I like the mythological aspect of Columbo. His curiosity, mannerisms, and tangents make it seem like he pops into existence to catch a killer and is relishing his short-lived freedom.
The Greeks had a godess known as "Adrasteia" who later became the Roman "Nemesis" She was the godess of inevitable fate and inescapable punishment. she is the one who curses Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection. and is sometimes mother of Helen of Troy. we don't have a lot of her mythology left, but in Greek tragedies, she appears to avenge crimes and punish hubris.
I remember always watching Columbo at my Grandparents. It was a show they watched religiously. I walked in one day when I was 6 or 7 to find Grandpa chatting away with Peter Falk in their living room. Turns out they had been friends from the same block growing up. Nice guy. But 6 year old me was sure Grampa was going down for murder.
Watching Columbo is like sipping hot chicken soup on a cold day. Bad guys always lose, and justice prevails. The world needs a lot of Columbo's right now.
What a simple and ignorant view. You know Columbo loses a few times? Including in some of the movies? Look it up hero, the show is more in depth than your apparently feeble minded view can handle. Happy you enjoy the show though, trash
Fiction my dear. The world still spirals whether you choose to ignore it. Youll have to wake up to the bleakness of the truth one day or another, otherwise you are just as much a part of the problem as those actually doing ill.
I always felt like it embodied his commitment to his role as a detective. He’s going to solve the case, and he’s going to leave the culprit in a situation where all they can do is come quietly. There’s never going to be the need for the insurance of a gun.
I think it was Falk who said that being chased (investigated) by Columbo is like being nibbled to death by a duck. I think that's a perfect description, and a big part of why we all love it so much! Falk was a brilliant Columbo.
@@ogto Thanks, and it’s goes right to the part where he says it too, which is nice, because I’d otherwise never watch the show that had his interview, but it was nice to see him saying it.
Most shows all start off with him asking such unproductive questions you really wonder how the killer will be caught. Either Columbo is too clueless or the killer is too good or some combination of these
Tbh that wife who is interested in everything and somehow relevant for every possible topic and conversation is just as mythical a creature as the lieutenant himself.
Peter Falk said his wife is definitely real because she was on the cruise ship. However he himself said he thinks the Lieutenant lied about his relatives who AlWaYS happened to be interested in whatever he was looking for information on. Someone even wrote a book about Columbo and they listed every single relative and their "career" or "hobby". It was obvious after awhile when you look at the list haha.
@@maninblack3410 I'm always happy to talk Columbo with fellow fans! I seriously just watched the beauty mark episode and the Lieutenant totally talked about his "cousin" who studied dermatology at UCLA. When Peter Falk was on " inside the actors studio," he said that the lieutenant uses his fake relatives whenever he needs to get a smart point across without appearing smart 🤓
Also love the category of "poetic justice" endings where Columbo tricks the killer into using their own expertise to accidentally prove their own guilt.
“Were you a witness to what he just did?” -Columbo in the photographer episode, where the killer was so disgusted by Columbo’s shoddy attempts that he accidentally grabbed the camera he had used to take a picture of the victim
It's a very good essay, but there is one crucial element of both the unfolding of the script and the catching of the killer you barely touched on, when you said he corners the murderer. That is the repeated visits by Columbo. Instead of gathering the facts and then rifling them to the criminal, which would stun them, he slowly tightens the noose, making them ever more anxious, annoyed or agitated. Very often, the questions he asks them are really inconsequential, because he's already figured them out. He doesn't believe for one moment the explanation given to him. That progressive dynamic builds tension for both the culprit and the audience.
Several times in the series, the perpetrator asks after being caught, "When did you first suspect me?" and Columbo's answer is often "...about two seconds after I met you." But he takes his time reeling them in.
What's left out in this evaluation is that Columbo has two things going for him: he (usually) has the support of the whole department behind him, since it's obvious he closes a LOT of cases; and he can literally pursue the case FOREVER, since theres no satute of limitations on murder and it is the most important crime the police investigate.
You typically can’t go after the case forever, if he keeps trying and not succeeding that doesn’t make the department look so good. Most of the people he goes after are high profile too which would increase that.
And being part of the police would come with certain restraints I’d bet that even Columbo would deal with, and that someone like Holmes wouldn’t have to deal with probably. So there’d be benefits both being part of the police or just being a consultant.
I always liked how, for the most part, Columbo is respected by his peers. There's never a scene of the police commissioner blowing smoke up Frank's ass like every other cop drama you've ever seen and he frequently gets permission for expensive set ups because they know he gets results.
interestingly, a lot of the episodes provide some reason for there to be a time crunch/lack of resources despite this! for example, in "Troubled Waters," he really only had the duration of the cruise to solve the crime, as it took place outside his regular jurisdiction. he also didn't have much support on that one until the evidence was literally so overwhelming that no one could deny it. a lot of the killers in different episodes also give him some kind of a "final warning," eg. "stop harassing me or I'll go to your superiors," "i'm leaving the country tomorrow on a business trip," etc. which makes it so that Columbo *has* to solve the case within the next one or two days or the opportunity could disappear forever.
It would be great if a show had one episode a month 6 or 9 months a year, or something more like that. Especially if it has spoilers. I don't want to force myself to watch a show once a week so people at work don't ruin it for me anyway. Also would be great if any shows were not about cops
Definitely. Because when you have the whole 2 hours without having to worry about commercials, it's easier to add more details than with say a 30 minute or 45 minute timeframe.
falk and columbo were weird, the network was more than willing to make just 1 movie or 5 episodes a year as long as he was willing to work, which as it turned out was like 30 years
I know the comment is over 2 years old now but Columbos early run was about 9 years with under 50 episodes, so it was usually just like 4-5 episodes per year
True. I didn't really notice this until the reboot episodes were made. The reboots often look like a standard TV show while the original show looks more like movies or at least well made TV movies.
I think another big reason Columbo has aged like fine wine is the fact that the deductions followed the CLASSIC Sherlock Holmes formula to the letter (while adding sprinkles of Hitchcock ,admittebly,with us knowing who the killer is and how they did it, all the while feeling their unease and pressure as Columbo slowly catches up to them and finds a way to make them give themselves away) The fact that many of Columbo's deductions could be made by basically anyone as long as they pay attention gives credence to the theme of Columbo being an average joe who just knows how to be devilishly observant Like in the episode "Murder Under Glass" where he reveals at the end that he suspected the head chef almost immediately because, despite him hearing that someone was poisoned at his restaurant, somene he had *dinner with* ,he came straight away to the scene when called instead of going to the hospital first like any reasonable person would have out of fear for their life. That is, unless they were involved somehow or knew something they shouldn't.
Columbo once busted a guy by cross-referencing their concrete alibi with the record player that stopped half way, giving a valid explanation that nobody would ever stop a record half way as it would risk damaging the record, and somebody of a high stature would never be this callous. Sherlock kind of manifests evidence out of thin air to frame anyone present in the story, Columbo's conclusions always make sense.
The one big thing I always really love about Columbo is that it feels like the show respects the audience's intelligence throughout. The show knows that you're aware of who the killer is and why they did it, so it feels like you instead get to see the building blocks to really cement what the audience knows
My favorite part of this exposition was the statement that Colombo came from limbo and retired to it once his adversary had been caught. It’s such a great way to see him.
Honestly feeds in to a fun idea I like to mess with that Columbo is not human, but instead some sort of fae creature summoned to our world to enact revenge upon the rich and powerful. It's a silly idea but I have fun thinking about it and I think it'd be fun to write a story with that as the premise one day.
@@matti.8465 I love the theories or memes about Columbo being this sort of supernatural being. Like there's always been a part of his character where he's much more than he seems, so taking it to the extreme of "he's magic" is just kinda fun.
It really went to show you just how much of an "average Joe" Columbo was. Even if these rich socialites were hiding the most egregious acts of murder, Columbo still wouldn't be able to retain his awe and wonder at being able to get close to these people and peer into their lives.
@@TornaitSuperBird I always saw that as him trying to play himself down and seem humble in front of the killer so they underestimate him and slip up rather than seeing it as the director trying to make him normal
@@sethrowley8086 Exactly. It also primes the killer to see his questions as harmless until he finally asks the big one and they angrily answer just to get him to leave, not realizing until too late what they just said
I like when Columbo says, “That much have cost a fortune,” and the killer replies about the carpet, a painting, a car, a piece of furniture, etc, that it only cost a X amount, and Columbo replies, “That much.”
Fortunately for everyone, Peter Falk didn't need to kill anyone to play the character. ;-) As a kid growing up in the 70s, I liked Columbo, but I didn't really understand why I liked it. As an adult, I can see the various factors mentioned here, good characters, good actors, the class difference, the humor Falk/Columbo brings to it, and especially the cat-and-mouse game between Columbo and the murderer. Nonetheless, there is still a mystery there in the stories: what is the one clue or piece of evidence that's going to prove the murderer's guilt? Sure, Columbo jousts with the murderer over the clues and evidence, but none of it is conclusive until that final piece of evidence is turned up, the piece that justifies arresting the murderer and which is going to convict him or her in court. Columbo stories are still detective stories, the story of the detective finding the necessary evidence to prove his case.
I first caught Columbo in the late 70s when I was waiting in the lounge at the gym for my mother to finish working out. I was about eight or nine years old. There was a TV in the lounge showing a re-run of Columbo and I was utterly transfixed. I remember thinking it was a feature film being shown on TV. I couldn't articulate the appeal, I just knew it was entertaining. In the following years, I would occasionally catch an episode of Columbo on re-run and it always made an impression. It wasn't until decades later while rewatching the whole series on a streaming service that I realized that that first episode I saw in the gym lounge was "By Dawn's Early Light", the one that takes place in a military academy. To this day, that's one of my favorite episodes.
Oftentimes that clue is something you could figure out yourself if you really paid attention. Like the killer making a call and confirming that it's just hit exactly noon and he's leaving right now after the call, but there's no sound of his very loud clock chiming the hour.
I’m still working through the DVD collection of the whole of _Columbo,_ (my wife and have been watching between one and four a week for the last three months; we’re fairly deep in the ABC run now) but as much as I’d like to know that there’s more, maybe it’s just as well that we have such a large body of _good_ work to examine!
The idea of Columbo as some kind of revenant that appears from the ether to bring justice and fades back into nothingness when he's done is so on the ball and I never considered it. Amazing.
I heard a story about how the "one more thing" started. They were doing a scene and realized that he was supposed to ask something, they left it out of the script, so just to add it in quick they added the "one more thing' line and it instantly became a regular part of the show.
In a way, Columbo is like Clark Kent, unassuming mild mannered police detective who in actuality is one of the best on the force with a keen mind and observation skills. Instead of the other side being Superman, it's a bit of Sherlock Holmes.
@@Mozart2Muse Simple: instead of promoting him above his level of expertise or stuffing him behind a desk as a captain, they keep him on the beat where it is clear his real passion lies. If only all of us could be so lucky as to find a position we're good at and have a passion for.
I would have added to your essay that artful way Columbo avoided needing to get a search warrant. He always got the murderer to invite him in and welcome his snooping around. It seems real detectives would benefit from this technique.
Unfortunately if it was real life all of these people would lawyer up as soon as they first met Columbo and he wouldn't be able to do any of his snooping around and usual legwork.
Not always. And one thing I didn't like about Columbo was how much luck was involved. Which started with the very first movie - he happened to be in the unit when Gene B. came home.
Of course, there WAS that one episode - "Last Salute to the Commodore" with Robert Vaughn - that was a whodunnit, but the audience was tricked into thinking it was a regular "howcatchem" until about the last quarter.
There's actually a clip of the Last Salute at 21:14 when Radu says "It wouldn't work as well as a classic whodunnit." ruclips.net/video/EEZuRZHTTLA/видео.html
This is a great video essay. I really enjoyed your comparison to The Twilight Zone with its endings, how it plays out like a horror story for the murderer. Some of the endings are abrupt (arguably too abrupt sometimes) but they do leave a sort of haunting effect to the audience
This is a beautiful analysis. Shu Takumi, the Japanese creator of the Ace Attorney games, has said his two largest influences were Columbo and Perry Mason and you can feel it playing them. Columbo is a popular figure there (humble, respectful, dogged all resonating with the national character) but honestly we were just lucky to have him first, every culture wants to adopt him once introduced. Thank you.
Columbo and Rockford Files are high water marks in TV crime drama. I LOVED this show as a kid and still enjoy it to this day. It just never gets old. Reportedly, Falk worked his tail off to see that every episode was as good as humanly possible. You will not be forgotten, Detective! Good doc. Thanks!
Columbo's Wife: Why do you keep giving me the autographs of murderers? Columbo: Oh. Well I thought you might like it. One more thing. Did I ever tell you the story behind how I got that last autograph?
I watched Columbo with my parents as a kid and liked it. Now at 60 I am an expat and watch an episode every Saturday without fail on French tv. I absolutely LOVE it now. It's fun to recognize the guest actors (indifferent in childhood) like young, gorgeous Martin Sheen as a victim...in an episode that also featured Vincent Price. But above all, it's the Lieutenant himself that I love the most. He's so polite and soft spoken. He can't resist his genius curiosity and puzzle solving. He's genuinely non-judgmental and he seems to have a nice marriage despite us never seeing him outside the investigative context.
And the physical gags. Falk did them so seamlessly one hardly noticed that’s what they were; trying to find the door, trying to open the door, never finding his own lighter for his cigar, all that added so much to the show as well.
I really have no idea how many times I’ve rewatched individual episodes of Columbo…..and why? I guess it’s Peter Falks charisma, compelling ‘villains’ (played by great actors) and watching their process and just enjoying the chase. Hell just watching Columbo trying to get a permit to dig up foundations is a joy to watch. I still continue to binge watch it every Sunday, on our Channel 5 in the U.K.
He's fun. I really liked him and I loved Matlock when I was younger. He's so genteel and does everything right, without haste, without being the bad guy. He's the way you want to think legal types are. I really like that bumbling competence
As someone who grew up watching Columbo and the other Sunday Murder Mystery shows, I was most thrilled when a week’s broadcast had Columbo. McMillan & Wife and McCloud were decent, but Columbo was the cream of the crop, and even an elementary school aged me recognized that fact.
Yes, it was a treat to watch, and now we can marinate in back-to-back episodes and even seasons of them. It would be great if they had never stopped creating them between the “old” and the “new” Columbo, we’d have all those, too. They’re still a treat, even after watching them countless times. Always worth a revisit.
whenever youtube suggests someone totally new to me, i admit i tend to approach it with all the graciousness of the world's most suspicious street cat begrudgingly coming close to a human for a can of tuna. but oh boy, what a can of tuna! or rather, this ain't just a can of tuna, this is a sushi-grade tuna steak in terms of quality. beautifully structured, and beautifully edited. thank you so much for this quality analysis!
I STILL contend that Columbo is one of the BEST police officers to ever grace any screen. This is simply because his hard work, wit, charm, and just pure measured relentlessness is how he gets his job done. I know it's just a t.v show, but I really wish modern officers modeled their pursuits (the ones that model them and especially in the U.S) after Columbo INSTEAD of The Punisher which is a whole other (ironic) discussion. Lol. This was a great video. Thanks for posting.
The best actors as villains acted as though they were the stars which made them more impressive than in the later series. Jack Cassidy and Robert Culp especially.
thanks! i found few proper videos about Columbo on youtube, there's one by PushingUpRoses and that's about it. i really felt the show deserved more love and attention. unfortunately NBC Universal seems VERY quick on blocking stuff with Columbo in it, so fingers crossed they don't kill this video.
Peter Falk played a very unsavory character in probably what was a “B” film in the late 50s in which he himself was a criminal who gets his comeuppance in the end. You can really see that he had “it” even at the beginning of his career.
They always make the mistake of saying if you want anything just ask and he does. I love the one when he takes the guys keys to his house when the guy says "go ahead look around if you want" so he does and he leaves the key outside so the guy thinks he has left but he is sleeping in his house.
Fell in love with Columbo.. through some random RUclips clip. I was so intrigued… I started episode one season one and was hooked!!! Watched every episode. It felt good to have a nice warm meal after work and turn on an episode of Columbo. God I have such good memories. I want to cry that he is no longer with us and I finished every season.
I used to watch Columbo daily when A&E would air it early in the day. Before I had to head to work. Then found it all these years later. Started watching one while my wife was on the couch half paying attention. Halfway through she was like can we restart it. Since she wanted to see how Columbo was going to figure it out.
Sometimes, casting reaches an uncanny degree of perfection, almost as if the true identity of the actor is revealed. A few exemples: Robert Downey Jr as Ironman, Henry Cavill as Gerald of Rivia, and Peter Falk as Lieutenant Frank Columbo. As tenacious and sharp-minded as he was, it was his natural charisma and warmth that made me love him. His movies are part of the classics I go back to, with much enjoyment every time.
This is a terrific essay. I revisited this show last year (and loved the battle of wits) but I think I would enjoy it even more now with your insights. The "sad pop" at the end really does bookend the start of each story, where the murderer is the protagonist. Thank you for that insight.
Wonderful analysis. We just watched the whole series. One very enjoyable aspect was waiting for Columbo's entrance into each crime scene--often he just appeared casually in the background. Then we got a little chill -- it begins.
My favourite tv series of all time. One of the things that makes it so good is the fact that the resolution of the cases is never based on action or crazy chases or anything like that but rather on his cunning and sharp intellect.
I watched this as a kid and for some reason the clue that stuck in my mind was the one from the Shatner episode where Columbo figured out she had her hands raised because the bullet hole in her coat was higher than the one in her back.
Let me be among those who have already heaped much deserved praise upon you. A marvelous, intelligent, insightful, and witty tribute to one of the best shows to ever appear on television. Nicely done, sir!
I just watched that one tonight. That one left a mark. Terrific performances all the way around, and as someone with aging parents it had extra resonance.
@@misskim2058 It's not the only time. In the newer episodes a mother and daughter killed an abusive ass who really had it coming, and when the mother confessed to doing it alone to allow her daughter to flee, he didn't push the point even though he knew the truth.
I loved this one right up *until* the ending. Knowing her own spouse wouldn't tell her she was fatally ill really put him in a bad light and robbed me of my earlier sympathy for him. I also don't like Columbo so starstruck that he'll let an innocent man go to jail even for a few months. No, I just don't buy the ending. Finally, the reveal that she's already forgotten her own crime is annoying.
Another reason I think Columbo is so fun to watch is a similar reason people really got into House MD recently. It's just so fun watching a smart person be smart.
10 actors and actresses from back in the day I wish had Columbo episodes: Robert Lansing David McCallum Gary Lockwood Peter Graves Lee Meriwether Lee Remick James Garner Bruce Dern Elizabeth Montgomery David Janssen
It's not it's, it's its when it's the possessive of it. For example: It's Peter Falk's charismatic portrayal of Columbo which gives the show its charm, its fascination and its longevity. It's going to be a long while til we see its like again.
A really good run down of Columbo and the factors that led to its success. Nice to see such an in-depth view of the show, highlighting all the little pieces that came together and really made it work. Great video analysis all round.
Agreed. It is only when analysed like this that one can appreciate all the 'moving parts' that not only need to go together to make the whole, but also need to work 'unseen' - like a craftsman making something difficult, look quite simple.
Another series that followed the same sort of concept of showing you who the killer etc is up front, was a German show called Derrick, which was also immensely popular here in Norway. Most of the episodes followed the howcatchem format, although some were whodunnits. Starting in 1974, it ran for over 20 years, and similar to Columbo it featured little to no violence (apart from the murder that is) and often featured a "duel" between Derrik and his assistant Harry Klein on one side and the murderer on the other. And, also like Columbo, would usually end on a somber tone, rather than a celebratory one.
I loved the episode with Ruth Gordon. Her character and Columbo had a mutual respect/admiration right up to the end. Your observations on Columbo were spot on! 💯I did , SOOO enjoy your video essay. Really fun!🎥🤩✨✨✨
Another thing that I loved about "Columbo" was the beautiful locations, clothes and articulate characters. Crime stories don't have to be sleezy and low life. I can't imagine any actor who would have been better than Peter Falk as Columbo.
@@danielblindu3491 What is idiotic is bashing an “accent”. Everyone has an “accent“, and only idiots don’t know that and complain about it. His “accent” is very nice, and only improved the narration. It certainly was no detraction. And he is capable of forming complete sentences, (very well constructed ones at that), which is sadly less common than it ever has been, such as in your own comment.
I, too, love the somber endings of Columbo. My favourite being the ending of Negative Reaction. Another thing I love about Columbo is the fact that you bever know when he's telling the truth about his personal life. They could have continuity errors in the show about the little details in his life, because you don't know if he's being honest with the murderer. Great video, my dude.
What a wonderful way to end the week. There's one TV channel in the UK that dedicates every Sunday to Columbo. I found this video, hoping to gorge on a little more. Superb! Xxx
"oh there is no such thing as a perfect murder that´s an illusion"( Agent 47 throws banana peel near a jacuzzi so his victim slips and break his neck with it and then drowns) "I dont think so"
@@macsnafu If Agent 86 is who I think it is then he'd get tripped up by the Scooby Doo gang due to it being a large crossover of multiple properties. on the upside, Agent 86 will figure out that Columbo's not actually after him, Dracula will get shot then caught, and the real plot to buy back Dracula's castle as dirt cheap prices will be foiled.
It was a combination of many things - a guaranteed good script, a high profile role as a sympathetic villain (and actors enjoy playing a villain since they have more personality than a typical hero), lots of screen time, and the fact that the villain was effectively a second star - they got more screen time than Falk, and had a role where they were considered just as smart as the star - they just got tripped up by "just one more thing". For some, it was a way to demonstrate the ability to act beyond their stereotype, for others it was a paying way to fill the gap between other roles. And once Columbo became known for top talent guest roles, it became a symbol of success as an actor.
Idk whether or not to be surprised that you didn't mention the iconic, "...just one more thing!" line was an improvised flub from him legitimately forgetting his line & turning back around to finish the scene. Edit: but generally a very, very good & well-written comprehensive overview of the series! I love your accent, too!
i tried to stay away from the stuff that's been talked to death, like the wife, the car, the dog, the catchphrase. that stuff is great, but i wanted to delve into the more subtle elements of the show. but i did leave something at the end ^^
@@ogto that totally makes sense, and I appreciate that. I was a little surprised because it's always brought up, but I'm also glad your didn't bring it up, because, well, it is ALWAYS brought up!
Columbo was my favourite TV show when I was a boy. One evening, just before it was due to start, I made up my mind to try and beat Columbo to the killer's identity. So I deliberately missed the first 20 minutes of the show, and stayed in my room. My mother knew how much I loved the show, so every 2 minutes she was at the foot of the stairs shouting up to me: "you're missing it. Are you coming down?". I didn't try to tell her I was putting myself in competition with the great detective, but I wished she'd stop shouting up at me. When I finally joined her, just as the adverts were finishing and the show was about to restart, a sudden realisation came over me. I felt monumentally stupid. Of course, Columbo will be with the killer throughout the rest of the show. Bugging him. I confessed to my mother what my plan had been. She laughed, and maybe thought she'd raised an idiot. Stumbling on the analysis of the show's format reminded me of that occasion, and I can still feel a fool.
Oh, just one more thing... I was expecting the epilogue title to be his catch phrase! Besides that, excellent video, I saw some episodes but I think I'm ready to check the whole series, including the revival
@@DaveJOHAZ *Undercover* and *No Time To Die* aren't true Columbo stories. I mean, they're well done, but it feels like you could plug any competent, likeable TV detective in that role and the story wouldn't change substantially. I'm fond of most others from that period, though.
They explained why the revival was a little bit off:. If you write all the Colombo tics and grace notes into the script, the script becomes weighed down and obvious...that's what was wrong with the revival episodes. Too much on the page and no breathing room for Falk to work his subtle character magic.
Interesting that the Twilight Zone was referenced a couple times. It could be worth pointing out that many of the characters on Columbo, including Peter Falk(as Ramos Clemente) were featured in the Rod Serling series. Not only were the conclusions similiar to Twilight Zone episodes. There were several Columbo episodes when Falk himself would deliver closing monologues the way Serling would.
I just love how consistent it is that it really doesn't matter how your conversation with columbo goes, if he starts to walk out the door, and then turns around and says, "oh, one more thing", at that point you're just cooked. He's about to hit you with the game over and there is nothing you can do about it.
This is the best breakdown of Columbo. I have watched it three times now! I dated a Cuban woman who always said I was just like Columbo the way I sized people up. I'd never heard of this but when I decided to try and understand what she was talking about I just looked up the psychology of Columbo and this is great thank you.
2:34 _Double Indemnity_ (especially the original 1944 novel) is another famous example of a 'howcatchem' which preceded _Columbo_ . It has a quite a lot in common with the _Columbo_ formula, including a story that begins with the motivation and the crime, shown from the perspective of a charismatic, somewhat-sympathetic murderer-protagonist 6:08 , and a shabby, easily-underestimated "detective" who has a close, friendly relationship with the murderer.
I have one tiny caveat about that episode. As influential and important a person as the author was, I feel like the police would have worked hard to solve the case of her niece's death if she'd leaned on them enough. But maybe she was afraid it would take too long and she'd pass on herself before justice was done. 🤔
I remember watching reruns of Bonanza with my grandpa and Columbo with my grandma. Thank you for reminding me of these fond memories. It’s brought me so much joy and nostalgia watching it again.
Great essay! To me Columbo is the epitome of "more than meets the eye", while the killer personifies the surface intelligence, success and wealth that could be said to be "less than meets the eye". Each episode is the gradual unraveling of the surface level to the glorious benefit of the deeper understanding. TV at its very best, never surpassed since.
I forgot _Columbo_ made Spock AND Kirk into murderers. I also snickered out loud when you called out Louis Jordan having been a Bond villain and "looking evil" 😂
Columbo is so good at getting people to underestimate him; he acts like he's naturally dimwitted and incompetent, but underneath there lurks a Holmes-like mind. And the killers, in their pride and arrogance, fall for it every time. So satisfying!
Columbo was one of my fictional crushes as a teen. He’s so charming and endearing as a character. You can’t help but love him. I still would die happy to have husband who hypes me up to everyone 24/7 the way he does his wife. His home life is my favorite part of the show. The little life him, his wife and the Basset hound have is like a puzzle you get to piece together episode by episode.
Another really good thing about Columbo is a lot of the villains in the show were played by people who always fit more of a heroic style. People like Dick van Dyke, Johnny Cash, William Shatner, all of them are known for being good people or playing heroic characters. So having it flipped on its head where they're the villains threw people off quite a bit.
An extra feature is despite him being an unstoppable force who always gets the killer he isn’t all seeing or all knowing or rather he might see but can’t prove all in a court of law. The grim reality that some crimes can’t be solved but the killer shoots themselves in the foot by trying to cover themselves up even further and giving themselves away, like in Nimoys episode Columbo admits he can’t get him for the murder of Sharon Martin but he can get him for the attempted murder of the doctor
Easily my favorite part about Columbo is how _logical_ it is. Every little deduction uses the clues Columbo (and the audience) has been given! Columbo spends most of the episode asking the killer to explain why some piece of evidence or testimony doesn't fit the bigger picture, and the killer keeps trying to spin their web of lies to come up with some explanation, _any_ explanation, that can convince Columbo to let them go! Often, the final "one more thing" moment takes the form of a simple logical trap-with Columbo pointing out one final piece of evidence that proves the killer's guilt by the simple fact that that is the only possibility! And it's always such a satisfying "Oh-shit!" moment, because the argument is based purely in logic, so we KNOW that the killer's not gonna get out of this one! One of my favorite (and, seemingly, a lot of people's favorite) deductions is from the episode _Negative Reaction_ (I'll describe it in detail at the end of this comment to avoid spoilers). Columbo _pretends_ to try to catch the killer on one logical contradiction, only to reveal that that was merely the BAIT-the REAL contradiction came as a result of the killer's attempt to absolve themself of the fake contradiction! Again, he catches the killer in a logical trap! (Spoilers for "Negative Reaction") Basically, the killer tied up his wife in their home, took a picture of her to make a fake ransom note, then killed her. The final scene of the episode takes place in the evidence room of a police station, with a shelf with a whole bunch of cameras on it. I'm gonna paraphrase the dialogue here: Columbo: "Sir, I want you to take a look at this. This is a copy of the picture the killer took of the crime scene. See that clock in the background, there? That says 10 o'clock. You said you were at home at 10 o'clock!" Killer: "Ha! Columbo, you moron! You've mirrored the image! That clock says 2 o'clock! Here! (grabs camera from shelf) We'll take the camera, get the original picture out of it, and I'll prove it to you!" Columbo: "Sir... how did you know which of those cameras took the picture if you weren't there?" It's just... aaahhh!!!
the song in the opening of the video is "charade", by henry mancini for the film of the same name. mancini also contributed a lot of music for "columbo", including its unofficial theme, which this was not. :)
I've been a huge Columbo fan for decades and this analysis describes the appeal and mechanics of the show perfectly. Like Columbo, you've put together a water-tight case from snippets of evidence and examples. Truly excellent, thanks!
Hard if not impossible to come by another fictional detective who can be more likeable as PF's Columbo...there's something about his unflashy excentricism and common man's self-contentment which subconsciously strikes a particular humane chord in the mind of the audience that neither poirot, nor holmes etc could ever attain... what makes Columbo memorable in the purest sense are not necessarily his numerous deductive feats etc but rather his unrestrained way in which he displays his emotions thus allowing the audience to naturally bond with him
You have defined the program perfectly. We are put in the killer's shoes right away with each episode. We can't help but empathize with their effort to evade being caught. Like hoping Lucy gets out of her predicament without Ricky finding out. Despite our core understanding that murder is wrong, and that TV cops are heroes, Colombo's progression toward solving the crime is seen by the viewer more as annoying than heroic.
I saw Columbo referenced on another channel that reviews murder mysteries, and the concept was so intriguing to me that I binged multiple seasons in a week 😅😅 I was fascinated about some of the storytelling choices being made, and was curious so I've watched a few videos talking about the show since then. This video answered questions I didn't even know I had lol. Thanks for your hard work!
I like the mythological aspect of Columbo. His curiosity, mannerisms, and tangents make it seem like he pops into existence to catch a killer and is relishing his short-lived freedom.
He comes from the Columbo Dimension
Which makes it more interesting, as the internet has absorbed him into the world of the 21st Century.
You make him sound like an SCP
@@TheFuri0uswc Funny you say that. Look up SCP-3190
The Greeks had a godess known as "Adrasteia" who later became the Roman "Nemesis"
She was the godess of inevitable fate and inescapable punishment. she is the one who curses Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection. and is sometimes mother of Helen of Troy. we don't have a lot of her mythology left, but in Greek tragedies, she appears to avenge crimes and punish hubris.
I remember always watching Columbo at my Grandparents. It was a show they watched religiously. I walked in one day when I was 6 or 7 to find Grandpa chatting away with Peter Falk in their living room. Turns out they had been friends from the same block growing up. Nice guy. But 6 year old me was sure Grampa was going down for murder.
That's hilarious 😂
This should have more likes, you met Columbo as a kid!
Watching Columbo is like sipping hot chicken soup on a cold day. Bad guys always lose, and justice prevails. The world needs a lot of Columbo's right now.
What a simple and ignorant view. You know Columbo loses a few times? Including in some of the movies? Look it up hero, the show is more in depth than your apparently feeble minded view can handle. Happy you enjoy the show though, trash
columbo sundays - rain out side, washing in the dryer steaming up the windows, dinner is on...perfect
Fiction my dear.
The world still spirals whether you choose to ignore it. Youll have to wake up to the bleakness of the truth one day or another, otherwise you are just as much a part of the problem as those actually doing ill.
Bad guys are everywhere - you’re just too naive to notice.
@@deboxmojave6541,
Ooo... Edgy!
Columbo not carrying a gun is rather interesting. It adds to his seemingly harmless persona but really suits his character and the show in general.
He doesn't need a gun, after all. If threatened, he has been known to send evildoers to the Columbo Dimension.
I always felt like it embodied his commitment to his role as a detective. He’s going to solve the case, and he’s going to leave the culprit in a situation where all they can do is come quietly.
There’s never going to be the need for the insurance of a gun.
I think it was Falk who said that being chased (investigated) by Columbo is like being nibbled to death by a duck. I think that's a perfect description, and a big part of why we all love it so much! Falk was a brilliant Columbo.
he says it in this interview: ruclips.net/video/mDb4qQxbbe4/видео.html
was thinking of adding it in the video :D
@@ogto Thanks, and it’s goes right to the part where he says it too, which is nice, because I’d otherwise never watch the show that had his interview, but it was nice to see him saying it.
@@misskim2058 The rest of the interview was wonderful with lots of laughs.
@@misskim2058 I'm with you. I couldn't stomach the show even to see that interview. "The View" is and always has been a blight upon humanity, IMO.
Most shows all start off with him asking such unproductive questions you really wonder how the killer will be caught. Either Columbo is too clueless or the killer is too good or some combination of these
Tbh that wife who is interested in everything and somehow relevant for every possible topic and conversation is just as mythical a creature as the lieutenant himself.
Peter Falk said his wife is definitely real because she was on the cruise ship. However he himself said he thinks the Lieutenant lied about his relatives who AlWaYS happened to be interested in whatever he was looking for information on. Someone even wrote a book about Columbo and they listed every single relative and their "career" or "hobby". It was obvious after awhile when you look at the list haha.
@@EmilyKresl wild that I watched this video at just the right time to get this fun fact. Thanks for that internet stranger!
@@maninblack3410 I'm always happy to talk Columbo with fellow fans! I seriously just watched the beauty mark episode and the Lieutenant totally talked about his "cousin" who studied dermatology at UCLA. When Peter Falk was on " inside the actors studio," he said that the lieutenant uses his fake relatives whenever he needs to get a smart point across without appearing smart 🤓
His wife got her own spinoff. Don’t forget his dog!
@@lloydlego6088 we don't talk about that show lol even Mrs. Columbo Jane Way herself said she thought she was way too young to be Peter Falks' wife.
Also love the category of "poetic justice" endings where Columbo tricks the killer into using their own expertise to accidentally prove their own guilt.
The one with the arrogant movie-maker where Columbo tricked him in his own field was a masterpiece
I think this is a real cop trick they use to play narcissists , as they prone to burst of pride which may lead to their arrest
“Were you a witness to what he just did?” -Columbo in the photographer episode, where the killer was so disgusted by Columbo’s shoddy attempts that he accidentally grabbed the camera he had used to take a picture of the victim
@@leirbag1595which episode was that? I want to see it
@@Winterfang I do not know the episode names in english, but it should be fairly simple to fond which one has a moviemaker villain
It's a very good essay, but there is one crucial element of both the unfolding of the script and the catching of the killer you barely touched on, when you said he corners the murderer. That is the repeated visits by Columbo.
Instead of gathering the facts and then rifling them to the criminal, which would stun them, he slowly tightens the noose, making them ever more anxious, annoyed or agitated.
Very often, the questions he asks them are really inconsequential, because he's already figured them out. He doesn't believe for one moment the explanation given to him. That progressive dynamic builds tension for both the culprit and the audience.
The repeated visits also often force the perpetrators to act, which can lead to them revealing information and evidence by accident
Several times in the series, the perpetrator asks after being caught, "When did you first suspect me?" and Columbo's answer is often "...about two seconds after I met you." But he takes his time reeling them in.
"it's a very good essay, but ｔｈｅｒｅｓ ｊｕｓｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｈｉｎｇ..."
@@noodletribunal9793 he's never said ""theres just one thing" its always "just one more thing"
@@dontbewoke even so, i had to make it fit the context here. close enough!
What's left out in this evaluation is that Columbo has two things going for him: he (usually) has the support of the whole department behind him, since it's obvious he closes a LOT of cases; and he can literally pursue the case FOREVER, since theres no satute of limitations on murder and it is the most important crime the police investigate.
You typically can’t go after the case forever, if he keeps trying and not succeeding that doesn’t make the department look so good. Most of the people he goes after are high profile too which would increase that.
And being part of the police would come with certain restraints I’d bet that even Columbo would deal with, and that someone like Holmes wouldn’t have to deal with probably. So there’d be benefits both being part of the police or just being a consultant.
I always liked how, for the most part, Columbo is respected by his peers. There's never a scene of the police commissioner blowing smoke up Frank's ass like every other cop drama you've ever seen and he frequently gets permission for expensive set ups because they know he gets results.
interestingly, a lot of the episodes provide some reason for there to be a time crunch/lack of resources despite this! for example, in "Troubled Waters," he really only had the duration of the cruise to solve the crime, as it took place outside his regular jurisdiction. he also didn't have much support on that one until the evidence was literally so overwhelming that no one could deny it. a lot of the killers in different episodes also give him some kind of a "final warning," eg. "stop harassing me or I'll go to your superiors," "i'm leaving the country tomorrow on a business trip," etc. which makes it so that Columbo *has* to solve the case within the next one or two days or the opportunity could disappear forever.
@@NullHowl88 in fairness he took one commissioner down for murder so he's probably a legend in the force
They also didn't make 20 odd episodes a year so they were more like a movie than a TV show and thats how they were so good.
It would be great if a show had one episode a month 6 or 9 months a year, or something more like that. Especially if it has spoilers. I don't want to force myself to watch a show once a week so people at work don't ruin it for me anyway. Also would be great if any shows were not about cops
Definitely. Because when you have the whole 2 hours without having to worry about commercials, it's easier to add more details than with say a 30 minute or 45 minute timeframe.
falk and columbo were weird, the network was more than willing to make just 1 movie or 5 episodes a year as long as he was willing to work, which as it turned out was like 30 years
I know the comment is over 2 years old now but
Columbos early run was about 9 years with under 50 episodes, so it was usually just like 4-5 episodes per year
The shows were an hour and half, giving the writer more time to develop character and plot.
Honestly the cinematography holds up even today. The whole show is gorgeous
True. I didn't really notice this until the reboot episodes were made. The reboots often look like a standard TV show while the original show looks more like movies or at least well made TV movies.
Some of the early episodes were a bit 60s-trippy-duff, but they're all right. The '70s were the heyday.
I think another big reason Columbo has aged like fine wine is the fact that the deductions followed the CLASSIC Sherlock Holmes formula to the letter (while adding sprinkles of Hitchcock ,admittebly,with us knowing who the killer is and how they did it, all the while feeling their unease and pressure as Columbo slowly catches up to them and finds a way to make them give themselves away)
The fact that many of Columbo's deductions could be made by basically anyone as long as they pay attention gives credence to the theme of Columbo being an average joe who just knows how to be devilishly observant
Like in the episode "Murder Under Glass" where he reveals at the end that he suspected the head chef almost immediately because, despite him hearing that someone was poisoned at his restaurant, somene he had *dinner with* ,he came straight away to the scene when called instead of going to the hospital first like any reasonable person would have out of fear for their life.
That is, unless they were involved somehow or knew something they shouldn't.
Such an incredible episode
I loved that episode.
Columbo once busted a guy by cross-referencing their concrete alibi with the record player that stopped half way, giving a valid explanation that nobody would ever stop a record half way as it would risk damaging the record, and somebody of a high stature would never be this callous.
Sherlock kind of manifests evidence out of thin air to frame anyone present in the story, Columbo's conclusions always make sense.
The one big thing I always really love about Columbo is that it feels like the show respects the audience's intelligence throughout. The show knows that you're aware of who the killer is and why they did it, so it feels like you instead get to see the building blocks to really cement what the audience knows
My favorite part of this exposition was the statement that Colombo came from limbo and retired to it once his adversary had been caught. It’s such a great way to see him.
He is summoned from The Columbo Zone
@@SportyMabamba i'm gonna have to send you to the Columbo Dimension
Honestly feeds in to a fun idea I like to mess with that Columbo is not human, but instead some sort of fae creature summoned to our world to enact revenge upon the rich and powerful.
It's a silly idea but I have fun thinking about it and I think it'd be fun to write a story with that as the premise one day.
It's fun to see Columbo as a sort of spirit of justice that is summoned to ensure the powerful don't escape consequences.
@@matti.8465 I love the theories or memes about Columbo being this sort of supernatural being.
Like there's always been a part of his character where he's much more than he seems, so taking it to the extreme of "he's magic" is just kinda fun.
I loved scenes like: that's a beautiful carpet. my wife would love to have a carpet like that. How much did you pay for it?"
It really went to show you just how much of an "average Joe" Columbo was. Even if these rich socialites were hiding the most egregious acts of murder, Columbo still wouldn't be able to retain his awe and wonder at being able to get close to these people and peer into their lives.
@@TornaitSuperBird I always saw that as him trying to play himself down and seem humble in front of the killer so they underestimate him and slip up rather than seeing it as the director trying to make him normal
@@sethrowley8086 Exactly. It also primes the killer to see his questions as harmless until he finally asks the big one and they angrily answer just to get him to leave, not realizing until too late what they just said
@@sethrowley8086 Columbo's (seeming) averageness is multifunctional.
I like when Columbo says, “That much have cost a fortune,” and the killer replies about the carpet, a painting, a car, a piece of furniture, etc, that it only cost a X amount, and Columbo replies, “That much.”
Fortunately for everyone, Peter Falk didn't need to kill anyone to play the character. ;-)
As a kid growing up in the 70s, I liked Columbo, but I didn't really understand why I liked it. As an adult, I can see the various factors mentioned here, good characters, good actors, the class difference, the humor Falk/Columbo brings to it, and especially the cat-and-mouse game between Columbo and the murderer.
Nonetheless, there is still a mystery there in the stories: what is the one clue or piece of evidence that's going to prove the murderer's guilt? Sure, Columbo jousts with the murderer over the clues and evidence, but none of it is conclusive until that final piece of evidence is turned up, the piece that justifies arresting the murderer and which is going to convict him or her in court. Columbo stories are still detective stories, the story of the detective finding the necessary evidence to prove his case.
I first caught Columbo in the late 70s when I was waiting in the lounge at the gym for my mother to finish working out. I was about eight or nine years old. There was a TV in the lounge showing a re-run of Columbo and I was utterly transfixed. I remember thinking it was a feature film being shown on TV. I couldn't articulate the appeal, I just knew it was entertaining. In the following years, I would occasionally catch an episode of Columbo on re-run and it always made an impression. It wasn't until decades later while rewatching the whole series on a streaming service that I realized that that first episode I saw in the gym lounge was "By Dawn's Early Light", the one that takes place in a military academy. To this day, that's one of my favorite episodes.
Oftentimes that clue is something you could figure out yourself if you really paid attention.
Like the killer making a call and confirming that it's just hit exactly noon and he's leaving right now after the call, but there's no sound of his very loud clock chiming the hour.
Not enough Columbo content out there. Greatest TV show of all time- the 70s run that is. Thanks for making this vid.
All of them are on peacock. IMDb has a lot too.
Hey, Columbo Goes to College is pretty good
@@StarryOak76 haha
I’m still working through the DVD collection of the whole of _Columbo,_ (my wife and have been watching between one and four a week for the last three months; we’re fairly deep in the ABC run now) but as much as I’d like to know that there’s more, maybe it’s just as well that we have such a large body of _good_ work to examine!
@@StarryOak76 PLENTY LATER 1S ARE GOOD
Did you know that Peter Falk's glass eye was acting as a real eye? He was just that talented.
😂
Columbo actually has a glass eye too, apparently in some episode he said "three eyes are better than one"
The idea of Columbo as some kind of revenant that appears from the ether to bring justice and fades back into nothingness when he's done is so on the ball and I never considered it. Amazing.
Oh, so he's the Mysterious Stranger. Had to pick up a gun after the apocalypse.
I heard a story about how the "one more thing" started. They were doing a scene and realized that he was supposed to ask something, they left it out of the script, so just to add it in quick they added the "one more thing' line and it instantly became a regular part of the show.
In a way, Columbo is like Clark Kent, unassuming mild mannered police detective who in actuality is one of the best on the force with a keen mind and observation skills. Instead of the other side being Superman, it's a bit of Sherlock Holmes.
Good comparison!!
Most of the other cops on the show see him as one of the best with his keen mind with their deference to him.
Wonder why - given he was the best on the force for over 30 years - he was never promoted above Lieutenant; there's your mystery.
I suppose it would have ruined the illusion of columbo being a dimwit @@Mozart2Muse
@@Mozart2Muse Simple: instead of promoting him above his level of expertise or stuffing him behind a desk as a captain, they keep him on the beat where it is clear his real passion lies. If only all of us could be so lucky as to find a position we're good at and have a passion for.
I would have added to your essay that artful way Columbo avoided needing to get a search warrant. He always got the murderer to invite him in and welcome his snooping around. It seems real detectives would benefit from this technique.
Its not real life
IRL it would present issues of admissibility for any evidence turned up on one of his visits.
ohh my god wait so police officers are vampires. because you have to invite them in. oh my god
Unfortunately if it was real life all of these people would lawyer up as soon as they first met Columbo and he wouldn't be able to do any of his snooping around and usual legwork.
Not always.
And one thing I didn't like about Columbo was how much luck was involved.
Which started with the very first movie - he happened to be in the unit when Gene B. came home.
Of course, there WAS that one episode - "Last Salute to the Commodore" with Robert Vaughn - that was a whodunnit, but the audience was tricked into thinking it was a regular "howcatchem" until about the last quarter.
Bravo, I was thinking the same thing!
Pretty much the worst episode out of the lot... scattered, inconsistent, unhinged...
There's actually a clip of the Last Salute at 21:14 when Radu says "It wouldn't work as well as a classic whodunnit." ruclips.net/video/EEZuRZHTTLA/видео.html
@@moesterer Don't DRINK! The alcoholic weepy, whiney wife did the episode no favors either.
@@moesterer Yeah. They had high aims but they just didn't get there.
im 53 still watch the show weekly even though ive seen every episode 25 times
I think the fact it’s not a murder mystery really helps with the rewatch-ability compared to other crime shows
This is a great video essay. I really enjoyed your comparison to The Twilight Zone with its endings, how it plays out like a horror story for the murderer. Some of the endings are abrupt (arguably too abrupt sometimes) but they do leave a sort of haunting effect to the audience
The real question is; could Columbo work out who *really* shot Mr. Burns?
@@keelanmurphy9941 lol
This is a beautiful analysis. Shu Takumi, the Japanese creator of the Ace Attorney games, has said his two largest influences were Columbo and Perry Mason and you can feel it playing them. Columbo is a popular figure there (humble, respectful, dogged all resonating with the national character) but honestly we were just lucky to have him first, every culture wants to adopt him once introduced.
Thank you.
Columbo and Rockford Files are high water marks in TV crime drama. I LOVED this show as a kid and still enjoy it to this day. It just never gets old. Reportedly, Falk worked his tail off to see that every episode was as good as humanly possible. You will not be forgotten, Detective! Good doc. Thanks!
Columbo and Rockford Files are still my two favorites. Watch them both regularly.
Columbo's Wife: Why do you keep giving me the autographs of murderers?
Columbo: Oh. Well I thought you might like it. One more thing. Did I ever tell you the story behind how I got that last autograph?
I watched Columbo with my parents as a kid and liked it. Now at 60 I am an expat and watch an episode every Saturday without fail on French tv. I absolutely LOVE it now. It's fun to recognize the guest actors (indifferent in childhood) like young, gorgeous Martin Sheen as a victim...in an episode that also featured Vincent Price. But above all, it's the Lieutenant himself that I love the most. He's so polite and soft spoken. He can't resist his genius curiosity and puzzle solving. He's genuinely non-judgmental and he seems to have a nice marriage despite us never seeing him outside the investigative context.
"Oh no sir, there's no such thing as a perfect murder, that's an illusion... Great line!
And the physical gags. Falk did them so seamlessly one hardly noticed that’s what they were; trying to find the door, trying to open the door, never finding his own lighter for his cigar, all that added so much to the show as well.
I really have no idea how many times I’ve rewatched individual episodes of Columbo…..and why? I guess it’s Peter Falks charisma, compelling ‘villains’ (played by great actors) and watching their process and just enjoying the chase. Hell just watching Columbo trying to get a permit to dig up foundations is a joy to watch.
I still continue to binge watch it every Sunday, on our Channel 5 in the U.K.
He's fun. I really liked him and I loved Matlock when I was younger. He's so genteel and does everything right, without haste, without being the bad guy. He's the way you want to think legal types are. I really like that bumbling competence
"I'd kill to play that cop." How fitting for a homicide detective 😊
As someone who grew up watching Columbo and the other Sunday Murder Mystery shows, I was most thrilled when a week’s broadcast had Columbo. McMillan & Wife and McCloud were decent, but Columbo was the cream of the crop, and even an elementary school aged me recognized that fact.
Yes, it was a treat to watch, and now we can marinate in back-to-back episodes and even seasons of them. It would be great if they had never stopped creating them between the “old” and the “new” Columbo, we’d have all those, too. They’re still a treat, even after watching them countless times. Always worth a revisit.
Yes! This was family viewing for us - and the Columbo episodes were the best!
This show is so cool. No wonder it was so influential. We wouldn’t have the fantastic Ace Attorney series without it!
maybe we'd have Ace Attorney, but definitely no Detective Gumshoe
Peter Falk was still Colombo in The Princess Bride.
Was lovely to know he had a grandson eventually!
THE best detective show ever made. I watch these episodes over and over.
Columbo: I happened to be in the neighborhood.
Murderer: You're always in the neighborhood!
whenever youtube suggests someone totally new to me, i admit i tend to approach it with all the graciousness of the world's most suspicious street cat begrudgingly coming close to a human for a can of tuna. but oh boy, what a can of tuna! or rather, this ain't just a can of tuna, this is a sushi-grade tuna steak in terms of quality. beautifully structured, and beautifully edited. thank you so much for this quality analysis!
Is that you, detective?
I STILL contend that Columbo is one of the BEST police officers to ever grace any screen. This is simply because his hard work, wit, charm, and just pure measured relentlessness is how he gets his job done. I know it's just a t.v show, but I really wish modern officers modeled their pursuits (the ones that model them and especially in the U.S) after Columbo INSTEAD of The Punisher which is a whole other (ironic) discussion. Lol. This was a great video. Thanks for posting.
The best actors as villains acted as though they were the stars which made them more impressive than in the later series. Jack Cassidy and Robert Culp especially.
One of the best produced Colombo retrospectives on YT!
Props and you garnered a new sub!
thanks! i found few proper videos about Columbo on youtube, there's one by PushingUpRoses and that's about it. i really felt the show deserved more love and attention. unfortunately NBC Universal seems VERY quick on blocking stuff with Columbo in it, so fingers crossed they don't kill this video.
Peter Falk played a very unsavory character in probably what was a “B” film in the late 50s in which he himself was a criminal who gets his comeuppance in the end. You can really see that he had “it” even at the beginning of his career.
They always make the mistake of saying if you want anything just ask and he does. I love the one when he takes the guys keys to his house when the guy says "go ahead look around if you want" so he does and he leaves the key outside so the guy thinks he has left but he is sleeping in his house.
Fell in love with Columbo.. through some random RUclips clip. I was so intrigued… I started episode one season one and was hooked!!! Watched every episode. It felt good to have a nice warm meal after work and turn on an episode of Columbo. God I have such good memories. I want to cry that he is no longer with us and I finished every season.
I used to watch Columbo daily when A&E would air it early in the day. Before I had to head to work. Then found it all these years later. Started watching one while my wife was on the couch half paying attention. Halfway through she was like can we restart it. Since she wanted to see how Columbo was going to figure it out.
This was oh so well done, like a video PhD thesis on our favorite detective, Columbo. Thanks for a great presentation !
Sometimes, casting reaches an uncanny degree of perfection, almost as if the true identity of the actor is revealed. A few exemples: Robert Downey Jr as Ironman, Henry Cavill as Gerald of Rivia, and Peter Falk as Lieutenant Frank Columbo. As tenacious and sharp-minded as he was, it was his natural charisma and warmth that made me love him. His movies are part of the classics I go back to, with much enjoyment every time.
This is a terrific essay. I revisited this show last year (and loved the battle of wits) but I think I would enjoy it even more now with your insights. The "sad pop" at the end really does bookend the start of each story, where the murderer is the protagonist. Thank you for that insight.
I just watched "Sad Lady", s5e1, and talk about a tragic end for everyone. It's not the usual battle of wits at all, but really a terrific episode.
Wonderful analysis. We just watched the whole series. One very enjoyable aspect was waiting for Columbo's entrance into each crime scene--often he just appeared casually in the background. Then we got a little chill -- it begins.
If you hadnt seen the serires before you could think he was an extra, just fumbling around looking for a pen or a match, i always found thatcharming.
Columbo is such an iconic character - Peter Falk and the writers created an amazing gem!
My favourite tv series of all time. One of the things that makes it so good is the fact that the resolution of the cases is never based on action or crazy chases or anything like that but rather on his cunning and sharp intellect.
I watched this as a kid and for some reason the clue that stuck in my mind was the one from the Shatner episode where Columbo figured out she had her hands raised because the bullet hole in her coat was higher than the one in her back.
Columbo is a culmination of art work, intelligence and hard work rarely seen anymore.
Let me be among those who have already heaped much deserved praise upon you. A marvelous, intelligent, insightful, and witty tribute to one of the best shows to ever appear on television. Nicely done, sir!
what a wonderful job you did. Bravo on the video- and here's to the greatest detective of all time.
I think the saddest one is with the aging starlet who is suffering from severe dementia.
I just watched that one tonight. That one left a mark. Terrific performances all the way around, and as someone with aging parents it had extra resonance.
And it’s the one time that he cuts the killer a break...
I saw that one for the 1st time a couple of months ago. Really enjoyed Janet Leigh.
@@misskim2058 It's not the only time. In the newer episodes a mother and daughter killed an abusive ass who really had it coming, and when the mother confessed to doing it alone to allow her daughter to flee, he didn't push the point even though he knew the truth.
I loved this one right up *until* the ending. Knowing her own spouse wouldn't tell her she was fatally ill really put him in a bad light and robbed me of my earlier sympathy for him. I also don't like Columbo so starstruck that he'll let an innocent man go to jail even for a few months. No, I just don't buy the ending. Finally, the reveal that she's already forgotten her own crime is annoying.
Another reason I think Columbo is so fun to watch is a similar reason people really got into House MD recently. It's just so fun watching a smart person be smart.
This video is so good! Definitely one of my favorite Columbo video essays!!
10 actors and actresses from back in the day I wish had Columbo episodes:
Robert Lansing
David McCallum
Gary Lockwood
Peter Graves
Lee Meriwether
Lee Remick
James Garner
Bruce Dern
Elizabeth Montgomery
David Janssen
I would add Paul Darrow from Blake's 7 would have been perfect.
Add Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee to that list.
This is a wonderful little essay. Nicely edited, well considered, all around a top-notch job. As a long, long time Columbo fan, I recommend it highly.
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Well done. I’ve been a COLUMBO fan since its inception. Great clips, the narration was excellent. Thank you.
It's not it's, it's its when it's the possessive of it. For example:
It's Peter Falk's charismatic portrayal of Columbo which gives the show its charm, its fascination and its longevity. It's going to be a long while til we see its like again.
A really good run down of Columbo and the factors that led to its success. Nice to see such an in-depth view of the show, highlighting all the little pieces that came together and really made it work. Great video analysis all round.
Agreed. It is only when analysed like this that one can appreciate all the 'moving parts' that not only need to go together to make the whole, but also need to work 'unseen' - like a craftsman making something difficult, look quite simple.
Another series that followed the same sort of concept of showing you who the killer etc is up front, was a German show called Derrick, which was also immensely popular here in Norway. Most of the episodes followed the howcatchem format, although some were whodunnits. Starting in 1974, it ran for over 20 years, and similar to Columbo it featured little to no violence (apart from the murder that is) and often featured a "duel" between Derrik and his assistant Harry Klein on one side and the murderer on the other. And, also like Columbo, would usually end on a somber tone, rather than a celebratory one.
First i've heard of this shows, very interesting, will check it out!
I loved the episode with Ruth Gordon. Her character and Columbo had a mutual respect/admiration right up to the end.
Your observations on Columbo were spot on! 💯I did , SOOO enjoy your video essay. Really fun!🎥🤩✨✨✨
It was a good one, one of the best... I always end up wishing they had made many more episodes, but glad to have the ones we do.
Incredible episode. Ruth Gordon was at the top her game.
Outstanding. No idea how I stumbled on this but supremely glad that I did.
This was great. Fantastic editing.
Another thing that I loved about "Columbo" was the beautiful locations, clothes and articulate characters. Crime stories don't have to be sleezy and low life. I can't imagine any actor who would have been better than Peter Falk as Columbo.
The editing is top tier
And narration.
@@danielblindu3491 What is idiotic is bashing an “accent”. Everyone has an “accent“, and only idiots don’t know that and complain about it. His “accent” is very nice, and only improved the narration. It certainly was no detraction. And he is capable of forming complete sentences, (very well constructed ones at that), which is sadly less common than it ever has been, such as in your own comment.
@@misskim2058 Please stop with the insults, I only pointed out because I am from the same country. Try to behave. Thanks!
I, too, love the somber endings of Columbo. My favourite being the ending of Negative Reaction. Another thing I love about Columbo is the fact that you bever know when he's telling the truth about his personal life. They could have continuity errors in the show about the little details in his life, because you don't know if he's being honest with the murderer.
Great video, my dude.
My head cannon is that he never married
the only bad bit of this video was the fact that it ended. i could've watched this all day
What a wonderful way to end the week. There's one TV channel in the UK that dedicates every Sunday to Columbo. I found this video, hoping to gorge on a little more. Superb! Xxx
"oh there is no such thing as a perfect murder that´s an illusion"( Agent 47 throws banana peel near a jacuzzi so his victim slips and break his neck with it and then drowns) "I dont think so"
Dude, imagine Columbo investigating those murders, and Agent 47 just doesn't know what to do cause he is a threat, but isn't?
@@aaronbasham6554 It would be pretty funny but lets be honest, if Columbo started investigating 47 he would get misteriously killed in an "accident"
Never mind Agent 47--how well would Columbo fare against Agent 86??? ;-)
@@macsnafu If Agent 86 is who I think it is then he'd get tripped up by the Scooby Doo gang due to it being a large crossover of multiple properties.
on the upside, Agent 86 will figure out that Columbo's not actually after him, Dracula will get shot then caught, and the real plot to buy back Dracula's castle as dirt cheap prices will be foiled.
Not watched the video yet but Columbo for me is hands down the greatest Detective series of all time.
You've presented this very well. Columbo is a great show, and you've done it justice. You're editing is top notch. Thank you.
It’s a bit mind blowing seeing so many talented A+ guest stars on the show. Must have been incredibly satisfying to play opposite Peter Falk.
Falk's star power, and the high reputation of the show, really enabled them to rope in talented guest actors.
It was a combination of many things - a guaranteed good script, a high profile role as a sympathetic villain (and actors enjoy playing a villain since they have more personality than a typical hero), lots of screen time, and the fact that the villain was effectively a second star - they got more screen time than Falk, and had a role where they were considered just as smart as the star - they just got tripped up by "just one more thing".
For some, it was a way to demonstrate the ability to act beyond their stereotype, for others it was a paying way to fill the gap between other roles.
And once Columbo became known for top talent guest roles, it became a symbol of success as an actor.
Idk whether or not to be surprised that you didn't mention the iconic, "...just one more thing!" line was an improvised flub from him legitimately forgetting his line & turning back around to finish the scene.
Edit: but generally a very, very good & well-written comprehensive overview of the series! I love your accent, too!
i tried to stay away from the stuff that's been talked to death, like the wife, the car, the dog, the catchphrase. that stuff is great, but i wanted to delve into the more subtle elements of the show. but i did leave something at the end ^^
@@ogto that totally makes sense, and I appreciate that.
I was a little surprised because it's always brought up, but I'm also glad your didn't bring it up, because, well, it is ALWAYS brought up!
I loved that you used Etude in Black as an example of the HowCatchEm structure! It’s of my favorite episodes
Columbo was my favourite TV show when I was a boy. One evening, just before it was due to start, I made up my mind to try and beat Columbo to the killer's identity. So I deliberately missed the first 20 minutes of the show, and stayed in my room. My mother knew how much I loved the show, so every 2 minutes she was at the foot of the stairs shouting up to me: "you're missing it. Are you coming down?". I didn't try to tell her I was putting myself in competition with the great detective, but I wished she'd stop shouting up at me. When I finally joined her, just as the adverts were finishing and the show was about to restart, a sudden realisation came over me. I felt monumentally stupid. Of course, Columbo will be with the killer throughout the rest of the show. Bugging him. I confessed to my mother what my plan had been. She laughed, and maybe thought she'd raised an idiot. Stumbling on the analysis of the show's format reminded me of that occasion, and I can still feel a fool.
Who are you? This was a pro level half hour of entertainment. Thank you Sir.
Oh, just one more thing... I was expecting the epilogue title to be his catch phrase! Besides that, excellent video, I saw some episodes but I think I'm ready to check the whole series, including the revival
I liked the revival episodes, though a lot pf people didn't seem to, for whatever reason. Maybe they missed the 70s.
The revival gets a bad rep. All of those episodes are still good. Not all of them on the level of the 70s... but a handfull DO and they are fantastic.
@@DaveJOHAZ *Undercover* and *No Time To Die* aren't true Columbo stories. I mean, they're well done, but it feels like you could plug any competent, likeable TV detective in that role and the story wouldn't change substantially. I'm fond of most others from that period, though.
They explained why the revival was a little bit off:. If you write all the Colombo tics and grace notes into the script, the script becomes weighed down and obvious...that's what was wrong with the revival episodes. Too much on the page and no breathing room for Falk to work his subtle character magic.
Interesting that the Twilight Zone was referenced a couple times. It could be worth pointing out that many of the characters on Columbo, including Peter Falk(as Ramos Clemente) were featured in the Rod Serling series. Not only were the conclusions similiar to Twilight Zone episodes. There were several Columbo episodes when Falk himself would deliver closing monologues the way Serling would.
I just love how consistent it is that it really doesn't matter how your conversation with columbo goes, if he starts to walk out the door, and then turns around and says, "oh, one more thing", at that point you're just cooked. He's about to hit you with the game over and there is nothing you can do about it.
The episode with Janet Leigh (can’t remember title) was the best, imo. Superbly directed
This is the best breakdown of Columbo. I have watched it three times now! I dated a Cuban woman who always said I was just like Columbo the way I sized people up. I'd never heard of this but when I decided to try and understand what she was talking about I just looked up the psychology of Columbo and this is great thank you.
An agent of justice. A detective from the void. The Jack to the Giant, the David to the Goliath.
A spirit of vengeance.
2:34 _Double Indemnity_ (especially the original 1944 novel) is another famous example of a 'howcatchem' which preceded _Columbo_ . It has a quite a lot in common with the _Columbo_ formula, including a story that begins with the motivation and the crime, shown from the perspective of a charismatic, somewhat-sympathetic murderer-protagonist 6:08 , and a shabby, easily-underestimated "detective" who has a close, friendly relationship with the murderer.
Ruth Gordon was bloody marvellous.
She was fantastic!
I have one tiny caveat about that episode. As influential and important a person as the author was, I feel like the police would have worked hard to solve the case of her niece's death if she'd leaned on them enough. But maybe she was afraid it would take too long and she'd pass on herself before justice was done. 🤔
That's a good point that didn't occur to me. I suppose that's a strength of the characterisation as opposed to the script.
I remember watching reruns of Bonanza with my grandpa and Columbo with my grandma. Thank you for reminding me of these fond memories. It’s brought me so much joy and nostalgia watching it again.
Great essay! To me Columbo is the epitome of "more than meets the eye", while the killer personifies the surface intelligence, success and wealth that could be said to be "less than meets the eye". Each episode is the gradual unraveling of the surface level to the glorious benefit of the deeper understanding. TV at its very best, never surpassed since.
I forgot _Columbo_ made Spock AND Kirk into murderers. I also snickered out loud when you called out Louis Jordan having been a Bond villain and "looking evil" 😂
Columbo is so good at getting people to underestimate him; he acts like he's naturally dimwitted and incompetent, but underneath there lurks a Holmes-like mind. And the killers, in their pride and arrogance, fall for it every time. So satisfying!
Columbo was one of my fictional crushes as a teen. He’s so charming and endearing as a character. You can’t help but love him. I still would die happy to have husband who hypes me up to everyone 24/7 the way he does his wife. His home life is my favorite part of the show. The little life him, his wife and the Basset hound have is like a puzzle you get to piece together episode by episode.
Even the villains in Columbo have dignity, when they are caught there's often even a knowing nod. It's great.
Another really good thing about Columbo is a lot of the villains in the show were played by people who always fit more of a heroic style. People like Dick van Dyke, Johnny Cash, William Shatner, all of them are known for being good people or playing heroic characters. So having it flipped on its head where they're the villains threw people off quite a bit.
An extra feature is despite him being an unstoppable force who always gets the killer he isn’t all seeing or all knowing or rather he might see but can’t prove all in a court of law. The grim reality that some crimes can’t be solved but the killer shoots themselves in the foot by trying to cover themselves up even further and giving themselves away, like in Nimoys episode Columbo admits he can’t get him for the murder of Sharon Martin but he can get him for the attempted murder of the doctor
Easily my favorite part about Columbo is how _logical_ it is. Every little deduction uses the clues Columbo (and the audience) has been given! Columbo spends most of the episode asking the killer to explain why some piece of evidence or testimony doesn't fit the bigger picture, and the killer keeps trying to spin their web of lies to come up with some explanation, _any_ explanation, that can convince Columbo to let them go! Often, the final "one more thing" moment takes the form of a simple logical trap-with Columbo pointing out one final piece of evidence that proves the killer's guilt by the simple fact that that is the only possibility! And it's always such a satisfying "Oh-shit!" moment, because the argument is based purely in logic, so we KNOW that the killer's not gonna get out of this one!
One of my favorite (and, seemingly, a lot of people's favorite) deductions is from the episode _Negative Reaction_ (I'll describe it in detail at the end of this comment to avoid spoilers). Columbo _pretends_ to try to catch the killer on one logical contradiction, only to reveal that that was merely the BAIT-the REAL contradiction came as a result of the killer's attempt to absolve themself of the fake contradiction! Again, he catches the killer in a logical trap!
(Spoilers for "Negative Reaction")
Basically, the killer tied up his wife in their home, took a picture of her to make a fake ransom note, then killed her. The final scene of the episode takes place in the evidence room of a police station, with a shelf with a whole bunch of cameras on it. I'm gonna paraphrase the dialogue here:
Columbo: "Sir, I want you to take a look at this. This is a copy of the picture the killer took of the crime scene. See that clock in the background, there? That says 10 o'clock. You said you were at home at 10 o'clock!"
Killer: "Ha! Columbo, you moron! You've mirrored the image! That clock says 2 o'clock! Here! (grabs camera from shelf) We'll take the camera, get the original picture out of it, and I'll prove it to you!"
Columbo: "Sir... how did you know which of those cameras took the picture if you weren't there?"
It's just... aaahhh!!!
the song in the opening of the video is "charade", by henry mancini for the film of the same name. mancini also contributed a lot of music for "columbo", including its unofficial theme, which this was not. :)
Thank you! It's wonderful
I've been a huge Columbo fan for decades and this analysis describes the appeal and mechanics of the show perfectly. Like Columbo, you've put together a water-tight case from snippets of evidence and examples. Truly excellent, thanks!
Hard if not impossible to come by another fictional detective who can be more likeable as PF's Columbo...there's something about his unflashy excentricism and common man's self-contentment which subconsciously strikes a particular humane chord in the mind of the audience that neither poirot, nor holmes etc could ever attain... what makes Columbo memorable in the purest sense are not necessarily his numerous deductive feats etc but rather his unrestrained way in which he displays his emotions thus allowing the audience to naturally bond with him
You have defined the program perfectly. We are put in the killer's shoes right away with each episode. We can't help but empathize with their effort to evade being caught. Like hoping Lucy gets out of her predicament without Ricky finding out. Despite our core understanding that murder is wrong, and that TV cops are heroes, Colombo's progression toward solving the crime is seen by the viewer more as annoying than heroic.
I saw Columbo referenced on another channel that reviews murder mysteries, and the concept was so intriguing to me that I binged multiple seasons in a week 😅😅 I was fascinated about some of the storytelling choices being made, and was curious so I've watched a few videos talking about the show since then. This video answered questions I didn't even know I had lol. Thanks for your hard work!
Pushing up Roses?