"I lost my parents. That's the way of the world. - But to lose someone that young. That's like being cheated. And that's very hard" - What a great line.
I've thought of that comment by Columbo many times since this episode first aired. After losing my parents who were well into their 80s, it resonates and provides comfort and consolation.
Fell in love 💕 w/ Ruth in Every witch way but lose. Never was there a more hilarious scene in cinema 🎥 than when she repelled the bikers from her property ❤😮😂😂.
The ending is left out where she praise Columbo by saying how if he had been on her Niece's case, she would not have needed to kill the other guy. I loved that moment. Such a sad scenario.
So true, it should have been added! Nevertheless, a wonderful reminder on what is my favourite episode. As well as the episode with the magician, where at the end Colombo says something like, "The perfect murder? No sir, that's just an illusion."
Yes, this was my favourite episode of all. Ruth Gordon was such a charismatic performer. Abigail's nephew-in-law was so shifty that her murder of him was ethically less problematic than in any other case.
And she tried to get out of it, playing to Columbo's kindness in the hope he might let her off. But he responded so perfectly. "I thank you for the compliment, but you're a very professional person in your work, and so am I."
I was fucking blown away by this episode. It was SO good from beginning to end. And I love how as the series has progressed, they experimented more with the camera and the lighting. For instance, the shot around 4:36 is MASTERFUL. Columbo's silhouette as he stands in the dark vault, trying to figure out what happened. The cigar smoke being the only visible thing we see in there. Beautiful!
Just One More Thing: This episode was first aired on NBC in November 1977 (almost 45 years ago) but it’s still as brilliant and captivating as ever, and can easily run circles around the current TV shows!
Im serious man, this is my favorite episode of columbo. And ive seen them all countless times. The clever back and forth between these two are expertly done. The music, the sentiment, the dialogue, the ingenious crime, all of it, makes this an all time winner in my book.
Ruth Gordon was one of many epic actors who appeared on Columbo. She was an Academy Award winner, had decades of stage experience beginning when she was 19 years old and appeared in many movies right up until her death in 1985 at the age of 88.
The murder she committed was justified. It was vigilante justice, except it's a crime in the law of the land. The circumstance is heartbreaking, & Columbo couldn't help but sympathize, but he couldn't help but bring her in ... It's his obligation of duty to enforce the law. Quite tragic.
This is my absolute favorite episode. I have owned the DVD box set for several years and have watched all of the episodes over and over and over and over and over, and this episode way more times than any other. It never gets old. Superb musical soundtrack and acting.
I have it too. My daughter got it for me for Christmas . I love it! I never get tired of watching him.❤️❤️❤️. And he still has 2 episodes on tv every Saturday night. When I get a call or text asking me what I'm doing, I tell them I got a hot date with Columbo. 😆😆
I just loved that part when Abby tries to butter up Colombo by calling him a “kind man” in which he simply retorts “don’t count on it mam”. It doesn’t matter if you’re a 18 year old or 80 year old murderer, he’s still going to nail you to the cross. 😂
@@mehmetokay7073 very astute of you! yeah, her dancing partner and lifelong friend, enabled her to live out the rest of her short and demented life out of prison.
I've always figured that Columbo had already found the paper and he went through this elaborate reveal in order to lead Abigail Mitchell to acknowledge her guilt in that moment. Columbo was a great detective but he was also a great judge of character. He knew that in the right environment she would confess her guilt because fundamentally she was a good person.
The part that got me is the fact the not only are the arrow marks different sizes, they’re on opposite sides in different scenes. 5:10 Smaller arrow head and on the left. 10:02 Arrow is now on the right and the arrow head no longer has the line on the box as it did in the scene I mentioned earlier. It’s still one of the best episodes, and those little things are part of the show.
One of my favorite episodes for sure! One of my favorite scenes was when he was addressing the room full of women and he was talking about how he sometimes liked the suspects for certain aspects of their personalities, and he looked right at her as he said that.
If you’re a fan of Ruth Gordon, and haven’t seen “Harold and Maude” yet, you’re in for a treat! Great cast (Gordon and Bud Cort), great musical score, great plot (young man obsessed with death, meets elderly woman who likes to attend funerals. Have fun.
Skimming through the comments, nobody said yet, so it is up to me... We all know that Columbo is a genius. Many times the murderer is doing a very clever murder. This time (IMO) the victim did an amazing job.
Yes, this is one of those "over before it began" type cases. Sooner or later someone was going to change the bulb in the vault, found the note, and it certainly wasn't going to be the tiny, elderly, rich lady. And the whole thing would have unraveled from there.
@@kev3dThe torn piece of paper really bothered Columbo. If it had been someone else to check the light bulb they might have just wondered “what is a piece of paper doing in there” and just changed the bulb without giving it a second thought. I’ve always wondered why no one thought to change the bulb when they first started the investigation.
True, but Abby bungled the murder big time. There's no logical way that someone could accidentally close the door on themselves in the safe, let alone reset the alarm afterward. For a mystery writer, she constructed a flimsy narrative
@Peter Fraser the full episode makes implicit that he was not an innocent man - even in this abridged edition Gordan states his guilt and Columbo declares he did not love her niece
@@stanmarcusgtv stan.. the show points in both directions. He does tell Abigail that he does not want her money. We don't know for sure. That's what makes it great writing.
Best murderer? Rather one of the indolent ones. Killing someone by leaving him locked in a safe, you would actually expect the victim to leave multiple signs / messages that he was murdered. Either words carved with a sharp object, or made with your own blood.
i remember having watched this decades ago and was literally disturbed by it, the thought of being locked in a locker to die from suffocation was too much to handle for me as a child. Other episodes that i cant forget are one in which dogs had a kill command of rosebud ,and another that i liked the most was in which a magician was the killer.
my favorite episode, Ruth's character reminds me so much of my grandma. charming, strong willed, good to those who are good to her, but stone cold when needs to be. love that a show this old portrayed an older woman in such a way. no frailty or naivete, just a straight up boss.
@Karen Stevenson, YP , S Cassi , The man (Columbo) is so darned down to Earth, that even his dog (Fido) drags his belly when they go on walks.... I'm thinking that Columbo is happily walking around with Fido right now, upstairs, in the clouds...
It always bothered me how Columbo comes to the conclusion that it was an "unhappy" marriage based on the fact he couldn't find any photos of the deceased niece. (Thus implying that he was in fact guilty of murder) So what? Not everyone mourns the same way. I was very close to my father and in the 3 years since his passing, I still don't have any pictures of him anywhere. It's painful for me to look at him even though I think about him every day.
This is precisely what I came in here to say! Most people don't have pictures of themselves or friends or relatives in their homes; always suspicious of those who do! Smacks of narcissism! But another odd line is 'How did she know Mahatma Gandhi'? Don't most people know him? The line should have been 'How did she personally know...' so it's left vague what Colombo was really asking. All this reminds me of other oddities; in the first tv film in 1967 Columbo brought up why Dr Fleming wouldn't call out to his wife when he arrived home but who calls out to anyone when they open their front door?
A good episode , but why she just handed him the keys and then said she found them in a place where they would clearly have been seen previously by investigators is bizarre
This was one of my favorite Columbo episodes. Ruth Gordon was fabulous. Columbo was made for Peter Falk. I cannot think of any other actor to play the part.
omg, the Senator from The Godfather II ("I intend to squeeze you."). He also played the General in Apocalypse Now ("Every man has a breaking point. You and I have it.") A very distinctive voice.
This is definitely one of the best episodes of the original series. Ruth Gordon's portrayal of the successful yet obsessed murder mystery author (nice tribute to the late Agatha Christie) was poignant and artful. The resolution where the victim was revealed to have testified against his own murderer was brilliant; perhaps Abigail should have done something to disable her nephew-in-law before shutting him in, as Donald Pleasance's Adrian Carsini did in Any Old Port in a Storm, but like many authors I guess she didn't really think that far ahead.
Ruth Gordon plays with a charming determination. Her physical appearance is contrasted with her intellectual. She was only 1.52 m. tall. This episode I have seen more than twice is one of the best episodes with Colombo thanks to her acting. 0:11
I was never convinced Edmund had killed Phyllis. And that would have been the biggest twist, that Abbie might have been chasing a false dawn and his murder was ultimately all for naught. For all we know Phyllis could have staged her disappearance, maybe with Edmund's help, or she'd run off with a girlfriend. Maybe she was desperate to get away from Abbie! The possibilities are limitless, at least in this episode.
Ruth Gordon was awesome! In Every Which Way But Loose I think she had a great time playing that character! Lol. She was great in this episode of Columbo too.
The actor who portrayed the attorney (G.D. Sprawling) in this episode was a Senator in the second Godfather movie. I think it’s one of those rare instances when the sequel is at least as good as the original.
I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but where I live when this episode is on TV it always says that it is guest starring William Shatner. I know I have seen this episode at least fifty times and William Shatner is nowhere to be seen in this episode. I don't understand why his name appears in the opening credits. And it's the first name. I just watched it again last night and his name is still there.
Mariette Hartley’s character in this episode became much like Julie Harris’ in Any Old Port in a Storm. Both knew that their bosses were guilty and were going to hold it over their respective heads!
@@lisawilliams2013 Mariette Hartley also used to advertise some sort of system to improve your vision by some kind of exercises so that you could get rid of your glasses if you happen to be nearsighted.
Umm, Julie Harris was guilty of no such thing. If Columbo hadn’t opened his big yap on purpose to continue the trap he set for dr loomis, she would’ve remained quiet. She was not gonna blackmail him precisely bc she loved him. When the trap was set and she was exposed, she only turned on Adrian bc of his reaction to her and you do know the saying “ hell hath no fury?. She was not a devious, ambitious, underhanded deviant. Adrian even said as much. 12 yrsrs( was it?) she was his dutiful secretary and she would have continued to be had it not been for the murder and columbo’s interference. She was very loyal to Adrian and he dismissed and derided her. Veronica, on the other hand, seized upon the opportunity. That makes her almost as bad as miss Mitchell. Not to mention a criminal , herself. She is now an accessory after the fact. Please don’t compare these 2 women. Julie Harris would have kept her mouth shut and kept on protecting Adrian. Columbo deceived and used her and she didn’t exercise her Miranda rights. She should have said nothing but she was probably afraid that that would incriminate Adrian bc it would have looked suspicious. The other disgusting blackmailer was the idiot in the first episode , I think titled murder by the book. That’s a disgrace!
My second favourite episode after Murder Under Glass. I like Ruth Gordon but she is one of those actors who plays a variation of the same character in film after film. But she has such an infectious charm that you don't mind. After seeing her in Harold and Maude she's been a favourite. In this episode you kind of feel sorry for her and wish she would be that one crime Columbo didn't crack. 😊😊
If light not working, then the smart thing would be to check if the power source is still on.....before sticking finger in socket! "DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME".
This episode was almost overachieving - having Ruth Gordon in the cast really raised the game in the acting and the writing, it seems. Harold and Maude is one of my favorite movies, but it was good to see her here in an even more nuanced performance. I love the echoes of Agatha Christie and the reflexive look at the murder mystery genre and ensuing plot points and cute lines. Must be one of the best episodes?
One would think the investigators would have originally kept the vault deposit drawers in the order which they were initially removed. Kind of guess work in trying to figure out later the original exact placement, etc. Great episode nonetheless. Columbo is the best......📺🔍
Technically, no "season 7" for Columbo; NBC Mystery Movie (wheel) - of which it had been a part - was canceled, but Columbo was still greenlit as a batch of telefilms. Interestingly, _all 5_ of them are great, IMHO, in contrast to earlier years when there were at least one awful to semi-awful (comparatively speaking) telefilm mixed in. Try and Catch Me (1977-1978 season); Publish or Perish (1973-1974/third season) - both with a writer as culprit ~
She would have gotten away with it, if that scenario was real. The bestseller writer can afford a good lawyer, but probably this wouldnt be necessary, because actually the body of evidence is weak. So many ppl have or could have entered this strongroom after the "confinement" and the message the victim made would not have been acknowledged by all, as such...
@@amina-pr8xt I am not so sure. The missing car keys (not sure why she hid them in the first place), along with the note in the light bulb along with the other lies she told, I don't think it is a far leap to determine she killed him.
This is my favorite episode. I love how she tells columbo at the end that she wished he had investigated her neice's death.
"I think you're a very kind man."
"Don't count on that, Mrs. Mitchell. Don't count on it."
*puts dog down*
“Ok, stay”
*dog immediately walks away*
“He’s trained”
😂 classic dealing with animals on film
"I lost my parents. That's the way of the world. - But to lose someone that young. That's like being cheated. And that's very hard" - What a great line.
I've thought of that comment by Columbo many times since this episode first aired. After losing my parents who were well into their 80s, it resonates and provides comfort and consolation.
Indeed it truly is
I wish heard that line when I list my mother at a young age. And she died before her time.
That line has stuck in my head since I first saw this a long long time ago.
Mine too.
Ruth Gordon - simply marvellous.
Fell in love 💕 w/ Ruth in Every witch way but lose. Never was there a more hilarious scene in cinema 🎥 than when she repelled the bikers from her property ❤😮😂😂.
These old Columbo episodes are pure gold
Yes they are Jimmy
@@michaelcaplan7012 , I whole heartedly agree!
Some of the best tv writing of all time.
Loved the music in this one as well❤ so dramatic
Yes yes yes they are
10:18 - "He wanted us to know the light doesn't work - he was always a bit of a complainer." That line always cracks me up.
Also, "Do you think he wanted to call attention to his new shoes?" I chuckle every time.
Ruth Gordon was a versatile and quirky actress. She was awesome in the two Clint Eastwood “Orangutang” movies.
The ending is left out where she praise Columbo by saying how if he had been on her Niece's case, she would not have needed to kill the other guy. I loved that moment. Such a sad scenario.
So true, it should have been added! Nevertheless, a wonderful reminder on what is my favourite episode. As well as the episode with the magician, where at the end Colombo says something like, "The perfect murder? No sir, that's just an illusion."
Yes, this was my favourite episode of all. Ruth Gordon was such a charismatic performer. Abigail's nephew-in-law was so shifty that her murder of him was ethically less problematic than in any other case.
Way funnier than anything Jerry Seinfeld has written
And she tried to get out of it, playing to Columbo's kindness in the hope he might let her off. But he responded so perfectly. "I thank you for the compliment, but you're a very professional person in your work, and so am I."
@@CluckN what’s funnier, you creep?
I was fucking blown away by this episode. It was SO good from beginning to end. And I love how as the series has progressed, they experimented more with the camera and the lighting. For instance, the shot around 4:36 is MASTERFUL. Columbo's silhouette as he stands in the dark vault, trying to figure out what happened. The cigar smoke being the only visible thing we see in there. Beautiful!
Just One More Thing: This episode was first aired on NBC in November 1977 (almost 45 years ago) but it’s still as brilliant and captivating as ever, and can easily run circles around the current TV shows!
Fully agree. Pure entertainment from excellent actors.
You are so right
Quality TV shows..
I agree! I love Columbo!!
💯
Im serious man, this is my favorite episode of columbo. And ive seen them all countless times. The clever back and forth between these two are expertly done. The music, the sentiment, the dialogue, the ingenious crime, all of it, makes this an all time winner in my book.
How wonderful was Ruth Gordan? She had so much charisma. Columbo felt so much compassion for her...a very sympathetic foe.
Ruth Gordan rules! one of the best endings ever!
Ruth Gordon was one of many epic actors who appeared on Columbo. She was an Academy Award winner, had decades of stage experience beginning when she was 19 years old and appeared in many movies right up until her death in 1985 at the age of 88.
The murder she committed was justified. It was vigilante justice, except it's a crime in the law of the land. The circumstance is heartbreaking, & Columbo couldn't help but sympathize, but he couldn't help but bring her in ... It's his obligation of duty to enforce the law. Quite tragic.
So much compassion that he still busted her, though. 🙂
@@craigedwards2940
He took a sworn oath to uphold the law.
This is my absolute favorite episode. I have owned the DVD box set for several years and have watched all of the episodes over and over and over and over and over, and this episode way more times than any other. It never gets old. Superb musical soundtrack and acting.
This is one of my favorites too. Ruth Gordon was a great actress, she was over 80 when she did this episode.
I have it too. My daughter got it for me for Christmas . I love it! I never get tired of watching him.❤️❤️❤️. And he still has 2 episodes on tv every Saturday night. When I get a call or text asking me what I'm doing, I tell them I got a hot date with Columbo. 😆😆
It’s definitely one of my favorites as well.
Dog's performance in this episode is unparalleled.
The best part was when he got sick of the beach and passed out😂 7:37
I just loved that part when Abby tries to butter up Colombo by calling him a “kind man” in which he simply retorts “don’t count on it mam”. It doesn’t matter if you’re a 18 year old or 80 year old murderer, he’s still going to nail you to the cross. 😂
Not Janet Leigh.
@@mehmetokay7073 very astute of you! yeah, her dancing partner and lifelong friend, enabled her to live out the rest of her short and demented life out of prison.
@@crazyralph6386 Diamond 💎 and Wheeler.
@@mehmetokay7073That is right! What would be the point? She would not remember what she had done.
@@mehmetokay7073 Yeah, I always wished he had given the one pass of the show to Abigail instead.
It’s hard to pick a favourite but this is right up there. Just love Ruth Gordon. Their scenes together are magic
This and “Any Port in a Storm” are my two favorite Columbo episodes.
Ruth Gordon and Peter Falk, two legends!
Absolutely
Two feet !!
an old battle axe and an old adulterer, constantly cheated on both wives.
I've always figured that Columbo had already found the paper and he went through this elaborate reveal in order to lead Abigail Mitchell to acknowledge her guilt in that moment. Columbo was a great detective but he was also a great judge of character. He knew that in the right environment she would confess her guilt because fundamentally she was a good person.
He did something similar in the episode where Jonny Cash plays the murderer.
The part that got me is the fact the not only are the arrow marks different sizes, they’re on opposite sides in different scenes. 5:10 Smaller arrow head and on the left. 10:02 Arrow is now on the right and the arrow head no longer has the line on the box as it did in the scene I mentioned earlier. It’s still one of the best episodes, and those little things are part of the show.
@@GhostDrummerthey stack them the wrong way at first, that flips them between the two scenes
its cut out of this recap
He also liked and had respect for the winery guy. The Italian that owned a vinyard. Had a toast with him at the end.
I love Ruth Gordon!
I love Peter Falk!
“He was always a bit of a complainer” lol
lol "Don't go anywhere...Stay!" dog walks away
"He's trained!"
Knowing we can't see the complete episode because of copyright issues, these reviews have been wonderful. Thanks for the time it takes to do them.
Rest in powerful peace Ruth Gordon 🙏
30 October 1896 ~
28 August 1985⚘
Love Rosemary's Baby
Love Where's Papa
Love Harold & Maude
every which way but loose
my bodyguard
Sheer brilliance. Writing. Acting. Casting. Sheer brilliance.
Your brilliance is SHEER✨
Oh Ruth’s? Indeed
One of my favorite episodes for sure! One of my favorite scenes was when he was addressing the room full of women and he was talking about how he sometimes liked the suspects for certain aspects of their personalities, and he looked right at her as he said that.
That’s one of my favorite scenes out of all the columbo episodes… this whole episode had lovely moments
This was my favorite episode. Ruth Gordon was amazing.
Mine too!
Mine too
ditto
@@bobogilvie7820 And mine.
Monster of a woman.
My favorite episode, I mean one of my favourites 😊
Just showed in my 'Women & Crime class' fall 2023! Theyyyyy were blown!!!
If you’re a fan of Ruth Gordon, and haven’t seen “Harold and Maude” yet, you’re in for a treat! Great cast (Gordon and Bud Cort), great musical score, great plot (young man obsessed with death, meets elderly woman who likes to attend funerals. Have fun.
She also was great in Rosemary’s Baby
Thanks. I’m going to check it out. I like Bud Cort, too
Skimming through the comments, nobody said yet, so it is up to me...
We all know that Columbo is a genius. Many times the murderer is doing a very clever murder.
This time (IMO) the victim did an amazing job.
Bro really carried his own murder investigation from beyond the grave. What a legend
Yes, this is one of those "over before it began" type cases. Sooner or later someone was going to change the bulb in the vault, found the note, and it certainly wasn't going to be the tiny, elderly, rich lady. And the whole thing would have unraveled from there.
@@kev3dThe torn piece of paper really bothered Columbo. If it had been someone else to check the light bulb they might have just wondered “what is a piece of paper doing in there” and just changed the bulb without giving it a second thought. I’ve always wondered why no one thought to change the bulb when they first started the investigation.
True, but Abby bungled the murder big time. There's no logical way that someone could accidentally close the door on themselves in the safe, let alone reset the alarm afterward. For a mystery writer, she constructed a flimsy narrative
Ruth Gordon and Peter Falk... heaven
Music was top notch in this episode. Clever ending.
This has to be one of the best columbo episodes ever and quite frankly the best columbo murderer
@Peter Fraser the full episode makes implicit that he was not an innocent man - even in this abridged edition Gordan states his guilt and Columbo declares he did not love her niece
The best is "Columbo cries Wolf".
@@stanmarcusgtv stan.. the show points in both directions. He does tell Abigail that he does not want her money. We don't know for sure. That's what makes it great writing.
Best murderer? Rather one of the indolent ones. Killing someone by leaving him locked in a safe, you would actually expect the victim to leave multiple signs / messages that he was murdered. Either words carved with a sharp object, or made with your own blood.
i remember having watched this decades ago and was literally disturbed by it, the thought of being locked in a locker to die from suffocation was too much to handle for me as a child. Other episodes that i cant forget are one in which dogs had a kill command of rosebud ,and another that i liked the most was in which a magician was the killer.
One of my fav episodes. She’s such a unique actress. I remember her most from Every which way you can with Clint. ❤️👌
She was great in Harold and Maude!
Ruth Gordon was an absolute gem.
This is one of the few Colombo episodes where I can sympathise with the killer. Love Ruth Gordon. Great actress😊👍🏻
Favourite episode
Ruth was Favourite actor aswell
Rip beautiful lady
my favorite episode, Ruth's character reminds me so much of my grandma. charming, strong willed, good to those who are good to her, but stone cold when needs to be. love that a show this old portrayed an older woman in such a way. no frailty or naivete, just a straight up boss.
Ruth Gordon is a gem!
'' He was always a bit of a complainer''. . . .
A greatly missed classic TV show, that time only enhances.
Probably my favourite Columbo episode
This is one of my all time favorite episodes! Colombo understood but he has 2 get u.
This is one of my favorite episodes!!!! So many scenes are great but I love the dog scene on the wharf!
The way columbo carried this dog (in various episodes always gave me anxiety 😂
the line, "Stay!" dog walks off, Aside to Ruth, "He's trained." GOLD!
@Karen Stevenson, YP , S Cassi , The man (Columbo) is so darned down to Earth, that even his dog (Fido) drags his belly when they go on walks.... I'm thinking that Columbo is happily walking around with Fido right now, upstairs, in the clouds...
@@michaelmartinez1345Columbo and Fido are both sharing a bowl of Chilli
@@laurenceshtull6777 Pals Forever!!!
"He loves the ocean ... It makes him frisky."
Dog falls asleep.😂
It always bothered me how Columbo comes to the conclusion that it was an "unhappy" marriage based on the fact he couldn't find any photos of the deceased niece. (Thus implying that he was in fact guilty of murder) So what? Not everyone mourns the same way. I was very close to my father and in the 3 years since his passing, I still don't have any pictures of him anywhere. It's painful for me to look at him even though I think about him every day.
There are many other clues in the episode. Some that Columbo mentions and ones that the viewer can see if they’re paying close attention.
This is precisely what I came in here to say! Most people don't have pictures of themselves or friends or relatives in their homes; always suspicious of those who do! Smacks of narcissism! But another odd line is 'How did she know Mahatma Gandhi'? Don't most people know him? The line should have been 'How did she personally know...' so it's left vague what Colombo was really asking. All this reminds me of other oddities; in the first tv film in 1967 Columbo brought up why Dr Fleming wouldn't call out to his wife when he arrived home but who calls out to anyone when they open their front door?
Yes well
IMHO, the award for best supporting "actor" is the exquisitely haunting melody throughout this episode, encapsulated here to great effect.
Amazing that Colombo touches and let the murderer touch the strong piece of evidence!
One of my all time favorite Columbo episodes! She’s so slippery and clever, you wonder how he’s going to get her! 😊
A good episode , but why she just handed him the keys and then said she found them in a place where they would clearly have been seen previously by investigators is bizarre
Love the dog (dawg).
"would you mind reading it for me, ma'am ... out loud, please ma'am"
who would have thought Columbo had such great comedic timing - pure genius
I could immediately recognize the lawyer as the Senator from the Godfather just by his voice
"maybe he wanted to draw attention to his new shoes".
this episode has the best music. and hits hard at the end when she reads her book title
This was one of my favorite Columbo episodes. Ruth Gordon was fabulous. Columbo was made for Peter Falk. I cannot think of any other actor to play the part.
Music in this episode is also brilliant
omg, the Senator from The Godfather II ("I intend to squeeze you."). He also played the General in Apocalypse Now ("Every man has a breaking point. You and I have it.") A very distinctive voice.
yep. I recognized his voice right away before I saw his face.
COLUMBO: "OK, now don't go away."
Dog goes away.
COLUMBO: "He's trained."
😂😂😂
This is definitely one of the best episodes of the original series. Ruth Gordon's portrayal of the successful yet obsessed murder mystery author (nice tribute to the late Agatha Christie) was poignant and artful. The resolution where the victim was revealed to have testified against his own murderer was brilliant; perhaps Abigail should have done something to disable her nephew-in-law before shutting him in, as Donald Pleasance's Adrian Carsini did in Any Old Port in a Storm, but like many authors I guess she didn't really think that far ahead.
Ruth Gordon plays with a charming determination.
Her physical appearance is contrasted with her intellectual.
She was only 1.52 m. tall.
This episode I have seen more than twice is one of the best episodes with Colombo thanks to her acting. 0:11
stay! and the dog walks away 😊
Ruth Gordon, what a hoot! Always enjoy seeing her in films. Harold & Maude was , for me, the most unique when it came out. 😆👍🏼
*Rosemary's Baby*
Great episode from the great Ruth Gordon.
I do love these catch up 12 min videos 👍
Yes, thank you to whomever is creating these. I wish the channel doing the L&O episodes would do the same thing.
I was never convinced Edmund had killed Phyllis. And that would have been the biggest twist, that Abbie might have been chasing a false dawn and his murder was ultimately all for naught. For all we know Phyllis could have staged her disappearance, maybe with Edmund's help, or she'd run off with a girlfriend. Maybe she was desperate to get away from Abbie! The possibilities are limitless, at least in this episode.
Grumy old lady from 'Every Which Way but Loose'
That iconic era which was too good to loose.
Ruth Gordon was awesome! In Every Which Way But Loose I think she had a great time playing that character! Lol. She was great in this episode of Columbo too.
7:46 „Okay - now don’t go away! Stay!” *The dog instantly goes away* Columbo: „- he’s trained!”. Suspect: „Amazing!”.
7:23 the real star of the show ❤️🤣
One of the all time classics for sure
Best theme music ive heard in columbo
The actor who portrayed the attorney (G.D. Sprawling) in this episode was a Senator in the second Godfather movie. I think it’s one of those rare instances when the sequel is at least as good as the original.
I don't know if it's the same everywhere, but where I live when this episode is on TV it always says that it is guest starring William Shatner. I know I have seen this episode at least fifty times and William Shatner is nowhere to be seen in this episode. I don't understand why his name appears in the opening credits. And it's the first name. I just watched it again last night and his name is still there.
I am really concidering to buy a DVD set on E Bay.
Yeah I love these recaps too..this was a brilliant finale where the lieutenant solves the case..👍
Mariette Hartley’s character in this episode became much like Julie Harris’ in Any Old Port in a Storm. Both knew that their bosses were guilty and were going to hold it over their respective heads!
Mariette Hartley was so pretty when young. Didn't she sponsor the Sleep # beds??
@@supernova3723 I think that was Lindsey Wagner. I remember Hartley did a slew of ads with James Garner for Polaroid back in the day.
@@lisawilliams2013 Mariette Hartley also used to advertise some sort of system to improve your vision by some kind of exercises so that you could get rid of your glasses if you happen to be nearsighted.
Umm, Julie Harris was guilty of no such thing. If Columbo hadn’t opened his big yap on purpose to continue the trap he set for dr loomis, she would’ve remained quiet. She was not gonna blackmail him precisely bc she loved him. When the trap was set and she was exposed, she only turned on Adrian bc of his reaction to her and you do know the saying “ hell hath no fury?. She was not a devious, ambitious, underhanded deviant. Adrian even said as much. 12 yrsrs( was it?) she was his dutiful secretary and she would have continued to be had it not been for the murder and columbo’s interference. She was very loyal to Adrian and he dismissed and derided her. Veronica, on the other hand, seized upon the opportunity. That makes her almost as bad as miss Mitchell. Not to mention a criminal , herself. She is now an accessory after the fact. Please don’t compare these 2 women. Julie Harris would have kept her mouth shut and kept on protecting Adrian. Columbo deceived and used her and she didn’t exercise her Miranda rights. She should have said nothing but she was probably afraid that that would incriminate Adrian bc it would have looked suspicious. The other disgusting blackmailer was the idiot in the first episode , I think titled murder by the book. That’s a disgrace!
Yes ur right, I just looked it up,I knew I saw her in commercials, I just forgot what for. It was Eddie Z Blinds!
this has to be the best columbo episode. all other has mediocre music but in this everything came together perfectly
My second favourite episode after Murder Under Glass. I like Ruth Gordon but she is one of those actors who plays a variation of the same character in film after film. But she has such an infectious charm that you don't mind. After seeing her in Harold and Maude she's been a favourite. In this episode you kind of feel sorry for her and wish she would be that one crime Columbo didn't crack. 😊😊
This and the forgotten lady are great. And cried wolf.
Columbo is my ALL time favorite detective ❤
They don't make them like they use to
If light not working, then the smart thing would be to check if the power source is still on.....before sticking finger in socket!
"DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME".
2:56 " you moooduhhed my Phyllis"
Boston accent😊 for Ruth. My roots led me to recognize that familiar accent.
❤Ruth in this episode
@@classictvandfilmfan-y6t😂❤
This episode was almost overachieving - having Ruth Gordon in the cast really raised the game in the acting and the writing, it seems.
Harold and Maude is one of my favorite movies, but it was good to see her here in an even more nuanced performance.
I love the echoes of Agatha Christie and the reflexive look at the murder mystery genre and ensuing plot points and cute lines.
Must be one of the best episodes?
Also seems to aspire to having the epic sadness of a Greek Tragedy at times... Which one is closest?
This is a poignant episode. I feel sad for both the victim and the killer.
The victim or the original victim?
@@handyandy6488 Male victim
One of the best episodes...
The only problem I have is that I kind of like and understand her. Although her decision to kill him was absolutely wrong. Great episode!
Ruth Gordon. Never forget Harold and Maude 😅😅😅😅
Don't you just love when a 15 sec ad interrupts the middle of the video!
My all time favorite Columbo episode!♥
One would think the investigators would have originally kept the vault deposit drawers in the order which they were initially removed. Kind of guess work in trying to figure out later the original exact placement, etc. Great episode nonetheless. Columbo is the best......📺🔍
The nefew intiinally mixed them up so police would find his note and not the people who killed him.
This lady is the darkest timeline Jessica Fletcher 😆
Ah is that a community reference?!
Imagine how many episodes we could have had if all of them were 10% the size like that!!! 1000+ columbos!
What Are You talking about ?
@@fab92n15 He means downscaled into these shortened episodes, 12 minutes. It's bogus, ofcourse.
@@fab92n15
What are YOU talking about?
She was so great in this episode.
Technically, no "season 7" for Columbo; NBC Mystery Movie (wheel) - of which it had been a part - was canceled, but Columbo was still greenlit as a batch of telefilms. Interestingly, _all 5_ of them are great, IMHO, in contrast to earlier years when there were at least one awful to semi-awful (comparatively speaking) telefilm mixed in.
Try and Catch Me (1977-1978 season); Publish or Perish (1973-1974/third season) - both with a writer as culprit ~
You missed the best part ”If you only had been the detective back then,,,” or something similar
Yep, best part for me, how she points out if Columbo had been on her niece's case, she would not have needed to kill him.
@@gutz1981 Maybe, but she was just as arrogant as any of the other killers on Columbo. She suspected him, decided she must be right, and killed him.
One wonders what the plot of "The Night I was Murdered" could possibly have been?
I like the music in this episode 💟
This was the one Columbo where I wanted the killer to get away with it.
She would have gotten away with it, if that scenario was real. The bestseller writer can afford a good lawyer, but probably this wouldnt be necessary, because actually the body of evidence is weak. So many ppl have or could have entered this strongroom after the "confinement" and the message the victim made would not have been acknowledged by all, as such...
Searched the comments for this one. I 100% agree.
If only she could attend the funeral with Harold.
@@amina-pr8xt I am not so sure. The missing car keys (not sure why she hid them in the first place), along with the note in the light bulb along with the other lies she told, I don't think it is a far leap to determine she killed him.
@@mark.8949 ja maybe
This is my favorite Columbo episode.
Colombo’s dog is the best!!!