The Lt. Columbo Forum

An area where fans from all over can ask each other questions and voice their own ideas and opinions on anything Columbo.

This Forum is fondly dedicated in memory of  "cassavetes45"  (Carleen Zink),
Columbo's greatest fan and a great friend to us all.
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The Lt. Columbo Forum
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Re: Favorite Episode

"Death Lends A Hand"
"Murder By The Book"
"Forgotten Lady"

Re: Favorite Episode

I agree that it's difficult to pick one. So I'll cheat and pick both an "original" and a "new" episode: Suitable for Framing and Columbo Goes To College.

Suitable for Framing has an arrogant villain, brilliant clues and possibly the best "gotcha" moment of the entire series. True to formula, Dale Kingston's superiority complex causes him to underestimate Lt. Columbo until it's too late. I particularly love the scene where Columbo practically dares Kingston to object to the phone tap. Instead Kingston becomes overconfident, plays the victim as he offers a key to his apartment. I have to paraphrase:

Lt. Columbo: We'll put a tap on your phone. You don't mind do you? After all, they may call you for the ransom.

Dale Kingston (looking taken aback and quickly recovering): Of course not. You can snoop around all you like. You can go through my stuff and you won't find any stolen paintings! Here, take the key to my apartment if you like.

L.C.: Oh no, we don't have to snoop around or anything like that. I wouldn't mind the key of course, you know, to look at some books to learn about art and stuff.

Columbo then takes the key from Kingston who looks completely stunned. Of course this later puts Columbo in position to set up the brilliant "gloved hands" reveal. An absolute classic!



In Columbo Goes To College, the two frat boys, along with the arrogant father, are perhaps the most smug, elitist and condescending fools in the entire run of the show. The murder is ridiculous, but if you get past that, there are some great clues like when Columbo mentions that Rusk was going to Phoenix, or when he plants the gun in the wrong car. Columbo was always a step ahead of these two clowns who mocked him as an inbred.

Honorable mention goes to "Death Hits the Jackpot for the later episodes, but the original run has too many great ones to mention.