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: Columbo and the fourth wall

I watched this episode today with your comments in mind and I agree, I think he's asking breaking the 4th wall and asking us if he really looks like that. I'd never looked that scene in that way before but it certainly seems as if it is shot that way.

Re: Columbo and the fourth wall

I have thought more about this from something I mentioned recently,
Mr D Van D in Negative Reaction when he says he can't offer Columbo anything because he doesn't drink, at a real life time period when D Van D was publicly well known for talking about his alcoholism.
In A Trace of Murder, when Columbo says three eyes are better than two.
In Uneasy Lies The Crown, Nancy Walker playing herself in the context of being an actress in the Mystery Movie series of which the Columbo films were part of. Also in the episode Columbo talks about Peter Falk's real life good friend Dom deLuise.
I don't know if the following define the Fourth Wall,
Columbo as a toy soldier in the episode Grand Deceptions.
Columbo as a circus ringmaster in Murder Smoke and Shadows.

Are there others?

Re: Columbo and the fourth wall

After watching Uneasy Lies The Crown, many, many times over the years, I realised there is another, the writers to the viewers, whether it was intended I don't know?
When Columbo goes to Wesley's house for the first time and they are talking about the situation, Wesley says that he doesn't know what was going on around the house etc. because he was at the card game, and Columbo says "Very good!!", obviously making it sound like Wesley created a good alibi, and Columbo is complimenting him (but he's going to get him in the end, because he knows he's lying), then he says "The bagel, it's very good".
At that point only the writers and the viewers know what Wesley did, Columbo knows nothing, so for that dialog to be relevant it would be the writers to the viewers.