Tonight's TV: Columbo (1974): "An Exercise in Fatality," "Negative Reaction," "By Dawn's Early Light" - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

I've continued my COLUMBO viewing late this summer with the first three episodes of Season 4, which ran from 1974 through 1975. This season has a total of six episodes, so I'm already at the halfway point.

First, though, I want to mention that when I was at the recent D23 Expo I ran into author David Koenig. I already own his books on Disney topics, but he was also selling two titles he wrote on COLUMBO, SHOOTING COLUMBO: THE LIVES AND DEATHS OF TV'S RUMPLED DETECTIVE and UNSHOT COLUMBO: CRACKING THE CASES THAT NEVER GOT FILMED. I bought them both and he kindly signed them for me. I hope to read the first book on my upcoming vacation.

Back to Season 4, it kicked off in September 1974 with "An Exercise in Fatality" starring Robert Conrad and Gretchen Corbett. I was quite a fan of Conrad "back in the day," including in BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP (aka THE BLACK SHEEP SQUADRON) (1976-78) and CENTENNIAL (1978-79), so it was fun to see him as the murderer.

And of course Gretchen Corbett was a familiar face as Beth Davenport on THE ROCKFORD FILES (1974-78). Amazingly, her first ROCKFORD episode as Beth Davenport aired the very same week as this COLUMBO episode.

In this episode, directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and filmed by William Cronjager, Conrad plays Milo Janus, the owner of a chain of gyms who's making tons of money selling supplies to his franchisees. Franchise owner Gene Stafford (Philip Bruns) is unhappy and investigating Janus for embezzlement, leading to his murder, which Janus frames to look like a workout accident.

Conrad was quite entertaining as the very energetic bad guy; Columbo trying to keep up with his workouts reminded me of Conrad being on BATTLE OF THE NETWORK STARS in the '70s, not to mention his battery commercials.

Corbett was a real looker in this as Milo's secretary/lover, with her scenes including one where she wears a barely there cherry-print bikini. It's quite a different look from her role as Jim Rockford's attorney, but she brings the same sharp intelligence to the part as she did on ROCKFORD FILES.

One of the amusing bits in Peter S. Fischer's script has Corbett's character telling Columbo Janus's age, which was several years older than Conrad's actual age - the idea being that Janus was a remarkable physical specimen!

And speaking of THE ROCKFORD FILES, the scene where Janus and Columbo are running on the beach was filmed at Paradise Cove, where Jim Rockford parked his trailer. The connections between various shows of the era are part of what makes Columbo fun to watch, and I quite enjoyed "An Exercise in Fatality."

On the other hand, I didn't particularly enjoy "Negative Reaction," with Dick Van Dyke as the killer, photographer Paul Galesko. While we usually see the murder committed, Van Dyke's character killing his shrewish wife (Antoinette Bower) at an isolated ranch went on for an extended period with her completely aware of what was happening; it was simply too chilling to watch.

And maybe it didn't help that my earliest entertainment memories include my first film, MARY POPPINS (1964), along with reruns of THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW (1961-66); watching Van Dyke as a killer was a little more troubling than most! He's very effective as an out-and-out creep.

After killing his wife, Galesko frames an ex-con trying to go straight (Don Gordon) for her murder; his tactics include shooting himself in the leg, making it look like he was also in danger of being killed. Of course, it doesn't take long for Columbo to become suspicious.

I found Columbo's work solving the killing more enjoyable to watch than the episode's early scenes. I think my favorite moment in this one was when a kindly nun (Joyce Van Patten) at a Downtown L.A. mission mistakes Columbo for a homeless man in need, given the state of his perennially rumpled coat. There's also a very funny encounter with driving instructor, played by Larry Storch (F TROOP), who is terrified of Columbo's driving.

The episode's interesting locations included Inglewood Park Cemetery, which I visited in 2022.

"Negative Reaction," like "An Exercise in Fatality," was filmed by William Cronjager; the director was Swedish-born actor-director Alf Kjellin. As a young man Kjellin appeared in MGM's MADAME BOVARY (1949), billed as Christoper Kent.

"By Dawn's Early Light" was the first of Patrick McGoohan's four COLUMBO episodes. Here he's the martinet head of a boys' military academy who rigs a cannon to explode, killing the man (Tom Simcox) determined to turn the campus into a co-ed junior college. That's certainly one of the show's more unusual murder motivations.

The show has an authentic setting, filmed at the Citadel in South Carolina, but I classify it as only a mid-range episode. It's not a bad episode along the lines of "The Most Dangerous Match" (1973), but it's not particularly interesting either, particularly as Howard Berk's screenplay goes on far too long, clocking in at 98 minutes on screen.

I liked that it was sort of built into McGoohan's character that he's brisk and brusque, so he's not obviously bickering with Columbo as some villains do; the downside of that is that his character is rather one-note. We get a little insight into his motivations, but not enough to justify him being a killer, and by the end of 98 minutes he's just kinda boring. (And if I had to hear the obnoxious term "Boodle Boy" one more time...!)

My complaints aside, it's worth noting that McGoohan received a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role, the first of two such awards he would win for COLUMBO, so "Your mileage my vary" regarding his character and portrayal.

I enjoyed seeing Madeleine Sherwood as the school secretary, as she was part of another early childhood viewing memory, playing the Mother Superior on THE FLYING NUN (1967-70). Another interesting note is that the late Bruno Kirby (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY) is in the episode, playing a cadet, while his real-life father Bruce Kirby plays Sgt. Kramer.

"By Dawn's Early Light" was directed by Harvey Hart and filmed by Jack Priestly.

As always, the Kino Lorber prints look good, and I'm looking forward to watching more episodes in the near future.

Previous COLUMBO review posts: "Murder By the Book" (1971), "Death Lends a Hand" (1971), "Dead Weight" (1971), "Suitable for Framing" (1971), "Lady in Waiting" (1971), "Short Fuse" (1972), "Blueprint for Murder" (1972), "Etude in Black" (1972), "The Greenhouse Jungle" (1972), "The Most Crucial Game" (1972), "Dagger of the Mind" (1972), "Requiem for a Falling Star" (1973), "A Stitch in Crime" (1973), "The Most Dangerous Match" (1973), "Double Shock" (1973), "Lovely But Lethal" (1973), "Any Old Port in a Storm" (1973), "Candidate for Crime" (1973), "Double Exposure" (1973); "Publish Or Perish" (1974), "Mind Over Mayhem" (1974), "Swan Song" (1974), "A Friend in Deed" (1974).

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray set.

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