I know that the NEGATIVE REACTION actor (whose name is a little tricky on some websites) had a very public drinking problem and recovery. (Even though I haven\'t seen in in quite some time, he did a TV movie about the subject, even though he didn\'t literally play himself.) So when he tells Columbo \"I\'d offer you something, but I\'m not a drinker,\" it\'s kind of significant.

Probably one of the best lines about the killer\'s drinking habits versus Columbo\'s drinking habits is at the end of RANSOM FOR A DEAD MAN, but I won\'t spoil it for anyone who\'s never seen it, or hasn\'t seen it in a long while.

I noticed that when watching the episode today. I'd seen him on the D Cavett show recently talking about it, the era when he had a beard, so realised today, seems to be a reference to real life.

On general drinking, growing up watching tv and nearly everyone had a bar in their living room, seemed like my family home was lacking such a thing!