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 ).