Solving a Crime That Never Happened | Columbo

[@saint-gallier]

I was a child when i saw the episode, didn't fully understand what was going but the discovery of Dian's body was a frightening vision. It's quite dark and a clever conclusion set up throughout the episode.

[@Tibor0803]

I really want to watch that episode from the beginning to the end. Can you tell me which episode this one particular was?

[@keithtorgersen9664]

Savage Report, it was Columbo Cries Wolf

[@robdennis5332]

@@Tibor0803 Columbo Cries Wolf

[@arturonocete3588]

And I thought I’ve watched all Columbo episodes……

[@bb.cute.channel]

Which season and episode number?

[@kazilziya830]

Columbo was and is still one of the most intelligent detective series ever on TV. In the 70s I tried to never miss an episode.

[@edizzle01]

Columbo and Kojak are some of the best ever

[@ernesttyler6960]

However he for Some reason had his IN HOUSE players who confused my older relatives! One show blonde New Yorkshire type is married to a fat man then another show she is with a man with cat hair on coat Etc

[@ernesttyler6960]

He was classier than Kojac!

[@cristinabumbac151]

I'd very much like to watch again this series...and Columbo was better than Kojak...no offense meant to Teli Savalas.

[@alexandradane3672]

The subtlety of , “don’t worry Sir, it’s a LOCAL call “ ! Very good !

[@walterengler5709]

This was a great one as he uncovers the body in front of workers who are shocked at the sound. In all other aspects of the show he's working after the fact solving the crime. In this one case, he uncovers the hidden body to seal the case. Great writing.

[@BarbaraS-o4z]

This ending is one of the best episodes ever!! Columbo never misses any detail!! ❤❤

[@auntiesemite9295]

I didn't like him as a person as he volunteered to join the israeli iof.

[@barbarastrzykalski7070]

@ who Peter Falk?

[@AC3HT]

"Don't worry sir, it's a local call" 🤣 yeah, like only in the next room. Great episode. 📺🔍🕵

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

Actually, pagers don't work like that. You phone the paging service and give them the message which they then transmit to the appropriate pager. At least, that's how it worked until pagers became redundant with the invention of cell/mobile phones. Sometimes, as in this story, the whole thing was automated. You dial the particular telephone number for the pager you want to contact, then you use the touch-tone keys to enter your message. When you hang up, the message is sent.

[@jack002tuber]

I wondered how he could type gotcha with a telephone 😂😅😅

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

@@jack002tuber I'm assuming there was a way to select letters by using multiple presses on the same key to cycle through a limited selection of characters for each key, then either a long pause or hitting something like the hash key would end that letter and go on to the next.

[@joeabad5908]

@@jack002tuber in all these episodes the director is in cahoots with Columbo.. But, I did not say Im not enjoying every episode.

[@Ana_Ng]

@@jack002tuber people managed to type just fine on keypads all the way up until the smartphone made it obsolete

[@jacksawild]

A lot of times when fans ask actors about their characters, the actors are too cool to remember anything about them. Falk really knew Columbo, and loved talking about him.

[@stevengalloway8052]

Which is ironic in a sad way, because when Falk got Alzheimers, he didn't remember playing Columbo... 😔

[@SirMoFoDans4]

It's not about beeing too cool. Sometimes a job's a job. You can't expect every actor to be passionate about every role they're in.

[@YON_RO]

​@@SirMoFoDans4I agree, it's not every day an actor plays the same character intermittently over the course of decades

[@atheistfromaustria]

In fact, Falk did not like Columbo very much because everyone only wanted Columbo all the time, he was severy limiting his ambitions. Even in the Wim-Wenders-movie-cameo he was addressed as "Columbo" and not "Mr. Falk". In 1989 when he returned to the screen he had to be persuaded with a huge ammount of money. Nevertheless, I love Columbo and adore Falk's way he played the inspector. It doesn't get any better, that shows what a great actor he was.

[@christopherkraft1327]

This was one of the better "later" episodes, with a terrific "gotcha" moment!!! 👍👍

[@poetcomic1]

Man, the writers on Columbo had to work DAYS to come up with sensational 'gotcha' moments like this wrist-phone. These make the show.

[@alfredino724]

maybe the most chilling gotcha moment also. very disturbing when i saw it as a kid

[@alfredino724]

@@AnaisWolf its sure not up to modern times

[@courregeaaron947]

Who wrote gotcha on her watch? I haven't watched this episode

[@christopherkraft1327]

@@courregeaaron947 it was like a pager. Columbo called her number & texted Gotcha & it showed up on her watch!!!

[@Sarah33Kaufman]

I love him and never get tired of watching these.

[@TheStevenWhiting]

I had a very very very rare moment crop up a few years ago where I was getting a little tired of them. Was watching back to back while cooking. I had to stop and take a break as I never want to stop loving Columbo. This is one of my fav episodes.

[@Sarah33Kaufman]

@@TheStevenWhiting His character was perfect for this role. When I was a little girl, I wanted to grow up and marry him! He died too soon. Too bad!

[@edtrine8692]

Him and Banaeck. The Polish wonder lol.

[@bgee2749]

I love Columbo..his show has always been my COMFORT show. I watched it with my Granny back in the day..

[@ruthmatos3767]

​@@Sarah33KaufmanGet in line 😀

[@williamlocasto5019]

Ian Buchanan is SO smug and SO convinced he's the smartest one in the room, that he's reminiscent of Jack Cassidy. His takedown is very satisfying!!

[@artmallory970]

Smarmy is the word you're after...

[@eddierushing5416]

Ian Buchanan is a great character actor!

[@williamlocasto5019]

@@artmallory970 Yes, "smarmy" would definitely apply!! LOL

[@williamlocasto5019]

@@eddierushing5416 I'll be honest, I had not seen much of his work before this episode of "Columbo", but yes, he's really really good.

[@sheiladavis6523]

@@eddierushing5416 Hello 👋 I agree with I miss him playing Dr.James Warwick on the the soapie Bold and The Beautiful. Along with those dimples Ian has the cutest smile 😊 Take Care June 17,2022

[@afadingdream9675]

A rare episode where the murder happens near the end. This is one of my favorite episodes.

[@legofproductions1]

The only episode

[@redgunnit]

​@@legofproductions1 VERY rare.

[@5anjuro]

Part of the appeal of the Columbo series to me was its slightly anachronistic nature. He's like a Raymond Chandler's 1940s-1950s detective wandering in the modern world.

[@Neremworld]

Well the show only started in 1968 so he wasn't really that far off from a Chandler detective time-wise.

[@crimsonfox87fluxule62]

A relativistically modern world unfortunately. You really couldn't make a show like columbo today because people are too busy pandering to individuals who shouldn't be pandered to at all in order to create a piece of subpar entertainment. You either make something that people are capable of solving on their own fruition with just a little bit of thought play and consistent high quality storytelling, or you don't create anything at all. And we haven't been creating anything of substance for a long time, look at all the indie stuff that's becoming very popular, small groups of people who care very much about the project they're creating and not some solace corporate conglomerate that's trying to milk a cow that's been dead for a very long time. You think I need the bullshit that's coming out now is going to be watched for literal several decades after it's been concluded. If I remember correctly this show ended in the very late '80s to the very early '90s, that's almost 35 goddamn years ago now. You think shows like Texas 911 and fucking TikTok House or going to last? when you make something that is only meant to be interpreted from the people of the time of its creation, especially if that time has a lot of things that would make people not want to stomach it for a multitude of reasons, then it isn't going to last long beyond that time. You see the key isn't to create something timeless, the key, is to create something that is hard for time to erode. And eventually, if you learn enough about how your local microcosm of this reality works, then you'll last a very very long time and it'll seem, at least in a cosmic sense, that no time has passed at all.

[@johnstencel666]

@@crimsonfox87fluxule62 those are some powerful drugs

[@TheSchultinator]

And yet Columbo seems to understand the tech better than the killers do, and uses that understanding to nail them.

[@iLlamaNEG]

​​@@crimsonfox87fluxule62 lmao too enflamed not to yap but also too afraid to actually say what you wanna say without a metric ton of tacit allusions. This is how a gutless coward speaks.

[@lukacunningham342]

When I first saw this, it was a tremendously good episode! Link and Levinson didn’t loose their plotting skills during the 11 year break…yet

[@bonghunezhou5051]

Levinson had passed by the time this episode was made (Link would be involved with seasons 8 and 9 as co-writer and a producer).

[@laureencriss8220]

@@bonghunezhou5051 That's right. The description mistakenly says it's Season 2. But it was 1990 and Season 9 Episode 2.

[@RAFchurchlawford4469]

"didn’t loose" 🤦‍♂

[@bulkvanderhuge9006]

*lose

[@ronaldjohnson6675]

Season 9 episode 1 Laureen Chris

[@tommygun2648]

Peter Falk had a great sense of comedic timing.

[@auntyamelia6906]

yes, and great presence as an actor

[@Tito_michi]

One of the most unique and unusual episodes. They experimented a lot in the second Columbo period and that was awesome.

[@larrybelitsky1444]

The "Just one more thing" shtick was unintended. When first recording the series, Peter Falk had forgotten one of his lines, but soon remembered it so he ad libbed the soon to be famous "Just one more thing" and added the line he'd forgotten.

[@auntyamelia6906]

Classic

[@pibyte]

"its a local call" love this line

[@paulburchell1762]

Yes,best detective show ever..

[@robinstevens7651]

well, there are a few more..

[@knighttuttrupriprock9733]

I must agree.

[@courregeaaron947]

@@robinstevens7651 which ones can rival this one ?

[@patrickjohnson5658]

@@robinstevens7651 True there were some other good detective shows made around the time of Columbo like one of my other favorites Kojak. What made Columbo unique was we knew who the killer was early on in the episode rater than having to wait to the end, so it was basically the reverse of a normal detective show.

[@pepino735]

but don't forget Manix,McGarret,Canon and Kojak,

[@dannydinosaur73]

Yep, this was definitely one of the better "new" episodes. (It was actually the very first Columbo that I ever watched.) I love the part at 8:30 where Ian Buchanan walks up and just stands there watching Columbo about to discover the dead body, as if he's thinking, "Welp. Guess I'm busted now."

[@Ares99999]

What choice did he have? He couldn't physically do much with two other guys right there. And fleeing would simply make him look more guilty.

[@HptmFrey]

Another one of my favorite episodes. Back when I was watching it for the first time, I somehow knew, what message Columbo sent to that wrist beeper - "Gotcha" - because it just perfectly fitted that very moment. Great final!

[@markequinox]

The score for this episode was brilliant.

[@ronmackinnon9374]

Opens with Fine Young Cannibals' 'She Drives Me Crazy' IIRC.

[@Romulan2469]

Agreed. Everything goes together perfectly in this episode, it's brilliant. It's one of the very best Columbo episodes which is a surprise as it's a later season when the quality of the writing went seriously downhill.

[@kev3d]

This was the only episode I remember seeing when it aired for the first time. I always remembered the gotcha. The idea of a body in the wall freaked me out.

[@lkotro21]

This music, this haunting theme when the beeper starts making a sound... It stuck with me. I never forgot that episode.

[@earlofsmeg]

Whenever you hear, just one more thing, know that you're about to be caught and there is nothing you can do about it.

[@zovalentine7305]

🏆

[@christinebutler7630]

When you hear the first few notes of "this old man", it's in the bag.

[@rshelley7496]

When his mind games begin..it's just a set up for that line...by the time he says it they start sweating lol

[@michaelmorton5698]

Columbo will come for you, and you will do nothing--because you can do nothing.

[@2Scribble]

What's funny is that the first 'murder' - the one he and Diane planned - that was smooth It was well done - it was perfectly carried out This one??? The one *he* planned?????? Sloppy - completely dismantled in 9 and a half minutes xD And Columbo actually solves it at about... 1:20

[@lukacunningham342]

Well, he might’ve figured that since the police now have bad publicity, they would never dig up the wall, he probably didn’t even remember about the bracelet

[@thadtheman3751]

Actually he knew before otherwise how could he get the number?

[@Marcsharp82]

I genuinely love this scene and this episode... But the "Gotcha" message is a piece of paper stuck onto the bracelet.

[@holylandfan3275]

😂 MarColumbo SharpO 😂

[@glowiever]

yep, they didn't make it with a backlight so it'd be too dark

[@truefilm6991]

Yep, sloppy work by the props department. It's not even cut out properly and a bit uneven. Guess it was considered good enough for standard TV back in the day.

[@highpath4776]

Dymo Label ?

[@truefilm6991]

@@mslinda8456 yeah, but addressing rigor mortis in the screenplay would lead to something rather uncomfortable to watch (Columbo would have to break articulations).

[@laurenmallon4963]

no one could play Columbo like him !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Loved that show !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@humbleopinion1499]

I always love the look on the perpetrator's face when they realize they have been outwitted by someone they thought they could outwit.

[@roydudzic5046]

I was a law enforcement officer for 28 years and worked Homicides. I wish I had Colombo's technique for interviewing...

[@MsLogjam]

I've heard that Gypsies and Roma who run fortune-telling scams will undergo serious training in how to read people and pick out their vulnerabilities. Maybe some police departments could try putting such a person on the payroll as a consultant.

[@exeromusic]

Nice to see Hector Salamanca having a decent civilian job

[@rockpadstudios]

The acting was perfect - this was one of the best

[@morn1415]

A device worn on the wrist recieving a text message from a telephone? Technology really knows no limits! 😮

[@joysynmonds9082]

Very advanced. But USA are way ahead of us. Love this episode !

[@term-827]

This was nothing more but a simple pager, really. Some allowed text to be entered, but not all. You had to be good with codes to send a message, especially if you had to make a collect call from a payphone.

[@emanuell5926]

It looked like a paperprint…

[@jacquelinedeigan776]

Love Columbia. Brings back wonderful memories of watching it with both my Parents. Love you Dad and Mum..R.I.P

[@jasontangeman4174]

The best show there ever was

[@robinstevens7651]

there are a few more I think..;)

[@fasteddie9867]

Brilliant ending--one of the best!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Merci for this. Great acting all around. Especially Miss Hunter. Breathtaking role in that wardrobe bag.

[@Uniongamers]

Still ranks as my favourite Columbo episode, which is amazing considering all the amazing content Falk gave us over the years.

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

It's one of the nice things about these clips is that almost every one has this reponse, "this was the best, of my favourite". Hard to beat that.

[@donarthiazi2443]

Around 0:40 when you hear _"This old man"_ then the Perp has little time left haha We all absolutely love Peter Falk

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

This is one episode which stuck in my mind due to how smart the murderer was, yet Columbo was smarter.

[@everwake2689]

Imagine walling up your girlfriend's body in the bathroom and walking by it every day. This guy had nerves of steel.

[@augustusgarton58]

"The Pit & the Pendulum" imagine poor Nicholas living in a castle knowing his mother was walled up alive downstairs in her own tomb. Bad trip, what a downer.

[@1982nsu]

@@augustusgarton58 I think this Columbo episode is closer to Edgar A. Poe's "Black Cat."

[@blank_stare_productions]

Columbo is the Macgyver of murder mysteries.

[@lcjesusgirl921]

I loved that show. Columbo was the coolest smartest detective ever. I miss that show.

[@Rjl41]

9:33 nice sticker giving the illusion of a real LCD display!!lol

[@spacemissing]

Columbo stories are about the genius of the criminal versus the genius (and sometimes good luck) of the detective. This one is superb.

[@ralph-im-a-star-wars-wiggum]

I'm so happy to own all of Columbo now. It's one of my favorite things ever. It was great seeing Hector Salamanca in this episode although he's a long way from Albuquerque :)

[@MrSamuelArthurRobertAllen]

He knew he wasn't going to leave that place without a body or confession.

[@brandoncameron2686]

I remember watching a couple episodes of “The Closer” (2005-12) where they NEEDED a confession to catch the killer. And I was like, how are they gonna pull this off? The killer could just stay silent and get away with it because there’s not enough evidence to convict. The Closer had a couple of scripts where getting a confession was brilliantly pulled off.

[@lhomme38]

That was one of my favorite episodes! Had been trying to find it for so long!

[@dorkarama3135]

One of the best of the non - 70s episodes. Dreadful antagonist. He looked a bit like Dean Stockwell who played Al in Quantum Leap and who also appeared in a few Columbo episodes.

[@stevebbuk]

Maybe it's a US/UK thing: I thought he was a good actor and clean cut. I agree this episode was one of the best of the later series, some of which were beneath Peter Falk and rather an embarrassment to be Frank.

[@dorkarama3135]

@@stevebbuk I just meant the character was a terrible, smug dude who got what he deserved. I've got nothing against the actor. He played him well.

[@TheStevenWhiting]

@@stevebbuk When I got the box set some years ago I started to look at the later episodes and didn't like them much. Peter or Columbo haven gotten old upset me. However, I stuck with them and now love them as much as the old 70s ones. One of the few I dislike is the Night Life one which was the last ever one. And the one where he played an undercover character.

[@stevebbuk]

@@TheStevenWhiting Yes the undercover character was based upon a book I believe and not the usual Link-Levinson partnership.

[@florencetshabangu8383]

@@dorkarama3135 a

[@stevebnarasky7994]

My go to show if nothing else suits my mood. I have my DVR set to record all Columbo episodes. This episodes is one of my favorites!

[@kaybee4132]

I have many episodes recorded on my DVR...always in rotation (!) which is crazy because I have all the DVDs!! 🤣❤️

[@stevebnarasky7994]

@@kaybee4132 I do the same with movies and tv shows especially Dexter, Magnum,Simon n Simon.

[@stevebnarasky7994]

@@kaybee4132 There was a Columbo marathon on Sunday and I have just about every episode shown on my DVR already and I sat around and watched them on regular tv while the DVR recorded them again. It allows me to be lazy and take a lot of mini naps!

[@davidmarshall5596]

This was a terrific episode & lieutenant columbo comes up.trumps again against a very smug arrogant man ..very satisfying 😁 thanks for another excellent post 👍

[@joey_bonin]

I didn't have the patience to watch these made-for-TV-movies when they were first played, but now I appreciate the writing and acting more than most. Peter Falk makes them happen.

[@antonioszytulskyj8165]

The "best skeleton In the wardrobe" ever

[@derekbrou]

Great ending, one of the top ones for me

[@YouTubeallowedmynametobestolen]

"And you just saw me dial in my message." The twist of the knife.

[@ypsiloneksugarek4157]

The moment You realize Hector Salamanca was already building his empire.

[@tilesetter1953]

Mark Margolis is in this episode. He played Alberto the henchman in Scarface (1983) and of course Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.

[@davebesag]

"Don't worry Sir it's a local call." Columbo knew it would be very local.

[@zovalentine7305]

Rest in powerful peace Peter Falk 🙏 16 September 1927 ~ 23 June 2011⚘

[@gerardvanwilgen9917]

One of the best Columbo episodes.

[@kenotube3160]

Even though it was clever, he needed a lot of luck: 1. The killer who was just angry at Columbo and asked him to get out, had to agree to let him use his phone. 2. The victim had to be wearing the bracelet. 3. The body/beeper had to be within hearing range.

[@Persian-Immortal]

Don't forget batteries in the beeper...

[@IRanOutOfPhrases]

@@Persian-Immortal I know this was just meant to be a light-hearted post, but I'm here to play devil's advocate anyway, haha Regarding point 1, I have a feeling Columbo would have insisted and eventually gotten his way. For 2 & 3, I definitely don't have full context of the episode. But Columbo has always operated on knowing a whole lot more than he ever let on. I also always like to believe (particularly in this era of TV) that there was probably a lot of other off-screen due-diligence that would have just been boring & exhausting to show on TV, where they just want to show us the goods, haha. Probably safe to assume he didn't know exactly where the body was, but probably had a good idea that he was taking advantage of recent renovations to stash it. All that said, it would be funny if he was completely off on all that and someone who stole the bracelet is randomly receiving a "gotcha" message.

[@mityaboy4639]

@@IRanOutOfPhrases I would add that it was reckless to forget such a crucial device. I mean you'd want to remove all trace from a body - and if that is a mobile device even at early stages they could triangle its position as long as it is operative. So he not just asked the number, but the location too, and being as tech savvy as they were, it should have been the first thing to destroy or throw it into a train to carry it through the country. That was a fatal mistake -> but therefore Columbo was pretty sure that the body is near hearing distance, and after he got the idea of the bag... he was sure he can get it. So i think 2 or 3 was not a gamble anymore after he got the approx location data.

[@stevebnarasky7994]

How about a warrant to search the place? Especially tear apart a wall. But you had to let go a little, let impracticalities, implausible plots a little room to entertain. Like I don’t remember seeing a cadaver dog being used to search the place the first time she disappeared. The dog woulda found her pronto or they would no, no body here!

[@mityaboy4639]

what makes the thing even less plausible is the fact that such a device which “prints” and remains connected to the network needs power, now early batteries were not the best one.. we all remember the bag of battery for the first portable device or even the chunky blocks of early nineties… not sure how long a charge or an alkaline battery would last in them… but i have the wild guess that it would eat them like a child eats a bag of candy… oh well :) it was a good catch :)

[@ItsRyan265]

This was the episode that got me hooked.

[@lisawilliams2013]

Columbo loved a good “Gotcha”. 😉

[@philevans4021]

9:33 absolutely not an absolutely awfully cut out piece of paper with "GOTCHA" printed very badly on it 😂

[@johnwhittington2998]

The music being played in this scene is beautifully haunting

[@marciapeak893]

I loved this episode. I think that there only a few that I found boring. Most of them finds me in front of the tv. Watching over and over again.

[@andrewkrogstad1]

One of my fav episodes and especially endings. The music was also great in this episode

[@jennifferlovecraft5926]

I remember watching this episode, beautyful. ☺

[@martinfinn1550]

The writers of this episode might have got some inspiration from one of the earlier episodes from the original Columbo episodes of the 1970's "Blueprint For Murder", where the killer planned to hide the body of his victim by burying him under an entire skyscraper. I don't think the plastic bag he used to seal up the body would have worked, wouldn't the gases from the decomposition of the body have built up and bursted it? Maybe there are stronger bags he could have used to contain any odor or stop any gas buildup from bursting it? Then again maybe it was only meant as a short term solution, he would recover the body at some opportune time and get rid of it later.

[@grahvis]

Yes, it would have become very noticeable eventually.

[@poetcomic1]

I don't know. Try it and let us know.

[@janetaylorparris]

I need to rewatch this later episode, but seeing this clip I too thought of the premise of “Blueprint” that plays so beautifully with the concept of a foolproof, perfect hiding place. I have some heavy, high-quality garment bags in my closet-for custom suits and delicate gowns, though, not priceless mink coats. Are those bags tougher, I wonder?

[@bellaimages]

As disgusting as this might sound, I think the villain (killer) was thinking short term. He just needed to hide the body so well AND long enough that Columbo would give up. Then he could properly dispose of her body in a different manner before the smell of decay became obvious. That dude was evil! He thought he was so smart! So glad that Columbo was smarter. Sad that the murder happened to her so late in the movie .. so it was rather dark compared to other endings.

[@susanadiasjohnson457]

Totally had the same experience each time I watched this. Very dark and haunting, everything right down to the music, lighting, car scene, closet scene, and body bag.

[@RA-rz6wt]

Good One, Lieutenant Columbo.

[@narcolepsyboy94]

This is defiantly one of my top 5 favorite episodes of Columbo

[@ottersintuxedos4981]

“Don’t worry sir, it’s a local call” lol

[@michaelmartinez1345]

Definitely, one of the most bizarre evidence discoveries of all of the shows... Literally, one of his very best 'Gotcha' moments....

[@muhammedrahman7013]

Classic Gotcha, Columbo does it again, Genius!

[@King-Vis]

Columbo is just the best, man!

[@fearsomename4517]

Just when he thought he knew the answer, Columbo changed the question. Great episode.

[@zovalentine7305]

🏆

[@Finnador]

The perpetrator in this episode was probably the biggest weasel that Columbo ever encountered. It must have been very satisfying for Columbo for the way he brought him down. The weasel did make Columbo appear like' Clodumbo' (the Mad TV parody) part way through the episode.

[@LoveMeBack]

This show had some amazing writers.

[@bernhardwall6876]

This one reminds me of "Blueprint for Murder," where Columbo also proposed a false solution to a case, destroyed his own credibility, and then found the body and solved the case for real.

[@SPYmaps]

Wow, trip back to memory lane (i believe you call it). Watched these episodes as a 10 year old kid I believe, Colombo, great television! Thank you for reminding me channel! Leon

[@dragoon84bdg]

One of the best "gotcha" in the history of the series...

[@glowingunknown5625]

2:39 Surveillance videos back then are like 10x sharper than today's, and it's on VHS!

[@djdon60]

This, definitely, ranks top ten in my re-boot episodes list. It's, also, "up, there", in my all-time list. I'm going to have to google, how producers obtained the right to use the FYC song, over the opening credits. It set the tone, very well.

[@terracottapie]

I'm sure they just paid a bunch of money to license it.

[@r0bw00d]

It's a continuation, not a reboot.

[@djdon60]

@@r0bw00d: apologies; you're correct.

[@sirp0p0]

The paper screen on the pager watch, lol. We were never supposed to see these in HD.

[@onemorething123]

One of my favorite 'later' episodes. And I remember this guy from General Hospital (I realize that dates me, lol)

[@Commandasaurus]

Simply a stunning conclusion, and quite dark and shocking.

[@mzaki4949]

cloumbo is fortunate in that his suspects usually confess or when they are found out, are so calm.

[@lauraanderson2429]

This was the most surprising ending. Classic- GOTCHA

[@mcmurtryfan]

That melody in the background is...."this old man, he played one..."

[@patrickwentzell4638]

Joker : " how do you keep a secret from the worlds greatest detective you stick it right under his pointy nose . "

[@jtc1947]

One of the best episodes that COLUMBO ever did! "GOTCHA" !

[@djinnspalace2119]

as he used the telephone, i was thinking that it is very likely possibly to know what he typed in via sound alone. and then it turns out to be part of the reveal. genius.

[@moshodi100]

That Columbo is a GENIUS!!! Excellent episode. Wow!! They don't make them like this anymore.

[@Kontorotsui]

I love how when the murderer really passes off Colombo, he even trolls him while framing him.

[@RacheyBoBachey]

I've been searching for this scene burned into my brain since childhood!! I tried Googling all kinds of movies and finally found a blog describing this episode and the final scene! "Woman in body bag in wall old movie" "watch beeps and man opens wall to find body" etc etc I'm finally at peace! Very scary for TV, ESPECIALLY back then.

[@mattinthehat3]

Columbo was always slick in how he was able to catch his suspect.

[@venomasmark14]

Columbo's cold with that one, oh my god

[@mrs.columbo1803]

Love Columbo music . Nothing beats the 70s columbo

[@anonnymouse2402]

Columbo : "Can I use your phone?" Suspect : "No, get out" Columbo : "..........OK"

[@JLFULMER21022]

4:10 *gunshot* Cook: "That guy must be new to this"