Wow - Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. I know I've seen it but it has been MANY years. As you alluded, Cassidy was multi-talented. Culp was a capable actor and performed his Columbo stints well. McGoohan was the superior actor of the three. Cassidy had an intangible "entertainment" quality which set him apart, in my mind. I think this is what made him so enjoyable to watch.

In a CAROL BURNETT SHOW routine, they do a parody of A STAR IS BORN, where he plays the big egotistical star. Whether he himself was egotistical, it still looks like he's parodying himself a little.

That is exactly what I think as well, he was a little drunk (so quite easy to play drunk) but also completely aware of what he was doing. I didn't like this episode time ago but then I started, I appreciate the intrigue and overall atmoshpere of it. JT what do you mean by " cheesy, stupid-looking studio mock up of an office building (it reminded me of a set from Barney Miller) bothers me every time I watch", I think my english is not good enough in this sentence :) which part of episode you mean? Although some things are bothering me in this episode, I think the biggest one is when Greenleaf is calling some guy to prepare a new key for him for TODAY. I think first of all - to make a new key you need some actual key that you will copy! or at least go and check the lock and then make a key. Greenleaf couldn't afford any of that. Plus he said "for today", I think the whole procedure of checking, making a key, going to pick it up couldn't take only hours. That bothers me :)

another question is: why Columbo heard the blinds sound just after shot? that makes no sense...

I don't want to speak on JT's behalf, but I can answer the language barrier part. Barney Miller was a 70's tv show set in a police station. It was relatively low budget and the studio setting didn't look anything like a real precinct. The term "cheesy" means a lot of things, in this case, basically cheap looking. A "mock up" is a low quality imitation of something.

So JT is turned off that the "gotcha" scene, the climax of the episode, is filmed in such a low quality studio setting, especially after the rest of the episode was shot either on-location, or with high quality settings. Personally, I never noticed it, but now that he mentions it, I see his point.

There was also a running joke on BARNEY MILLER about the office being full of outdated equipment and office supplies. So some of the things that would look dated to people were meant to actually look that way while the show was on the air.

Thank you, Pete. Yes, you've correctly (and succinctly, I might add) summarized exactly what I was saying. The ending to this reminds me of the ending to "A Friend in Deed" - wonderful on location footage - the houses, the bar/pool parlor, the commissioner's office, the helicopter - and then they revert to a cheesy (cheap, obviously fake) set on the studio lot to finish one of the best episodes of the entire series. It sort of kills the moment for me every time I watch - I want to shake the director and yell, "Why??? Why??? Why this stupid set when you could have finished it somewhere more appropriate?"

But that's just me.