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: Most dangerous match plot hole

Or seen something. This was not my favorite episode either.

Re: Most dangerous match plot hole

That's a good point, Bruce. Never thought of that. A deaf person's other senses are even more heightened. Not a very good episode at all. And the fact that Dudek was left pretty much alone so that Clayton could finish off killing him in the hospital is really poor writing. I think the only piece of this episode I like is when they play that impromptu game of chess at the restaurant.

Re: Most dangerous match plot hole

I've always felt I've missed something with regard to that trash grinding machine.

Why would it shut off if something gets into it? Not much of a way to run a trash grinder. :slightly_smiling_face:

If it's a matter of operating on the basis of a "dead man switch", why does it run at all without someone at the switch?

I suppose it could have a load sensor that shuts off based on resistance, but I seem to recall the guy demonstrated the safety feature with a simple metal can.

Re: Most dangerous match plot hole

quid_quo_pro
I've always felt I've missed something with regard to that trash grinding machine.

Why would it shut off if something gets into it? Not much of a way to run a trash grinder. :slightly_smiling_face:

If it's a matter of operating on the basis of a "dead man switch", why does it run at all without someone at the switch?

I suppose it could have a load sensor that shuts off based on resistance, but I seem to recall the guy demonstrated the safety feature with a simple metal can.
Here is something that I can add some professional knowledge to (I work for a company that does automation programming and a big part of it is the safety controls.). Now, I don't have first hand knowledge of the trash grinder safeties specifically, but I can tell you what I know with regards to similar equipment. If I remember correctly, the trash grinder operator fills the machine up with trash and turns it on, but when he threw the can in, the grinder stopped. The can passed through a small doorway before it hit the actual grinding part. When we program safeties for a similar meat grinder, the doors have little switches on them that will trip the circuit if the doors are opened while the machine is running and will have to be manually reset before the machine will start up again. This prevents (to an extant) someone from falling in and being killed. When the operator threw the can into the grinder to demonstrate the safety feature to Columbo, the can opened the doors, the switches tripped the circuit and the machine shut off. The same thing happened when Clayton pushed Dudek into the grinder. But yes, I agree, Clayton should have sensed the machine shut off after the vibration stopped.

Re: Most dangerous match plot hole

Thanks Brett! That makes a lot of sense.

As I said...always felt I was missing something.:relaxed: