This episode aired January 21, 1973
Much of this episode was shot on the Universal lot.
The black and white film that Columbo watches in Nora’s bungalow is an homage to All About Eve (1950), a movie in which Anne Baxter plays the part of the titular character, Eve, a demented fan who stalks Broadway star Margo Channing played by Bette Davis.
Famed costume designer Edith Head, who earned eight Oscars over the course of her career in addition to 35 nominations, makes a cameo in this episode, playing herself. The next year, Peter Falk would present her with an Academy Award for her work on The Sting.
At one point, the character of Frank Converse, the studio head, says: “Avoid actors. They’ll kill you.” This was an amusing reference to the ongoing battles between series star Peter Falk and the studio at the time.
My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…
Great mislead in the opening scene. I was wondering why it was taking so long for that guy in the shower to fall.
Snazzy car. Wonder how much one of those would go for today.
Woof. Them’s some garish yellow bungalow curtains.
Also, that is one ugly dress her assistant is wearing.
Ah, the seedy unethical writer. Classic.
I’m not so sure igniting a pool of gasoline beneath a parked car would immediately cause it to blow up – but, who knows? Maybe cars were built differently back then.
Oh! Mistaken identity! Twist! I love it.
“This isn’t for the demolition derby sequence?”the security guard asks Columbo about his rust heap. Great.
He may be a terrific detective, but Columbo isn’t much of a skilled parker. The front of his car ends up on the grass!
I like the bit where he checks his nails before heading in.
“I’ve been in love with you all my life,”says Columbo. Her response is perfect: “I know. You never expected to meet a legend.” Wonder if George Lucas stole this for Han.
I really liked this sequence where Columbo calls home so Nora can speak to his wife. It’s a very funny bit but also puts to rest the theory that Columbo’s wife is actually a figment of his imagination. Also, does his brother-in-law, George, live with them?
Speaking of living, the fact that Nora actually lives on a set is very weird.
Columbo mentions the fact her assistant was trapped in her car by the fire…but how? What prevented her from just opening the driver’s door and stepping out? Did the fire instantly melt the frame shut?
“Mrs. Chander, would you mind coming for a ride with me down to police headquarters?” What a way to end the scene.
Nora is very fainty – first at the restaurant after being told of her assistant’s death, then here at the sight of the burnt out car.
At this point, Columbo casts doubt on whether or not she actually intended to murder her assistant with his mention of the flat tie. But surely there is no way she could assume they would switch cars. That’s a pretty preposterous assumption to make – and be right about.
Great out to this scene – Columbo’s car backing out of frame to reveal the torched vehicle.
The way Columbo runs to the door here, I assumed he was going to ask to use the bathroom.
“Where do you get your ideas?” The age-old question every writer gets asked.
Jerry doesn’t seem that broken up about his girlfriend getting killed.
Noar’s threats against Jerry don’t really hold much water. The best she can do is cast suspicion on him.
Columbo has it all figured out here, laying out the case for why Nora may have wanted to kill him.
“Hollywood is fighting for survival.” Back then, as now, we must pity the millionaires.
Another wonderful little misdirect – opening on the detective questioning her and then pulling back to reveal the set.
Director: “We’ve got to go with the script here. It’s television.” Riiiiiiight.
Columbo stumbling around set like a producer-in-title’s first visit. Reminds me of the time a producer nervously requested a set visit and I obliged – only to have him walk off the edge of the pitch black set during filming and doing a face plant.
Guess Jerry is a blackmailer – and we know what happens to blackmailers on this show…
That crew member! I shall call him Reginald Highpants!
What the hell is that studio head wearing? Red slacks, a red crew neck sweater, and a light red jacket? No award nominations for this episode!
His parting “That’s alright. I would never typecast you as a detective either.” is great.
Cameo by the legendary Edith Head in this sequence that sees Nora attempt to reimagine Columbo in a whole new wardrobe – only to have Columbo ask for his tie back given his anniversary is coming up and he will need it. Apparently, he only wears the tie for special occasions: anniversaries and murder investigations.
“Hey, look at some raincoats while you’re at it.”
Ah, another twist. There goes her motive for murder.
The fact that Columbo places a call to his wife while no one else is around against confirms she is real. And the fact he gets his brother-in-law against strongly suggests George is a freeloader.
Wait! Hang on! She let the air out of the tire because she assumed they would switch cars?! Really? THAT is a fair assumption to make? Or maybe she assumed he would drive her back and drop her off(which is what I would assume) which would amount to the same thing – with the both of them dead. This isn’t stated, but it makes a lot more sense.
“Who else knew where she was going to be that night?” Anyone who knew they were dating!
Another great misdirect in the car. Very well done.
She tried to kill him to redirect the investigation back to the original assumption that he was the target of the first murder attempt. Seems unnecessary. And risky.
Another of Columbo’s unannounced entrances into someone’s home.
He bumped on the fact that the fountain wasn’t running? Come on. She lives on a studio lot. I’d be surprised if the shower was even hooked up.
She looks like she’s about to faint. Again.
“Drink, lieutenant?” “Thank you.” He never misses the opportunity to raid a suspect’s liquor cabinet.
The Shriner ring presumably tipped her off that her assistant may have told Jerry about where she buried her husband, so she was rushing back to…what? Dig him up and move the body?
This whole bit of her dressing up as her husband at the beach feels really unnecessary. That huge leap about the non-functional fountain is enough.
She takes it pretty well all things considered, offering up a full admission and then going quietly. Class act.
This was an atypical episode in that the audience was in the dark for the most part concerning the murder and motive, and I loved that about it. I also loved the various visual misdirects, a starstruck Columbo, and confirmation that Mrs. Columbo actually does exist. Having said that, I did find the ending a bit of a letdown. When you think about it, there really is no reason for him to pull the Shriner’s ring gag when all it does is get her back to her house where he can present his case. He didn’t need the ring to do that. Also, the fact that he bumps on the fact the fountain doesn’t work…on a studio lot…is a HUUUGE reach (“Yes, detective – because it’s a prop!”) but I guess we’re not supposed to focus too much on it – even though it IS the linchpin to the entire solution.
Overall, a pretty good episode. Anne Baxter was fabulous. But I can’t get past that fountain bit.
So, my revised Columbo episode rankings: #1 Death Lends a Hand, #2 Suitable for Framing, #3 Prescription: Murder, #4 Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), #5 Dagger of the Mind, #6 Requiem for a Falling Star, #7 Etude in Black, #8 Lady in Waiting, #9 The Most Crucial Game, #19 Blueprint for Murder, #11 The Greenhouse Jungle #12 Dead Weight, #13 Short Fuse
Finally, we must consider if the evidence Columbo has gathered will be enough to convict our murderer, or is Nora looking at an acquittal. Disregarding for the moment her admission of guilty, if they dig up that fountain and discover the body of her dead husband – which they will – then Nora is going to jail. GUILTY!
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Good observations!
Anne Baxter was excellent! It almost seemed like she wasn’t acting, she was that smooth.
Nora not selling the bungalow was a suspicious to my hubby.
I’m not an expert on “behind the scenes” but I thought the bungalow functioned as a trailer. So, I wasn’t surprised it had all the living features (lights/water). For that reason, I thought the fountain would work and it was strange just sitting there. Fountains aren’t complicated. If she wanted it to work, they would have popped a motor in that baby.
I did think it odd, Nora was hospitalized for shock and seemed fine the next day. Nora bounced back quickly from her shock. No one seemed to miss her assistant or morn her loss.
Your questions about the car blowing brought up more questions. Where did she buy the gas? She doesn’t seem like the type to fill up a few cans. Plus, back then could you pump your own gas? She would have gas residue on her shoes and it’s lucky she didn’t set herself on fire.
Oh and that replacement tie was horrid.
Good points. And, yes, Anne Baxter was excellent. You could tell she was really having fun with the role.
I haven’t watched this yet as things here are a bit…insane. I’ve been eating dinner at 10 or 11 pm, and my house is in chaos. When it rains, it pours. Mom in hospital with a UTI is one thing, her bedroom suite’s heater going out is another, and the cat (which one!?!) who pooped on the porch floor (WHY??!) is another (we keep very clean litter boxes, and my boys have always been very clean – have to discover the reason for the poo-cidents). Add that to the mess I’ve created in the house by dumpster diving (I now have two more sets of china table settings, several vases and Japanese items – some quite expensive), flower pots, sterling plated silverware (will be donating to an artist who makes jewelry with it), a flower/paper-making press, various decorative items, lovely shawls, books, and much more. Most will be donated to local thrift stores, some – like the set of Sheffield stag horn steak knives – I’m keeping. But I need to find homes for it all – either in my cabinets, or at a secondhand store. And I’ve made and answered about a dozen calls today.
I need a drink. 😛 AND a nap!
That said, I love everything about this episode, and it’s one of my favorites. I love the twist! She was gunning for her assistant because she was afraid she’d eventually squeal about more personal matters to her dirt-digging beau – I found no problem with that, or the fountain. Sure, she lived on the studio grounds, but I also would question why a lovely fountain wasn’t being used. No reason that – just because it’s on studio grounds – that plumbing wouldn’t be run to it. If I recall correctly, it was HER fountain, she had it built, not the studio (that’s how I remember it anyway).
While the flat tire/switched cars is a bit convoluted, it fit in well at the time. People were more willing to accept what was shown on the screen and not question or analyze every single detail, unlike today. And I liked it that way – I just enjoyed the show. Too much detail makes a show drag on, while just giving an outline of what’s happening makes a story move along quickly. I just accept that whatever they show is possible, but perhaps with a little more work and technology that will bore me silly if they take the time to explain it all.
Which brings me to a point: I’ve noticed that we all tend to question the hows and the whys of these episodes, more so than when they first aired. Do you think that the internet has turned us all into armchair critics? I think it has – I think we are more apt to point out flaws now than when Alfred Hitchcock was throwing birds at a camera, or when fake masks really looked like bad Halloween costumes.
Nope. I love this episodes, plot, gotcha, and all!
Columbo’s wife. Yes, she existed. And thanks to her, we have one of the best remarks made by Columbo about his wife in And Exercise in Fatality (which we may, or may not, get to). I love the bit with the phone call – when he has Nora talk to his b-i-l – too funny!
That Jaguar? Today – depending on the year and condition – probably between $50,000 and $275,000. The studio really hated those things…lol.
I probably don’t have much more to say about this one – you pointed out many things that I would have, too. I will try to watch it again later tonight, though I did recently watch it prior to your re-watch idea.
Yes, guilty.
My ratings:
#1 Requiem for a Falling Star
#2 The Most Crucial Game
#3 Suitable for Framing
#4 Prescription: Murder
#5 Etude in Black
#6 Blueprint for Murder
#7 Murder by the Book
#8 Lady in Waiting
#9 Dagger of the Mind
#10 Death Lends a Hand
#11 Ransom for a Dead Man
#12 Short Fuse
#13 Greenhouse Jungle
#14 Dead Weight
das
Wow. #1! This one has been gelling in my head for a few days and, after much consideration, I think I probably would move it higher. How high will remain to be see after our next episode And it’s a good one!
Sorry to hear things are so chaotic on your end. Consider your cat pooping on the porch a possible signal that your cat is trying to tel you something.
There is a feral cat outside, and I think that may be the trigger (based on how its presence sets my cats off when they see it). OR when my sister and b-i-l were here last (just a couple weeks ago) they were doing a lot of work in the house with drills, hammers, and such – so that could have caused anxiety. OR they don’t like my niece coming over to do her laundry on the weekends (because the laundry room is off the kitchen and between the kitchen and the utility room where the litter pans are), OR insecurity (our one cat is VERY clingy and needs constant attention), OR someone is having a medical issue. The problem is we don’t know which cat is doing it. I suspect Bucky because his poops are generally bigger, but unless I catch ’em in the act, I just don’t know.
As far as this Columbo episode goes, yes – it has all the great Columbo elements, a bit of a twist with the killing, a gorgeous car 😉 , and a more unusual motive. But what – for now – wins it for me is that it’s consistently entertaining, and the overall mystery (of the dead husband) isn’t revealed until the end-ish, though clues abound. And, of course, Edna Mode…I mean, Edith Head. 😉 I find that, despite any misses in the episode, the hits certainly outweigh them.
(In looking for verification of a name in the episode, I discovered it isn’t a coincidence that Nora Chandler’s name is similar to Bette Davis’s character in All About Eve, Margo Channing. There supposedly are a few other nods to that movie throughout the episode.)
das
Yes, I should have mentioned the similarity between the two names. Definitely a nod to the film.
This was a good episode.
I assume that Nora’s fainting was an act to show how upset she was. All of her acting to misdirect the investigation was very good. Much better than those two fools from the previous episode.
I had to look up who Edith Head was. What a legend!
I also had to look up what a Shriner was. I’d only ever heard the term in a Weird Al Yankovic song.
As soon as it was mentioned that Nora’s husband had gone missing I was sure she would be the culprit. But I never suspected he was under the fountain! I don’t think Columbo saw the non-functioning fountain and immediately suspected foul play. He’s just incredibly observant. Everything goes into his brain (or little black book) and gets filed away in case it’s important. It wasn’t until he was sitting there watching TV that he connected everything. Then he concocts an elaborate trap to prove his suspicions.
Him sitting down watching TV at the exact moment a scene relevant to the investigation was playing is the coincidence I can’t get over. If that didn’t happen would he have been able to solve the case? Probably, but it was convenient!
When Nora lit the gasoline on the ground it looked like it nearly lit her clothes on fire! I doubt the car would have exploded quite that quickly but this is the ’70s. Ford Pinto anyone?
I bumped on the whole “house on the lot” thing until they made a point of explaining that it is a weird situation and everyone working on a production there didn’t get their own house. I don’t think it was actually a set. It was a proper house that was built for Nora when she was a child actor. Still weird but I could accept it because people in that world thought it was weird as well.
Why did Columbo pick up Nora and drive her to the police garage to show her the burnt out car? That scene didn’t seem to have any point. I don’t think he suspected her at that point so why do it?
Columbo did say in his denouement that Nora stayed outside the bookstore to ensure her assistant borrowed Jerry’s car before rushing to Jerry’s house to set the trap. But the timings don’t work for me. She would have had to drive pretty fast to get there first and have everything ready.
Nora rushing back to her house to check the fountain confused me as well. But people do crazy things when they’re stressed.
I enjoyed this episode. I liked the misdirections. Did she kill who she intended? What is reality and what are scenes of the show she was filming? It was clever writing and directing for the most part.
Nora is totally GUILTY. A double murder and Columbo solves a cold case to boot!
“It wasn’t until he was sitting there watching TV that he connected everything.” That’s a very good way of putting it.
“Why did Columbo pick up Nora and drive her to the police garage to show her the burnt out car? That scene didn’t seem to have any point.” In hindsight, this decision did not make sense.
Poor Nora.