It is a given Saturday night. You're home alone. You just finished cooking up a batch of your favorite Columbo style chili. Now you sit down in front of the TV. you have the entire series on DVD or otherwise. So which one do you pull out and watch? Only pick one!!
OK, I confess to being a heretic but my favorite episode is "Colombo Goes to College". Great storytelling, great acting from everyone in this episode (security guard excepted). Sure the murder is a little ridiculous (but aren't they all?) but the gotcha is fantastic.
And, speaking of DVD's, I may have to bite the bullet and buy the series. Although I know the cable channels chop up the episodes pretty good -- I'm watching "Troubled Waters" on Sundance (a movie channel) and I see a scene I haven't seen before that is pretty important to the plot. Early in the episode Mr. Danziger is complaining to his wife about his golf gloves not being packed...
I think I'd have to go with TROUBLED WATERS. It's always seemed like such a "fun" episode - the cruise ship, the ocean, the nightclub, Rosanna Wells singing "Volare" for 9 minutes, Columbo throwing stuff overboard and running up and down the Crew's Stairway. Maybe the most "on location" film of the entire series (although BY DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT is probably right there, too) Loved the interplay between Columbo and Mr. Danzinger, as well.
I think I'd have to go with TROUBLED WATERS. It's always seemed like such a "fun" episode - the cruise ship, the ocean, the nightclub, Rosanna Wells singing "Volare" for 9 minutes, Columbo throwing stuff overboard and running up and down the Crew's Stairway. Maybe the most "on location" film of the entire series (although BY DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT is probably right there, too) Loved the interplay between Columbo and Mr. Danzinger, as well.
9 mins of that blasted song was way too much. That subject has come up here on this forum many times.
Watching some of the TV magic to create the magic act in Now You See Him, is hilarious especially the lady quite obviously holding the bunch of flowers below table height to then magically appear.
As for the one I'd most enjoy watching as described in the first post, it would have to be Make me a perfect murder. Yes it has a few faults but for some reason I really enjoy the relationship between Columbo and Kay.
Watching some of the TV magic to create the magic act in Now You See Him, is hilarious especially the lady quite obviously holding the bunch of flowers below table height to then magically appear.
As for the one I'd most enjoy watching as described in the first post, it would have to be Make me a perfect murder. Yes it has a few faults but for some reason I really enjoy the relationship between Columbo and Kay.
MAKE ME...is one I never rewatch!
Weak script, but I know what you mean about that relationship
Yeah, I know what you mean about the script but for some reason I really enjoy it as a whole.
I could love with out the 5 minutes of filler watching the dancing oscilloscope screens and George C Scott but I'm always entertained by the episode
It's almost as if the murder is the less important aspect of the plot.
Man, that's a tough question. I almost have to ask, who is my favorite bad guy? Robert Culp? Jack Cassidy? Robert Conrad?........etc.
If I have to pick one, it's probably Exercise in Fatality with Death Lends a Hand close 2nd. The bad guys are just great in it. Both of them. Columbo is himself, in one scene in Exercise in Fatality, as Robert Conrad begins to tell him that he talked to Stafford that night, Columbo says......."I better write this down" and proceed to check every single pocket he's wearing before he finally figures out his notepad is in his back pants pocket. I think he even checked his side pocket on his coat twice. Classic.......hilarious. Good question.....