Our Columbo rewatch continues with….
“The Greenhouse Jungle”
This episode aired October 15, 1972
The character of Sgt. Wilson makes a second appearance seasons later in “Now You See Him”, but his name changes from Frederic to John.
Arlene Martel, who played Gloria West, was the vulcan T’Pring in the original Star Trek’s “Amok Time”. Eagle-eyed viewers who joined our Outer Limits rewatch will also recognize her as Consuelo Biros from the seminal “Demon with a Glass Hand”.
Sandra Smith, who played Cathy Goodland, was also a Star Trek veteran, appearing as Dr. Janice Lester, a diabolical scientist who occupies Kirk’s body, in “The Intruder Within”.
Ray Milland returns following his season 1 appearance in “Death Lends a Hand” but with a full head of hair this time! (Spoiler: He was wigged)
No stuntman was used for the sequence in which Falk tumbles down the incline. It’s uncertain whether Falk planned the stunt or simply lost his footing on the way down.
My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…
Wait. Is her wife checking in on her husband in his separate bedroom?
“I know all about your skills in the office.” Zing!
Hang on a second. This guy gifted his wife and mistress a signed photo of himself? Okay, this guy deserves to die.
Ah, classic patrol cop, not recognizing Columbo.
Still, it’s nice to hear Columbo has received some recognition around the office. Levinson and Link, who were no longer involved in the show’s day-to-day operations, bristled at this, preferring Columbo to be the low-key detective that travels under the radar.
So, is Sgt. Wilson the sidekick character the network had been demanding for years? I do like how Columbo plays him, skirting the line between entertaining and patronizing.
The wife not reacting to Columbo’s news about her husband is very strange and goes beyond what the character knows at the time. It’s just an odd way to play the scene.
They’re asking for 300k is the equivalent of about 2.5 million today, a reasonable ask but, in the case of this victim, I would say absolutely not. I mean, look at that hairstyle!
Hey! It’s William Smith as hunky Ken Nichols! At one point, he apparently held the record for doing 5,100 sit-ups in five minutes. He was an amateur boxer, kung-fu enthusiast, two-time arm wrestling champion and, according to my internet sources, an ex-CIA and NSA spy. But 11-year-old me will always remember him as Falcon Eddie (his character’s name was actually Falconetti but that made less sense to me at the time) in Rich Man, Poor Man.
Columbo popping up from behind the row of plants in the greenhouse is classic Columbo – very hard to buy, and kinda ridiculous.
“That was a lucky thing,”states Columbo about the money being available. Oh, he’s on to them!
A good point is raised. Why IS a homicide detective asking to stay on a kidnapping case?
I know many fans of the show love this Sgt. Wilson character for his brief appearance, but I don’t really see what he adds besides some scant opportunities for humor.
A great act out! Falling at the 37 minute mark, this must be the latest murder in a Columbo episode.
Love Columbo bringing in his sickly potted plant for a second opinion.
Jarvis seems a little too quick with all of the answers to Columbo’s quandaries.
Clearly, Columbo has Jarvis rattled.
“That’s obvious.” “Yeah, awfully obvious.” Nothing gets past Columbo!
I laughed at Gloria trying to convince Columbo that Tony would only swing by her place “to talk”.
Gotta say, I’m not loving a lot of the guest performances in this episode, but I am liking Arlene Martel’s clueless Gloria. Great little scene where you think she’s gone to see Jarvis in order to blackmail him – and get herself killed in the process (Shades of Lily La Santa!) – only it turns out she actually suspects the wife! Had she been 30 seconds later with her theory, Jarvis would have added her to his kill list.
Okay, I’ve known some pretty sound sleepers in my time, but this scene is absolutely ridiculous. And the instances where it looks like Cathy is about to wake up only to roll over and go back to sleep are actually comical, and I don’t mean that in a good way. This episode, directed by Twilight Zone vet Boris Sagal, is kind of a disaster.
Why the hell would Sgt. Wilson go pay Cathy a visit with his sirens blaring?
Didn’t realize Columbo’s favorite chili place has a patio.
It appears as though they’re using those metal detectors to look for loose change behind the couch cushions.
They’ve been over that closet twice with the metal detectors and missed the gun? These guys are truly inept. It’s no wonder everyone thinks so highly of Columbo.
How the hell does Columbo keep gaining access to the greenhouse? I mean solarium?
I actually prefer Grover over Wilson.
Man, that is a fast turnaround on that ballistics report!
Good thing Jarvis never tidied up around the place!
Well, this one was…not so good. While I did love Columbo and all of his little moments of standout humor, I thought all of the guest performances, with the exception of Arlene Martel’s, were annoyingly one-note. A better director would have pushed the cast for more nuanced performances but, clearly, Sagal was not up to the task. There were just too many sequences that stretched credulity to the point it felt like I was watching a parody of the show – ie The stakeout hanging back while Tony races down the hill to get the money, then races back up and down the other side where Jarvis’s car is waiting for him. I mean, why bother showing up a all?
Ludicrously fast turnaround on the ballistics report notwithstanding, the Gotcha moment hinges on Columbo being very very very lucky, and Jarvis being very very very sloppy, which ultimately makes for a dramatically unsatisfying ending.
So, where does this episode place in my ongoing Episode Ranking? Well, I’m glad you asked: #1 Death Lends a Hand, #2 Suitable for Framing, #3 Prescription: Murder, #4 Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), #5 Etude in Black, #6 Lady in Waiting, #7 Blueprint for Murder, #8 The Greenhouse Jungle #9 Dead Weight, #10 Short Fuse
Finally, let’s look at the evidence Columbo has gathered and ask ourselves whether Jarvis would be looking at a GUILTY verdict or at an ACQUITTAL. Well, given that ballistics report, I don’t think Jarvis talks his way out of this one. GUILTY!
Discover more from Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I hope to watch this tonight. It would be perfect for this rainy day, but I have SO much to do, and I’m sleepy, so nap first, then figure out dinner, then eat, then clean up after dinner, then – hopefully – Columbo time!
See ya later, one ton tomater!
das
Okie dokie…Greenhouse Jungle.
This has never been my favorite episode, so I rarely watch it. It isn’t very clever, and it drags a bit. Thoughts, in no particular order…
They killed the Jag!
For some reason, Sandra Smith reminded me of Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Mouth? Eyes? Mannerisms? No idea what it was, it just…was.
The greenhouse scenes reminded me of both In the Heat of the Night, and The Big Sleep. Aaaand…Terror at Red Wolf Inn.
Have you ever seen Terror at Red Wolf Inn, Joe? I saw it once, bored out of my brain and changing channels one lazy weekend…and I stumbled upon it. It left a weird impression on me – I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it, I wasn’t scared by it…but I cannot forget it. ANYhoo…
Bob Dishy – Sgt. Wilson – was a good friend of Falk’s, as were many who appeared in Columbo episodes. (And don’t get me started on that wife of his…but that comes later, or not.) What does Wilson add? Perhaps just the contrast between the cop who’s satisfied with what’s on the surface, and the one who digs a little deeper. The gun dog verses the terrier, perhaps?
While the episode didn’t seem long, it was a bit slow in places. Best part was Columbo stumbling down the hillside! At least we had a little bit of action!
The wife’s reaction was because they already had the ransom note (written by Tony, I believe), so she wasn’t taken aback by the news. Yeah, I was under the impression that she knew her husband was alive at the time Columbo informed her about finding the car. Or maybe I’m mixing it up with the phone call. I’m a tad sleepy. 😛
“Why IS a homicide detective asking to stay on a kidnapping case?” Because, if Columbo asks his doting Captain if he can stay on the case, he will be allowed to stay on the case. 😊 There’s another episode or two where he pleads to stay on a case (or pursue a course of action), and it’s granted him. He is tenacious when he wants something, and respected enough to get it.
“Why the hell would Sgt. Wilson go pay Cathy a visit with his sirens blaring?” He’s a gun dog, in this case a spaniel, he’s trying to flush out the game.
Metal detectors don’t work that way. Depending on the setting, it will pick up every screw, nail, and clothes hanger hook in that room, including electrical wiring and steel-tipped boots. I know – I’ve accidentally turned my detector on inside the house, and it goes crazy!
And they missed the gun because of all the metal shoe stretchers, they didn’t bother using the detector, BUT they still should’ve inspected each bag. Inept, is right.
Green cigar!
I think Columbo knew it was an inside job right from the words ‘trust fund’. Afterall, this wasn’t his first fake ransom rodeo. 😉
Also…what, exactly, was the motive in all of this? That’s never been clear to me. I get the motive for Tony, but Jarvis? Was it just to get rid of his nephew and keep the money for himself so that wifely wouldn’t inherit it? I just don’t get it.
I would rank this at about the same position as you did, Joe. And yes, he’ll be found guilty.
I think. Did they ever find the money? I don’t remember, but I’m going to go find a pillow right now… Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
das
Believe it or not, I have never seen Terror at Red Wolf Inn.
“The wife’s reaction was because they already had the ransom note.” Oh, I’m well aware of the intent of the scene. My issue is with its execution. No subtlety here.
“I’ve accidentally turned my detector on inside the house” You own a metal detector? What, pray tell, for?
“I get the motive for Tony, but Jarvis?” Yes, that’s something I failed to bring up in my review of the episode. What WAS Jarvis’s motive? I mean, given what we see of his home it doesn’t look like he really needs the money. Was he simply annoyed past the point of no return by his nephew? Mebbe.
Please watch Terror at Red Wolf Inn (it has two other names – but that’s the one I remember). It’s a sleepy horror movie, and not a genre I usually watch unless it has Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, or Christopher Lee in it. I need someone else to watch it so that I can understand why I couldn’t stop watching it! lol
I have a metal detector (3, actually) because I like to find things. I always wanted to be an archaeologist – it would have been my profession of choice, but I had no desire to go to college. I was SO done with structured learning after high school, and preferred to learn things on my own terms, at my own pace. And you know what I’ve learned through metal detecting? The earth is literally covered in pennies. Sure, I’ve found a small handful of silver dimes and quarters, but I’ve also found about 3,567,262,475 pennies!
My best finds were a sterling silver (not plated) baby spoon, and a musket ball. I don’t do it often since I need a partner with patience, and that is NOT David! If he doesn’t find that pirate hoard in the first 5 minutes, he’s ready to go home. 😛
I also go beachcombing (without a detector) and have found a few arrow points and fossilized (agatized) coral, and a shark’s tooth, and down in Florida when visiting my sister I was thrilled to find a 12″ piece of fulgurite (from a lightning strike) and a fossilized ghost crab (which are commonly found on the east coast, below Cape Canaveral). While the rest of my house is neat and tidy, my desk area often looks like the opening credits scene from the movie Sahara …I even have that model of the green Duesenberg (which it is, even if it’s supposed to be a Avions Voisin C28).
https://youtu.be/AX1rttdfeBI?si=TqtagUd_3M6MUZ-3
I LOVE finding things! But you know what I can’t find? My broiler pan. Tore the kitchen and utility room apart, and I think it might have been moved to our storage unit when we did the garage renovation. So tonight I had to cook a London broil on the stovetop (I don’t have any broiler-friendly pans). It was actually much better than I expected, and SO tender! I marinated it for about 12 hours in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, fresh rosemary, orange zest, and orange juice. So tasty!
Shutting up now! Ciao!
das
That sounds delicious. Whenever someone mentions London Boil, I’m always reminded of that Twilight Zone episode where the guy is cooking his steaks on an outdoor grill. They look cooked to hell and the character informs his wife: “They need another 10-12 minutes.”
Good luck on your hunt for that pirate’s treasure!
Today I stopped at a secondhand shop…found a brand new, unused broiler pan! Woo! Now I’m cookin’ with ga…well, electric. 😛
das
What’s a London broil das? Is it a slow cooked stew with Londoners in it 😂 Metal detecting is a great hobby, my Dad started in the 1980’s and has found amazing objects ( with farmer’s permission of course).
London broil is a style of of cooking, not a cut of meat. it’s usually made with a tasty but lean, tougher cut of meat like top round or flank steak, and the key is marinating it for several hours to tenderize it, then broiling it until it’s medium rare. But I like my meat closer to medium well, so I cook it a little longer, risking making it tougher in the process. But mine came out perfect, even though I seared it instead of broiling it.
das
Aaaah thanks for the explanation das. I did have to Google broil though, as I didn’t have a clue what that was being a stupid English person 😂
I actually didn’t mind this one. I thought the pacing was good and I wasn’t looking at my watch wondering how much longer it had to go. There was minimal filler.
Sgt Wilson was totally supposed to be the plucky sidekick and I love how Columbo manipulated him to get the results he needed.
There were a lot of contrivances that took me out of it, though. What if the police decided to nab the “kidnapper” at the money handoff? Game over. What was the point of the night scope photos? I’ve been trained on decades of kidnappings in TV and movies and the cops NEVER just go along with the kidnapper’s instructions.
I was sure Gloria was gonna blackmail Jarvis and end up dead. Pleasantly surprised when she didn’t. The #1 rule of screenwriting: subvert expectations. This scene did it for me.
The gotcha got me. The mention of the break-in and the wayward shooting of the gun into the dirt was early enough in the show that I’d forgotten about it by the time it was revealed what Columbo was doing in the solarium. Nobody is going to be digging through their garden beds trying to retrieve a bullet so I found it plausible that it would still be there. It was genius of Columbo to thing of looking for it. He was extremely lucky to find it, though! And same-day ballistics matching! What is this, CSI?
Jarvis is going away for this one. The ballistics is damning. But Tony and Jarvis should have been nabbed at the money handoff and gone down for fraud.
Absolutely agree with you on the inanity of the police just watching the handoff and then hanging back so the kidnapper can get away.
“What is this, CSI?” made me laugh.