Our Columbo rewatch resumes with…
“Columbo Goes to College”
This episode first aired November 2, 1990.
The episode would mark Robert Culp’s fourth and final appearance on Columbo.
Actor Stephen Caffrey, who played youthful schemer Gary Rowe, was actually 30 years old.
The part of the club owner is played by Gary Stockwell, brother of Dean Stockwell. This would mark his final onscreen role.
My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…
While the quality of these new Columbo episodes may vary, I find one element that I consistently hate and that’s the music. It always feels quintessentially “of it’s day” unlike the earlier episodes where the music actually had a timeless quality about it.
I see Robert Culp in the credits and my expectations for this episode have notched up.
Holy smokes. What was the sweater budget for this episode?
This is the third girl he’s convinced to get an abortion? The THIRD?!
I would have LOVED to have had Columbo as a guest lecturer in any of my college or university classes.
They seem to be setting up a pretty complicated murder.
How does a college professor have so much dirt on so many powerful people?
Whose gun are they stealing? The security guard’s? Did campus security pack heat back in the day?
Finally, Columbo makes his grand appearance, fifteen minutes in. Along with his Peugeot.
A call back to the ridiculous dental match on that piece of cheese that brought down Oscar Finch in “Agenda for Murder”!
Columbo attributes his success to timing and luck. Just like show biz.
How the heck did they shoot him from the auditorium?
Is this the first time Columbo discovers a first murder victim?
“Call 911!” He jumps into his car and speeds away. Ah, the days before cell phones.
Making the ole switcheroo with the video surveillance. Good thing this school can only afford one security guard.
What is Columbo sniffing from the deceased’s pocket?
The students all heading out to “the grill” for dinner and drinks, invite Columbo. Professor’s dead? Who cares?!
Nothing on the video surveillance. “This is a mystery.” Indeed.
Aha. He had a meeting with Mr. Roe.
Typical lecherous professor.
Aha! The kid shares a last name with the guy the professor was purportedly meeting.
Man, these kids are smug – but Columbo is clearly on to them.
Check out Columbo, parking across TWO parking spots!
Columbo: “Well, I like to laugh.” He’s playing up the bumbling persona, lulling them into a sense of overconfidence.
“Will you keep us informed, let us know what’s going on?”
“Yeah, sure. We’re in this together.”
They are blissfully naive.
He does do a pretty good Columbo.
Prom I assume?
Justin’s accomplice, Cooper, gives off young Gary Busey vibes.
“Boy, sometimes I wonder what I’d do without you guys.” These kids are so screwed.
Finally, welcome back, Robert Culp!
“I can’t believe how perfect this is.”
“Do you think Columbo’s parents were related.”
I have to admit that, over the course of the show’s run, there have been murderers with whom I have sympathized. These two are not among them.
“Your car, sir. ”
“How’d you know it was mine?”
“Just a lucky guess.”
Great!
I understand a murder was recently committed in this underground parking lot, but would a campus security guard really pull a gun on some stranger wandering through?
“It was Justin who remembered about the tapes.”
Ah, good ole helpful Justin.
New info. The security guard’s brother had a criminal record. But so what?
Columbo is deceptively obsequious around these jerks.
Breaking news! New security footage of the professor’s death. I do not understand this broadcast beat.
The boys are thrilled they found the gun in that poor sap’s car.
“This isn’t really a whodunit. It’s more of a how did it.” Essentially, the show premise that the network originally balked at that, despite them, proved hugely successful.
Love the fact Columbo lays out the details of the crime as a lesson.
Waaaait a minute. How perfectly would they have had to line up that shot? Perfectly lucky.
I love how they still try to maintain the ruse by openly wondering how Dominic managed to plant that apparatus in their car.
Aha! It was Columbo’s car. A variation of a theme. Shades of “A Friend in Deed” and “Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo”.
“Nobody had that information except you two. Nobody could have planted that gun except you two.”
Justin, smug to the end.
Overall, I quite liked this episode. Implausibilities aside, it had the feel of classic Columbo. No over-the-top silliness but some wonderful comedic character moments nevertheless. I did find it interesting that Justin seemed pretty confident his connections would allow him to escape the murder rap – which begs the question why he wasn’t feeling equally confident that he could have beaten the much less formidable stolen test allegation. Fake bravado or is wingman Cooper taking the fall. This is one of those episodes where I wish we found out how the court case went. My guess is Justin got off while Cooper copped to a lesser charge.
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Great review! I liked the episode. The music wasn’t good.
My notes:
Cooper needs to learn how to use condoms.
The boys are SO spoiled & sociopathic that they would make fantastic lawyers!
This ep had a bigger set up than I remember in the past.
Columbo still drives like he has one eye.
VCR tapes become grainy after you use them too often but the video shown looked crystal clear. I do NOT miss VCR tapes!
Toying with Columbo isn’t a great idea.
The two doofuses overplayed their hand.
Culp plays a convincing asshole.
A lawyer’s kid wouldn’t confess.
I did wonder why Columbo didn’t use a surveillance camera near his wife’s car? He would have a tape of the gun being planted.
When do you think Columbo started suspecting them? I wasn’t sure. I’ve read sometimes the guilty try to insert themselves into a case.
You’re right about cell phones. Do you remember having to memorize phone numbers? Now, I’m lucky if I can recite my own number.
I had to explain rotary phones and party lines to my son. Him: “You mean, everyone in the house had to use the SAME phone?” Me: “No, everyone in the NEIGHBORHOOD had to use the same phone line.”
I’m not sure if you had party lines in Canada but in the boonies, we did. There weren’t that many houses on our road.
That’s a good point about setting up surveillance at his wife’s car.
I think he started suspecting him at the mention of the last name Rowe while he was out with the students shortly after the murder.
Have you seen videos of the younger generation trying to figure out rotary dial phones? Hilarious.
I’m way behind in my Columbo watching. I just watched this episode.
I enjoyed it. The setup with the remote controlled gun was far fetched. The victim needed to place his head in exactly the right spot. But the rest was plausible. It was already shown that Justin had a knack with electronics and remote controls.
I thought it was weird that Justin got in his car and drove it out of the parking lot to get to the security guard station when it was just through the doors and up the stairs from where they were standing. Obviously his goal was to get the murder weapon away from the crime scene but it looked suspicious to me.
I never went to college or lived in a dorm. Is the guys’ sleeping arrangement normal? With their heads next to each other? I was getting strong homoerotic vibes from their whole relationship. A bit racy for 1990 network TV, though! Maybe Coop is overcompensating for something getting all these women pregnant. He needs to keep it in his pants or use a condom at least. This is the peak AIDS years!
Columbo was definitely onto Justin when he heard that the victim was expecting to meet a Mr Rowe at the restaurant. Now he just needed to prove it! The way Columbo toyed with the boys and their smugness thinking they were pulling the wool over Columbo’s eyes was fantastic.
The music didn’t bother me too much. This Old Man played again when Columbo was setting up the crime recreation in the parking lot.
A change of scene for Robert Culp not committing a murder for a change. Like father, like son, though. He will be proud.
Seriously, though, I don’t think Justin’s dad is getting him off. Justin has the remote control knowledge so it would be difficult to pin it all on Coop. But there might be some plea bargaining going on and they’ll be out of jail in 5 years.
“I never went to college or lived in a dorm. Is the guys’ sleeping arrangement normal? With their heads next to each other? I was getting strong homoerotic vibes from their whole relationship.” Lol. I must admit these thoughts went through my mind as well.