Mondays with Columbo: NEGATIVE REACTION

(Revised 12/21/2024)

One of Columbo's best aspects is that the casting is near perfection, especially when it comes to the antagonist. Jack Cassidy and Robert Culp are two of the better-known, more popular antagonists, but Negative Reaction does something that we wouldn't expect....

Cast Dick Van Dyke as a villain. And an especially arrogant man with simmering anger to boot.

Van Dyke plays a photographer in an unhappy marriage. So instead of getting a divorce, he arranges to murder his wife and set up an innocent man recently released from prison. So when Columbo gets involved, that sets up an interesting game of cat-and-mouse...

In most Columbo episodes, the actor portraying the villain either acts arrogantly or plays his cards close to the chest. Dick Van Dyke, however, chooses to be infinitely patient with Columbo. Over time Van Dyke becomes gradually become annoyed with the detective. Peter Falk plays off that annoyance - we never see his Columbo become more obnoxious, and this becomes a great example of two actors knowing when - and how - to hit the right emotional beats.

In fact, Negative Reaction also has one of the stronger plots of any Columbo episode, with some great moments - the scene in the mission, for example, when Columbo is mistaken for a homeless man. Another scene where Columbo examines some of Van Dyke's photography books. All of these play into a really exceptional script that never feels forced of deliberately wacky like, say, the 1990s Columbo episodes.

And the ending? It may feel like a bit of a cheat on paper, but as televised...it works brilliantly. I wish I could say more without spoiling, but everything about it is pitch-perfect, and Negative Reaction is an intriguing (if lesser-appreciated) episode of Columbo.

But don't just take my word for it - check out what The Columbo Podcast and Just One More Thing have to say about Negative Reaction. 

Watch it on Tubi, and you'll agree with me. I guarantee it. 

Mondays With Columbo: PRESCRIPTION MURDER

(Revised 12/21/2024)

It's the TV movie that launched twenty years of mysteries, Originally a stage play, Prescription: Murder was the story that introduced the world to Lieutenant Columbo. As a complete done-in-one, it works....

....and as a pilot, it not only works, but it's easy to see what was later taken out.

Gene Barry stars as a psychiatrist who thinks that a relatively obscure Freud reference is appropriate for a party game. He's also dating one of his patients while maintaining a facade of a marriage. After being confronted, Barry's character decides to hatch a clever plan (although to be fair, he mentions to his girlfriend that they have had "months" to plan out this action) and murder his wife.

The interesting thing about Prescription: Murder is that Richard Levinson & William Link (the writers of the play) almost seem to be giving some preference to the murderer, rather than Columbo. This easily could have been a portrayal of a murderer who thought himself too clever, whose hubris defeated him in the end...

...but ends up introducing a now-beloved character, and Falk works with this. Although a slightly more cleaned-up version of Columbo (let's face it - this was the late 1960s), Falk brings many of the touches that make the character unique: his seeming humility, his consistent references to his wife, and a real determination to see the investigation through. It helps that Barry gives Falk a great back-and-forth, setting the tone for many guest stars during the classic run of Columbo.

And the other interesting thing about Prescription: Murder is in the resolution. Without revealing the exact ending, it is set up in a way that is atypical of Columbo.

Falk's Columbo confronts the girlfriend directly, almost in a threatening manner.

It's a scene that would not necessarily work in later Columbo episodes - in fact, only twice can I remember Falk's Columbo losing his temper in an episode. (Which is not to say that he hasn't done it elsewhere - just that I only remember it happening twice). It's understandable why this scene and a few other elements  were cut: in a done-in-one movie, it would make sense. For a pilot, other elements were more easily workable.

In a culture where arc-driven storytelling dominates media, watching a pilot can seem jarring. Prescription: Murder provides a great insight into the series' potential....as well as what might have happened had things not moved forward.

Definitely worth watching on Tubi.

Mondays With Columbo: THE MOST DANGEROUS MATCH

(Revised 11/28/2025)

Very rarely (at least, if memory serves) did Columbo ever pull "straight from the headlines", but this may be one of the few Columbo episodes that share similarities with its more recent equivalent, a fourth-season episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Focusing on the then-prevalent interest in chess (now the subject of a major motion picture, now with extra Tobey Maguire), The Most Dangerous Match has a great idea behind it - after all, aren't most Columbo episodes like a chess match? And wouldn't having Laurence Harvey of The Manchurian Candidate as a counterpoint to Columbo seem like a no-brainer?

Although there's a great idea behind it...the movie is one of the fair-to-middling entries in the Columbo oeuvre.

Laurence Harvey plays a chess champion - arrogant, abrasive, and wearing a hearing aid. He will be playing against his Russian opponent - who came out of retirement to take on the champion - and with shades of Bobby Fischer, Harvey goes into a bit of a panic, complete with a neo-psychedelic dream sequence...

...and that's the first of many awkward, not-well-thought-out sequences in the film.

There are some clever touches: an impromptu dinner between the two chess players leads to a further impromptu game of chess; heightened scrutiny by a Russian chess coach leads to some tension; and every step of the way, Harvey finds ways to counter every move and plan moves. Even at the end, when he is bragging about the number of games other chess players could handle, Columbo delivers a simple checkmate.

This isn't a bad Columbo episode (you won't get such a thing until the 1980s revival, which is why I'm not covering that era), but the direction seems lackluster. Although the writing is relatively strong, the revelation of the "big clue" feels weak. (It also doesn't help that the victim is revealed to be "only hurt" early on - although there is a later killing stroke, it does lay part of the plot open).

Is this a Columbo to remember? No, but it's worth watching if you like chess or own the DVD-boxed set. You can check it out for yourself via Tubi.

Oh, and just one more thing......the Columbo Podcast focuses on Make Me a Perfect Murder while Just One More Thing focuses on A Friend In Deed...

MONDAYS WITH COLUMBO: "Murder By The Book"

(Revised 11/28/2024)

In all honesty, I had no intention of starting this feature so early - or with this episode. But last night, out of boredom, I turned on MeTV and found myself drawn back into this episode.

(It also serves as a nice tribute to Martin Milner, who passed away yesterday).

This is considered the first "official" episode of Columbo the series (after two pilot films - Prescription: Murder and Ransom for a Dead Man). The film has a very impressive pedigree - it was one of Steven Spielberg's early works for Universal (along with Night Gallery and Duel), and was one of the first scripts written by Steven Bochco.

Yes, that Steven Bochco.

The plot concerns the breakup of a long-standing mystery writing team played by Jack Cassidy and Martin Milner. Of course, Ken Franklin (Cassidy) is not too happy with the breakup; after all, the loss of the partnership means losing the perks of celebrity....and a consistent income. (Seems that Jim Ferris - the silent part of the partnership played by Mr. Milner - was doing all of the work). So Ken Franklin engages in a plan to eliminate Mr. Ferris....

....and no, that's not a spoiler. Columbo perfected the "inverted mystery" for television the same way R. Austin Freeman used the form in his Victorian-era Dr. Thorndyke mysteries. (And trust me - his essay The Art of the Detective Story is your must-read about mysteries, slightly behind Raymond Chandler's The Simple Art of Murder. What's remarkable about Columbo - even at this early stage - is how well it plays to its strengths: the cat-and-mouse between Columbo and the murderer; the outright class-based conflict (between Cassidy with Columbo and Ms. LaSanka, his wannabe paramour), and the speculation as to what-will-trip-up-Cassidy.

(And that's part of why I'm not focusing on the 1980s revival - too many variations on the formula, and a little too much of their time).

But it's Jack Cassidy who nearly steals the show - his three performances in Columbo are the equivalent of Jack Klugman and Burgess Meredith's appearances on The Twilight Zone. Cassidy manages to swing between affability and implied menace with chilling ease. (If he looks familiar, he's this young lady's grandfather). Even as the victim, Milner creates an inherent likability and warmth in what should have been a one-note portrayal. It's to Milner's credit that by the end, the viewer takes great glee in Franklin's downfall....because he murdered such a nice, likable character.

Available via streaming on Tubi and DVD, Murder By the Book is a great intro film for newbies. Although I will not be discussing the films in chronological order, I am proud to introduce this as a first entry in this series.

And as always, if you disagree, have suggestions for other episodes, etc, just leave them in the comments below.

Coming Soon To the Blog: MONDAYS WITH COLUMBO

(Revised 11/28/2025)

You know, it's been a while since I've live blogged a show without the words "Doctor" and "Who" in the title. Although I fully intend to do that for Series Nine, I thought I would take advantage of a currently up-and-coming trend.

With two podcasts and a blog focusing on the show, the Columbo series is making a bit of a comeback. Perhaps a slow, deliberate style of storytelling seems antiquated in this multi-arc, rapid-fire media climate....but there's something genuinely unique about Columbo

It's one of the few franchises that I remember (barely) as a child but reconnected with during the 1980s revival. (The release of The Columbo Phile: A Casebook  helped immensely, and it's also available for free streaming via Tubi). It was also one of the early spurs of my then-college-era writing career, leading me to develop a spec treatment for a possible episode.

(You can see the results here. and no, I can't find the treatment. Nor my high-school-era story proposal for Doctor Who).

So here's how this will (more than likely) work:

• My focus will be on the 1970s "NBC" era - I don't have copies of the ABC movies, and if memory serves, they weren't necessarily that good.
• Posts would happen every other Monday, giving me time to enjoy the episodes and providing a cushion for writing delays. 
• I'll review the episodes in random order, simply because going chronologically would get boring. Plus, there's a greater sense of discovery (in addition to the fact that, with each episode being 70 - 90 minutes, it can get boring).

So please hop onto Tubi if you want to watch along! 

Oh, and just one more thing: I'm open to debate. I'll just be posting my reactions and insights, rather than plain information. You're more than welcome to debate me at any time.

Looking forward to this - if anything, it should help me reflex my blogging muscles. 

Your Monday COLUMBO Moment of Zen....

While I'm busy writing to complete some assignments - and in an effort to justify requesting a guest spot on the Just One More Thing podcast - here's a three-part documentary on Columbo via YouTube.

One note: it was placed on YouTube by somebody else. Someone other than the poster may own the copyright. If you're going to watch....watch all three parts now before they're pulled.

Thanks for reading, and trust me - more's coming!