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: Photo of a deleted scene from Ransom

Found the scene in the "Ransom" script where that photo goes. It takes place in a singles bar in the scene after the one in the diner where Columbo and Margaret talk. Columbo confronts Leslie's male secretary Michael who admits he hates Leslie because she's a "man-hater" and that if Columbo can prove she murdered her husband it would make a lot of people happy. The purpose of the scene though is for him to tell Columbo that there were recordings of her husband on tape that Leslie could have used to fake the kidnapping but when he later takes Columbo to the office to see if they can find a tape Leslie might have used for the rigged phone call, the tapes are all gone.

The reason the scene was cut I think is because since the previous scene was the one where Columbo mentions to Margaret that her father not having his keys on him was suspicious and the next scene is where Margaret calls Columbo over to try and frame Leslie with the supposedly found keys it made more sense to go from the earlier scene to the next one. But reading the script it's interesting to see that that the way this next scene was written, Leslie was supposed to be outside by the pool sunning herself and wearing a swimsuit when Columbo arrives. In the actual episode she's just indoors lying on a couch. Don't know if the change was due to logistics or because Lee Grant didn't want to wear a swimsuit (bummer) but I never realized until now these changes were made.

Re: Photo of a deleted scene from Ransom

"Bummer" is right. (But I'm a broken record about how hot Lee Grant makes Leslie.)

I've always though that Columbo's "I don't know how you do it" line with the secretary sounded pretty pointless, since he just doesn't come across as chauvinistic anywhere else in the story. But that description kind of gives it a reason, since it turns out that the man resents her, and it sounds like Columbo managed to draw it out of him.