as many times i have seen this episode
i still do not understand how columbo had the suture string in his hand.

how did he get it out of the operating room ?

As far as I understand, it happened when Dr. Mayfield grabbed him by the shoulders angrily (which was really an excuse to plant the thing on him). Then Columbo searched his own smock and found it.

Grant explained exactly what happened.

What I've always had trouble with in that scene when Mayfield plants the evidence on Columbo, is how it was possible that none of the many eyes - expert eyes at that - watching Mayfield's every move during that procedure, couldn't recognize that he was removing bad suture.

There's one of those great "if only" moments in that final scene in Mayfield's office when Columbo has departed and left the smock in the office with Mayfield. "If only" Mayfield had darted across the room and locked the door behind Columbo! Then Columbo could have tried to come back and would have pounded on that door as much as he wanted - while Mayfield swallowed the bad sutures!

maybe it was one of the rare "quirky eposodies"
when mayfield grabs columbo u never see the slip of the sutures.

also why would columbo leave the gown in his office thinking he might grab the thread and dispose of it ?

thanx
chris williams

chris, when columbo leaves the gown in mayfield's office he wasn't yet aware of the fact that mayfield had slipped the suture into his gown.

I just watched the episode, and I am also struck by the ridiculous idea that he could take out the partially dissolved sutchers, keep them, and no one notice. Also, the old cut up removed sutchers being absent would be the real smoking gun for the scene. Finding non-disolving sutchers freshly removed, would be the exonerating thing for the evil doc. So as cool as it is to imagine, the scene makes no sense.

hello there.

thank u for that info.
the reason i was confused is the fact when he grabbed him, u never see him slip the thread in his pocket
when columbo pulled the thread and said "they never searched me"
also look close and u will see dr. mayfield's house was the same house ken franklyn lived in the show"murder by the book"
happy holidays
chris williams

Another funny thing is, if Columbo had had one of those "tough TV cop" personalities, maybe Mayfield wouldn't have had the nerve to fake an angry scene and put his hands on him that way! But the fact that Columbo had that calm temper (apart from the big moment with the paperweight) probably gave Mayfield the confidence to do that.

yes!!
that paper weight scene was very scary
maybe the only time columbo ever lost his cool
besides the scene with milo janis in the waiting room.

i love it when columbo catches the arrogant ones
i love it when he also has sympathy for people like the show with ruth gordon as the writer.

do u think he should have given her a break ?
"being a old woman and all,harmless"

(psst..not to be picky, but it wasn't a paper weight. it was a coffee carafe.)

I think that was a different episode

the coffee carafe was definitely featured in 'a stitch in crime'...maybe he slammed a paper weight down in another episode, possibly a an abc (newer episode), but i have yet to see all of them yet.
but again, what columbo slammed on mayfield's desk was most certainly a coffee carafe.

All I know is, I used to think that maybe it was that clock (the one that Mayfield is winding in that first scene with Columbo), and I was glad to find out afterwards that I was wrong. Without being TERRIBLY attached to them, I've always liked clocks, so I hated to think about the damage that might've been done to it.

ahh..that's sweet, grant. in an odd way, i've always loved clocks myself. there is just something about them that i find so sweet.
although, there was a period in my life when my uncle johnny brought home a cuckoo clock from germany and at one point it sorta died out, and my father repeatedly tried to fix it, and then...at the end of his rope, he threw it across the kitchen at the wall! but the best part is, it worked just perfectly after that!

and dang it, there are so many inferences to 'time pieces' in columbo episodes. the list is endless.

I don't understand how one could watch this episode repeatedly but still not realise. Grant has explained it. Mayfield of course has such "wonderful hands" that no one saw him remove the suture.