Columbo: Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star

At one point in this episode, Columbo arrives to the scene of the crime to examine some champagne corks. It's raining outside and he's let in by the maid who is extremely annoyed by his presence. He comes through the door wearing a black trucker cap reading NFI in big white letters. This is the episode my great-Uncle Marty told me about when I was ten years old, visiting him in Malibu with my brother and grandmother. He told my brother and I that he and Peter Falk had hung out at some point, and that Uncle Marty had been wearing this NFI hat (I don't have any idea where he got it). Peter Falk, being an inquisitive guy, asked my great uncle, "So, ah, what does NFI stand for?' to which Marty answered, "No F------ Idea!" Peter Falk apparently thought this was so funny that he just had to wear the hat in the episode he was currently filming! My great uncle even showed us a picture of him and Falk together wearing matching NFI hats! We always liked this story but, because he never told us the title, we could never find the episode and I was starting to think it didn't really exist until very recently I found it in the complete Columbo set! This probably means nothing to anyone else but it made me hoot with joy! Overall a fun episode with one very special scene of Columbo examining corks and questioning an angry maid all while wearing an NFI hat. Now where do I get one of those hats?

We all know how Peter Falk, as the Chinese water-torture of Detectives, can wear down the most erudite and cunning adversary. In this episode he almost meets his match in Dabney Coleman. Coleman is one of the best actors to portray villains as he has that arrogant sneer we love to hate. The close ups of Coleman's sneer and Falk's deadly smile is a viewer's delight to behold. He and Falk playing cat and mouse is riveting drama and not to be missed.

PLOT: A middle-aged lawyer (Dabney Coleman) learns that his companion, a former rock star (Cheryl Paris), has been having an affair at his beach house with her former drummer, but he can't throw her out without great compensation due to her threats to expose his illegal tactics. So he murders her at the beach house, framing her lover. Shera Danese plays the attorney's assistant, who wants a piece of the pie. Little Richard has a bit part.

COMMENTARY: This is a solid episode of the revival series highlighted by Coleman's arrogant lawyer locking horns with the disheveled detective and a case dependent on distinctive wine bottles and a dubious speeding ticket in Pasadena. The striking Denese was Peter Falk's wife for 34 years (until his death) and appeared in six episodes of the series.

GRADE: B+

When his ex-rock star partner threatens to expose him unless he pay her off, successful lawyer Hugh Creighton kills her but makes it look like her lover that did the crime. He is helped by the fact that her lover flees the scene – giving the police someone to chase while Creighton makes sure everyone gets to see his grief. However with Columbo on the case nothing is ever that simple and all it takes is a few out-of-place things and he immediately has doubts. With Creighton using his considerable experience in the court to help him, Columbo digs deeper.

As with many TV film series (such as Perry Mason), if you like one or two of them then you'll pretty much like them all. This entry in the Columbo series pretty much follows the usual formula – we know the killer and the "perfect" plan but then watch Columbo follow his hunch and gradually starts to pick holes in the story he is told before eventually finding enough to prove his suspicions. Knowing this ahead of time won't ruin anything for you; it is simply what happens in all the films. With this strict adherence to formula it is usually simple enough for the series to do the business although I have had my fingers burnt with some of the "new" Columbo's. This one is actually pretty good though despite having some side additions that are unnecessary and don't really work. The plot is reasonably good and is well delivered although at times it is a bit of a stretch – a problem to some viewers but most Columbo fans will just accept this as par for the course. The attempts at comedy are reasonably good but the scenes that place Columbo in, say, an interrogation room don't really fit with the formula.

The main winners for the film are the performance from the lead two. Falk is good even if the material isn't totally true to his character; but when given the chance he is really good – as shown in the hilarious but mocking conclusion. Coleman is hardly a classic foil but at least he is up for some cat'n'mouse and his abrasive performance fits the film pretty well. The support is not as good; not so much in the bigger roles (which are all fine) but in the small additions like "regular" character George (Gilborn) and the pointlessly feisty Currie; although Little Richard at least is a strange find.

Overall though this should please fans even if it is not up to the standards of the original Columbo episodes. The main two are good together and the plot moves along well apart from a few big leaps here and there (and one weirdly creepy moment with a Columbo "mask"). Good enough for fans then but probably not strong enough to win new ones.

This Columbo story has Peter Falk assigned to a double homicide of a former rock star who is the live-in mistress of wealthy defense attorney Dabney Coleman. Coleman has a reputation of never losing a criminal case. But mistress Cheryl Pais has enough information on Coleman and his methods that could ruin him. Still he wants her out of his life and he'll get her out one way or another.

Several years earlier a new word entered the English language courtesy of Michelle Triola Marvin and her attempts to collect alimony from Lee Marvin whom she lived with but never legally married. Her victory started a flood of those kind of suits and palimony became a word.

Coleman arranges the murder of both Pais and the guy she's been seeing on the side. Being a criminal lawyer he knows how to do it. He's even got a suspect suitable for framing.

One thing about this episode that had a different twist. Usually Columbo has to insinuate himself with the object of his suspicions to get close to him. Here Coleman uses whatever pull he has to get close to Columbo, the better to keep the eye on the investigation.

Coleman even has an alibi cooked up courtesy of his new law partner Shera Danese. You have to see what it is and how Peter Falk blows it apart at the climax.

Coleman who has taken a patent out on playing these smarmy characters is at his smarmy best in this Columbo story. Great to see him taken down.