This episode first aired December 15, 1971
The drive-in burger joint where Columbo and Peter Hamilton grab lunch was also featured in the original Star is Born and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
Actress Susan Clark, who played Beth Chadwick, was a relative unknown at the time she landed this role. According to Clark: “When that script came down, I knew it was a plum. It interested me because it was the mouse that roared. You started of as one character and then became another. It was fun to get into different looks and attitudes.”
She reflected back warmly on her time working with Peter Falk: “Peter had a lot of energy. The show was ahead of its time in a lot of ways, so it was very challenging. Peter loved improvisation. You had to be up to work with him. He didn’t compete, but he did test you. I had it, then everything clicked.”
This was Jessie Royce Landis’s final role. She passed away months after “Lady in Waiting” aired.
This was yet another episode that saw things get heated between Peter Falk and the studio owing to ABC’s reluctance to allow him to direct an episode. Unlike “Dead Weight” however, this episode was not marked by any animosity between Falk and the director, guest cast, or crew. Susan Clark recalled: “He made a point of coming up to me and saying “Nothing personal. I think you’re a terrific actress, but we have problem.” […] They had promised him he could direct. He knew the writing on the wall. They had kept putting him off. He wasn’t born yesterday. He just said “Let me know when you’re ready to talk.””
ABC grew so annoyed with Falk that then head of television, Frank Price, floated the idea of having Falk play Columbo for the first and final episodes of the season but having someone else play the role in the intervening episodes. Series co-creator Richard Levinson recalled Price’s pitch: “Art Carney was Columbo one week. Orson Welles as Columbo in the next episode. He said, somewhat sardonically, “It’s like Hamlet. Let different actors play it.” ” Spoiler alert: The studio eventually caved and allowed Falk to direct the series finale.
My thoughts on “Lady in Waiting” in chronological viewing order…
Is that Oscar Goldman of The Six Million Dollar Man fame? Why yes, it IS Richard Anderson (not to be confused with Richard Dean Anderson).
The brother is kind of an asshole and deserving of his fate.
It’s hard to take Leslie Nielsen seriously in a straight role. I keep waiting for him to do something funny.
Not a big fan of the dreamy imagined murder plot sequence, although I understand why they did it. Still, I’m wondering if the episode would have worked just as well without it.
The wonky PUSH IN on those door chimes is a little OTT.
Ah, the timing of that alarm will sink her.
That look Beth throws the departing Columbo after their first encounter makes it pretty clear – she knows she she’s in trouble.
I like this extended sequence with Mrs. Chadwick, her ordering Columbo to pay the cab fare and bring her bags in, the fact he only has $11 in his wallet, his dogged insistence on being repaid, and her offer to write him a cheque…for eleven dollars!
“I must say, you hardly look the role.” Spot on.
Loved Columbo’s: “Ma’am, would you like me to take your bags upstairs?”
I honestly thought we’d get a nice arc with Enrico, the angry little dog finally coming around to Columbo in the end but – nope. Not even those treats did the trick.
Beth does’t seem particularly broken up about her brother’s death. Certainly a red flag for Columbo.
I don’t understand why Beth was so tripped up by the newspaper. Yes, she was home all day, but that wouldn’t have prevented her from opening the door and bringing the newspaper in when it arrived.
Assuming this isn’t an actual trial but a coroner’s inquest so she won’t be facing double jeopardy later on?
I’m a big fan of the scenes where Columbo goes out and grabs a bite to eat, be it chili, hot dogs or, in this case, a burger.
“Her brother’s death is the best thing that ever happened to her.” True.
Pre-ordering that fancy car was a mistake. It’s clear that Beth is not a mastermind on the level of most of Columbo’s previous murderers. Hell, I think she’s even more inept that Suitable for Framing’s Dale Kingston.
The receptionist held on to his cigar throughout his entire interview? The actress is rewarded with a part as a crime scene photographer in a later episode.
He should have had grass clippings on his shoes because the day he was killed just happened to coincide with the day the gardener cuts the lawn? Hmmm. This feels a little convenient.
“Just one more thing.” That potted plant…
Beth doesn’t do a particularly good job of thinking on her feet throughout this episode, but she acquits herself nicely here, explaining she removed the extra key for fear that a burglar might come across it. I absolutely buy that.
I love her in this purple outfit. Much less so in that garish boardroom get-up that makes her look like a villain from the 1960’s Batman series.
What a perfunctory way to announce the engagement. “Sales are down, supply costs are up, Pete Hamilton and I are engaged, and please remember to sign out at the front desk on your way out tonight.”
I find it hilarious how hilarious she finds it that Columbo brought the light bulb with him.
Susan Clark and writer Steven Bochco do a nice job with the devolution of Beth’s character, going from sympathetic victim to arrogant manipulator.
Columbo: “I don’t drink.” Wut? In “Murder by the Book” you requested a glass of bourbon from Ken Franklin after dropping by his place unannounced!
Why would she suspect Columbo of attempting to break into her house as opposed to, say, a burglar?
Columbo takes a chance here, but saves himself by appealing to her vanity (“You’re too classy”). Also, her sense of logic given his assertion that the police are outside. So love the little reveal at episode’s end that he actually came alone.
A solid episode with a lot to love including the overall performances and the aforementioned humorous moments. The murder, alas, was a little too sloppy, so I don’t feel Columbo was really challenged here. Also, did not love the linchpin clue conveniently (and finally) falling into his lap in the closing moments.
My Columbo episode rankings thus far: #1 Death Lends a Hand, #2 Suitable for Framing, #3 Prescription: Murder, #4: Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), #5 Lady in Waiting, #6 Dead Weight. And you?
Finally, it’s time to assess whether or not Columbo has enough evidence for a guilty verdict – or is our murderess Beth looking at an acquittal? Well, I think that in this case, her ex-fiance’s testimony about the timing of the alarm will do her in. So – GUILTY!
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I always found the plot twists too convenient for my taste. I put myself in the position of these soon to fall villains and I would never have folded. Fun show, lots of wishful thinking in the plots… ONE MORE THING…
Go away wrinkle puss, bring me some hard evidence.
I did like Susan Clark as Beth. Clark did a great job playing an spoiled, vein heiress wanting someone to take her seriously as a business woman. She seemed desperately to want a legion of “Yes Men” around.
This episode remined me of the Menendez brothers. They both went on a huge spending spree and tried their hand at business after their parents were murdered.
I thought Beth’s brother was an ass, too but then I saw her decision making skills. If her past was anything like her decisions post murder, then hoo boy! A smart person would lay low and pretend to grieve. She couldn’t fake it for five minutes.
My son was confused by the inquest/trial, too. I’ve read about them in England, but I haven’t heard anything about inquests in the U.S..
I got a kick out of fashions back then.
It wasn’t the greatest episode but I liked the cast.
Yes, even the lesser Columbo episodes are superior to most anything on t.v. right now.
If we do Law & Order with Columbo as the Law part, who should be the Order?
I recognised Oscar Goldman immediately! The Six Million Dollar Man was required viewing in my household when I was growing up. I assume that Richard Anderson is why Richard Dean Anderson needed to include the “Dean” bit.
So hard to take Leslie Nielsen seriously, even though this is still 9 years before Airplane! This is the only time other than “Forbidden Planet” I’ve seen him in a serious role.
The dream sequence was totally unnecessary. I’d already figured out what Beth’s plan was just based on seeing her set everything up. We didn’t need to be spoon fed it. Perhaps the episode was running short and they needed to fill some time? I did notice several “time passes” sequences.
Coroner’s inquests happened fast in the ’70s! Less than a week from a shooting to it being ruled an accident.
Even more hilarious than Columbo bringing the light bulb with him was that he gave it to Beth (and she accepted it) before he left. A dead bulb. Just throw it out! Besides, if Columbo suspected the bulb had been replaced he should have had it dusted for prints. There’s no way Beth’s prints could have been on the bulb (she has people to replace bulbs for her) if she was innocent. Plus, I suspect a working bulb would burn off any oils left on it when being replaced so if Beth’s fingerprints were on the bulb is would prove she deliberately installed a dead one.
I found Beth’s devolution unbelievable. I get that she was being dominated and controlled by her brother and was excited by her new-found freedoms but the change in her personality was so massive and rapid that I found it hard to swallow. I liked the old Beth but hated the new Beth. Maybe that was deliberate to make us feel she deserved her fate. If so, then it was a bit unfair. Women have killed to get out of abusive, controlling relationships and some have even been able to convince a jury that it was self defense. I feel they missed an opportunity to provide some commentary about abusive relationships. But then I reminded myself that this was the ’70s . . . women are only there to look pretty, be victims, or be psychopathic.
I liked Beth’s plan. It would have been solid if it had gone down as shown in the dream sequence. There was a lot of circumstantial evidence in this episode which would have made the case pretty weak. Hamilton’s statement about hearing the shots before the alarm might get it over the line, though. A cautious GUILTY but I could see a jury being swayed the other way by a good defense lawyer.
Regarding Beth’s devolution – to be fair, we didn’t really get to know her all that well prior to the murder. She could well have had this attitude in her all along, waiting to be unleashed.
So many thoughts! This is one of my favorite episodes, although I hated to see her brother be the victim. I liked him. Was he a jerk? Well, kinda – but I believe he was a well-intentioned jerk. It seems that Beth (according to her brother and mother) made poor decisions, and – based on her conduct after the murder – I suspect that she may have been bipolar, or possibly neurodivergent. She absolutely showed signs of mania, and possibly ADHD-dopamine seeking as well. So, imagine her as a teen, seeking thrills and highs in all the wrong places, and with all the wrong people. Dad (it seems) put the kibosh on her antics, and brother dearest followed suit. Why? Well, this is a prominent family, and that’s the way things were (and still are) done in order to maintain that certain image in the community. But their fatal mistake was holding the spring tight for too long. Instead of releasing the pressure slowly so that she could enjoy more freedom and grow gradually, they kept her suppressed, never allowing her to develop emotionally. So, when she killed her brother, the pressure on the spring was suddenly released and she didn’t know how to control her new-found independence. Physically, she was a woman, but mentally and emotionally she was still a child. Let’s see how that plays out in the episode…
Daydreaming. She fantasizes about her plan to kill her brother, how it will play out. She also does the same later with Columbo. She was living in a dream world like a lonely child. Everything she did after her brother’s death wasn’t a sudden thing – it’s what she’s been dreaming about, what she’s been waiting for. The lady in waiting – waiting for independence, control, and freedom to do what she wants. The plans for the company, the plans for her personal life – she’s dreamt about those things for ages. Now she can finally live her dreams.
I believe that’s the importance of the dream sequence – it establishes that she lives in a fantasy world, one in which she can only see her successes, and not her failures.
Her spending. You know what one of the first things I did after I learned to drive? I went out – by myself – and bought stuff. There’s a great feeling of independence when you can make a decision to buy something without another person complaining about you choices, or how you spend your money. However, even though I was a teenager, I had a rational mind and didn’t buy things all willy-nilly. Beth, however, splurged, indulged, and made some very poor choices. Like that Huggy Bear pimp hat. How atrocious!
Tired of being told what to do and with her last restraint removed, she immediately established her dominance with her boyfriend, her mother, and her company. People were going to listen to her now – to do what she said – to obey without question. Who else does that? Unruly children throwing temper tantrums. Yes, all those years waiting, planning, playing successful scenarios out in her mind, imagining how wonderful it all would be if only she could spread her wings her way, without restraint. She was always that person, she just wasn’t allowed to be that person.
And finally, please tell me that someone else caught the “Bye, Felicia” that Beth said to the attendant as she left the beauty salon. It gave me quite a laugh!
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” I suspect that she may have been bipolar, or possibly neurodivergent. She absolutely showed signs of mania, and possibly ADHD-dopamine seeking as well.” – You should have been her lawyer!
Good point about the fantasy sequence establishing Beth as a bit of a dreamer.
“Like that Huggy Bear pimp hat.” – lol
I actually missed the Bye, Felicia!