Our Columbo rewatch continues with…
“Swan Song”
This episode aired March 3, 1974.
The prized black guitar featured in this episode was a one-of-a-kind custom build for Johnny Cash that was created without the knowledge of Martin Company President C.F. Martin III as he had always resisted requests to make a black version. Eventually, the company came around and, in honor of Cash, created two black guitars: The Black Martin D-35 and the Black Martin DX.
Although Johnny Cash plays a pilot in this episode, he was actually afraid of flying.
Director Nicholas Colasanto would go on to find fame as Ernie ‘Coach’ Pantusso on Cheers (1982). Tommy Brown’s manager is named after him.
Lucille Meredith, who played Jean the chatty seamstress, was married to Roland Kibbee, a writer/producer on the show.
John Randolph, who portrays Colonel Mayhoff, was the original Frank Costanza on Seinfeld but was ultimately recast.
Actor Sorrell Brooke, who played the groovy-looking J.J. Stringer, would go on to play Boss Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard.
Columbo co-creator Dick Levinson was not a fan of what he felt was the show’s over-reliance on humor. According Levinson: “Peter tended to play broader comedy. He also could make it too cute. They started using to many close-ups, which we disagreed with.” While I agree that a little goes a long way, I also feel that humor really allows viewers to connect with characters.
My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…
They’re intercutting this concert scene with actual Johnny Cash concert footage. Not exactly seamless, but interesting nevertheless.
Pack that parachute for later. Just in case!
She’s 16!!! He registered them at motels as father and daughter!
And then we have the bible-thumping blackmailer. This episode pulls no punches.
That is one rocky ride. You could not pay me to fly in one of those.
How is that plane crash within crawling difference? And who would possibly believe anyone could “be thrown clear” and survive?
I do like Columbo wandering around in the background, ruining the shot.
Of course Columbo’s wife is a big fan and has all Tommy Brown ‘s albums.
Hmmmm. The seatbelts.
Hmmmm. The empty case.
Columbo on his fear of heights: “As a matter of fact, I don’t even like being this tall.” Best line of the episode.
Even though it’s clearly vamp designed to fill out the longer run time, I really do like this scene of John Vitti’s Mr. Grindell trying to sell Columbo a funeral plan. Apparently, a number of scenes (like the cooking show scene in “Double Shock”) were improvised.
Columbo on his wife: “She cries easily. She cries when she loses at bowling.” I once dated a girl who was much the same. Every time she would start to lose at something, she would burst into tears and quit.
The brother offers Columbo a possible motive: “She had something on him.”
Note that at the opening concert and here at the “pool party”, they practically play the whole song. Gotta make the most of that licensing fee. Also, sounds like he’s backed by a full invisible orchestra.
Looks like a pretty overcast day for a pool party. Can’t help but notice all the guys are wearing jackets while the women are in bikinis.
Columbo on being informed the chili is made with squirrel meat: “Yeah, that explains it.”
Tommy Brown is one cool customer. He’s got an answer for everything: the seatbelts, the missing maps.
Honestly, why would the mechanic mention anything as inconsequential as a thermos?
Tommy creeping on Tina!
Columbo turns down a drink because he says he’s on duty. Come on. Since when has that ever stopped him?
Again, Tommy has an answer for everything.
“People think we got all sorts of record on microfilm, think all we gotta do is push a button and – “
“Well don’t you?
“Yes we do, but not everything.”
Great exchange.
He was a parachute rigger. Well, isn’t that convenient?
“I want to order an autopsy.” Would you like fries with that?
The tox screen reveals trace barbiturates but Tommy suggests it could have been the air sickness pills they took. Again, the man with all the answers.
Another vamp scene but I really do like Lucille Meredith’s kooky and quasi-flirtatious performance here. Ultimately pointless, but fun.
“My husband was half Italian. Oh and a wonderfully warm man too. Just the way Italians are supposed to be.” True.
“Is it old age?”
“No, it’s not that. Who knows what it is, but it’s not that.”
Love this.
Holy smokes, it feels like the extra 20 minutes added to this episode are all parachute-related.
“Guy would probably break something. An arm, a leg or a pelvis or something.” You know, now that you mention it…
The Mystery of the Missing Parachute.
He overhears Columbo enlisting the boy scout troop in the retrieval operation. The kids can make a fun afternoon of searching for the thermos or any overlooked corpses.
Another great little exchange when Columbo talks about what a huge fan his wife is and how she carries on while listening to his records:
“Sometimes I even wonder about my wife.”
“But not like she wants to kill me.”
“No,sir. Just the opposite.”
Tommy won’t require police protection as he is conveniently leaving town.
And he does, but there’s something about the keys…
Ye olde “Caught in the glare of the headlights” shot.
“You know I’d come up here.”
“I knew, then I didn’t know, and then I knew.”
A nice little ending reminiscent of the final scene of Any Old Port in a Storm.
A lot of fun moments here and a great performance by Johnny Cash, but the whole parachute thru-line was ridiculous. The fact that he was a parachute rigger in the army felt enormously contrived, and then the subsequent beats of Columbo pulling together the whole parachute theory felt very drawn out. He could have just learned he was a parachute rigger and then gone straight to “he hid the parachute somewhere”. Did we really need all of the investigate beats related to the size of the parachute, how it would have fit in the case, etc.? Also, the entire sequence of Tommy announcing he was leaving, going to the airport, Columbo seeing him off, and Columbo clocking the keys was unnecessary when you think about it. Why tell Tommy he was going to get police security? Just don’t tell him and allow the whole thing to play out. Finally, the rental key revelation is pointless as well because Columbo would have staked the place out anyway.
In the end, I don’t rate this episode as highly as many Columbo fans. My revised episode rankings: 1. Any Old Port in a Storm, 2. Double Exposure, 3. Double Shock, 4. A Stitch in Crime, 5. Death Lends a Hand, 6. Suitable for Framing, 7. Publish or Perish, 8. Dagger of the Mind, 9 Requiem for a Falling Star, 10. Prescription: Murder, 12. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), 12. Swan Song, 13. Lady in Waiting, 14. Etude in Black, 15. The Most Crucial Game, 16. Blueprint for Murder, 17. Lovely But Lethal, 18. The Most Dangerous Match, 19. The Greenhouse Jungle 20. Dead Weight, 21. Short Fuse, 22. Candidate for Crime, 23. Mind Over Mayhem.
Finally, does Columbo have enough evidence for a conviction. Will Tommy Brown be found GUILTY or is he looking at an ACQUITTAL? Well, after being caught red-handed with that parachute, I think it’s lights out for Tommy. Guilty!
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I LOVE this episode, and will comment on it later. It ranks as my second favorite in all the Columbo episodes. (Oddly enough, my top two aren’t the most highly rated by most…but I don’t care! I know what I like!)
“As a matter of fact, I don’t even like being this tall.” – Yes, best line in the episode, and – for me – the second best in the entire series. My favorite line is…spoken, but with a silent gesture that says more than words could express. I sometimes just play that one scene when I need a laugh. It is in an upcoming episode, S4, I believe.
Safe travels!
das
My hubby was floored by the “aviation investigator’s” comments: “The plot said it was electrical failure”. Well, cased closed! 😉 Plus, when Columbo pointed out inconsistencies, the “investigator: “That’s impressive, I hadn’t noticed.” My hubby thinks the writers didn’t like the NTSB. My hubby is still laughing about that.
I liked the episode. My parents wouldn’t let me listen to Cash when I was a kid. His outlaw image was too convincing for them. I became a fan of his as an adult. I didn’t know about his acting skills, though. Cash impressed me in this episode. He might have overacted a bit but came across well. A jovial murderer was a nice change from the condescending dirt bags.
I did wonder about the parachute being shoved in a small case. It didn’t look folded.
Also, why couldn’t Cash buy a car if he could buy a plane? I have a rich friend that has six airplanes and then made fun of me for collecting DVDs. “How much do you pay for each DVD?” “Less than one of your planes.” I digress but planes can be expensive. I’ve listened to my friend talk about maintenance fees and it’s expensive!
I’d say guilty.
I’m watching “White Lotus” and wow! Season 1 & season 2’s finale was 🤯.
I hope your mom is doing better today.
Planes are one thing I would never collect, even if I had the money.
Circle back once you’ve watched the third season of White Lotus and then rank the seasons for me.
Yes! The NTSB guy!
“Thanks Columbo. If it wasn’t for you we would never have thought to check the seatbelts!”
I assume Tommy’s wife controlled his finances, funnelling all the money into this Tabernacle thing. He even mentions that his plane is a wreck because she wouldn’t let him buy a new one.
Planes ARE expensive! A brand new version like the plane Tommy was flying would cost over a million dollars today. And then there’s maintenance, hangar fees, airport fees. You’re easily paying over $100k per year even if you don’t fly it!
With some editing this would make a great 45 minutes of television. As it is I found it interminable. I even fast forwarded the funeral scene. It was obvious that it would be pointless filler. I wish I’d fast forwarded the deaf colonel scene as well.
“As a matter of fact, I don’t even like being this tall.” was a fantastic line. But I really liked the line from the seamstress: “Vice squad? I don’t remember having a good time.” Brilliant!
I didn’t realise Johnny Cash acted. A little wooden at times but he did a lot better than Mickey Spillane a couple of episodes ago.
I’m gonna have that damn song going through my head for days now.
Lucky Tommy didn’t break his pelvis in that landing. He wouldn’t be crawling to the crash site. Not that he would have landed anywhere near the crash site. The plane would have been travelling at least 100MPH. In the minute or so between Tommy jumping out and it crashing it would have travelled a couple of miles away from him.
If it wasn’t for the whole paedophile thing I would have actually felt sorry for Tommy. His wife was horrible. She didn’t deserve to die but she was not a nice person. And I didn’t buy Tommy’s supposed guilt at the end. He was only in it for the money and girls. At no point during the episode did he show a single bit of remorse until after he’d been caught. He held a pool party on the day of his wife’s funeral for crying out loud!
Speaking of which, they got those women into the ground damn quick! My limited experience with funerals shows that things usually take a week or two at least.
Tommy’s gonna be playing Jail House Rock for a long time. GUILTY!
All great points. It was an enjoyable episode, but not among my top tier. I do wonder why many Columbo fans rate it so highly.
I think it’s the Johnny Cash Effect. He’s a bit before my time and I’m not a C&W fan so even though I recognise him I have no nostalgia associated with him.
puts fingers in ears “Lalalalalalalalalalala! I can’t hear a thing y’all are saying!”
This is a great epispode. Fun, fun, fun! Great dialogue, first of all. I love how quick and confident is with all his answers, sometimes with lightness in his voice. The word that came to mind was he’s a very glib about it all, isn’t he. I really enjoyed Cash’s performance in this one, and it’s one reason I rank it so high.
I love all the parachute stuff, perhaps because my grandmother worked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard making parachute rigs and later barricade webbing for aircraft carriers. I still have some parachute silk scraps she brought home, and little purses and things she made from the rigging canvas and other scrap materials.
This is one of the few episodes in which I don’t feel particularly sorry for the victims.
For me, the episode flows nicely and I don’t mind the filler material – I didn’t even notice it until y’all started griping about it…lol.
I just love the entire murder plot, from the spiked coffee to the mini-parachute to the limp and roll to the crash site. It was different, and it makes sense that a pilot and parachute rigger would use what he knows to commit a murder.
Yes, the song WILL be stuck in everyone’s head. And, personally, I liked the original version better than the new version – Tina’s voice is just too shrill for my tastes.
I like how it shows that, while Edna was a “sanctimonious hypocrite of a Bible-spouting blackmailer”, Tommy was a sleazy pervert who fell back on his old ways the moment he was freed from his wife’s hold. Kinda sums up for me the hypocrisy of many televangelists and megachurch leaders, from the Bakkers and Swaggart in the 80s, down to our current day. It’s all about the money, and using good, trusting people to get it.
There is nothing wrong with this episode, and I’ll fight y’all if you say otherwise! 😀 While I have yet to rank the last few, I know that this one – for now – stands at number 1 for me. Oh, and Tommy is guilty as hell, and the jury will see that he gets his commuppance. 😉
das
It’s not that I don’t like the episode. I do! It’s just that I think there are better and more enjoyable episodes that rate higher. In your case, you are clearly predisposed to loving parachute-centric stories (Kidding).
I could understand the controlling wife, but you didn’t even feel sorry for the 16-year-old girl?
She seemed more like a willing participant in the blackmailing scheme. I realize in the 70s it wasn’t ideal for a girl to come forward about such things as she’d either be ignored, or blamed as a seductress. But she appeared to be quite willing to go along with blackmail, which – in my mind – makes her a less sympathetic character, especially since the whole blackmailing bit was being done in the name of God.
das
One more thing . . . 🙂
I’m pretty sure if the NTSB investigation shows “pilot error” there would have to be some sort of manslaughter charge brought up if the pilot survives. Even if Tommy gets off that, Edna’s brother will almost certainly file civil charges against Tommy. He may stay out of jail but he’s going to be paying a lot of money to the brother!
A great point.