The Lt. Columbo Forum

An area where fans from all over can ask each other questions and voice their own ideas and opinions on anything Columbo.

This Forum is fondly dedicated in memory of  "cassavetes45"  (Carleen Zink),
Columbo's greatest fan and a great friend to us all.
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The Lt. Columbo Forum
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Re: Blackmailers- clever but deadly

The singer that blackmailed Danzinger for the affair in a way caused her own death. But I'm sure she never suspected that he would react the way he did. Then we have Lloyd who really wanted to be with her. A perfect scapegoat for Danzinger.

She probably could have had a decent life with Lloyd. Although he was a little bit flaky.

Re: Blackmailers- clever but deadly

It's funny that in two episodes a blackmailer IS the killer, who kills his own blackmail victim, and in both episodes he's played by Robert Culp.

Re: Blackmailers- clever but deadly

Nora Chandler tried to torch Jerry Parks but missed. There was a case where Columbo hassled the blackmailer and blackmailee over poor Jean Davis.

Re: Blackmailers- clever but deadly

Would Hathaway in DOUBLE SHOCK be considered a blackmailer? Being a lawyer and very careful with words, he manages not to sound exactly like one to Dexter and Norman, but of course he mentions that part about "IF you killed your uncle..." to at least one of them.

Re: Blackmailers- clever but deadly

Grant
Would Hathaway in DOUBLE SHOCK be considered a blackmailer? Being a lawyer and very careful with words, he manages not to sound exactly like one to Dexter and Norman, but of course he mentions that part about \"IF you killed your uncle...\" to at least one of them.
I'm not really sure that Hathaway would be a blackmailer since he didn't make a threat of exposure. He just wanted to keep managing the estate. He obviously made himself an accomplice after the fact since he knew the money was going to Lisa and he offered to help make sure it went to Norman and Dexter in exchange for retaining his services. Someone who would be a blackmailer is Mark Halperin since he told Hugh Caldwell at his wife's funeral, "You are involved. You do what I say or I'll see to it that you go to prison for the rest of your life." So Halperin is an accomplice to the Caldwell murder, he's a murderer in his own right and he's a blackmailer.

Re: Blackmailers- clever but deadly

One tradition of the show of course is how NICE most of them are, like Shirley Blaine. Which is entertaining (although I've always thought the first blackmail scene between Tanner and Nick and Lily sort of overdid it).
It seems like nearly the only times a blackmailer is arrogant about it is when it turns out to be a TRICK, as with Artie in A FRIEND IN DEED and Margaret in RANSOM FOR A DEAD MAN.