SO agree. They also act weirdly around each other. I felt so much better to read your scathing review and to notice that we were annoyed by the same things, point for point. If this was the first Columbo episode you ever watched I imagine youd abandon this proverbial ship long before the episodes denouement and that would be no bad thing because the gotcha scene is one of the entire series biggest missteps. Whether its any good or not is subject to fierce debate, with a high percentage of viewers loathing, rather than loving, the high-jinks on display. Charles (Robert Vaughn) goes to identify the corpse and Columbo tells him that the police are now pretty certain that Otis wa. Then it hit like a bombshell like many, some actors may have more influence in production and directions as years go by then the overacting, noise, touchy scenes always cramming in even in other episodes the car in The Last Salute then later shows cramming in a huge Limo, putting Hands between Legs of others, sexual innuendos, leaning over others touching and have others touch Columbo, saturation of tidbit nonsense that has no role in the plot and 5 times in a short period talking of the wife who does not exist. The Commodores boat sans Commodore is discovered the next morning, so one Lieutenant Columbo is sent to the Clay homestead seeking information. Well have to wait an age to find out. Vaughn won an Emmy for his portrayal of Frank Flaherty in Washington: Behind Closed Doors (ABC, 1977)[17] and during the 1980s starred with friend George Peppard in the final season of The A-Team. He was magnificent in Troubled Waters and warranted a second outing as a killer. Well, Diane Baker puts in a believably desperate turn as sad alcoholic Joanna (the latest in a long line of boozy Columbo housewives), but that doesnt make her character likable or enjoyable to watch. When the Commodores body is revealed, it is surprising; someone is not setting the stage for an accident as per usual. He also appeared in the British soap opera Coronation Street as Milton Fanshaw from January until February 2012.[2]. How many times was William Shatner on Columbo? During the 196364 season of The Lieutenant, Vaughn appeared as Captain Raymond Rambridge alongside Gary Lockwood, who played a Marine second lieutenant at Camp Pendleton. I do like some modern movies, but for years I liked the 30s and 40s movies moreso then I saw again recently Marianne of 1939 first talkie of the great Marion Davies Ill put in that DVD Type before I watch to much of the later Falk Episodes. Well, he reverts to suitably eccentric means to do so. Public service announcement: February 2023. Rather than strangling Columbo once Swanny makes his entrance, she instead laughs like a loon. SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER for Columbo fans! Colonel Frank Brailie in "Grand Deception". [27] Early in his career, he was described as a "liberal Democrat". But Columbo fans know and love him for his two guest-star appearances in the shows 70s hey-day: first as the villainous Hayden Danziger in Troubled Waters in 1975, which was followed a year later by the more enigmatic Charles Clay in Last Salute to the Commodore both distinctly nautical adventures. I watched this episode for the first time tonight, curious to find out why it inspires so much hate among fans, & well, I didnt expect to enjoy it that much! For the whodunnit experiment to work, Last Salute had to wow us with a riveting finale. [] Read my tribute to the late Robert Vaughn here. A writ for 4million in damages was issued in the courts of London. A conversation with the Commodores ancient nephew Swanny (was the Commodore, like, 100 years old?) He has now established potential weapon and opportunity. I was not on one of those Docks. I just watched Last Salute to the Commodore, and I was so utterly baffled that I immediately went looking for some reviews to see if it really was that bad or I was going crazy. Why? Robert Vaughn battled acute leukemia. episode "The Dippy Blond Affair". The location shooting, showcasing deep blue water and light blue skies, really shows off the majesty of LA living. However, a paternity investigation[25] identified the father as George de Vere Drummond, an English aristocrat and godson of King George VI. Bad hair days on the high seas in Troubled Waters, anyone? Note the ponderous delivery, affected facial expressions and exaggerated mannerisms. Oh no. The screenplay creaks mightily at places, the directing is substandard to the point of being amateurish and the editing occasionally fits the standard of directing. Lillian Stanhope in "Dagger of the Mind". Lt. Columbo takes a trip to Acapulco, but finds himself on a new case when a used car dealer commits murder on the cruise ship.Lt. TV-PG. However, he dropped out after a year and moved to Los Angeles with his mother. Thanks for sticking with me through this treacherous voyage. Smelt worse than a lorry load of rotten fish. Milo Janus in "An Exercise in Fatality".Conrad is the earliest surviving male actor to have played a murderer on the series. Though, he was 1.74 m tall, he weighs about 75 kg. One of his earliest roles was as a high-ranking fire chief in the disaster classic The Towering Inferno (which also featured Faye Dunaway, Robert Vaughn and Don Gordon). Just a little would certainly do! Im sure this absurdity tickled McGoohan immensely but after wading through 90 minutes of bilge up to this point, for most viewers its a bewildering anticlimax made more so by the fact the scene promptly cuts to Columbo and his fellow officers outside in the sunshine. He then slips into Otiss sailor suit and takes the yawl for a spin making sure hes seen by the Coast Guard before ditching the body in the water and scuba-ing back to safety. Whos the best: Cassidy, Culp or McGoohan? Even Columbo seems disturbed by it. The watch was deliberately smashed by the Commodores killer to establish an alibi. To put it bluntly, this is a disastrous outing, which isnt just bad by Columbo standards its a bad piece of TV.. I love Troubled waters one of the best episodes , as for last salute I hate it , I cannot follow the story , Vaughns character is off putting and his talent wasted , I cant stand the other characters they are very silly and annoying and i could easily put it bottom of the 70s pile . Im guessing they were supposed to add comic relief, but by gum theyre tedious. Feel the need to revisit previous, more positive, episode reviews? He additionally played Roosevelt in the 1982 HBO telefilm FDR: That Man in the White House. His first film appearance was as an extra in The Ten Commandments (1956),[3] playing a golden calf idolater also visible in a scene in a chariot behind that of Yul Brynner. As a single scene its an embarrassment, but in reality every single thing that could be drawn out in this episode is drawn out. Create. McGoohan told this to Dawidziak: I wanted the young guy, McGoohan said. For many years, it was believed Vaughn was the biological father of English film director and producer Matthew Vaughn, born when the actor was in a relationship with early 1970s socialite Kathy Ceaton. Robert Vaughn was born on November 22, 1932, in New York City,[3] to Gerald Walter Vaughn, a radio actor, and his wife, Marcella Frances (Gaudel), a stage actress. The shame is that the premise was good, and it had potential to be a much better episode. [33] Vaughn campaigned for John F. Kennedy in the Presidential election of 1960 for U.S. Ken Franklin in "Murder by the Book". I will say it was director Patrick McGoohans fault, as the revision to Falks portrayal was McGoohans idea, and McGoohan had to persuade Falk to agree. [26], Vaughn was a longtime member of the Democratic Party. He also appeared in two episodes of Columbo during the mid-1970s, "Troubled Waters" (1975) and "Last Salute to the Commodore" (1976). Lt. Columbo takes a trip to Acapulco, but finds himself on a new case when a used car dealer commits murder on the cruise ship. On more than one occasion it has left this correspondent completely baffled, wondering if Ive missed something. In film, he portrayed the gunman Lee in The Magnificent Seven with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, Major Paul Krueger in The Bridge at Remagen with George Segal and Ben Gazzara, the voice of Proteus IV, the computer villain of Demon Seed, Walter Chalmers in Bullitt with Steve McQueen, Ross Webster in Superman III with Christopher Reeve, General Woodbridge in The Delta Force with Lee Marvin, and war veteran Chester A. Gwynn in The Young Philadelphians with Paul Newman, which earned him a 1959 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Nora Chandler in "Requiem for a Falling Star". Because of all this its impossible to give a damn about the personal battles of any of our chief antagonists. The smart Alec who wrote the screenplay tried to create an Agatha Christie or Hercule Poirot dramatic ending but he [presumably he] failed miserably. Columbo Blu-ray boxsets officially on the way! Instead hes wiping prints of a nautical belaying pin that appears to have been used to cudgel the Commodore to death, off-screen, in his own home. Dabney Coleman is an award-winning American actor. You would think an actor would evolve into a better actor. Watching it is an absolute chore. Yes, he dropped her off there in his boat just before midnight before he returned to the club to sing with the boys. And she also confirms that her deceased fiance planned to sell the boat yard and give all his money to charity, leaving the rest of them high and dry. Not saying this to be contrarian! It was just directed and acted in such a silly manner. Kay Freestone in "Make Me a Perfect Murder". When you give an actor power, you also empower their friends. If anything, the case would more likely result in Columbo being bust back down to Sergeant for sullying the LAPDs good name. The Columbo Story: A Cigar, A Dog, And Hollywood Sounds plausible, but theres also a stencil of a dot (a full stop for the Brits, or period to US readers), which doesnt make much sense. Hes more whimsical, distracted and aloof than weve ever seen him and he seems to continually be in a state of mild amusement as if hes stoned. Actor | Swanny is too much of a nothing character to draw any sort of emotional reaction when his guilt is finally (and nominally) revealed. Still, as a long-term lover of this show there are positives to take, even from this baloney chiefly the episodes great twist, when prime suspect Charlie turns up dead an hour in. You have a fairly decent mystery. If Mr. Clay were convicted, Mrs. Clay would inherit, not Swanny. Jarvis Goodland in "The Greenhouse Jungle". Justin Rowe in "Columbo Goes to College". [4][7] He studied at Los Angeles City College, then transferred to Los Angeles State College of Applied Arts and Sciences, earning a master's degree in theater. Most viewers will find her turn highly annoying, but I actually know people who are like that when drunk and can tell you its no bad acting performance. She must have actually been spinning in her grave. I often crow about longer Columbo episodes being filled with padding, and the subsequent damage caused to the story, but this is on a whole different stratosphere. 0. . [38] In a conversation with historian Jack Sanders, he stated that after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, "I lost heart for the battle. Trying to disguise these familiar beats may have been another reason why Last Salute was so slathered in nonsense. The 25 best episodes of 'Columbo', ranked | Yardbarker For what he brought to the show, Vaughn retains a place in the hearts of Columbo fans in perpetuity. He lacks his usual courtesy and warmth. Hes very right, theyre just useless morons ! What a nights work! Only time, that sweet, sweet healer, will tell, Tags: Bruce KirbyCharles ClayDiane BakerFred DraperJoanna ClayLast Salute to the CommodoreLisa KingMac AlbinskyOtis SwansonRobert VaughnSergeant KramerSwanny SwansonWilfrid Hyde-White. Playback is an average adventure boosted by an emotionally charged conclusion. Swanny then chimes in. Last Salute is a different kettle of fish. He was, after all, a working actor just trying to get any job done! Many great actors in this episode. While Rosanna Wells is singing the song Volare and hands out the microphone to a member of audience, it does not have any effect on the sound of her voice; it is the same with or without the microphone. Patrick McGoohan, Robert Culp, Jack Cassidy, George Hamilton and William Shatner are the only actors to play more than one murderer. And there is doubt as to whos really done what, and who has the most to gain. I would like just a little of what you were drinking or smoking when you watched this. Vaughn also appeared as himself narrating and being a character in a radio play broadcast by BBC Radio 4 in 2007 about making the film The Bridge at Remagen in Prague, during the Russian invasion of 1968. So many Columbo murderers are smarmy and often looking for money. The shouting-over-the-background-noise scene? Peter Falks contract for the show was up in 1976 and his big focus was making movies after being buoyed by the critical success of A Woman Under the Influence (which he made alongside BFFs John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands amid his Columbo commitments), as well as his role in comedy Murder By Death alongside silver screen legends David Niven, Maggie Smith, Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers. McGoohan wasnt the only person to influence Falk adversely on Columbo. Before we find out, I urge you to take a deep breath and grab a life jacket. Perhaps. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Robert Vaughn Net Worth 2023: Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Kids I probably dozed off I must have missed something: who killed Charles, how and why? Last Salute splits opinion with the fans, too, which is one reason why Vaughns outing here is much more under the radar. Hi dt Glad to hear that you managed to enjoy this unwatchable/unlistenable mess; of not just a Columbo episode, but of a TV show. Of course it takes two to tango, and Falk must shoulder his share of the blame. All Rights Reserved. Starring Robert Vaughn, Dean Stockwell, Patrick Macnee. Im sure Falk and McGoohan were enjoying a few drinks while filming and who could blame them?! When we witness son-in-law Robert Vaughn disposing of the commodore's body at sea, it seems obvious he is the murderer. Vaughn was the last surviving member of those who portrayed The Magnificent Seven. I shall expunge this from my memory by watching Negative Reaction with Dick Van Dyle. Its terribly frustrating. Sure, Volare made us all go to sleep but Robert Vaughn was fantastic and it was a pleasure to see Columbo take him down on the high seas! He also appeared in films such as Tootsie, WarGames and You've Got Mail. A would-be will beneficiary stitching another to secure an inheritance is straight out of Gilliss Suitable for Framing. Live. Times taken: 82: Average score: 46.7%: Report this quiz: Report: Quiz and answer stats >> Friends stats >> . Last Salute thinks its funny, but the gags on display here are, without exception, painful. Basking in their success, the three police musketeers head outside to the Commodores back lawn. List of Columbo episodes - Wikipedia Vaughn got married in 1974 to Linda Staab, and together they appeared in an episode of 'The Protectors' in 1973. I like that it pulls the rug under my feet. And how about having Fred Draper as the murderer? See production, box office & company info, Sun Princess Cruise Ship, Princess Cruise Line, Santa Clarita, California, USA. The series was also broadcast in the United States on the cable network AMC. As a result, it plummets to the foot of the current standings where it will doubtless remain for many moons until some of the worst pap from the 80s/90s challenge its stranglehold on the wooden spoon. Robert Vaughn signs copies of his book 'A Fortunate Life' at Easons, Feb. 28, 2009 in . Hmmmmmmm. As Im sure you can tell, Im not much enamoured with Last Salute to the Commodore. Hayden Danziger in "Troubled Waters".Vaughn also played a victim, Charles Clay, in "Last Salute to the Commodore". A veteran of more than 150 movies, notably Superman 3 and The Magnificent 7, and scores of TV shows including his iconic turn in The Man from UNCLE, and global hits Hustle, The A-Team and Coronation Street, Vaughn was as prolific as he was popular. two episodes He starred in two seasons of the British detective series The Protectors in the early 1970s. Sorry but.it gets even worse. Trivia questions about the TV show 'Columbo'. But there is a second side to this explanation where Last Salute is concerned. Almost every scene I thought, where is this going? So does anyone come out of this mess with credit? Menu . [34] Vaughn debated with William F. Buckley Jr. on his program Firing Line on the Vietnam War. World-renowned naval architect and sailor Commodore Otis Swanson has a face like a wet weekend as he scowls through his birthday shindig at a lavish yacht club. Yet these are merely lesser lights by Columbo standards Id still watch em over most other TV ever made (well, maybe not Dagger, but you catch my drift). Swanny Swanson in "Last Salute to the Commodore". What were Peter Falks favourite Columbo episodes? Then click on any link below with confidence! Swanny has a motive, too. Thats just the crust, though. The only person in the room who bothered to reveal their whereabouts at the time of the murder was Swanny, who told Columbo he was singing at the yacht club just after midnight. The Local Bird and Bee: The Weirdest 'Columbo' Episode - Blogger Its Robert Vaughn, after all! You are being too kind. Excuse me, I must change the channel. After receiving a call at home that the Commodores body has been found, Charlie shows Joanna the brooch he found at the murder scene. Young bucks from the Coast Guard also rock up to show logbooks that detail the Commodore being seen to leave port at 3am that morning. Robert Vaughn was born on November 22, 1932, in New York City, [3] to Gerald Walter Vaughn, a radio actor, and his wife, Marcella Frances (Gaudel), a stage actress. So is Last Salute a bon voyage to Columbos fifth season, or is it dredging untold depths? Columbo facts - THE COLUMBOPHILE BLOG A golden era of US TV. Robert Culp and Robert Vaughn always seemed to treat Columbo like an amiable buffoon at the start then get irritated during the show and at the end acknowledge a more superior brain than their own. The murder weapon? Im clueless how to pay attention to any plot or person in The Last Salute because of the nonsense acting in that piece of junk Im still reeling from the noise on the Dock and Columbo pushing into the woman. Columbo's iconic wardrobe was entirely supplied by Peter Falk - raincoat, suit, boots and all. She acted opposite Vaughn as a guest star on a 1966 U.N.C.L.E. A notable exception is his appearance in The Towering Inferno. A good example is the throat-slitting tedium of the police crew trying to rearrange the Commodores stencilled letters to spell something other than the word SAILS including toying with the word ASSLI. Robert Vaughn, Man from UNCLE actor, dies aged 83 - BBC News Steven Spielberg directed Season 1's first episode Murder by the Book in 1971 - four years before he became a household name with Jaws. He played Columbo for the first time in the 1968 TV film Prescription: Murder. In real life the rumour was that Falk was leaving the show. The latter episode is one of the few in the series where the identity of the murderer is not known until the end. If (horror of horrors) this episode ticks the boxes for you, PLEASE explain why because, try as I might, it gets worse for me with every viewing. As referenced above, the final scene of Columbo hopping into a boat and rowing off across the sparkling blue water to meet Mrs Columbo at the distant yacht club is a beautiful thing. All credit to the writers now this really is a mystery. Even though Leonard Nimoy was only in one that I have seen - he played such an evil doctor who would stop at Charless toils arent over, though. Everything about it screams just pure strangeness. Still, before I embark with Ahab-esque zeal on my quest to ensure unsuspecting viewers know exactly what this episode holds in store for them, its highly pertinent to explore the background to Last Salute, which goes some way to explaining why it turned out the way it did. Dr. Joan Allenby in "Sex and the Married Detective". Troubled Waters was on TV last week and naturally I just had to watch it again. Younger viewers may recognize his voice as that of Principal Prickly on the Disney Channel cartoon . Its a cautionary tale. [3] His family was also Democratic and was involved in politics in Minneapolis. Peter Falk gained more and more muscle on Columbo over time. At least it didnt sink under (oops) the deadly B list. With livelihoods and inheritances at stake, everyone in the room except Lisa has a motive for homicide. Whod suspect old Fred, eh? It should end up in some cinematic incinerator, like a tumor that is cut off from a patient during a surgery ends up in a hospital incinerator. Its a fun ending to the episode i thought. It never came to trial, being considered too secret. One of the worst scenes for me is when hes sitting on the dock, and Mac tells the Ensign that he needs to explain the lay of the land to Columbo using his foot and a piling for reference. Dabney Coleman | The Columbo Wiki | Fandom Justin Price in "Columbo Likes the Nightlife". A psychiatrist uses a patient he is having an affair with to help him kill his wife, but his perfect alibi may come apart at the hands of a seemingly befuddled LAPD lieutenant. Hes wasted in this swill. We gratefully acknowledge the co-operation and courtesies furnished by Columbo: Trivia - JetPunk Just was weird. Some of the more eccentric mannerisms Falk and McGoohan introduced to the Columbo character in that episode are therefore dialled up to 11 here and it hurts. Still here? New art show to celebrate the women of Columbo. Vaughn was born on November 22, 1932 in New York, in New York. November 11, 2016 was a sad day for Columbo fans the world over, with the news that one of the show's suavest and most stylish guest stars, Robert Vaughn, had died at the age of 83. About Robert Vaughn. He had no idea what Columbos personality really was. At this stage I ought to reiterate that its not the premise itself that hampers Last Salute. With this on their minds, Columbo, Kramer and Mac attempt to solve the mystery of the Commodores stencilled letters. Previous series have yielded the odd flop. S4 E4: Automobile executive Hayden Danziger (Robert Vaughn) is a prime suspect in the murder of a cruise ship's featured vocalist. Enjoy! Troubled Waters! Next stop is the boatyard, where (after an endless and shouty conversation with the foreman) Columbo discovers that the Commodore stopped by there the day before to pick up some stencils and black marine paint. They sure pushed their idea as far as 1970s prime time TV could allow, if not further. He was picked for the date, which was a trip to London. The two had had a hoot shooting that episode, and McGoohan was keen to push the Lieutenants boundaries in his farewell outing. With Peter Falk, Robert Vaughn, Jane Greer, Dean Stockwell. Maybe there was a group party before the filming? I did not realize during the years of first seeing the later episodes how the series degraded would have been nice just to evolve into regular acting instead of the exaggerations. In short, hes an oddball and McGoohans indelible fingerprints are all over it. The only comparable example I can think of is how Indiana Jones was portrayed as an unfunny, pedantic fool in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The claim was that during the war they had used patents belonging to Germany. Just watched the episode, and though I fell asleep for part of it, what I did see was hateful. Robert Vaughn was an American actor known for his role in the television series "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." In the 1960s. Early in Matthew's life, Vaughn asked for the child's surname to be Vaughn, which Matthew continues to use professionally. He starred in two seasons of the British detective series The Protectors in the early 1970s. But this was also the actor he was. The writers and producers have earned the right to surprise us. I will maintain that this episode is of a piece with a certain strain of late 1970s US (counter-)culture, which I guess is not universally beloved! Vaughn portrayed Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman,[18] in addition to Woodrow Wilson (in the 1979 television mini-series Backstairs at the White House). The basic premise of his story man is slain, we think we know who did it until they too show up dead, then Columbo reveals all in a thrilling denouement is sound. Ive written a few times about the Last Salute how much, watching reruns, that this episode appeared so strange touchy, noisy, irritating, obnoxious sort of like wondering if this was a satire on the worse of how a Detective Series could be portraying by any production? To put it bluntly, this is a disastrous outing, which isnt just bad by Columbo standards its simply a bad piece of television. Robert Francis Vaughn (1932 - 2016) - Genealogy And that side is the carte blanche Falk gave Patrick McGoohan. So the I thought you were quitting question put to Columbo by Kramer, and the Lieutenants response of not yet not yet had a delicious double meaning, leaving the door ajar for a sixth season. Christmas stocking fillers for the Columbo fan in your life! Could Joanna be the killer instead? Leslie Williams in "Ransom for a Dead Man".Williams is the earliest surviving actor to play a murderer on the series. Columbo cuddling up to Charlie in the front seat of the Peugeot may have been vaguely entertaining, but to then have the detective massage Charlies thigh as he wraps him up in a phone cord aboard the yacht is really overdoing it. When good TV goes bad: the moment Columbo's case went cold Commissioner Mark Halperin in "A Friend in Deed". 10 Things You Might Not Know About Columbo | Mental Floss My own feelings towards this episode are much less enthusiastic than Troubled Waters. Certainly they succeeded in creating a truly unique and unforgettable Columbo episode. 8. When we next see Charlie, though, he aint talking. Could be. They adopted two children, Cassidy (born 1976) and Caitlin (born 1981). I recently saw one with that nutty Columbo sitting down and Knees so close to the other actors intruding space much like Joe Biden. In 1956, Vaughn made his first guest appearance on Gunsmoke in the episode entitled Cooter.[12] The following year, he made his second guest appearance on Gunsmoke opposite Barbara Eden in a Romeo-Juliet role, in the episode "Romeo", which turned out okay for the bride and groom.[13][14]. Dr. Ray Fleming in "Prescription: Murder". A veteran of more than 150 movies, notably Superman 3 and The Magnificent 7, and scores of TV shows including his iconic turn in The Man from UNCLE, and global hits Hustle, The A-Team and Coronation Street, Vaughnwas as prolific as he was popular. But have you watched Murder in Malibu or No Time to Die yet? Your review is SPOT ON. Somehow, I seemed to overlook this when younger and first watching the series. So Patrick McGoohan was brought in to direct after impressing Falk with his approach behind the camera in Identity Crisis. Likewise the Commodores wife-to-be, Lisa King. Tall, slim and exceedingly good-looking American leading man Robert Culp, a former cartoonist in his teen years, appeared off-Broadway in the 1950s before settling into polished, clean-cut film leads and "other man" supports a decade later. Sure, have a glass of beaujolais, who knows! 0. Story writer Jackson Gillis was one of Columbos most important contributors over many years, having been involved in classics such as Suitable for Framing, Double Shock, Troubled Waters and Requiem for a Falling Star. The Commodore is planning to sweep the rug out from under them all by selling his business, so after the furious sailor poops the party and storms home early big Charles promises wife Joanna that hell make a last-ditch bid to talk some sense into the old boy later on that evening. Sure, as a Columbo, its wildly off. In the mid-1990s, he made several cameo appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien as an audience member who berates the host and his guests beginning with "you people make me sick."[20]. . In 1963 Vaughn appeared in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show as Jim Darling, a successful businessman and an old flame of Laura Petrie in the episode "It's A Shame She Married Me". Columbo as a show so rarely disappoints that when standards do dip the disappointment is all the more keenly felt.
