"Short Fuse." That ending with the use of editing and cinematography is one of the reasons why "Short Fuese" ultimately IMO works as an episode despite its serious shortcomings in plot and internal plot logic.

Alright Stephen, I'll play along! In fact, I'll go a little bit more indepth than you (or anyone else for that matter!) asked.

How much of an IMPACT does each episodes ending deliver? From "Zero" (boring ending) to "Four Star ****" (Most exciting or surprising or suspenseful or just plain cool ending).

"Prescription: Murder" - *** - A three star impact. The first time you watch the episode, you don't expect Joan Hudson to come back from the "dead" and the arrogant Dr. Fleming really gets it good from Columbo.

"Ransom For A Dead Man" - ** - A slow and casual ending in an airport. Leslie is surprised to see Columbo there, sure. Not a bad ending, just not exciting.

"Murder By The Book" - ** - A terrific episode gets a fair ending when Columbo nails Ken Franklin with Franklin's own idea for a story.

"Death Lends A Hand" - *1/2 - A strange ending with strange bits of glass in a guys car trunk. It is funny to watch Brimmer playing in the trunk though.

"Dead Weight" - * - An ending that just kind of "happens". Hollister doesn't even get grumpy over being arrested. He just apologizes to the amazingly beautiful Suzanne Pleshette.

"Suitable For Framing" - *** - A cool ending with Dale Kingston madly declaring false evidence. When Columbo takes his hands out of his pockets though... Cool!

"Lady In Waiting" - *** - Beth Chadwick panics when there's someone at the french doors. Is it Bryce, her brother, come back from the DEAD?! Oh, no, of course not! It's Columbo out there playing around trying to fool her. Then Columbo comes into the room the same way Bryce had just before Beth shot him. Beth panics some more and Columbo soothes her over by telling her how "classy" she is. Yeah, right!

"Short Fuse" - **** - Top notch ending. Superb ending! Cool, exciting and suspenseful. A great episode with a great murderer with a great ending. (See Stephen, I agree with you on this one!) Even to this day, upon my 36th (or so) viewing of the episode, I still expect Roger Stanford to casually stroll right out those open tram doors and plummet to his greatful death.

"Blue Print For Murder" - **** - Another great ending. Elliot Markham thinks he's gotten away with it. Even after a close encounter with a helpful motorcycle cop who wants to help change his flat tire! The look on Elliot's face when those lights go on there at the building site... precious. Just precious.

"Etude In Black" - **1/2 - Another terrific episode with a so-so ending. Alex Benedict doesn't act like himself in the final scene and just sort of "allows" Columbo to catch him with the evidence of the flower in the lapel/not in the lapel. Benedict's (usual) quick thinking could have gotten him out of it. It's also always been somewhat confusing to me in that Benedict leans over to whisper in his wifes ear. It seems as though he's attempting to get her to go along with it all and help him out of it, but before the wife can say anything, Benedict turns around and hands Columbo his baton. Strange.

"Greenhouse Jungle" - **1/2 - We don't expect Columbo to be looking for old bullets, but partly because we don't expect Columbo to be using a metal detector because the device wasn't set up properly in the script. Jarvis is certainly surprised though.

"The Most Crucial Game" - * - Another bad ending with Robert Culp as the murderer. It's a nice scene up there in Hanlon's booth, but to put it quite simply... Columbo hasn't proven a thing while arresting Hanlon for murder.

"Dagger Of The Mind" - **1/2 - It's fun to watch Nicky Frame go nutso. It's also fun to watch his wife Lilly go ballistic when Nicky starts giving it away. Still, Columbo's little trick with the pearl is taking some mighty big chances in attempting to catch the killers.

"Requiem For A Falling Star" - *** - An unexpected ending as Columbo nails Nora Chandler for not one, but two murders. A surprise ending.

"A Stitch In Crime" - **** - Another Four Star episode with a Four Star conclusion! What a place for Dr. Mayfield to hide the evidence! Actually, what an incredibly daft place for him to have hidden the evidence! But he came darn close to getting away with it, didn't he?

"The Most Dangerous Match" - *** - A good conclusion with Columbo yelling at the top of his lungs at a deaf guy who thinks a silenced machine is making a terrible racket.

"Double Shock" - **** - A great ending to a great episode. Which one of those nasty twins did it? What a revelation! Oh, but poor Mrs. Peck. She didn't see that one coming, did she?

"Lovely, But Lethal" - ** - Just simply a simple conclusion. But you do feel bad for Columbo knowing that he had been suffering poison ivy.

"Any Old Port In A Storm" - * - Another conclusion in which Columbo hasn't come up with any actual evidence that the murderer murdered anyone. Others on this board enjoy the final scene between Columbo and Carsini in Columbo's car. I've never bought into it. I don't understand why Columbo "likes" this guy. He's an arrogant jerk. Sure, he's good at what he does. But he's still a murdering, arrogant jerk.

"Candidate For Crime" - **** - You just don't expect that Columbo has already dug the bullet out of the wall, do you? Cool ending with Columbo really putting that conniving politician in his place!

"Double Exposure" - ***1/2 - Columbo uses the murderer's own technique to nail him. Terrific! Finally, a very good conclusion to a very good episode guest-starring Robert Culp.

"Publish Or Perish" - **1/2 - A somewhat confusing conclusion. You have to watch this one a few times to understand what's going on. It doesn't help if you're watching a heavily edited version of the episode.

"Mind Over Mayhem" - *** - Here's an oddity. A rather good concluding scene to a rather below par episode. (Yes, in my opinion.) It's a cool scene at the end there when Cahill goes running after Columbo and Cahill's son, only to be stopped by Columbo who is sitting there out in the hallway. Good scene.

"Swan Song" - ***1/2 - A suspenseful, surprising moment there as Tommy Brown comes hobbling out of the forest with his parachute. For a moment, you think he's going to get away with it. But there's Columbo, waiting for him. The moment those headlights turn on, you can almost see Tommy's heart hit the dirt. And it's a lovely scene that takes place inside Tommy's rented Caddilac between Tommy and Columbo. A very nice touch as Columbo says (to paraphrase) that he knew that Tommy would see the light.

"A Friend In Deed" - **** - "This isn't his apartment. It's mine. These are my socks. This is my underwear." A shocking conclusion (for Deputy Chief Halperin especially) and also a rather amusing one at that. A great concluding scene.

"An Exercise In Fatality" - ** - A fair conclusion as Columbo gives Milo Janus a lesson in how to tie shoes... someone else's shoes!

"Negative Reaction" - **** - I've written of this concluding scene elsewhere recently. It's a terrific scene between Galesko and Columbo. Columbo manages to irritate Galesko just the right way. And again, I love Dick VanDyke so much, I always wish he wouldn't go for that camera in the back on that shelf. Oh well, maybe he won't the next time I watch the episode.

"By Dawn's Early Light" - *** - A good conclusion in which Colonel Rumford manages to incriminate himself. It's fun to watch Columbo take command away from Rumford.

"Troubled Waters" - *** - Another good concluding scene. Why would Danziger hide those gloves, anyway? I mean, if he WASN'T the murderer? Why? It's fun just to see Columbo trip up the murderer in this way.

"Playback" - *** - Another confusing concluding scene, but one that works very well when you figure out what Columbo is on about. Or rather, what murderer Van Wyck's "invitation" is on - about.

"A Deadly State Of Mind" - **** - Oooooh, that dastardly Columbo! He pulls the wool over the murderer's eyes AND the viewers eyes while giving Dr. Collier ample proof that there's nothing wrong with the "witnesses" eyes - or is there?!

"Forgotten Lady" - **** - A heartbreaking concluding scene and lets not forget - it's the only concluding scene in "Columbo" history in which Columbo walks away WITHOUT ARRESTING THE MURDERER!

"A Case Of Immunity" - *** - Another good concluding scene in which someone comes "bounding into the room" unexpectedly. And then Hassan starts groveling at Columbo's feet about allowing him to stay in the good 'ol USA. Funny stuff - if you don't take it out of context.

"Identity Crisis" - ** - Not a stellar conclusion to an otherwise very good episode. The "sound" of the shades being drawn can be easily explained away. The olympics though, are another matter. Still, with a secret agent involved, you would expect a more thrilling ending. Wouldn't you?

"A Matter Of Honor" - *1/2 - Columbo risks the murderer's life to prove the murderer is a murderer. Not a very good conclusion. But hey, had Montoya been killed by the bull, Columbo could just sneak away back over the border, couldn't he?

"Now You See Him" - ** - Love watching Columbo pulling those pieces of paper out of nowhere. Even still, this is another terrific episode which is let down a bit by a slowed down conclusion.

"Last Salute To The Commodore" - * - The concluding scene of this episode lasts for what seems to be half the episode itself. Besides that, Columbo just isn't being himself in this episode, and especially in this scene. Besides that, is the concluding evidence enough to put Swanny away for murder? Tisn't!

"Fade In To Murder" - *1/2 - Another good episode is let down by an ending that just sort of limps to it's conclusion. Fingerprints on the blanks? What blanks? What fingerprints? When did we see that? Huh?

"Old Fashioned Murder" - * - "Okey, dokey officer. Can you take me to jail now?" A boring conclusion.

"The Bye-Bye Sky-High I. Q. Murder Case" - * - I just don't buy into it that Oliver Brandt would give himself away so easily. A somewhat frantic concluding scene, but it just sort of "sits there".

"Try And Catch Me" - **** - "I was murdered... " Another heartbreaking scene. If only Columbo had been the one to investigate the disappearance of Abigail Mitchell's niece. Then perhaps none of this episode would have had to have happened. But then, we'd be out one excellent episode and one tear-jerky conclusion supplied "...by Abigail Mitchell".

"Murder Under Glass" - **1/2 - Not a heavy weight final scene, but it is fun to see Columbo mentioning how he doesn't really like Paul Gerard and visa-versa.

"Make Me A Perfect Murder" - **1/2 - A frantic and pulse-pushing conclusion which makes the viewer just as panicky as it does Kay Freestone.

"How To Dial A Murder" - **** - Surprise! Now saying the word "Rosebud" just makes the dogs snarl real scary and then they attack you... with kisses! An excellent final scene between two crafty highly intelligent individuals. Terrific.

"The Conspirators" - *** - The way Columbo puts two and two together toward the end of this episode, it just makes you want to slap yourself on the forehead! A nice final scene between the two leprechans (as others have presented it.)

---To be contined and concluded with the ABC Columbo episodes---

I have to disagree with you on A Matter of Honor. Surely, Columbo of all people realizes the danger of his trick. And I am sure he has officers stationed with trank guns and more to keep Marinaro from hurting anyone. He already knows Montoya is lying. No water bottle. Hector would not have made the mistake with the wind blowing. So he died earlier. Montoya's motive? Columbo proves it in the ring. This is the meta-clue. A revelation so disturbing to the villain he just gives up. If Montoya can no longer pass as the great, fearless Montoya of old, he no longer cares. The plot exposition between Columbo and Lt. Sanchez at the end is just unnecessary. Let the viewer figure out why Montoya just surrenders silently. One of the best endings ever, in my view.

Well now....I guess after that, the rest of us don't have to bother replying!!!!! Just kiddn' with you Headache....as usual you did an amazing job!!
Looking over Headache's comments I found myself wanting to pick so many of them...but I'll try and limit myself to just a few.
For sheer cleverness in an ending I would pick Negative Reation, Suitable for Framing, A Stitch in Crime, A Friend in Deed and a deadly State of Mind.
For the most annoying Last Salute to the Commodore.
And for the most romantic and beautiful...Forgotten Lady.
Headache just a side-light......If you turn your volume up on the ending of Etude you can hear what Alex whispers in Janice's ear.."I'm guilty..you know that...just for the record I love you...I've always loved you...I hope you don't have to go through the rest of your life...you know...." NO Alex I don't know!!!
And I agree that the Alex in that scene is not the same cocky guy as he was in the rest of the episode.

In regards to Etude In Black ive seen the final scene cut to shreds with it missing important parts and sat there saying what? A classic example of the broadcasters completley ruining an episode for the sake of adverts.

On a smaller scale Hallmark cut a part of Swan song (albeit not that big a part) recently and they had nearly 10 mins remaining after it had finished to fill with ads for loans to get a great holiday and large debts all in one - great deal.

Therefore the most memorable ending due to stupidity does to the broadcasters for making the endings jjust plain daft.

God bless,

Matthew

Very interesting take on it Matthew!!

I always enjoy the endings in which Columbo visits the murderer and an argument he gives him or her for allowing him inside is "I promise this will be the last time," or words to that effect. This is a continuation of his "humility" until the very end. The murderer reluctantly lets him in--and the rest is a part of Columbo history. I especially enjoyed this in Playback.

Good point Michael......it is almost like a spider to a web......"I promise, this will be the last time." ....and the murderer is standing there thinking..."ok...I'll indulge the idiot one more time. He's got nothing on me.".........and in the end..it is the last time!!

oops!!....I screwed up on the analogy of the spider....I guess I meant to say "the fly to the web", wherein, the spider takes him into the web and finally traps him..................Oh Dear!! Sorry to get so analytical!!!!

Your point is well made regardless . . . "Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly."

Exactly Michael!

I suppose the quality of an ending is a combination of music score, intensity, and final clue. In the case of the aforementioned ending to "Short Fuse," which happens to be my favorite episode of the entire series, Roddy McDowall's performance has a lot to do with it as well. Here are my nominations for episode endings which stand out above the rest, despite the fact that many are different in style from one another.........


Ransom For a Dead Man
Suitable For Framing
Short Fuse
Blueprint For Murder
The Most Crucial Game
A Stitch in Crime
The Most Dangerous Match
Candidate For Crime
Double Exposure
A Friend in Deed
Negative Reaction
Playback
Forgotten Lady
A Case of Immunity
A Matter of Honor
How to Dial a Murder
Columbo Cries Wolf
Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo
Uneasy Lies the Crown
Columbo Goes to College
Butterfly in Shades of Grey

Of course viewers in the UK saw 'Negative Reaction' on Monday on channel 5.

Something American viewers might like to comment on is when Columbo refers to the bullet hole in Dick Van Dyke's 'trousers' and not 'pants' and later on in the film there was another reference to 'trousers' - I did not know Americans used the word trousers.

My favourite ending (i've forgotten what episoed it's from) is when Columbo reluctently takes an IQ test, and tops the charts. You see then just how clever he is, leading you to smile even more when the murderers look down on him.

The word "trousers" is used but not as often as pants. I think years ago people were more likely to say trousers rather than pants.

Waylander, that was....oh heck!!! here goes!!! The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case....Heavens!! How I hate that title!!
But you are right. It is wonderful to see Theodore Bikel (Oliver Brandt) skipping to the harder questions on the I.Q. test because Columbo was beyond any simple questions. Even though there are a lot of kiddies here that really don't enjoy that episode all that much, (and I realize that there are a lot that do enjoy it) that scene is a favourite here for me and for others....Columbo exposes his past experiences of when he first entered the police force and his feelings of inadequancies......it was a very touching scene....and it turns out.....(what we all knew already!!) that Columbo is the genius we always thought he was.

Since the discussion is endings, perhaps you experts out there can clarify something that's puzzled me for a while. I just don't get the ending to Any Port in a Storm. Granted, I've only seen the chopped up version on cable, but I just don't see how Carsini identifying the wine as spoiled incriminates him. What's going over my head here?

Ok C.G. (can I call you that?) Seeing that it is a little late in the day, I will try my best.
Any Old Port is probably the one episode which is riddled the most in plot failures...I suppose all those who love the episode...myself included...are blurred a bit by the beauty of it and the relationship which blossoms between Columbo and Carsini.
The bit about the spoiled wine........Columbo deduces that Carsini had to have shut off the ventilator/air conditioner/air duct to the wine cellar, so that he could suffocate Ric. Ergo...(I don't think I have ever used that word before! )...well, ergo, the wine was spoiled due to the lack of proper cooling. Now since this particular wine was taken from Carsini's own cellar Columbo knew that Carsini must have shut down the A.C., and that he had not anticipated the heat wave. The wine spoiled, Ric died, and well....Columbo didn't have to pay the bill at the restaurant!!!
Again I will say, there are so many factors to this episode that do not add up....but in the end, I still find it charming.

Sure you can call me C.G. Can I call you Franco? Thanks for the explanation. As I got further into the message board it became clear that I'm not the only one who had a problem with that ending. The rest of the episode was enjoyable overall.

I am a moron at times...and I haven't watched my tape of The Dirty Dozen in quite a while....although it is one of my top 10 movies...so I sort of missed the "Franco" reference at first.....but thanks...and yes, you can call me Franco anytime!!