i admit i had to laugh in playback when he was in the art gallery and the owner was obviously looking down at him as he was whistling at the prices of the art...when he points out the air conditioning vent and asks how much it was because he thought it was a piece of art..well, i just had to laugh no matter how corny it was!!!

I enjoy those types of moments more than the actual detective parts of the stories. Like when he tumbles down the hill in The Greenhouse Jungle. Or the scene with Columbo driving Larry Storch around in his car. I think my favorite is when he is mistaken for a hobo at the soup kitchen.