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And in the very last episode, he's just magnificent. As Columbophile suggested, that episode's tone is fairly reminiscent of A Friend in Deed.
So what did you think of Bert Freed's performance, @Birdleson?
I haven't seen Enough Rope in a while, but I remember a part, later in the play, in which Columbo is talking with Dr. Fleming, and suggests he knows something incriminating about him. I thought Freed didn't play too well: in trying to be threatening, he came across as too anxious, too manic. It reminds me of a similar scene in Prescription: Murder, when Columbo is talking with Dr. Flemming's lover. Like Freed, Falk is also overtly threatening there (not something that would often happen again), but he plays it much better.
At any rate, as I think I wrote earlier in this thread, the quality of Freed's performance doesn't fall squarely on his shoulders, as it's the director's job to guide the actors. I wonder how much time they had to prepare for those televised plays back in the day.
I rather like Freed's performance in that Billy Jack clip. From that clip, it appears to be better than his Columbo, keeping in mind that they're different roles with different requirements.
I wish we could have some insight into Thomas Mitchell's Columbo. Then there was the actor who played the role in Columbo Takes the Rap, a play whose script has yet to surface (a big shame as it sounds terrific). There was also Dirk Benedict.
I still prefer Playback's "sibling episode": Caution, Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health.
Apparently Bert Freed met Peter Falk later on and Falk said to him "You played Columbo first" or something like that and Freed didn't remember he'd played the character before as the character wasn't notable back then or had his own show. He didn't realise it was meant to be the same character as Falk had played so it was a bit of a revelation to him!
I’ll comment when I get there. I remember it being a good one.
Fascinating.
Yes, Playback is a certified classic. Werner plays a pretty unhinged character but he manages to hold it together almost right until the very end. I love the pathetic way Van Wyck tries to get his wife to say that he saw her mother going up to stairs to wish her goodnight beforehand. It recalls Cassavetes's Alex Benedict in Étude in Black trying to get his wife to lie for him and say she buttoned on his flower after the concert. I love how bleak the ending is with Columbo putting the monitor off and the tear running down the wife's face. It's chilling and shows there are no winners in this game - she's lost not only her mother but her husband as well. I know Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health is your favourite episode, @mattjoes, and there is the video of the hedge having grown which recalls the final clue in Playback. It's definitely one of the better newer Columbo episodes and it's great to see George Hamilton back again. I think I prefer him in his second episode. The brother-in-law was incidentally played by an actor called Robert Brown...
It's a terrific touch that sells the character's desperation at this point. I love Gena Rowlands' delivery of the word "no" in response. And it's nice to see her reunited with Peter Falk in this episode.
Indeed. And as usual, the image freezes, the music (if already present) changes, and the end credits begin to appear. That sudden transition into the end credits, without belaboring the point, so to speak, makes endings like these hit harder.
That's right, it's my favorite (thanks in no small part to George Hamilton), though I will concede the plotting is stronger in Playback. It's not bad at all in Caution, but there are a couple of small shortcomings, whereas Playback seems fairly impeccable to me in that respect. The plots of that era of Columbo were really strong. I always think back to A Friend in Deed, which to me is practically perfect in its plot. Airtight.
Haha, I noticed during the credits, but I already knew in my heart it wasn't our Robert Brown. Then I completely forgot about it until the episode was over.
I've posted the scene below if you want to watch it again now:
That is funny. It reminds me of this:
That Columbo falling video was great!!! :D
@Dragonpol , SWAN SONG is up next in my rewatch. I will remember to keep the quip in mind.
I ran into this the other day, and it made my day.
It's a promotional photo for Married Alive, a 1970 episode of ITV Saturday Night Theatre. Sadly, it's probably not publicly available to watch anywhere. But I'll live in hope.
Just watched that episode today. It was excellent.
COLUMBO
A BRAVE HEART
Copyright © MCMXCV Universal City Studios
Guest Stars
PATRICK McGOOHAN
PETER HANLY
STEPHEN BILLINGTON
Special Guest Star
BERNARD FOX
The ruthless King of England (McGoohan) throws Phillip, his son's lover, out of a window and into his death. While on holiday in the country, Columbo is asked by Superintendent Durk, an old acquaintance, to collaborate on the investigation of Phillip's death, but finds himself facing not only the chief suspect, the temperamental and Machiavellian ruler of the country, but also political pressure to drop the case and head back to the United States.
A Brave Heart reminds me of the early version of Old Fashioned Murder which sounded much more interesting than what we got. Good to see McGooghan back for a fifth guest starring role too!
PETER FALK as
COLUMBO
IF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR HEAD
Copyright © MCMXCVI Universal City Studios
Guest Stars
ROWAN ATKINSON
MATILDA ZIEGLER
ROBERT AUSTIN
SIMON GODLEY
ROBIN DRISCOLL
Special Guest Star
TEDDY
After the success of A BRAVE HEART, Columbo is back in England! This time, while staying at a hotel in Portsea Island, he runs into an eccentric guest by the name of Mr. Bean. It seems someone has brutally murdered his teddy bear, Teddy, by ripping its head off. At first, everything points to a break-in, but when Columbo starts talking to Bean's "girlfriend" Irma and a few other people, suspicions are cast upon the strange man himself. Was Teddy's death intentional or just a tragic, clumsy accident? Bean won't say, because he can barely speak.
Columbo asks Bean to keep his eyes open for clues. Mr. Bean obliges:
I really need to make a point of buying the films Falk made with John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands as I've not seen any of them but have heard great things about them.
LOL, more great stuff from the marvellously convoluted mind of @mattjoes! ;)