I kind of have trouble with that aspect of the ending, too. What makes it a little more binding for me, though, is the statement Milo made earlier about what Gene supposedly told him over the phone regarding Gene having changed into his gym shoes, showing that Milo had information at that time that he couldn't have had, unless he had been involved with putting the shoes on Gene himself. Of course, since that earlier statement was only recorded in writing by Columbo's hand, I suppose Milo could claim that Columbo had concocted it out of thin air. What might be a little stronger evidence is if Columbo had that statement written by Milo himself, or better yet, if Columbo had secretly tape recorded Milo's affirming the statement several times during that final scene.

I love that theme song, too. If only the members of Milo Janus's fitness gyms could have witnessed his brutal crime, the cheery vibe of that song would take on a whole new, creepy dimension!

I don't know if you were alive in the 70's, but daytime tv had a lot of happy jingles and theme songs, including Jack Lalanne, among others. The fact that the writers-music composers took the time to write a theme song just for this episode is a real bonus, a classic touch.

Does it matter if Milo knows that Gene changed into his gym clothes unless Columbo can prove that Gene was murdered before his clothes were changed? In other words, if the "top loop" of the shoe lace doesn't hold up in court as proof that the murderer changed Gene's clothes, than the fact that Milo claims Gene told him he had already changed doesn't prove anything. Gene could have changed his own clothes and died by accident afterwards, or had been murdered by an intruder after changing clothes. Without the "top loop" evidence, he can't convict. Let's hope it holds up because it is rather clever!

Don't forget the spliced tape where Gene Stafford must have said "Hello Jessica, this is Gene Stafford, is he there?" In court it might be hard to explain why that section of the tape was gone. The laces were the kicker, but the false alibi where Milo went, etc. would all help add up to conviction.

I also love the jingle, can't get it out of my head for a day or two after watching that episode each time.

I was born in '82, so I missed out on the '70s, but I'm quite fond of that era. What really cemented that fondness pretty early on was "Columbo", actually; that and "In Search of...", which I would watch together weekday mornings on the A&E network in the early 90s (they're still my two favorite shows ).