This episode first aired April 28, 1990.
The script for this episode was originally written in 1973 by Steven Bochco for Columbo’s third season but during a dinner with Peter Falk and his mother, the script was shelved because Falk’s mom refused to believe anyone would buy a killer dentist. Bochco later rewrote the script and used it for an episode McMillan and Wife in 1977. For some reason, despite the fact it had already been used for a completely different show, producers decided to just shoot the old script.
At one point, Columbo mentions the fact that he’s been on the police force 22 years – which was pretty much how long Columbo had been on the air at the time.
Columbo, who has always taken his coffee black in the past, asks for it with cream in this episode.
My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…
Dr. Wesley Corman: Dentist to the Stars!
Why is he working on the left side of his mouth if he injected the anesthetic on the right side of his patient’s mouth? This would be a red flag for me if I was going in for a filling.
Celebrity poker! If I was hosting, you know who I wouldn’t invite back? The guy doing the archaic impressions.
Why wouldn’t she call 911 first? (This question is answered later. Clever!)
Why the need to stage this? Couldn’t they have simply claimed he dropped by for a visit – even if it was to see the dentist – and had a heart attack?
Columbo struggling with that siren. Like my 91-year-old mother trying to figure out her cell phone.
Why is a homicide detective showing up at a car accident?
Aha! The car was in neutral.
Wait. The couple have their own personalized matches?
Of course he says yes to coffee and bagels.
Loved this exchange:
“You know, I had a cousin once about the same age. He didn’t smoke. Didn’t drink. Worked out a couple of times a week. Just walking along the street.” Snaps his fingers. “Just like that.”
“Heart attack?”
“No. He got run over by a bakery truck.”
Aha! Digitalis!
“Can you think of a better way to go.”
Egads! That sweater! It burns my eyes!
Columbo traces the margarita – and digitalis – back to the wife. She’s been set up!
I love the fact that Columbo feels the need to whisper to the receptionist so as not to alarm the already anxious patients.
Columbo recognizes actress Nancy Walker from “The Rock Hudson Show”, a reference to McMillan and Wife which was Columbo’s longtime partner on the NBC Mystery Wheel.
Columbo also recognizes but can’t quite place Dick Sargent, the second Darren from Bewitched.
He recognizes some other familiar faces – but I didn’t.
“That’s Dom DeLuise.”
“I love Dom DeLuise, but no.”
We all love Dom DeLuise!
Love these roomy well-lit club scenes that make it seem like it must be 4:00 p.m.
That’s it? They admit to moving the body and he’s like “Well, that clears things up.”
Columbo vs. the coffee machine. Funny but clearly padding.
Aha! Why would the victim need matches if he had a lighter? Maybe he collected matches?
Love Columbo’s “Sir..Sir…” as he peeks over and down at them from the next level of seats.
“Believe it or not I used to have red hair,”says the bartender before being roundly ignored. Just serves the drinks, pal.
Why the need to play this scene with a numbered mouth?
The server just happens to have a cold and also just happens to have his big multicolored bottle of time release pills on him.
“Last night, I couldn’t sleep. I went over to my nephew’s house – ” I can imagine Columbo rousing this terrified kid out of a deep slumber at 2 am: “Jimmy, wake up! I need your chemistry set!”
The Columbo chemistry lesson is cool – but later, we learn, a bunch of malarkey.
“What I did was no worse than what you and your father had planned for me.” Maybe slightly worse?
Not a bad episode although I still don’t see the need for that elaborate staging of the death scene. Wouldn’t it have all worked out the same way if they’d just left the body at the house? I did, as always, enjoy the comedic Columbo moments – and there were plenty here. I also thought the Gotcha! was pretty good. No hard evidence, but he did get that confession.
Next up is the final episode of Columbo’s 9th season, “Murder in Malibu”. What do you think? Should we keep going?
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Yes, please! Keep on going ! I guess everybody is pro! I became a Colombo fan watching the series from another perspective: your great reviews. I’ m eager to read your comments and interpretation applied to the script. They reveal meanings, hints and important details about technical aspects, and storytelling. You are always positive and you bring joy and fun to us (Akemi and Sharky beneficial presence) I appreciate our community members’ comments, too. I read them all.
Thank you!
I liked this one. It was interesting. I’m always trying to figure out where Columbo is going with his clues and if that really points to the killer. The wife was a boring character. She was distant with her husband and moped around after her boyfriend died. After the murder suspicion came out, I would have been demanding answers and letting him know I didn’t do it.
I’m all in for season 10. I missed the first few seasons. You think you could go back and do them again. No?….I didn’t think so…. Maybe I’ll watch them on my own and go back and late comment on your posts.
Great idea!
Great review!
I would love to play poker with that group!
The way Columbo played the guy was fun to watch.
I liked the episode. The last one was better but this one had a great gotcha.
I enjoyed this episode right up to the gotcha.
Wesley was a sleazebag. I wouldn’t want him as my dentist! Biff Tannen vibes with the personalised matchbooks.
I, too, can’t understand why they needed to move the body. Wesley had a great alibi and the death might not have been treated as suspicious when it was discovered that Adam had a heart attack while in flagrante delicto. Moving the body and sloppily setting up the crash would just make the police more suspicious. Then I realised that the other part of the plan was to frame his wife so he wanted the police interest. So he planted the matchbook so the investigation would lead back to his house and his wife. But, as you say, that would have happened anyway.
Perhaps he wanted to get his brother- and father-in-law embroiled as well so they would be indebted to him? And what was his long term plan? Keep gaslighting his wife into believing she’s crazy (Assuming she didn’t end up in jail or a mental hospital.) while siphoning money from his in-laws? Anyway, it was overly convoluted, ultimately useless, and possibly Wesley’s downfall.
I was mildly flabbergasted when Wesley and brother-in-law openly admitted to moving the body, thus tampering with evidence and perverting the course of justice. Surely that’s a felony? “You rascals!” says Columbo before walking off.
How about that bar at the racecourse? I’ve been to a few racecourses in my time but I’ve never seen a bar like that! Maybe I need to sneak into the members bar?
Wesley was delightfully cocky throughout the episode. Right up to the gotcha. And this is where the story really fell down for me. Columbo basically hinged his whole case on the fact that Wesley wouldn’t call his bluff about the porcelain turning blue. Pretty big risk! I guess Wesley really is a bad poker player!
Yes, that was a pretty big leap of faith on Columbo’s part – and like all of his leaps, this one paid off.
I agree!