17:06 After asking around with some folks who are into vintage cars the consensus seems to be that the wire mesh-thingy is an aftermarket accessory in order to keep things on the dashboard from falling off. Considering it's a French car, I think it's fair to call it a baguette holder. Legend has it could always hold one more thing.
@@MattMcIrvin I rermember watching CITY OF DEATH last year at the same time I was rebinging Columbo and thinking Tom Baker was pulling a full Columbo all the way through the first 2 episodes.
@@ScuzzMB Ha! I was just watching that the other day, and you're right. Though the recent show that resembles Columbo most closely is probably Poker Face, in which Natasha Lyonne gets her Peter Falk on--it's basically Columbo crossed with the "Fugitive with a twist" series of the late 1970s, like The Incredible Hulk.
I love the WIlliam Shatner episode, where he plays an actor who stars in a detective TV show. Columbo keeps coming to him for "advice" and he literally helps catch himself. Also there's a scene with a very early model VCR that's said to cost several thousand dollars.
It's a great example of how character and dialog can carry a show. The big name guest stars really help give Falk people to play against that feel like they're nearly Columbo's equals.
This show was unique in that it kept me engaged and interested as an 8-12 year old. There were no shoot outs, car chases, or explosions. Just the interaction between Columbos bumbling, confused persona against an icy cold genius with an answer to every question. The ends are always satisfying.
They used to show Columbo in the afternoon during the week. in 1990 i had bronchitis and was off school and out of action for 4 weeks and got to watch a heap of the episodes. And they had The Professionals on as well. Not a bad line up at all.
Rockford is another fantastic programme, but the quality ratio isn't anywhere near as high as Colombo and falls back on the traditional detective show tropes at times. On the other hand it does have one of the all time best theme songs and James Garner is fantastic in every episode. So yeah, it's a close one.
James Garner is the dad or brother we always wanted so we could have an excuse to hang around him. The amount charisma he had made him very very rich, oh yeah, and loved. I thought the same thing of Bill Bixby, but it turns out in real life, Bill had it super hard as few people enjoyed him. Some kind of trivia nut or something like that, others just found him boring. Ow that hurts to say.
You know a project is quality when Patrick McGoohan appears not once but four times. He was incredibly choosy about his roles. It's why he turned down James Bond, unlike Rod Taylor whose manager turned it down for him. He fired him after the first one was a hit.
Now I understand why I always wanted the murderer to get away: The show was designed to make us feel that way! Two standout episodes I remember starred Dick Van Dyke and Johnny Cash, two likeable personalities you would never associate with murder.
I am only 10 minutes in and my jaw is getting sore from dropping at the non-stop superstar guests on the show, but when I saw Merlin from Excalibur that was too much and I had to stop and compliment you on finding the creamiest of the cream of the crop to clip. I often wonder, and I mean often, how long youtubers spend tracking down clips to include, and how they even do it. I know how long it takes to cut together. That part I know all too well. Ok, back to the vid.
I'm sure everyone has their own method, but what works best in my experience is: - noting down timestamps of interesting things while watching the movie / playing a game - observing the audio track of imported video (the louder it gets the more chance there is of some clip-worthy action in many cases) - just remembering stuff in general before writing the script, so you can use what you saw/played during editing - premeditated watching (like, if I were to review Columbo, I would be noting down each "one more thing" timestamp in every episode, because I know I would be using them a lot and wouldn't want to just keep reusing one clip; I would timestamp scenes when suspects reach their breaking point and start getting angry at Columbo; I would timestamp Columbo's first appearance for each episode, so I'd know when the murder clips end; and I know that I'd find any "gotcha" scene around the end of each episode file) And: yes, finding the best clips is in my case the most time consuming stage of editing; when I was making videos I had it down to a steady pace of 1 hour of editing resulting in 1 minute of final video. So this review would take 50 hours to edit in my amateur case 😂
@@ELEKTROSKANSEN Yeah, I still haven't gotten that fast, mostly because I always land up doing animation, and that stuff takes forever. I just think the whole clip thing is a nightmare of time eating, but sadly, it really does make for a more entertaining watch when the clips match, and are not too redundant. I figure people like Stam and the Critical Drinker and so many of the others have to have come up with something faster. Drinker uses 100s and 100s of clips from dozens of sources sometimes in his videos, just crazy.
Columbo takes place in the most scandalous timeline imaginable Famous conductors World chess champions The owner of an NFL team Famousish English actors The most knowledgeable wine expert in LA All killed or killers
Great video, this is one of my favorite shows of all time and I often watch it while editing my own videos. One of my favorite scenes in when Columbo goes to a soup kitchen to interview a witness and the Nuns assume he is homeless and give him a bowl of soup and try to give him some new clothes. I think my favorite Gotcha is in the Dick Van Dyke episode where he waits to till the very last minute to trick Dick Van Dyke into grabbing the one camera that was used to take the hostage photo of his wife. Fun review as always.
Glad you discovered Columbo and look forward to the next video. I watched the original run with my dad (who was also a short Italian) in the 70s, and still watch it regularly. Thanks for sharing.
If you are interested in more Peter Falk, I'd recommend "Murder By Death" and "The In-Laws". The former is a spoof of classic mystery movies with Falk playing a character based on Sam Spade from the Maltese Falcon (he'd later play a similar role in The Cheap Detective). It was an ensemble cast with David Niven, James Coco, Peter Sellers, and Elsa Lanchester also playing expies of literary and film detectives. The "In Laws" is a bit whackier with Falk playing a CIA agent who's son is getting married to the daughter of an NYC dentist, played by Alan Arkin. He gets his future In-Law wrapped up in his case and it's hilarious. Falk plays it like all the mayhem is just another day at the office, while Arkin deals with his life is suddenly gone from fillings to being shot at.
I can sympathize with Falk negotiating hard on salary. Most actors never get in the position of getting the perfect role they love doing and is popular. Hollywood success is often fleeting and having a job that can get you set for life has to be be taken advantage of.
I loved watching Columbo in the 60's and early 70's. I remember missing one episode due to a school event and it ruined my day, because we didn't have a video cassette recorder yet!! I enjoyed this video as much as watching the show. Thank you from the USA via Japan. [Human tumbleweed👍🏻🤣]
And this is why I love you. (as a fangirl, of course!) My entire family, except for me, loved it when it was first broadcast. It took me a little longer, though I am a long-time fan of Mr. Falk's work. Also, "Columbo" helped me make it through lockdown here in the US. I think I went through both the mystery wheels of NBC and ABC, too.
My kids love Columbo. It's easy enough to find for free on streaming. For teens, i think the appeal is partly seeing how he catches the killer and Columbos character. Columbo is the underdog, and his rich and powerful opponents are like the establishment, so there's a strong element of non-conformist guy thumbs his nose at authority, which teens like. My kids also like the old fashion tech, like a "mobile phone" the size of a house brick, or a device that records video. It's good for me too because there are many episodes I have not seen and very few I remember.
My favourite aspect was from the first episode, where Columbo explains that the murderer has no time, and has to get everything right first time as an amateur, whereas the homicide detective has all the time in the world and is a professional, literally doing nothing but this type of work. Great insight.
Beautiful job. I could never enjoy the show because I really did want the killer to get away! Almost all of them were favorite character actors. It's an unpleasant way to watch a show and you know they're not going to get away with it in the end. All this kind of sucked because I love Peter Faulk. The In-Laws is a perfect movie.
Of course I now deem you obligated to cover the other shows on the NBC Mystery Movie wheel. At least the ones that lasted more than one season. The most successful were McCloud and McMillan & Wife. McCloud, starring Dennis Weaver, was about a US Marshall from New Mexico temporarily assigned to the NYPD to learn modern police methods. It's loosely based on the Clint Eastwood movie, Coogan's Bluff. Naturally, McCloud would end up running rings around his "sophisticated" New York associates McMillan & Wife starred Rock Hudson and Susan St James as the San Francisco police commissioner, Stewar McMillan, and his younger wife, Sally. For some reason the commissioner handles investigations himself, probably because they tended to be high society type crimes. Sally would get herself wrapped up in the investigations due to her natural curiosity and they'd bounce theories off each other. He'd usually have to save her in the end. There was a running gag that Hudson's character was a bit of a player in his single days and ex girlfriends would pop up regularly. They had two season where Sally is pregnant and actually has the baby in one of them, but then the following season no mention is made of it. St. James left the show after the 5th season and it was retitled McMillan for the final season. Another show I like, which only lasted two seasons (more than most of the other shows under the umbrella title) was Banacek, starring George Peppard. He played an independent insurance investigator solving apparently impossible thefts (usually something way to big to move) for 10% of the policy payoff amount. Since most of the items were valued in the millions, he made a comfortable living. Peppard actually chose to end the show due to his going through a divorce and not wanting the salary included in the settlement.
It’s great to see the subs number grow. The sheer amount of work you guys have put in and the consistently high quality content is not reflected in the sub count…yet. Maybe more dad jokes?
I think writing a James Bond movie like an episode of Columbo could be really good. First half is just the villain setting things into motion, and then half way through Bond shows up seemingly on the back foot but always in control.
The closest thing to that is the novel, "The Spy Who Loved Me". The first 2/3 is focused on the female lead who gets a job at a hotel which is being harassed by mobsters. Bond shows up near the end (he's searching for Blofeld between Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and saves her. Fleming hated the result of his attempt at playing with the formula and would only license the title for use in film.
I believe there were four rotating mystery shows each month (not three). With Columbo, McCloud, and McMillan and Wife, there was a fourth (one week for each per month). But, that fourth one kept getting canceled and changed. I think Richard Boone was in one. Hec Ramsey maybe?
My wife always dismissed the show as "old people stuff" when my friend and I would watch it. After she watched a full episode, she understood why it's such a beloved show.
It’s one of those shows that is so well written and acted… and has so much charm… that it will continue to be enjoyed by new audiences for decades to come. Detective shows are typically of their time and don’t age well. (Are there other 70s detective shows that still are regularly replayed and find new fans?) The 89-03 episodes are fine for their time, but it’s the 68-78 movies/episodes that are the real legacy of the program. I go through them at least once every few years, as they have become familiar friends that never wear out their welcome.
I'm basically a second or third generation Columbo fan. I got into the show when A&E would air two episodes back to back on weekdays in the 90s. It was the perfect way to pass the time during a period of unemployment. Somehow I've never seen most of the revival episodes, though. I need to dive into them at some point.
Nice! I always loved Columbo, from the first time I saw an episode at age... 10 I believe..? All my peers thought it was a boring snoozefest "for the grown ups" and switched the channel to the A-Team. But I was always different.
It wasn't on tv much when i was growing up, but i remember my dad liking the show in addition to Agatha Christie's Poirot. Great memories with my dad that's for sure. Guess I'll have to dive in again and see what im missing. Thanks for the great part 1 review my friend 👍👍
It's just to hold papers, maps and such. Either tucked in or just stopped from sliding off the dash from behind. I'm sure it's mentioned bellow several times, but can't be bothered to look. I learned it on RUclips.
The Mrs Columbo show went through several title changes (Kate Columbo and Kate Loves a Mystery) as it separated itself from the real show. It was a really bad concept. Mulgrew was way too young to be the woman described by Falk.
Of course the influence of Colombo can't be over stated, but in particular the UK detective Vera is the closest I've seen in terms of "inspiration" from Folk's character - right down to the tatty old rain coat (now with a hat), an old banger of a car, quirky manners in the extreme and that working-class-Sherlock-Holmes ability to out maneuver even the most canny of criminal masterminds. It's nowhere near as good of a show, but it's still entertaining nonetheless.
Of ALL the fictional detectives out there, from Hercule Poirot to Sherlock Holmes to Adrian Monk... IMO Lt. Frank Columbo is the best, hands down. Bobby Goren from "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" is close; I always think of him as "Jr. Columbo", esp when he does "Just one more thing...." I had to laugh out loud at "That's as likely as Peter Falk enjoying a 3D movie." I have a lazy eye (not glass at least), so I mainly look through my right eye. Needless to say, I have almost zero depth perception, and I can't see 3D, movies or not. That's why I found your comment so funny!
Loved, loved, loved Colombo when I was a kid in the ‘70s. Some of the episodes are among the best things ever on TV. Never watched it when it returned in the ‘80s. Didn’t want to risk spoiling my love of the show with a ‘lesser version’. But maybe enough time has past that I should give them a try.
There are some very good Columbophiles on you tube. Two of the best ones are schlock horror!, and of course, watch it for days (the lady behind that channel is unbelievable). Can't wait to see this video as soon as I get home from work.
I grew up with Columbo. The other shows in the NBC Mystery Movie wheel were great (especially McCloud); but, Columbo was on a whole 'nuther plane. Now, when do we get one of these for Hec Ramsey?
In NZ in the 70’s I remember Columbo being one of the rotating mystery movies along with McCloud & McMillan & Wife. Columbo was the one I looked forward to the most as a kid. He was so interesting. Decades later when I had children, the TV show Monk had the same type of attraction to them.
Oh yeah, we never missed NBC's "Mystery Theater". I loved McCloud and Columbo the most. McMillan & Wife was good, too, but the other two above were my favorites.
@51:09 Also want to shout out Elsbeth, not sure what broadcast market areas do and don’t get it but it’s another Columbo-like currently on TV. Highly recommend it as well
Too bad the producers of the show reduced the pay for the co-stars to reduce cost in the later season. Some of the co-stars were brilliant as villains. As with most shows the early season were best, I never cared for the modern look of Columbo, for some reason it looks like a soap opera. The TV movies were mediocre to awful. Peter Falk also should've done something to make him look younger as he got older because he did embody the homeless look too much in some episodes. Interesting that Peter Falk almost immediately turned out to be difficult to work with despite not having a big name at the time. That takes some...balls (I was looking for the word chutzpah). Also funny that John Cassavetes'sss most likeable character was in Columbo 🤣 In every movie I see him I just want a divorce and I'm not even married. If you binge-watch Columbo then he'll get under your skin with his incessant questions and "one more thing", eventually you'll punch the TV - For crying out loud just leave the poor murderer alone for two seconds! Jesus Christ! Yes he murdered someone, but he's still a human being, he needs rest, sleep etc. You can come back next week! Columbo! Columbo was relentless 😁 I don't think Peter Falk phoned in an acting performance ever, he gave it his best every time, even if the movie or episode sucked.
The wire fence on Columbo's dash is an aftermarket device to keep stuff on the dash. Every cab in Paris had these things for decades until the mid to late-80’s when dash designs changed.
I've always loved Columbo. But this quick clip cut reminded me just how many well known character actors shuffled through his series. McGoohan TWICE! Great stuff...er... Stam?
Ha! I just got done watching an episode of Colombo (s5e1), opened RUclips to look for something to watch before bed and the first recommended video is this… Spooky!
So many great interactions. which one could be my favorite? Shatner's actor from a detective show that is so method in his acting, he gets into character and can't help but assist columbo in solving the case is such a great character flaw, and a perfect use of shatner. The way he gets excited when he and columbo are actually cracking the case, and then of course he comes down from the glee to recall that he is the murderer. But even then as good as that is, does it even make my top 10?
Stam Fine is why I'll never try "youtubin''" as a career. Brilliantly written, witty, well researched, Dalek karaoke, excellently selected clips to accompany the script, and despite my best efforts (occasionally making a comment, and an upvote if I remember) still at 70k subs. Good luck mate, hope you get that one clip out that brings in the million subs, maybe a piss take on Star Wars, hey, it's worked before couchmaulercough
I have never cared about Columbo. I'm a little chocked I watched almost an hour long video about the show. I think that's just a testament to how entertaining Stam Fine's videos can be.
Matthew Rhys who was in the last Columbo movie, speaks very highly of Peter Falk, and even does an impression. Funnily enough he went on to play Perry Mason.
While I’d happily see any show - Meet The Press, Antiques Roadshow, Match of the Day - get the Stam Fine treatment, Columbo is especially welcome. If you are starting to branch out from strictly fantasy/sci-fi, perhaps you can revisit the ITC catalogue and do Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), Department S, The Persuaders, all worth a look. (Especially R&H (D).) And Star Maidens. Happy New Year!
Peter Falk was brilliant and really carried this show. Some shows you can rate on its guest cast and Columbo was one of them. If you weren't a killer on Columbo in the 70's, you weren't it. Hell, he got Patrick McGoohan to do it four times and he was a notorious prick to work with.
With the advent of AI video production maybe I can finally have my 70s LA crossover event show including Columbo, Rockford Files, Three’s Company, Love Boat, CHiPs and Sanford&Son.
I'm sure Columbo inspired the Ace Attorney games. Most of the time the killer confesses just because you wear them down or trick them into it, not because you have any decent evidence. And our detective sidekick has a grotty old raincoat, of course 😁
It was actually a common trope in detective stories, all the way since Sherlock Holmes. The solution poses a satisfactory wrap up for the reader/viewer, but nothing that would stand in a real life court. I've lost count of the amount of Poirot's novels that end with Poirot exposing a logically solid reconstruction of the crime, to top it with "but I don't have any proof".
Time. Space. Reality. It's more than a linear path. It's a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know. I am the Watcher. I am your guide through these vast new realities. Follow me and ponder the question... "What if?"
In "The Rockford Files" episode " "Deadlock in Parma", one can see in the first few minutes of the episode a beat-up car parked in the background on a pier.
With regards to the 1st name of Mrs. Columbo; in The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast for Frank Sinatra, Peter Falk appears as Columbo and, during his appearance, reveals his wife's 1st name is Rose. Of course, this probably doesn't qualify as genuine canon, but it's as close as you can get.
18:14 The point of using his handkerchief isn't to keep evidence "sterile", police wouldn't have the means of using genetic evidence back then anyway. It's just to keep fingerprint evidence intact on the object.
This is going to sound like a stretch, but a spiritual successor to Columbo, in my opinion, that can be found is MadTv’s Leona Campbell character, played by Stephanie Weir. On the surface, Miss Leona is seen as (and treated as) a doddering elderly lady, but the humor of each sketch is her cutting apart whoever she is speaking to, and she does is so in southern old lady sweetness - and it’s hilarious.
I found Columbo entertaining; and still enjoy watching it to this day, however, some of the science behind the Columbo episodes bordered on the fantastical. For instance, just two that come to mind are the attempted murder using a dissolving surgical suture in the "A Stitch in Crime" episode. The frankly ridiculous murder by injecting nicotine sulphate into a cigarette filter to kill someone, which is impossible, in the "Caution, Murder Can Be Hazardous To Your Health" episode There are many other plot holes I won't go into, Columbo is best enjoyed if you park your brain and enjoy the excellent acting performance of Peter Falk as the indomitable Inspector Columbo.
17:06 After asking around with some folks who are into vintage cars the consensus seems to be that the wire mesh-thingy is an aftermarket accessory in order to keep things on the dashboard from falling off. Considering it's a French car, I think it's fair to call it a baguette holder.
Legend has it could always hold one more thing.
Thanks for covering Columbo! Shares the top spot in my heart with Doctor Who.
The Doctor and Columbo have a lot in common.
@@MattMcIrvin I rermember watching CITY OF DEATH last year at the same time I was rebinging Columbo and thinking Tom Baker was pulling a full Columbo all the way through the first 2 episodes.
@@ScuzzMB Ha! I was just watching that the other day, and you're right.
Though the recent show that resembles Columbo most closely is probably Poker Face, in which Natasha Lyonne gets her Peter Falk on--it's basically Columbo crossed with the "Fugitive with a twist" series of the late 1970s, like The Incredible Hulk.
Who?
My two favorite shows. ❤
Mrs. Columbo's gonna LOVE this video. Not me though, I don't really understand the RUclipss, there...
Of course there’s a second part, because with Colombo, there’s always… one more thing lol
I love the WIlliam Shatner episode, where he plays an actor who stars in a detective TV show. Columbo keeps coming to him for "advice" and he literally helps catch himself. Also there's a scene with a very early model VCR that's said to cost several thousand dollars.
It's a great example of how character and dialog can carry a show. The big name guest stars really help give Falk people to play against that feel like they're nearly Columbo's equals.
This show was unique in that it kept me engaged and interested as an 8-12 year old. There were no shoot outs, car chases, or explosions. Just the interaction between Columbos bumbling, confused persona against an icy cold genius with an answer to every question. The ends are always satisfying.
They used to show Columbo in the afternoon during the week. in 1990 i had bronchitis and was off school and out of action for 4 weeks and got to watch a heap of the episodes. And they had The Professionals on as well. Not a bad line up at all.
Stam Fine drops a Columbo video just when I came to the end of my Columbo content.
Check for cameras...seems sus
Make sure to sing, "I always feel like, somebody's watching me".
Wonderful episode as always. For me perhaps The Rockford Files was number one but Columbo always delivered . Thanks Stam
Rockford is another fantastic programme, but the quality ratio isn't anywhere near as high as Colombo and falls back on the traditional detective show tropes at times.
On the other hand it does have one of the all time best theme songs and James Garner is fantastic in every episode. So yeah, it's a close one.
James Garner is the dad or brother we always wanted so we could have an excuse to hang around him. The amount charisma he had made him very very rich, oh yeah, and loved. I thought the same thing of Bill Bixby, but it turns out in real life, Bill had it super hard as few people enjoyed him. Some kind of trivia nut or something like that, others just found him boring. Ow that hurts to say.
Leonard Nimoy in a Columbo episode! I love that. I didn't know that he appeared in Columbo.
The 70's episodes are better than the 80's+ ones
You know a project is quality when Patrick McGoohan appears not once but four times. He was incredibly choosy about his roles. It's why he turned down James Bond, unlike Rod Taylor whose manager turned it down for him. He fired him after the first one was a hit.
I think Rod Taylor would have been brilliant as Bond.
But then we wouldn’t have had Connery, who WAS brilliant.
Throw in Jack Cassidy as well for doing multiple villains.
Now I understand why I always wanted the murderer to get away: The show was designed to make us feel that way! Two standout episodes I remember starred Dick Van Dyke and Johnny Cash, two likeable personalities you would never associate with murder.
I am only 10 minutes in and my jaw is getting sore from dropping at the non-stop superstar guests on the show, but when I saw Merlin from Excalibur that was too much and I had to stop and compliment you on finding the creamiest of the cream of the crop to clip. I often wonder, and I mean often, how long youtubers spend tracking down clips to include, and how they even do it. I know how long it takes to cut together. That part I know all too well. Ok, back to the vid.
I'm sure everyone has their own method, but what works best in my experience is:
- noting down timestamps of interesting things while watching the movie / playing a game
- observing the audio track of imported video (the louder it gets the more chance there is of some clip-worthy action in many cases)
- just remembering stuff in general before writing the script, so you can use what you saw/played during editing
- premeditated watching (like, if I were to review Columbo, I would be noting down each "one more thing" timestamp in every episode, because I know I would be using them a lot and wouldn't want to just keep reusing one clip; I would timestamp scenes when suspects reach their breaking point and start getting angry at Columbo; I would timestamp Columbo's first appearance for each episode, so I'd know when the murder clips end; and I know that I'd find any "gotcha" scene around the end of each episode file)
And: yes, finding the best clips is in my case the most time consuming stage of editing; when I was making videos I had it down to a steady pace of 1 hour of editing resulting in 1 minute of final video. So this review would take 50 hours to edit in my amateur case 😂
@@ELEKTROSKANSEN Yeah, I still haven't gotten that fast, mostly because I always land up doing animation, and that stuff takes forever. I just think the whole clip thing is a nightmare of time eating, but sadly, it really does make for a more entertaining watch when the clips match, and are not too redundant.
I figure people like Stam and the Critical Drinker and so many of the others have to have come up with something faster. Drinker uses 100s and 100s of clips from dozens of sources sometimes in his videos, just crazy.
Columbo takes place in the most scandalous timeline imaginable
Famous conductors
World chess champions
The owner of an NFL team
Famousish English actors
The most knowledgeable wine expert in LA
All killed or killers
Great video, this is one of my favorite shows of all time and I often watch it while editing my own videos.
One of my favorite scenes in when Columbo goes to a soup kitchen to interview a witness and the Nuns assume he is homeless and give him a bowl of soup and try to give him some new clothes.
I think my favorite Gotcha is in the Dick Van Dyke episode where he waits to till the very last minute to trick Dick Van Dyke into grabbing the one camera that was used to take the hostage photo of his wife.
Fun review as always.
Glad you discovered Columbo and look forward to the next video. I watched the original run with my dad (who was also a short Italian) in the 70s, and still watch it regularly. Thanks for sharing.
Just one more thing .. Great respectful and fun review Stam.
If you are interested in more Peter Falk, I'd recommend "Murder By Death" and "The In-Laws". The former is a spoof of classic mystery movies with Falk playing a character based on Sam Spade from the Maltese Falcon (he'd later play a similar role in The Cheap Detective). It was an ensemble cast with David Niven, James Coco, Peter Sellers, and Elsa Lanchester also playing expies of literary and film detectives. The "In Laws" is a bit whackier with Falk playing a CIA agent who's son is getting married to the daughter of an NYC dentist, played by Alan Arkin. He gets his future In-Law wrapped up in his case and it's hilarious. Falk plays it like all the mayhem is just another day at the office, while Arkin deals with his life is suddenly gone from fillings to being shot at.
My favorite detective. Always a fun watch. Happy New Year Mr. Fine.
Even though you already cover so many things that I am familiar with and often love. I freaking love Columbo.
I can sympathize with Falk negotiating hard on salary. Most actors never get in the position of getting the perfect role they love doing and is popular. Hollywood success is often fleeting and having a job that can get you set for life has to be be taken advantage of.
I loved watching Columbo in the 60's and early 70's. I remember missing one episode due to a school event and it ruined my day, because we didn't have a video cassette recorder yet!! I enjoyed this video as much as watching the show. Thank you from the USA via Japan. [Human tumbleweed👍🏻🤣]
And this is why I love you. (as a fangirl, of course!) My entire family, except for me, loved it when it was first broadcast. It took me a little longer, though I am a long-time fan of Mr. Falk's work. Also, "Columbo" helped me make it through lockdown here in the US. I think I went through both the mystery wheels of NBC and ABC, too.
My kids love Columbo. It's easy enough to find for free on streaming. For teens, i think the appeal is partly seeing how he catches the killer and Columbos character. Columbo is the underdog, and his rich and powerful opponents are like the establishment, so there's a strong element of non-conformist guy thumbs his nose at authority, which teens like. My kids also like the old fashion tech, like a "mobile phone" the size of a house brick, or a device that records video. It's good for me too because there are many episodes I have not seen and very few I remember.
My favourite aspect was from the first episode, where Columbo explains that the murderer has no time, and has to get everything right first time as an amateur, whereas the homicide detective has all the time in the world and is a professional, literally doing nothing but this type of work. Great insight.
The _Columbo_ series was so good, I could Watch It for Days.
Nice one. 😉
Beautiful job. I could never enjoy the show because I really did want the killer to get away! Almost all of them were favorite character actors. It's an unpleasant way to watch a show and you know they're not going to get away with it in the end. All this kind of sucked because I love Peter Faulk. The In-Laws is a perfect movie.
I hope you mention all the bizarre Japanese Columbo remakes. They *really* like Columbo there.
Of course I now deem you obligated to cover the other shows on the NBC Mystery Movie wheel. At least the ones that lasted more than one season. The most successful were McCloud and McMillan & Wife.
McCloud, starring Dennis Weaver, was about a US Marshall from New Mexico temporarily assigned to the NYPD to learn modern police methods. It's loosely based on the Clint Eastwood movie, Coogan's Bluff. Naturally, McCloud would end up running rings around his "sophisticated" New York associates
McMillan & Wife starred Rock Hudson and Susan St James as the San Francisco police commissioner, Stewar McMillan, and his younger wife, Sally. For some reason the commissioner handles investigations himself, probably because they tended to be high society type crimes. Sally would get herself wrapped up in the investigations due to her natural curiosity and they'd bounce theories off each other. He'd usually have to save her in the end. There was a running gag that Hudson's character was a bit of a player in his single days and ex girlfriends would pop up regularly. They had two season where Sally is pregnant and actually has the baby in one of them, but then the following season no mention is made of it. St. James left the show after the 5th season and it was retitled McMillan for the final season.
Another show I like, which only lasted two seasons (more than most of the other shows under the umbrella title) was Banacek, starring George Peppard. He played an independent insurance investigator solving apparently impossible thefts (usually something way to big to move) for 10% of the policy payoff amount. Since most of the items were valued in the millions, he made a comfortable living. Peppard actually chose to end the show due to his going through a divorce and not wanting the salary included in the settlement.
It’s great to see the subs number grow. The sheer amount of work you guys have put in and the consistently high quality content is not reflected in the sub count…yet. Maybe more dad jokes?
I'm almost blind in one eye, and your joke about hating 3D movies is as accurate as it is hilarious. Bravo
Always come away from these vids with a new appreciation for shows I’ve always been aware of but never thought much of.
I think writing a James Bond movie like an episode of Columbo could be really good. First half is just the villain setting things into motion, and then half way through Bond shows up seemingly on the back foot but always in control.
The closest thing to that is the novel, "The Spy Who Loved Me". The first 2/3 is focused on the female lead who gets a job at a hotel which is being harassed by mobsters. Bond shows up near the end (he's searching for Blofeld between Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and saves her. Fleming hated the result of his attempt at playing with the formula and would only license the title for use in film.
That 3D movie joke was * chef's kiss *
I wish Leonard Nimoy had played more bad guys in his career, he was so good in Columbo.
I never watched Columbo at the time, but am familiar with all the cliches about it. Thanks for this, and have a happy and healthy new year.
I believe there were four rotating mystery shows each month (not three). With Columbo, McCloud, and McMillan and Wife, there was a fourth (one week for each per month). But, that fourth one kept getting canceled and changed. I think Richard Boone was in one. Hec Ramsey maybe?
I love that Columbo is a show that has universal appeal around the world.
My wife always dismissed the show as "old people stuff" when my friend and I would watch it. After she watched a full episode, she understood why it's such a beloved show.
It’s one of those shows that is so well written and acted… and has so much charm… that it will continue to be enjoyed by new audiences for decades to come. Detective shows are typically of their time and don’t age well. (Are there other 70s detective shows that still are regularly replayed and find new fans?)
The 89-03 episodes are fine for their time, but it’s the 68-78 movies/episodes that are the real legacy of the program. I go through them at least once every few years, as they have become familiar friends that never wear out their welcome.
I'm basically a second or third generation Columbo fan. I got into the show when A&E would air two episodes back to back on weekdays in the 90s. It was the perfect way to pass the time during a period of unemployment.
Somehow I've never seen most of the revival episodes, though. I need to dive into them at some point.
Nice! I always loved Columbo, from the first time I saw an episode at age... 10 I believe..? All my peers thought it was a boring snoozefest "for the grown ups" and switched the channel to the A-Team. But I was always different.
"I always loved Columbo"
Romantically? 😛
@@subraxas I wouldn't mind that at all! 😅
@@ELEKTROSKANSEN 😀
It wasn't on tv much when i was growing up, but i remember my dad liking the show in addition to Agatha Christie's Poirot. Great memories with my dad that's for sure. Guess I'll have to dive in again and see what im missing. Thanks for the great part 1 review my friend 👍👍
Absolutely brilliant review.
Aww, I was hoping that someone knew why he had a dish rack on his dashboard.
It's just to hold papers, maps and such. Either tucked in or just stopped from sliding off the dash from behind. I'm sure it's mentioned bellow several times, but can't be bothered to look. I learned it on RUclips.
The Mrs Columbo show went through several title changes (Kate Columbo and Kate Loves a Mystery) as it separated itself from the real show. It was a really bad concept. Mulgrew was way too young to be the woman described by Falk.
Of course the influence of Colombo can't be over stated, but in particular the UK detective Vera is the closest I've seen in terms of "inspiration" from Folk's character - right down to the tatty old rain coat (now with a hat), an old banger of a car, quirky manners in the extreme and that working-class-Sherlock-Holmes ability to out maneuver even the most canny of criminal masterminds.
It's nowhere near as good of a show, but it's still entertaining nonetheless.
Of ALL the fictional detectives out there, from Hercule Poirot to Sherlock Holmes to Adrian Monk... IMO Lt. Frank Columbo is the best, hands down. Bobby Goren from "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" is close; I always think of him as "Jr. Columbo", esp when he does "Just one more thing...."
I had to laugh out loud at "That's as likely as Peter Falk enjoying a 3D movie." I have a lazy eye (not glass at least), so I mainly look through my right eye. Needless to say, I have almost zero depth perception, and I can't see 3D, movies or not. That's why I found your comment so funny!
I remember Peter Falk in Wings of Desire. Quite a shock in an otherwise ethereal movie, but it worked beautifully.
awesome commentary, very well narrated, best descriptive words to explain the characters.. expecially columbo... thanx4sharin' !!
A Stam Fine video on my favorite show? It must be Christm - huh, would you look at that.
Loved, loved, loved Colombo when I was a kid in the ‘70s. Some of the episodes are among the best things ever on TV.
Never watched it when it returned in the ‘80s. Didn’t want to risk spoiling my love of the show with a ‘lesser version’.
But maybe enough time has past that I should give them a try.
4:15 Shatner
5:26 Nimoy
Great vid, great channel!
12:22 "Writers, publishers, magicians." Brilliant.
Columbo is the greatest detective Agatha Christie never wrote. Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Miss Marple, Columbo - the greatest fictional detectives.
One of my favourite episodes is when the murderer is a sweet little old lady who writes murder mysteries. It’s like Colombo vs Agatha Christie.
Columbo is my absolute favorite TV cop. I love putting in a dvd or playing from my dvr playlist, non-stop, Columbo episodes.
There are some very good Columbophiles on you tube. Two of the best ones are schlock horror!, and of course, watch it for days (the lady behind that channel is unbelievable). Can't wait to see this video as soon as I get home from work.
🎉Watch It For Days mentioned 🎉
What show was the clip at the very end? I'm not super versed in those kinds of shows
Red Dwarf
I grew up with Columbo. The other shows in the NBC Mystery Movie wheel were great (especially McCloud); but, Columbo was on a whole 'nuther plane. Now, when do we get one of these for Hec Ramsey?
In NZ in the 70’s I remember Columbo being one of the rotating mystery movies along with McCloud & McMillan & Wife. Columbo was the one I looked forward to the most as a kid. He was so interesting. Decades later when I had children, the TV show Monk had the same type of attraction to them.
Oh yeah, we never missed NBC's "Mystery Theater". I loved McCloud and Columbo the most. McMillan & Wife was good, too, but the other two above were my favorites.
@51:09 Also want to shout out Elsbeth, not sure what broadcast market areas do and don’t get it but it’s another Columbo-like currently on TV. Highly recommend it as well
Isn’t the pool at 28:52 the same one where Navin Johnson confronted Iron Balls McGinty?
Too bad the producers of the show reduced the pay for the co-stars to reduce cost in the later season. Some of the co-stars were brilliant as villains.
As with most shows the early season were best, I never cared for the modern look of Columbo, for some reason it looks like a soap opera.
The TV movies were mediocre to awful.
Peter Falk also should've done something to make him look younger as he got older because he did embody the homeless look too much in some episodes.
Interesting that Peter Falk almost immediately turned out to be difficult to work with despite not having a big name at the time. That takes some...balls (I was looking for the word chutzpah).
Also funny that John Cassavetes'sss most likeable character was in Columbo 🤣 In every movie I see him I just want a divorce and I'm not even married.
If you binge-watch Columbo then he'll get under your skin with his incessant questions and "one more thing", eventually you'll punch the TV - For crying out loud just leave the poor murderer alone for two seconds! Jesus Christ! Yes he murdered someone, but he's still a human being, he needs rest, sleep etc.
You can come back next week! Columbo!
Columbo was relentless 😁
I don't think Peter Falk phoned in an acting performance ever, he gave it his best every time, even if the movie or episode sucked.
Great show!
My favourite detective series this year was Ludwig..... :)
The wire fence on Columbo's dash is an aftermarket device to keep stuff on the dash. Every cab in Paris had these things for decades until the mid to late-80’s when dash designs changed.
Awesome retrospective
I've always loved Columbo. But this quick clip cut reminded me just how many well known character actors shuffled through his series. McGoohan TWICE! Great stuff...er... Stam?
Ha! I just got done watching an episode of Colombo (s5e1), opened RUclips to look for something to watch before bed and the first recommended video is this… Spooky!
Loved this show!
So many great interactions. which one could be my favorite? Shatner's actor from a detective show that is so method in his acting, he gets into character and can't help but assist columbo in solving the case is such a great character flaw, and a perfect use of shatner. The way he gets excited when he and columbo are actually cracking the case, and then of course he comes down from the glee to recall that he is the murderer. But even then as good as that is, does it even make my top 10?
Fine Fine!waiting for review part 2 👍
Stam Fine is why I'll never try "youtubin''" as a career.
Brilliantly written, witty, well researched, Dalek karaoke, excellently selected clips to accompany the script, and despite my best efforts (occasionally making a comment, and an upvote if I remember) still at 70k subs.
Good luck mate, hope you get that one clip out that brings in the million subs, maybe a piss take on Star Wars, hey, it's worked before couchmaulercough
Great retrospective
Great review… not gotcha but how catch em😊
I have never cared about Columbo. I'm a little chocked I watched almost an hour long video about the show. I think that's just a testament to how entertaining Stam Fine's videos can be.
'Half made calzone' is a great band name
Matthew Rhys who was in the last Columbo movie, speaks very highly of Peter Falk, and even does an impression. Funnily enough he went on to play Perry Mason.
Levinson and Link also developed the TV series "Ellery Queen" starring Jim Hutton in the 1970s. It only lasted one series.
While I’d happily see any show - Meet The Press, Antiques Roadshow, Match of the Day - get the Stam Fine treatment, Columbo is especially welcome. If you are starting to branch out from strictly fantasy/sci-fi, perhaps you can revisit the ITC catalogue and do Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), Department S, The Persuaders, all worth a look. (Especially R&H (D).) And Star Maidens. Happy New Year!
Good one . Thanks !
Peter Falk was brilliant and really carried this show. Some shows you can rate on its guest cast and Columbo was one of them. If you weren't a killer on Columbo in the 70's, you weren't it. Hell, he got Patrick McGoohan to do it four times and he was a notorious prick to work with.
Stam Fine and Columbo, two things that were going to come together eventually.
One more thing... it was just a matter of time.
what's blowing my mind is law and order: criminal intent is just Coloumbo. the more you know
My parents used to watch this all of the time when I was a kid.
My kids used to watch this all of the time when I was a parent.
With the advent of AI video production maybe I can finally have my 70s LA crossover event show including Columbo, Rockford Files, Three’s Company, Love Boat, CHiPs and Sanford&Son.
I'm sure Columbo inspired the Ace Attorney games. Most of the time the killer confesses just because you wear them down or trick them into it, not because you have any decent evidence. And our detective sidekick has a grotty old raincoat, of course 😁
It was actually a common trope in detective stories, all the way since Sherlock Holmes. The solution poses a satisfactory wrap up for the reader/viewer, but nothing that would stand in a real life court. I've lost count of the amount of Poirot's novels that end with Poirot exposing a logically solid reconstruction of the crime, to top it with "but I don't have any proof".
Time. Space. Reality. It's more than a linear path. It's a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities, creating alternate worlds from the ones you know. I am the Watcher. I am your guide through these vast new realities. Follow me and ponder the question... "What if?"
He doesn't wear a wedding ring. I always thought he was faking or it was his mom he was really talking about.
I’ve been watching the later series. It’s fantastic
The dashboard thing is for maps and to keep things falling off the dashboard onto the floor.
I look forward to the Mrs Columbo video
In "The Rockford Files" episode " "Deadlock in Parma", one can see in the first few minutes of the episode a beat-up car parked in the background on a pier.
With regards to the 1st name of Mrs. Columbo; in The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast for Frank Sinatra, Peter Falk appears as Columbo and, during his appearance, reveals his wife's 1st name is Rose.
Of course, this probably doesn't qualify as genuine canon, but it's as close as you can get.
18:14 The point of using his handkerchief isn't to keep evidence "sterile", police wouldn't have the means of using genetic evidence back then anyway. It's just to keep fingerprint evidence intact on the object.
This is going to sound like a stretch, but a spiritual successor to Columbo, in my opinion, that can be found is MadTv’s Leona Campbell character, played by Stephanie Weir. On the surface, Miss Leona is seen as (and treated as) a doddering elderly lady, but the humor of each sketch is her cutting apart whoever she is speaking to, and she does is so in southern old lady sweetness - and it’s hilarious.
He is my favourite detective.
I found Columbo entertaining; and still enjoy watching it to this day, however, some of the science behind the Columbo episodes bordered on the fantastical. For instance, just two that come to mind are the attempted murder using a dissolving surgical suture in the "A Stitch in Crime" episode. The frankly ridiculous murder by injecting nicotine sulphate into a cigarette filter to kill someone, which is impossible, in the "Caution, Murder Can Be Hazardous To Your Health" episode There are many other plot holes I won't go into, Columbo is best enjoyed if you park your brain and enjoy the excellent acting performance of Peter Falk as the indomitable Inspector Columbo.
Great review of Columbo look forward to part 2.