Columbo

[ohioglfr]

With daytime TV more available since being off work, I've been watching some old shows on MeTV. Primarily, Perry Mason and Columbo. Really great shows. I always loved how Columbo got under people's skin. I wonder if younger people are getting into those shows?

[Qqq123xx]

I wouldn't know.

[stryper]

All I know is that if I did it, I wouldn’t want Colombo on the case...great show!

[bscinstnct]

Huge Columbo fan. I know every episode by heart.

 

My favorite is with Donald Pleasance, total classic.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

Love that one!

My all-time fav is with Patrick O'Neal and Forrest Tucker (urban legend endowed) - "Blueprint For Murder"!

[bscinstnct]

 

That was a good one! That architect was so smug, love how Columbo busted him with the...I won’t spoil it.

 

Patrick Mcgoohan was in 4 episodes and he was the best. He also directed a few episodes. The banter between him and Columbo was great.

 

My favorite was when he was like a CIA guy

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

McGoohan is great - loved him on Disney's Wide World of Color (on a black and white TV) when I was a kid in The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. The Prisoner was cool and his old series Danger Man (Secret Agent) I just discovered this past year.

He was good but weird in the Columbo military academy episode.

[ohioglfr]

I recently saw an interview from one of the creators of Columbo. I was surprised that Bing Crosby was actually considered for the role. But, at that time in his life, Bing no longer wanted to work in television and stated that he just wanted to relax and play golf. Lee J. Cobb was also considered, and probably a better choice, having played police characters, but declined, citing poor health and passing away in 1976.

Besides having great actors and writers, another thing I loved about the show were the location shots. One of my favorite episodes is Etude In Black, with many shots on location at the Hollywood Bowl (and Columbo playing Chopsticks on a concert grand piano).

 

[bscinstnct]

 

Great episode! That conductor was so smug.

 

You just can’t imagine anyone else as Columbo. He was much lower key and less disheveled in the early episodes. In the pilot, he’s very mild mannered. Love how that raincoat and his car both get more and more beat up over the years.

 

Heres the pilot and the coat brand new ; )

 

 

 

[ohioglfr]

That old Peugeot . . .

I was watching an episode of The Rockford Files several years ago, a beachfront scene near the Santa Monica Pier with James Garner, and Columbo's Peugeot convertible was parked in the background. Probably both production crews happened to be shooting in the same area that day.

[bscinstnct]

This one is on now!

 

This guy is so smug...

 

[Hawkeye77]

Is that the guy that left his invite in the desk, wife in the wheelchair? Just saw that a few weeks ago.

[Shallowface]

Mannix, Cannon and Barnaby Jones are part of the METV overnight lineup. All great stuff. Good for watching on the DVR while putting in the time on the exercise bike.

Those guys had to be more resourceful than their counterparts of today. Getting stuck out in the desert is a common theme, and they can't just whip out the cellphone and call for help. Even if they could find a pay phone, they had to have change for it. Issues no one thinks of today.

One does have to suspend disbelief a bit to watch these things. All featuring guys middle aged and older, and they never have to stop to pee. Just not realistic at all.

 

 

[BIG STU]

Yeah Columbo could make the Pope kick out a stained glass window

[wcgolfer]

My dad LOVED Colombo back in the day when it was in prime time.

[ohioglfr]

Gotta love this. Reminds me of my nickel and dime existence back in college . . .

 

[indianagolf2]

The episode with the female abagail writer was great.

[ohioglfr]

Yes, Ruth Gordon was a good fit for that part.

[indianagolf2]

The butler in that episode for abagail is same actor as the senator in godfather. The one who tried to extort corleane for casino licenses.