This episode aired September 23, 1973.
The Beauty Mark lab previously played as the operating room in “A Stitch in Crime”.
Martin Sheen offered his thoughts on Columbo creators Levinson and Link: “I just adore them. It’s just that simple. They’re just such good and decent and bright and funny guys. I laugh around them all the time. They’re very humane. I would work for them wherever, whatever.”
Sheen also revealed that one of the big reasons he accepted the role was the opportunity it would give him to meet Vincent Price: “I wanted to meet Vincent Price. Even though I knew I had no scenes with him, I knew I’d get to meet him. That was my thrill. He’s one of my favorite actors. We had great fun together. That’s my favorite memory of that whole show.”
For his part, Price had equally fond memories of Sheen and Columbo: “Well, I became an enormous fan of Martin Sheen. I loved the show, so I was very pleased to be asked to be on it.”
My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order:
Man, that is one shaky surgeon.
At first, I assumed they were working on cadavers but it was obvious the woman was very much alive. What kind of skin scare research requires the use of a scalpel on a live human subject? Do we find out what’s going on here? (Spoiler alert: We do not.)
That is some great catty back-and-forth between Viveca Scott and David Lang. Meeeow!
Wait. They went ahead with the product launch on the basis of a single test?
What the hell is Lang’s assistant wearing? It’s like a Leprechaun’s girl scout uniform.
“Wrinkles disappear and it lasts all day!”. The holy grail of skin care products!
In all fairness, that shifty Karl Lessing deserved that braining.
Oh, Columbo once again making his own breakfast. Does this mean he’s sleeping on the couch? Will he crack the egg on the microscope?
“Every time I go to the bathroom, there she is.” I laughed.
Curious. He was broke yet booked all those fancy trips.
Curious use of an eyebrow pencil!
Classic Columbo entry, stumbling onto the photo shoot.
Viveca on the phone with her assistant turns – to reveal Columbo standing right beside her, startling her. Great.
Brunettes use black eyebrow pencil, but she’s a redhead.
Bruce Kirby as lab assistant Doug doing a terrible job of emptying those waste baskets.
Aha. Her missing beauty mark. How do you apply them? “I use an eyebrow pencil of course. A black one.”
I’m curious at what point Columbo suspected Viveca. Was it her picture on the dartboard in Karl’s home?
“Viveca Scott is one of my oldest and dearest friends,”says David Lang, lying through his teeth. A true Hollywood type.
Both Lang and his assistant, Shirley, clearly lying about their connection to Lessing. Will Columbo pursue them as potential suspects as well?
Uh oh. Shirley is angling to blackmail Viveca. I predict she is soon to follow in the doomed footsteps of Tanner the butler and Lily La Sanka.
What’s with all those women in red track suits? It’s like Chinese Squid Game.
Viveca, on the other hand, looks smokin’ in that white one piece with the matching white gloves.
Classic Columbo, averting his eyes and growing flustered at the sight of the nude sunbathers.
That is one clumsily executed switcheroo on the cigarette case. Shirley is either easily distracted or incredibly near-sighted not to spot it lying on the ground.
“You really are a very stubborn man.” and “You belong in a museum.” are accurate descriptions of our affable Columbo.
In retrospect, keeping the jar in the flour tin and leaving behind that trademark hexagonal print feels…very convenient.
Hang on. She admits she dated Lessing two years ago and claims it isn’t a big deal – yet claimed she didn’t really know him after learning of his death. Clumsy.
“I like young men. Lots of them.” Uh, wut?
There’s no poison ivy in California? Is that true?
Another classic Columbo beat finds him already sitting in her office when she arrives.
He goes to leave and then suddenly holds up: “Say, I was going to tell you something funny.” Just one more thing!
She’s wearing tan gloves to match her tan outfit. Poison Ivy aside, I’m kind of loving the accessorizing and may work it into my own wardrobe. Very villainish.
Production blunder. The safe is slightly ajar when she goes through the motions of opening it, like that Blue Origin capsule. Reminds me of that time on Stargate when someone stole petty cash from the safe in accounting. When questioned, the accountants admitted they kept the safe unlocked to save time. To which my partner, Paul, remarked: “So, it’s not really a safe. It’s more of a risky.”
Why did she have to toss out the jar? I mean, it IS her product. She did commission it.
Brother-in-law George just got back from Mexico with his slides! I feel the producers missed a huge opportunity by not giving couch-surfing deadbeat George his own series.
The episode is over, but that opening sequence is never really explained.
Alas, season 3 not off to a strong start. Not a terrible episode yet not a particularly memorable one either. Some nice Columbo moments and I do love Vera Miles as Viveca, but I thought they could have made much more of the David Lang rivalry that showed so much potential in the early goings only to fade away as the episode progressed. And the whole poison ivy clue felt pretty contrived.
So, reassessing my episode rankings: 1. Double Shock, 2. A Stitch in Crime, 3. Death Lends a Hand, 4. Suitable for Framing, 5. Dagger of the Mind, 6 Requiem for a Falling Star, 7. Prescription: Murder, 8. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), 9. Lady in Waiting, 10. Etude in Black, 11. The Most Crucial Game, 12. Blueprint for Murder, 13. Lovely But Lethal, 14. The Most Dangerous Match, 15. The Greenhouse Jungle 16. Dead Weight, 17. Short Fuse
Finally, let’s look at the evidence and decide whether Columbo secures a GUILTY verdict, or is Viveca Scott looking at at ACQUITTAL? Again, circumstantial evidence abounds but it would seem the entire case hinges on the poison ivy connection. In which case, it comes down to reasonable doubt. Viveca’s lawyer can claim she contracted the rash from Columbo given his gloveless propensity for handling things, so I’d going with ACQUITTAL.
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A bit of a nothing episode. I found it lacking in most of the humour we’ve come to expect. The characters weren’t very interesting and the murder and subsequent misdirection was uninspired.
It was great to see Martin Sheen and Vincent Price, though.
Not much else to say, really. I think Vivica will be ACQUITTED as well.
Yes, I agree. In the end, a middle-of-the-pack episode.
I’d vote for Acquittal. A person on X stated she contracted Poison Ivy in California but she didn’t say what year that was. From what I’ve read, Poison Ivy In California wasn’t a thing until 1980. So, Columbo might have a gotcha but a good lawyer could bring a butt load of experts to say it was XYZ instead.
Great cast and a fun episode.
Not a thing until 1980? How so?
Nix that. I can’t find the article again. The topic is strange because there’s contradictory articles about the existence of poison ivy in California. California’s dry spells (at least in some parts of the state) discourages its growth. There’s chatter about current environmental changes possibly altering that.
Apparently the geology and climate of California made it difficult for poison ivy to migrate from other regions of the US. There have been accidental introductions of it, however. Government control programs have kept it under control. While rare, being exposed to poison ivy in California has a non-zero probability . . . as Vivica’s defence attorney will no doubt argue.
Anyway, who would want to rub poison ivy venom on their face to remove wrinkles? That’s just crazy! Next you’ll tell me that people would willingly inject botulism into their faces . . . wait . . . oh.
Yes, interesting.
I haven’t forgotten!
Here’s how my life is going…
We discovered that one of the cats peed on the porch. Trying to figure out which one, and why. My theory is that the cats are upset about a feral cat that has been hanging around outside. I hope it’s not because he’s having a medical issue since we don’t even know which one is doing it. We don’t use the porch in the winter – it’s enclosed, but only with vinyl windows and it’s not climate controlled. It has an indoor-outdoor carpet, and in the winter it becomes a DOOM room where we store summer stuff (such as pots for plants that will be outside for the summer), and bird food for feeding the wild birds. So, another theory is that the bags of birdseed, which we get from a local feed store that has cats, might smell like unfamiliar cats to my boys (the store cats will lay on the bags of seed, so it is a strong possibility that their scent, along with the cat outside, has my boys upset). In all the years we’ve had them I’ve never had this problem.
With summer fast approaching and the porch our main entertainment area in the warm weather, we had to do something. So, with my sister and my very industrious, almost 80-year old brother-in-law here, we got to working. They took everything off the porch and ripped up the carpet. We really need to have the porch rebuilt with permanent windows, but for now we’re just replacing the carpet with easy indoor/outdoor carpet squares. I picked dark blue, thinking the color would look okay with the hunter green walls. But the blue changed the color of the walls to a weird dark lime tone, clashing with the rug. (I have the room decorated with a lot of cobalt blue, so I thought the blue rug would be okay.)
I’ve been wanting to paint the walls blue ever since we moved in because I love a blue, white, and yellow porch, so now was my opportunity! Aaaaand that’s what my sister and her husband did today – they painted the porch. I LOVE the color! It was matched to the rug and looks a bit on the navy side, but it really makes the white ceiling and window trims pop! I am anxious to get my cobalt blue and daffodil yellow linens and things back up, and the cats – for now – are forbidden to go out on the porch unsupervised. We went with the squares so that, in case they pee again, we can replace the soiled square. But I’m hoping that by doing this, and keeping the bird seed bags in another location, this might prevent the problem from happening again.
But that’s not all! I went to an estate sale Friday and bought an antique oak chest of drawers. No one wants brown furniture anymore, so I snatched this up for cheap. It’s in place, but the smaller lingerie chest that it’s replacing still needs to be emptied and relocated into the closet, which needs to be purged and organized, which needs a good day or so to do. Also, over the past two months we’ve been dumpster diving (with permission) as our neighbor’s family emptied their parents home of all their precious things. It’s been so sad, the parents were lovely neighbors, and I hated seeing all their treasured things just tossed away like so much refuse. Sooooo…I now have three sets of dishes, two of them fine china, two sets of dinnerware (one modern gold tone, one silver plated c. 1930s), pottery, a lovely Japanese rice and soup bowl set, various pieces of china, vases, pretty flower pots, serving dishes, and a few knick-knacks, art supplies, and a bag of lovely scarves, amongst other things. I intend to donate the majority of items to local thrift stores, but I will be keeping the Danish Princess silverware (because I’m a Danish princess! 😀 ) and a set of china that is just too precious not to keep, along with some pottery and rustic wood items, and that Japanese rice and soup bowl set. 🙂
Now everything from the dumpster diving, the estate sale, and the porch is stashed all over the house! We will have to get the porch finished and thrift store deliveries done, as well as get my closet and bedroom back together, all before midweek, if possible, because that’s when we hope to have mom back home. Everything MUST be done by then because I cannot live in chaos – and right now my environment is totally turned upside down. Only the kitchen and ‘ship room’ are still in order. Everything else? ACK! It’s like an episode of Hoarders!
So, that’s why I have yet to watch and comment on this episode. 😛
But I am well-familiar with it, as it is one of my favorite ‘napping’ episodes. 😀 Perhaps because it is a bit duller than some of the others, but mostly because it’s one that I fondly remember from my youth, mostly because of the insane idea to use poison ivy extract in a wrinkle cream! As someone who is allergic (even more so when I was a child) this episode became stuck in my memory. I like it. I was sad to see the handsome Martin Sheen meet his demise, but he was a bit shady.
I did take time to watch the beginning – I’m very familiar with it, but I wanted to see if there was an explanation about the opening shaky doctor scene. Yes, yes there is an explanation! They were taking skin scrapings (or product scrapings) from the test subjects to examine (under a microscope, presumably). and the results revealed a flaw in the product. I think that the whole creepy doctor bit may have been a nod to Vincent Price’s horror work – perhaps to set the tone of the episode for Price fans who tuned in to watch.
Just my thoughts on that bit.
Gotta run! (WIDE awake because I feel asleep too early on the couch, and now I could…”Paint the porch!” (A reference, and family joke, to the episode of All in the Family when Archie’s pal gave him “medicine’ to stay awake. All I needed was a nap 😛 )
das
Whew! Someone IS busy. Thanks for the explanation on the opening sequence but I still question why the test subjects had to be dressed for surgery and unconscious during the procedure.
Perhaps to pay homage to Price’s movie, Scream and Scream Again:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FE13eWsbAnzb8eV87
das
Ah, yes!
Better late than never!
Okay, not much I can add that hasn’t been noted so far, except: Didn’t anyone catch Anne Ramsey – a.k.a. Mama Fratelli from The Goonies – as Dr. Murcheson’s heavy-handed masseuse? Her voice alone was a dead giveaway!
Sian Barbara Allen, who portrayed the chain-smoking Shirley, just passed away at the age of 78 on March 31,, 2025, as the result of Alzheimer’s disease.
Speaking of Shirley, that kiss she gave Viveca was a bit…creepy. Shirley, along with the music and camera angles – definitely gave this episode creepy horror genre vibes.
Again, something was mentioned towards the end of the episode about the samples Dr. Murcheson was taking, alluding to the opening scene. I just can’t remember what was said, but my brain heard it and immediately said to me, “Yeah, that’s what that scene was all about.” So, the explanation is there, it’s just not very direct.
For some reason, the name ‘Viveca’ – at least in this episode – annoys me, like fingernails on a blackboard. It sounds both soft and hard at the same time, which messes with my brain. You know what else annoyed me? Her wig helmet. Ugh.
Isn’t it strange that 50 years ago a ‘beauty mark’ was something to admire, while today we rush to the dermatologist to make sure such a black mole isn’t melanoma. 😛
Poison ivy. Yes, poison ivy is rare in California. Poison oak is much more common, and supposedly it crowds out any poison ivy that tries to establish itself. Poison ivy, it seems, doesn’t like the Mediterranean-like climate of California, especially the southern part, making it difficult for the plants to thrive.
And poison ivy is the reason I always liked this episode, as I mentioned earlier. So I have a fondness for this one, even if it’s a bit lackluster. Yes, they should have made better use of Vincent Price, absolutely a waste of talent. And yes, the evidence is flimsy, although an analysis of the eyebrow pencil doodle and the handwriting might put Viveca in the murder house on the night in question. Still, I like this one. It’s one of those familiar comfort episodes that are nice to have on for background ‘music’, or to fall asleep to for an afternoon nap. It’s not my first go-to Columbo episode, but I rank it higher than most (I should have two rankings – one for overall enjoyment of the episode, and one for the nap-ability of the episode. Only the best are worthy of my slumber!).
#1 Double Shock
#2 Requiem for a Falling Star
#3 The Most Crucial Game
#4 Suitable for Framing
#5 Prescription: Murder
#6 Lady in Waiting
#7 Lovely But Lethal
#8 Blueprint for Murder
#9 Murder by the Book
#10 Etude in Black
#11 The Most Dangerous Match
#12 Dagger of the Mind
#13 Death Lends a Hand
#14 Ransom for a Dead Man
#15 Short Fuse
#16 A Stitch in Crime
#17 Greenhouse Jungle
#18 Dead Weight
das
“Sian Barbara Allen, who portrayed the chain-smoking Shirley, just passed away at the age of 78 on March 31,, 2025, as the result of Alzheimer’s disease.” I read about that and was shocked. She looked so young in this episode.
“Speaking of Shirley, that kiss she gave Viveca was a bit…creepy.” Yeah, I wondered if they were hinting at more here but never pursued it because it was the 70’s.
The kiss. That was what I thought, too, especially watching this a couple days after one of my favorites in which a similar, albeit more direct, kiss occurs. Perhaps more direct because it involves a man and a woman, but still…a kiss does send all sorts of messages, from an innocent greeting to a betrayal, and everything in-between.
das
One more thing…
The irony of Viveca tossing the jar out the window is that, most likely, the cream did not have active poison ivy in it. The itching on her hands didn’t come from the cream as she imagined it had, but from touching the microscope slide. So she destroyed the one thing she was searching for – a Miracle.
das
Ah, the cruel fragrant-free irony.