Tonight's TV: Columbo (1972): "Short Fuse," "Blueprint for Murder," "Etude in Black" - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

One of the really enjoyable things for me watching the new COLUMBO Blu-rays from Kino Lorber is the opportunity to look back at the Southern California of my childhood.

A case in point is the 1972 episode "Short Fuse," starring Roddy McDowall as a mad bomber who targets his uncle (James Gregory). (I'm not saying anything that's not revealed at the opening of the show. That said, I recommend anyone wanting to watch the series "cold" return to read this after viewing the episodes discussed.)

A key location for "Short Fuse" is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which opened in 1963. My high school choir performed Christmas carols in the restaurant at the top of the mountain several years after this show was filmed; I revisited the tramway in 2017 and shared some photos, one of which is seen below.

The overall episode, directed by Edward M. Abroms from a script by Jackson Gillis, was probably my least favorite to date, simply because McDowall's character is annoyingly over the top.

Still, the locations and an amazing guest cast made it quite worthwhile. (Harry Wolf filmed this one.) Along with McDowall, the episode featured Ida Lupino, Anne Francis, and William Windom. How can you not love the chance to watch Lupino, especially?

The next episode, "Blueprint for Murder," featured Patrick O'Neal as an architect who kills his wealthy client, Bo Williamson (Forrest Tucker), then plans a unique way to dispose of the body.

Janis Paige has a great turn as Tucker's ex-wife, who still cares about him and pushes for a murder investigation. John Fiedler (Mr. Peterson from THE BOB NEWHART SHOW) has an amusing scene as Tucker's doctor.

Steven Bochco (HILL STREET BLUES) wrote this one, which was directed by star Peter Falk. It was filmed by Lloyd Ahern.

The final episode of this trio, "Etude in Black," was one of my very favorites seen to date. It was an extra-long episode (97 minutes) which kicked off the show's second season. It was again written by Bochco, filmed by Harry Wolf, and directed by actor Nicholas Colasanto (Coach from CHEERS). Colasanto worked in TV directing for 15 years, from 1966 to 1981.

According to IMDb, Peter Falk and guest star John Cassavetes contributed uncredited directing. Cassavetes, a close friend of Falk's, plays famed conductor Alex Benedict, who murders his mistress (Anjanette Comer) in order to save his marriage and career.

It seems that the mother (Myrna Loy) of Alex's wife Janice (Blythe Danner) is very protective of both her daughter and the symphony orchestra she's invested her life building, so his infidelity cannot be revealed or he'll lose everything.

"Etude in Black" had absolutely marvelous guest performances. 29-year-old Danner was so young, as times it was almost like watching her daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow; as it happens, I read that she was expecting Paltrow when this was filmed!

I found Danner moving as the increasingly suspicious wife. There's a great little moment when her husband gives a phone operator the dead woman's phone number, and you can see the wheels turning as she looks at him, wondering: How does he know her number by heart?

Loy wasn't onscreen as much as I would have liked, but she made every moment count as the wealthy, self-assured matron, and she looked marvelous.

Familiar TV faces like Pat Morita (HAPPY DAYS) and George Gaynes (GENERAL HOSPITAL) also turn up, but the best aspect for me was the extensive filming at the Hollywood Bowl.

The Bowl, which opened in 1922, has appeared in other films and TV shows -- ANCHORS AWEIGH (1945) being a notable example -- but it was such fun seeing it during daytime hours when the orchestra is rehearsing. The show made great use of this quintessential L.A. landmark.

One of the interesting things I've noticed about Columbo's methodology is that he is often up front with a suspected murderer from early on, sharing what he knows and seeing if he can shake loose additional behavior or information from his quarry. It was particularly fun watching him verbally fencing with Cassavetes in this regard.

In fact, that brings up another point I've noticed: Columbo and his suspects usually have very interesting chemistry. Falk vs. Cassavetes made me think just a bit of Budd Boetticher Westerns and the way Randolph Scott would spar with Lee Marvin or Richard Boone.  It's great fun watching Columbo gradually reveal his observations to the arrogant conductor.

A final note: "Etude in Black" was the second episode where a murder is committed while someone's playing the piano!

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray prints continue to be excellent. This set has been a wonderful way to make the acquaintance of Lieutenant Columbo, and I recommend it.

Previous COLUMBO posts: "Murder By the Book" (1971), "Death Lends a Hand" (1971), "Dead Weight" (1971), "Suitable for Framing" (1971), "Lady in Waiting" (1971).

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this collection.

Tweet