show, Peter Burke, uses a lot of Columbo's tricks to get where he gets. He lets the high-powered financial criminals think he's slow or stupid or provincial. It's not the same kind of show but it has that one similarity.
The thing to remember is that at the time he was on the show, Shatner was a bit of a has-been, not a big. Star Trek had only lasted three seasons and was popular in reruns with a niche audience.
Originally, Columbo was part of a "Wheel Show" called the NBC Mystery Movies. Rather than a typical hour long TV show, it was 90 minute "movies", so the budgets were a little higher. The shows rotated from week to week. The other shows were McCloud, starring Dennis Weaver, McMillan & Wife with Rock Hudson & Susan St. James, and there was usually a fourth show that never did quite as well as the other three and tended to be replaced each year or two. It wasn't until Quincy, M.E., with Jack Klugman, that they'd found something as popular, but but that point the wheel show was coming to and end and it was spun off into a typical hour long show.
Sorry but I think his dog isn't unnamed, the dogs name is 'Dog'
Please imagine me doing the Columbo knock on the head. You're right, that is a more accurate way of describing it.
Not sure about Lawrence Harvey not being as big a star as every other actor in Columbo. At the time the show first aired, he was probably a far bigger star than most of the guests. William Shatner was only known for TV roles at the time. The Trek movies lay in his future.
Yet I did thoroughly enjoy your appreciation of Columbo, your thoughtful writing and palpable enthusiasm for the craft of good story telling. Your use of diction was original and compelling. “There’s a texture to Columbo.” Nicely put, for example.
Enjoyed this very much. Thanks.
Columbo was never shot digitally. It was shot and edited on film until the very end, at Peter Falk's insistence.
Digital was never an option, even in the 90’s. I think what you mean is that it was never shot on video tape.
@@jeremypnet in his commentary the producer of this video suggests that the late 80's and 90s episodes were shot digitally. I was simply correcting that idea? Not only was Columbo shot on 35mm film, unlike most other 90s shows, it was also edited and all titles and optical were done on film. The perceived change in the look of the show is a product of the change in film stocks from Kodak in the late 80s.
Any Old Port in a Storm - Columbo
I always saw Columbo as a beautifully abridged version of 'Crime and Punishment'.
I only empathized with the murderers in a few episodes. Such as the Donald Pleasence episode.
Most of the time, that was clear cold-blooded premeditation. And they showed few emotions afterwards except for Pride or arrogance.
I empathize with Robert Culp episode because he didn't intend to kill the lady. People just don't realize how fragile the human skull really is. It's possible to kill someone just by hitting him in the head with your hand the wrong way.
But even there I felt he had gone too far. He could have asked her for help and then when she refused, he could have said, "oh I have no intentions of blackmailing you I was only asking for a favor." Of course that would have been a short episode.
Part of the fun was watching the actors enjoying being a murderer. You'd grown up watching Dick Van Dyke in the Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Poppins and suddenly here he was killing someone. And I have to think the actors loved playing against type.
And I think you are onto something about smart, powerful people getting their come uppance.
In the Robert culp episode you described, I’d like to point out that she broke into his house and probably wouldn’t have been killed at all ( even though, yes, it was an accident) if she hadn’t been there in the first place. Furthermore, if she was t cheating on her husband, neither of them would’ve been involved with Robert culp s character yo begin with. And I feel no sympathy for other characters on other shows who are murdered for blackmail. In addition, I like seeing nothings get their comeuppance. Bullies and such. That’s what I enjoy. And even Columbo knows some of the victims deserved it!
Yes, you are so right!
Older (born 1977) I wasn’t introduced directly into the Columbo universe as well. But after watching a few episodes…I said to myself: this is different from the Poirot and CSI and etc!
I loved how we all knew who the villain was from the very beginning. And it annoyed us how Columbo’s apparent naïveté just seemed to frustrate and struggle! What the F***!
But then, in the end, it was just so worth it !!!
I do believe that it was just Colombo’s naïve-presenting personality, that satisfied the viewer.
Because, deep down, each of us believe that we will reveal the truth, but in reality, could we?
I've always thought that an essential part of the show's world-wide syndication was Falk's comedic timing. In "Negative Reaction" there are two side-splitting gems. Joyce Van Patten as the Sister of Mercy nun in the food mission feels sorry for the down at heel Columbo and Larry Storch as the distracted, petulant driver's license examiner who peevishly insists that he wouldn't remember Deschler the suspect because the applicants he tests "mean nothing" to him, team up with a sleepless and self-effacing Columbo for something superb in the way of sly & restrained hilarity. Columbo finally gets a word in edgewise trying to tell Van Patten that he's a cop on duty working on a case. She pulls back in awe and admiration declaring "That disguise. Oh, that's good". For his part Storch admonishes Columbo to "Watch that right. Always watch that right." Falk & Pleasance were irresistable together in "Any Old Port In a Storm". Yes, it was a serious murder case but the comedic timing of the two was a joy to watch especially at the haute cuisine French restaurant where Columbo & Carsini leave the waiters flabbergasted and jibbering away about the priceless vintage wine they're accused of storing above the stove.
Falk lost that gift of timing with the sudden aggressive movements and the loudest, dryest snap of the fingers. In the early days even his clothes seemed to be wired for sound as that food mission rejected coat rustled with menace when he would suddenly turn whirling upon the guilty party with "just one more thing".
I think it's why Columbo continues to feel fresh. Falk is really nuanced, so even though there are parodies of him left right and centre, none of them are able to make the character feel less effective. Even though Austin Powers made Brosnan's James Bond seem shallow (I think the film is one of the many reasons 90's Bond feels inert and why it needed the Craig revitalization so much), I don't think anyone has been able to do that to Columbo. I think actually, parodies of Columbo make you think it's going to be this out of date, cliche-riddled detective (which is why it takes so long for each generation to adopt him), so it's this great shock when you watch it and the show (and Falk) are so vital and engaging.
Hope this rambling reply makes sense.
@@katamazov Whenever I see it used I relish the character device wherein the detective is a happily married man. Columbo once took a call from the wife we never saw reminding him to pick up a quart of milk on the way home. As you point out, it was these types of trivial home life anecdotes into the murder case that lulled the killers into believing they were toying with a nincompoop. TV broadcasts of the 1930's "The Thin Man" fillums with William Powell and Myrna Loy is where I first saw refreshing romance in the middle of a murder. Michael Gambon in "Maigrait" waded knee deep in Parisian nasty business only to return after work to a deliriously delightful wifey.
I remember two episodes where he drops the "I don't know but my wife has a cousin who..." act and loses his temper. One was with Leonard Nimoy who started laughing at Columbo. Columbo picks up a vase and slams it down on the table, totally shocking Nimoy's character. Then Columbo tells him that he knows Nimoy's character committed the murder. The other episode I don't really remember the details. I saw it decades ago and I think the murderer was played by Robert Conrad. Columbo and Conrad's character were sitting in a hospital waiting room waiting to seed what happens to a woman who was injured and Columbo gets made about the murder also waiting. I remember he told the murderer something like how the murderer didn't really care if the woman got better. Anyone else remember that episode?
@@bjbell52 "Exercise in Fatality" - here's the scene: ua-cam.com/video/9T48BtB9aEc/v-deo.html
Robert Conrad. Correct.
@@melenatorr Thanks. Now I'm going to watch the entire episode.
I always preferred the Columbo approach, to all other detective sitcoms. I have watched the entire series at least 5 times. He is like an old friend now.
Excellent talk. one of my favorite programs when I was young. Grew up watching them in the 70's. Nothing really beats it today. A timeless classic!
It's not a "who done it", it's a "how does Columbo catch them".
Bravo! Love Columbo and this has been a treat.
I've always had a deep fascination for Columbo. I've always felt that he is the audience ,we get to see it all unfold through him
Ive always said that columbo isnt really a mystery show at all, its shot more like a horror show where the protagonists of each episode are smug jerks and the monster pursuing them is affable
This was a really great video essay- and I watch a lot of them. Please, keep making them. If this is how good you are just starting out, I sincerely look forward to your output in a year's time.
Cheers, bud.
Oh, and one more thing....
😉😁
Something that's done really well is how all of the murderers go about their business as they normally would, but then Columbo keeps showing up out of nowhere leading to frustrations because they can't do their normal everyday business without being interrupted by this little man in his shabby coat with all his questions. Sometimes the killer will attend the funeral of their victim, and Columbo will just be there, making a nuisance of himself. Other times, they'll just be trying to do their job, mingle with their acquaintances, take a walk, and Columbo is right there needling them about this or that about the case, acting like he has no idea what to make of any of it, making the killer wonder whether or not this man actually knows what they did or if he's just a bumbling fool wasting their time without having any idea what is actually happening
This was a great analysis of COLUMBO. He's my favorite detective and I have watched every episode two, three or even more times.
I watched this with my dad growing up. Hadn't thought about it for a long time. He visited and we watched one just for memories. Now as an adult, I am hooked. I've watched all the 70's seven seasons, but 3 episodes. Sad to finish them. LOL
The key audience emotion: schadenfreude?
I never considered Columbo a "TV show." It was on a rotating schedule with several other "mystery of the week" programs. Episodes were between 72-95 minutes in length, plus commercials. Most episodes had a unique score, directing style, and weren't serialized. I think of these as a series of made-for-TV films, as opposed to a "show."
When BBC'S Sherlock came out, they followed a similar pattern. They had seasons and whatnot, but only three episodes per season...all nearly two hours long. It reminded me of how they did columbo
That first season of the mystery of the week was outstanding. Columbo, McMillan and Wife, Hec Ramsey, Banacek, and McCloud.
Of that era of detective shows, Columbo was the best by a very long way. It still stands up today. Utterly brilliant.
Columbo has always been at the top of my favorite mysteries list. Peter Falk really nailed "scruffy looking", and how he gets them in the end is just great
That was a delightful exploration of Columbo. I enjoyed the show immensely but never really thought about why. Having it outlined like you did was just as enjoyable as watching it. It was nostalgic...
Columbo works because of Peter Falk, he fits the role perfectly. I don't think any other actor could have easily taken over or played his role. It's his appearance but also his behavior.
I loved Columbo. Columbo reminded me of the detective Porfiry Petrovich in Crime and Punishment.
Columbo was also an Italian American. He was a swarthy ethnic in the eyes of the privileged white bread types he was investigating. The interplay between them was akin to and as natural as that between a mongoose and a snake. You watch as the predator realises they are now the prey of this plebeian creature who may be on to them. You see their fear and nervousness grow. The only other show with a detective performance I enjoyed as much was Vincent D’Onofrio’s in Law and Order Criminal Intent. I love watching brains at work!
The chess movie (these are all practically theatrical films of the time, though made for television) isn't one of my favorite murder plots in the show, because the resolution doesn't make much sense. But I like it anyway for making explicit the underlying chess motif of the movie-series in general: most (if not all) the films have a chess representation in them somewhere, often a literal board. Plus there's that bravura scene near the end where the murderer psychologically unravels as he and Columbo play metaphorical chess -- and the killer plays literal chess (very arrogantly) against a bunch of people, only to lose to a boy who was astonished to see the chess master fall for the simplest checkmate possible. (I've always thought of him as a boy though clearly he's a young man, even when I was much younger than him.)
I started watching Colombo in the 80's during summer when they would run them in syndication on UHF stations and then the 89 revival when those started in first run. In the aughts I got the DVD collection and now I watch them on streaming. It seems no matter how many times I've seen an episode, it always feels fresh.
UHF is one of those terms that kick me back 50 yrs.
You must be young, as Lawrence Harvey was far from the unknown actor you paint him to have been, as well known as Donald Pleasance was.
15:30 - If you said John Deere by accident, I could understand. But if you Intentionally said John Deere, You're a genius.
Yep, that stopped me for just a second.
When you''re headed for the grinding mechanisms of a trash compactor, it's a John Deere letter.
An excellent video, sir. I am looking forward to more!
Always loved Columbo, used to watch it with my mom in the 90s, but those were the original series reruns. It would be at around 9 pm, and because every episode was so long and slow-moving, I would fall asleep sometimes, but would struggle to stay awake, as the show was so good. We would bond with my mom over the discussion of the show. And I've always appreciated almost zero action in it, all the value being in the dialogue.
The key to Columbos success was In taking the Inverted Detective Story. and making the genre work by giving the audience a compete view of any slaying and then watching how Columbo solves the crime.
Thus the audience gets to see the crime committed completely and the crime solved completely .
I don't think I talked about that very thing well enough. You're so right, the fact the audience knows who did it from the beginning it means they have the capabilities of the worlds greatest detective.
@@katamazov That's a nice way of putting it.
When I think about it further , Columbo is a show where the murderer is the star of the episode not the Detective .
Yes the detective solves the crime but the murderer has to hatch a plan that even most detectives wouldn't be able to solve .
Except Columbo of course.
@@katamazov We love Detective Columbo and Peter Falk I've been watching this show for years and I'm 23 years old
It’s not a “whodunnit” it’s a “how-catchem’”. We know who did it, we just need to see how they’re caught.
@@Trevin_Taylor I stated it was an Inverted Detective Story which is the name of the literary subgenre within the mystery genre which pertains to Columbo . So your point is irrelevant .
Thus as noted , the audience sees the crime committed thus knowing who the murderer is and the detective solves the crime . That's the point of Columbo: the crime is solved. Thus Lt Columbo has to solve the crime to catch the killer .
I love Columbo, always have, but it wasn't till I binged some back to back that I noticed that most of his cases end on circumstantial evidence any first year defence attorney could get their client off on, lol. I fact if the criminal just kept their mouth shut and didn't confess when Columbo tells them how they messed up they would get away with it :D
Excellent analysis and breakdown, good job.
Thank you!
This episode also hung its hook on the whole world's obsession with Bobby Fisher, the world's greatest chess player. At the time he was playing the Russian grandmaster.
Ok, you got me. My parents have the collected Columbo series. I’ll give you a like/subscribe and tomorrow I’ll start from S1E1.
Also, I wish their was a sci-fi like DS9 I haven’t watched to death but this will have to do…
One thing I appreciate about Columbo is that a lot of real police interrogators, detectives, etc. use a similar approach to disarm the suspect and give them the false impression that the investigator is a harmless bumbling nobody. Columbo intentionally lowers his own status by driving a rustbucket, wearing that ill-fitting coat, as well as the way he talks, his mannerisms, the self-deprecation, the slightly apologetic tone he takes for taking up the suspect's very very important time.
All of this leads to the suspects underestimating him and becoming annoyed at his continued presence/persistence after they think they've thrown him off the scent, and eventually in most cases it is their own vanity and disdain for Columbo that causes them to let something slip.
Regarding the format, I think it is often overstated how Columbo's departure from the standard whodunnit template is what makes the show unique. That's certainly an aspect of it, but I think Columbo's personality and approach is more important. I think you could make a Columbo show where the audience isn't shown who committed the murder and how, but nevertheless the main focus is still on the cat-and-mouse game between the detective and the suspect(s).
Yes. You’re analysis of the psychology of the perpetrators is accurate except for the framing because the truth, at least as I see it, is correct, that the murderers, at least in the example of Carsini in “Any Old Port In a Storm”, are right to attach a prestige to their craft or obsession that is, by definition, beyond the prevue of the everyday man, and that is how greatness and therefor social evolution is achieved. What is so cathartic about Colombo for us commoners as ‘voyeurs’ is that we can revel in the downfall of our betters by purely moralistic terms, and the sorry truth is that we commoners, by definition, do not have the inclination to fully recognise that greatness. I think this speaks to the limitation of humanity.
Fabulous work!
Enjoyed this video a lot. You've gained a subscriber sir. Oh just one more thing...
You'd probably like the Thin Man series of movies if you haven't already seen them.
Any Old Port in a Storm is one of the best Columbo episodes.
every columbo channel is getting dinged by copyright claims these days
New sub thank you. Big Columbo fan.
Columbo is never front-and-center of any scene with the killer. If he is in the center, he is in the back. If he is in front, he always to the side, sometimes so far to the side that he is barely on screen at. All of the focus is placed on the murderer
YES!!;...love that, too.
Rules of Columbo
1) It's not a mystery; we know the murderer from the start
2) Columbo knows who the murderer is around his first / second interview
2) The point of the show is Columbo playing dumb to trip up the murderer
3) Columbo never investigates gang murders, only rich or famous or powerful people
4) Columbo doesn't carry a gun
5) He's never in danger from the murderer
6) Never see his home/wife
7) Never see his precinct or his boss (okay once or twice)
8) Shabby coat, cigars, Peugeot, deg
3)" Columbo never investigates gang murders, only rich or famous or powerful people"
That's literally every detective show ever made...
6) Never see his home/wife.
His wife - Mrs. Columbo - had her own spin-off in 1979. The wife/journalist/investigator was played by Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek - Voyager).
@@Der_Dolmetscher The show was renamed and later cancelled because Peter Falk essentially created the Columbo character and it was part of his agreement with NBC that she would never be seen or heard.
Excellent work, except the ending!
A John Deere letter, eh?
Lawrence Harvey is pretty big……
Falk is great but only half the equation. The other genius is the writers. "Circumstantial Evidence" is so true. Unless he gets a confession, half of his cases would fail in court. But who cares? The fun is in the hunt. The cat and mouse game played.
I have always wondered if Colombo is actually much more of a cold blooded, calculating detective than he lets on. I think he gets a sadistic kick by annoying the hell out of the murderers
There were a few episodes where he dropped the act and lost his temper and yelled at the suspect. Like the episode with Leonard Nimoy where Nimoy laughed at Colombo and Colombo picked up a vase and slammed in on his desk.
YES.... he's a genius-among-geniuses much like any other classical detective, and what makes him so great is that he's humble, kind, and driven only by the delivery of justice to those who would get away with it were anyone else investigating their crime.
I think the creator hit the nail on the head with the allusion to Greek gods, and I think Columbo is more like the old Norse Odin, masquerading as a humble old man but underneath is the wily, impossible to trick Old Grim One-Eyed god...
Really enjoyed this. Thanks
I More Mike hamer fan for the 1950
Laurence Harvey WAS a big name. Just because this person doesn't know something, doesn't make that thing not true. Donald Pleasance wasn't more famous/recognizable than Harvey.
Harvey was much better known that quite a few of the other actors who played murderers in the original (the good) Columbo episodes.
Many episodes have what I call "The Moment". It's the moment when Columbo knows and the killer knows he knows but clings to the hope that Columbo cannot prove the crime. Once the moment happens, there's often a sense of real danger for the unarmed police detective. Columbo has to rely on his wits and the killer relies on his or her intellect.
A bit weird that the series second run, which lasted 13 years, is collectively referred to as season 10
Laurence Harvey was a far bigger star than Donald Pleasance.
I reckon Columbo's wife is the real brains behind the operation. Every time he's stumped, he goes away and consults his wife who cracks the case for him. He's basically Remington Steele.
What I like about Columbo‘s wife is that we just know that she makes a good Chili.
Every other crime show* has so much „relationship“ woven into the cast portraying the police (CSI).
* since Cagney and Lacey?
@@hermask815 Not true! We also know that she drives his other car. Nothing fancy, just for transportation.
It was a terrible idea to have a show about 'Mrs. Columbo', it took away the mystery behind her character.
Columbo’s wife flies a starship though.
@@jameslacey5474 It got pulled almost immediately. It was in Falk's contract that the wife never appeared on screen.
Nice breakdown of the man and legend. I've watched Columbo my whole life and still reference him even though most won't get it or have forgotten (kids these days with their CSI and true crime podcasts, waddayagonnado?). I just love the way the murderer's composure is chipped away as he just keeps showing up with 'one more thing'. They struggle to maintain their cool while this seemingly disorganized, shuffling fool slowly dismantles their claim of innocence. They never see him coming.
Another great Falk role was Sam Diamond in 'Murder by Death', a pre-Clue sort-of-murder-sort-of-mystery comedy farce. Not Columbo by any means, but that voice and comedic delivery is on full blast.
LOL How about Peter Sellers as the Chinese inspector with his son. "Father there is a deadly snake in the room!!!" "Hmmm, Wake me when come near bed". Haaaa!
Stogie (cigar) is pronounced "STOW-ghee".
Th reason Columbo works so well is because whereas all the villains have got the unimportant things covered perfectly (wealth, famer or notoriety, trophy husband/wife, wonderful house, fancy car, reliable timekeeping, impeccable dress sense, etc) they are totally failing in the really important thngs (empathy, concern for others, honesty, selflessness, true friendship etc) and of course Columbo is the exact opposite.
Just a few points. Laurence Harvey was top billing for all most all of his film roles and this was true even for his very first film. Also, he was close to death during the filming of this episode. He had bowel cancer and knew he hadn't got long; he died a few months after filming had finished.
I enjoyed that video, Colombo was part of my childhood and I often have struggled to understand why I liked it so much
In a time when television writing, acting, directing and production were viewed as inferior to that of their peers in the film industry, it's my personal opinion that Falk was every bit as good at his craft as the Wells, DeNiros, Eastwoods, Nicholsons and Pacinos of the cinema world -- dare I say better?
Ironically, because he did such a marvelous job bringing this character to life on the small screen, he ultimately, and unfairly became pigeonholed as "that Columbo guy" -- never to be taken seriously as anything else but