Re: Fieldimg Chase...Uncaring, Unloving and Pompous as Hell
I think in all of Columbo's history, Fielding Chase may have been the killer who got most annoyed by him (there's Mrs. Peck, but she was not a killer). You can see Chase's blood pressure rise as Columbo fiddles with the honey stick for his tea. "Twist it", Chase says, further distracting Columbo from his point.
I love the scene in Chase's office with the putrid cigar smoke and Columbo keeps interrupting himself as Chase gets more annoyed each time. Columbo tries to open a high rise office window until Chase bursts out: "Forget the windows, they don't open. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE SMOKE! Get back to your point."
Then as Columbo is giving him the bad news, the cigar that he put in the wastebasket starts a fire. Columbo pours coffee to put out the fire as he also puts out Chase's nonsense theory that a political enemy killed Jerry.
It's a great scene from a great episode, although I'll never unsee that hideous mustache, or a very out-of-shape Shatner trying to work an exercise machine, lol.