After the comparative disappointment of our last outing, Dead Weight, Season 1 of Columbo came roaring back into life on 17 November 1971 with the art-tastic Suitable for Framing.
Let’s don our velvet tuxedos, crank up the electric blankets and prepare to slay our most lovable uncles as we stride out with Dale Kingston and co to give eloquent critique to this most artful of episodes. Is Suitable for Framing a Degas or merely a De Groat? Read on and find out…
Dramatis personae
Lieutenant Columbo: Peter Falk
Dale Kingston: Ross Martin
Edna Matthews: Kim Hunter
Frank Simpson: Don Ameche
Tracy O’Connor: Rosanna Huffman
Landlady: Mary Wickes
Sam Franklin: Vic Tayback
Mitilda: Joan Shawlee
Captain Wyler: Barney Phillips
Nude model: Katherine Darc
Directed by: Hy Averback
Written by: Jackson Gillis
Score by: Billy Goldenberg
Episode synopsis – Columbo Suitable for Framing
A friendly looking elderly man in a stunning mansion plays Chopin’s Tristesse on a grand piano. A solid, younger man in a crushed velvet tuxedo walks in to the room. The two men exchange pleasant nods, but within seconds Mr Tuxedo, AKA art critic extraordinaire Dale Kingston, has pulled out a gun and slain the lovable old boy – his own uncle Rudy – in cold blood. Yes folks, Suitable for Framing is off to an explosive start!
Note to Uncle Rudy: NEVER trust a man in a crushed velvet tuxedo and bow tie the size of Alaska…
Kingston tucks the corpse beneath an electric blanket (that old chestnut…) and tampers with the patio door locks before going on what may be history’s gentlest rampage around the art-filled house; toppling chairs, worrying bookcases, tilting picture frames, kicking maps to pieces, that sort of thing.
As he’s removing some fine works of art from their frames there’s a ring at the doorbell. Has Dale been busted so soon? No, good reader, it’s his accomplice Tracy, who, despite her initial revulsion at the sight of the cadaver, is soon passionately embracing Kingston as he departs to create an alibi at an art show.
She takes guardianship of the real treasures Kingston wanted: two Degas pastels valued in excess of $500,000. Waiting until the security guard’s 11pm drive-by, Tracy packs away the electric blanket, fires the murder weapon out of a window and trots confidently down the back steps of the garden to safety as the security man dithers uncertainly at the patio door.
“Dale is wowing the crowds at the art show, laughing fiendishly at his own jokes.”
Dale, meanwhile, is wowing the crowds at the art show, laughing fiendishly at his own jokes while making darn sure that everyone knows exactly what time he arrived. Of course he’s alerted to his uncle’s death and dashes to the mansion to find the place packed with policeman, and with one Lieutenant Columbo immediately asking shrewd questions and pointing out the inconsistencies in the crime.
I could’ve watched a whole hour of Dale at the art show quite happily…
Why did the killer bother unframing cheaper paintings, ignoring others, before stumbling across the Degas works – the only things he bothered to take? Why did he break in through the patio doors? Pros always use windows. Columbo also knows there were two people in on the act to ensure they could by-pass the alarm system. He even knows that one was a woman after the security guard confirms that he heard high heels clip-clopping down the garden stairs.
Of course he can’t tie it to Kingston. He was at the art show, after all. But he does arrange to tap his phone in case the artworks will be ransomed. And of course he’ll be needing a lot of help on this case…
After checking out Kingston’s art show alibi (including a rib-tickling scene featuring a surly hungover artist and a nude model giving Columbo the eye), the Lieutenant collars Dale at a TV studio. He’s on the phone to twitchy Tracy, and gets her swiftly off the line. Columbo, however, hangs around and engineers access to Kingston’s home so he can ‘borrow some books’ on art. Kingston, meanwhile, alerts Columbo to the fact that his dotty Aunt Edna – who divorced his uncle years before – could be a suspect as she lives in a house at the bottom of the hill under the mansion. The plot thickens…
Driving out to the LA hills, Kingston meets Tracy to pick-up the Degas from her. Assuring her of his love and affection with a vile kiss, he then promptly brains her with a rock and flees the scene: his only link to the crime now safely erased.
“Assuring her of his love and affection with a vile kiss, Dale then promptly brains Tracy with a rock.”
When he returns home, however, with artworks in tow, he finds Columbo slumbering in an armchair. The confused Lieutenant claims he dropped off, and wants to know about Dale’s day – and what he’s carrying in that art folder. As he reaches in to the folder, Kingston sharply cuts him off and is saved by the ringing phone. It’s for Columbo: a girl has been found dead in the hills. Looks like a car accident, but it turns out she’s an art student so the Lieutenant sets out just in case there’s a link to the first killing.
Accomplice Tracy predictably becomes Kingston’s second victim
The case continues to challenge Columbo. He makes the acquaintance of Edna, who seems harmless, but is thrown when he discovers Rudy’s will has been changed. Dale won’t inherit the artworks. They’ll all go to Edna. There’s more: Dale has known for more than 10 days about the change in the will, so he’d have nothing to gain by killing his uncle. ‘Go and find the real killer,’ he hisses at Columbo and seethes out of there.
More twists and turns ensue. The murder weapon (planted by Dale) is found on land near Edna’s house; the paper the stolen paintings were wrapped in is found in her rubbish (yep, Dale again). Things are looking bad for her, Kingston says. Columbo agrees but maintains his belief in her innocence. This stings Kingston into his fatal error.
In cahoots with lawyer Frank Simpson, Kingston arranges for the police to search Edna’s house. It’s the only way to give her peace of mind, and prove to the police she’s innocent, he claims. He and Frank also conspire to get Columbo thrown off the case.
Of course Kingston is stabbing Edna in the back. He plants the pastels in her linen closet. The police arrive and begin a search. Columbo is late on the scene after seemingly being kept out of the loop. Kingston attempts to shoo him away, but the doughty detective hangs in the background and attempts to comfort a worried Edna.
Columbo comforts loopy Edna as Dale’s trap tightens around her
There’s a commotion! The pastels have been uncovered! Edna is in shock, and Dale acts like the wounded party. “Edna… How could you?” he mourns. Columbo steps in. It’s still his case – much to Kingston’s surprise – and he has no intention of charging Edna. He knows Kingston did it, and now he can prove it – through fingerprints.
Nice try, says Kingston. I already told you my fingerprints were all over those because I unpacked them. I’m not looking for your fingerprints, explains Columbo. I’m looking for mine. He recounts the evening when he lay in wait for Dale at his home, and reached into his art folder, actually touching the paintings. If Edna stole the paintings, how could Columbo’s fingerprints be on them?
A trembling Dale seeks a last way out. This is entrapment, he stammers! You touched those paintings just now when I wasn’t looking! Without a word, Columbo removes his hands from his pockets where they’ve been since he arrived. He’s wearing gloves. It’s game, set, match to Columbo as credits roll…
Best moment – the gloved hand reveal
A moment so marvellous it’s hard not to roar with approval, the wordless revelation that seals Kingston’s fate is a work of art in its own right.
It’s such a clever clue, and is arrived at so startlingly that there’s nothing Kingston can say in his defence. Watch closely and you can see his lip quiver in terror. It’s so satisfying for the viewer.
It tops my list of the best Columbo ‘gotcha’ moments. But more than that, I personally rate this as the single greatest TV moment of all time. Quite a claim, I know, but I stand by it.
BEST TV MOMENT EVER!
Suitable for Framing – my opinion
From the startling impact of the quickest Columbo killing of all, to its gripping conclusion, Suitable for Framing is virtually picture perfect.
It satisfies on every level. We have a killer we can really loathe, a scintillating support cast, and a compelling mystery containing one of the best central clues the series ever cooks up. All credit to writer Jackson Gillis. As well as that barnstorming finale, the script allows for a number of memorable clashes between Kingston and Columbo, while also showing the Lieutenant’s everyman appeal and nous. It was Gillis’s first Columbo script. He would write several more, including Short Fuse and Requiem for a Falling Star, but never topped his effort here.
I must say, I LOVE Ross Martin’s performance as Dale Kingston. He gives us a different kind of killer than we’ve seen up till now: an unpleasant, unlikable, smarmy ASS! He’s also more condescending than previous killers, talking down to Columbo time after time. And, of course, what a low-life to try to frame his delightful Aunt Edna for his crime. It all helps to make him a killer we can love to loathe, and it makes his downfall all the more enjoyable.
I’d pay any amount of money for the transcript of this lecture delivered by Dale Kingston…
It’s hard to pinpoint when Martin is at his zenith, such is the strength of his performance. However, the art show cut scenes, which show him at his egocentric best, are a joy to behold. Here he is, resplendent in velvet tuxedo, making highbrow jokes about art that are utterly unfunny, but he has the temerity to lead the laughter as he and his hangers-on quaff the champers. Could it be that Gillis was playfully poking fun at the shallowness and obsequiousness of the art world? I rather think so, and it’s a hoot to watch.
Kingston must have been great fun to play. Not only committing actual crimes, but also crimes against fashion (have you seen how big his tie knots are? Bigger than Spain!) and crimes against humanity (terrible art show gags). I’ve said before and will undoubtedly say again that Jack Cassidy is my perennial favourite Columbo killer, but of the one-off guest star murderers, Ross Martin really made an impact.
The same can be said for his co-stars. In the role of Edna, Kim Hunter brings the kooky eccentricity and vulnerability demanded by the storyline. Don Ameche plays one of the great cameos. Despite just a few scenes, I rate his turn as lawyer Frank Simpson as one of the best of all guest star appearances.
He gives Simpson a depth of character that makes a mockery of his limited screen time. Who is this man? What motivates him? Is he a good guy at heart, or corrupt as sin? Compared to Tim O’Connor’s openly bent lawyer in Double Shock, it’s a very interesting portrayal. Simpson is anything but black and white.
Oscar winners Kim Hunter and Don Ameche help make the Suitable for Framing line-up one of the series very strongest
Continuing the theme set out in the early Columbo episodes, the Lieutenant is sharp as a tack and quick to reveal his sagacity to his quarry. He seems to jump to conclusions extremely quickly, although he’s always able to justify it. He’s on to Kingston in a flash. His alibi is too perfect, and when Columbo explains this we can see why a hardened homicide cop would be suspicious.
Detractors of the show do bleat on about Columbo cottoning onto the suspects unreasonably soon, and worrying them into confessions. That mindset does the show, and its writing, a great disservice. Pay any decent level of attention and it’s clear that Columbo’s an assiduous professional, who follows his hunches and finds the evidence to back them up. We don’t always see this activity on screen, but we are told it. Case closed, haters!
“As well as the double delight of the finely crafted mystery and the top tier performances, Suitable for Framing is notable for a rich vein of humour.”
In a rarity for the series, Columbo’s superior officer – Captain Wyler – appears sporadically, and he gives the Lieutenant his full backing. It’s a nice indication that the powers that be have full faith in his capabilities, as well they might.
As well as the double delight of the finely crafted mystery and the top tier performances, Suitable for Framing is notable for a rich vein of humour. There are several scenes to treasure, notably Columbo interviewing prickly hungover artist Sam Franklin (Vic Tayback displaying possibly the hairiest back and shoulders ever immortalised on screen); Kingston berating his TV producer for leaving him mugging at the camera at the TV studio; and, best of all, Columbo’s hilarious meeting with Tracy’s busybody landlady, played with aplomb by Mary Wickes.
As she gossips away and flips through photo albums, denying the Lieutenant the quick getaway he’s desperate for, Columbo is finally given a taste of his own medicine. Wonderful stuff…
If you can’t enjoy this scene between Falk and Wickes you’re not truly alive…
Billy Goldenberg wrote the score, and it’s very nearly as memorable as his previous outings. It’s perhaps less grandiose than Ransom for a Dead Man, and less inventive than the typewriter-sampling in Murder by the Book, but its jaunty closing number ranks among the iconic Columbo themes.
Kicking off the episode, meanwhile, a chilling, shrieking strings crescendo underscores the shock of the crime, the camera work jumping from painted face to painted face, accentuating the horrific deed. A spiralling, manic piano solo then takes over as Kingston trashes the house. It’s a truly arresting couple of minutes’ TV. If you can’t remember clearly, view the clip below. It’ll be time well spent.
So, electric from the off, with the best gotcha of them all to wrap it up, and oodles to cherish in between, Suitable for Framing is pretty special stuff. It easily stands shoulder to shoulder with the strongest Columbo episodes of them all. Is it the Mona Lisa of Season 1? I believe it is.
Did you know?
As well as sporting the single most 70s hair-do ever seen in this episode, Rosanna Huffman (Tracy O’Connor – below right) was married to none other than Columbo creator Richard Levinson.
Meanwhile, after a mystery stretching back nearly 50 years, I can now confirm the identity of the uncredited nude model who so abashed the Lieutenant. Read more about that here.
How I rate ‘em
It was always going to take a titanic effort to oust Murder by the Book from top spot, but Suitable achieves it, largely due to that magnificent ending. Check out my other reviews via the links below.
- Suitable for Framing
- Murder by the Book
- Death Lends a Hand
- Prescription: Murder
- Ransom for a Dead Man
- Dead Weight
Many a fan rates Suitable as their very favourite. If you’re one of them, do vote for it in the Columbo favourite episode poll here. More than 1000 people have cast a vote so far, so get amongst it!
As always, I really appreciate you taking the time read this, share it and pass comment. And I’ll be back again soon with the next episode in Season 1: Lady in Waiting.
Read my views on the 5 best moments form Suitable for Framing here.
Contribute to this site’s upkeep from just $3
See you next time? I’ll drink to that *uproarious laughter to fade…*
Ross Martin was Peter Falk’s acting teacher for a time. He’s truly excellent in this episode and you can gradually see him go from cocky to panicky as Columbo closes in. His performance is way up on my list of the best male guest stars on the show.
Who played Sally the policewoman in heels?
That’s Mrs. Kravitz from Bewitched at the art opening.
When Columbo re-enacted the robbery at the house he had a policewoman run down stone steps so that the security guard could state that that was what he heard. The actress had a speaking part but was not credited. Does anyone know who she was?
I literally clapped and laughed outrageously at the “gotcha” at the end of this one. It’s on par with Shawshank Redemption’s denouement for my favorite satisfying filmic moments of justice, ever. I re-watched the ending four times in a row, afterwards, just to relive that tasty slaying of the smugness from Kingston’s face.
I like this episode but I don’t think it is one of the very best. If anything Ross Martin is too annoying and predictable. He is hostile to Columbo almost from the start and there is little of the cat-and-mouse game of some other episodes. Martin doesn’t have Jack Cassidy’s charm or Robert Culp’s cleverness. I like when Columbo pesters the killer but it doesn’t take much to unnerve Martin. His insistence on having Aunt Edna’s house searched is a little too obvious. The gotcha is very good at the end though. I never noticed that Columbo’s hands were in his pockets the first time I watched the show.
One thing I like about Columbo in general is how some episodes give us an interesting look into various industries and hobbies such as the wine industry, bullfighting, cruise ships, making movies, the chess world, cooking, movie background music, and in this case art and art critics.
He was a pompous jerk, hence the attitude towards Columbo from the giddy up. He’s not trying to be Cassidy or Culp. This was a reason why I loved seeing him completely unhinged at the end. Ross Martin did a fabulous job here.
Great episode indeed. I just have an issue with the whole “let’s do a search in the aunt’s house” thing. It’s blatant, forced and convoluted. While watching it for the first time, I felt that it ruined a good movie… until the stunning gotcha fixed everything
I wouldn’t have known they were Degas’ except for having it drilled in my head from the episode of “Person of Interest”, “If-Then-Else” where one is shredded by gunfire repeatedly in a battle beneath the stock exchange… I wonder if they’ were the same.
Honestly, I would debate this gotcha being the best one in Columbo filmography, let alone best scenes in television. Columbo holding his hands in his pockets for the entirety of the scene, while making enough sense for the viewer, is far too conspicuous for far too long to make the gotcha unexpected for me. It is simply a mannerism I don’t expect of the character.
Furthermore, there being several witnesses, Kingston can simply rely on inconsistencies in their testimonies as to whether or not Columbo had his hands in his pockets the ENTIRE time he was present to undermine his case.
Compare and contrast: my favourite gotcha moment of Columbo (and potentially best scene of TV in my eyes), the one of Negative Reaction. There, there were numerous witnesses to testify exactly what Galesko did to certify his guilt, the gears in my head turned in synchronicity with Columbo repeatedly asking “Were you a witness to what he just did?”, and while the events leading up to said moment were certainly of questionable morality (and reliant on quite a bit of “reverse psychology”, to euphemistically put “gambling”), they were, in my eyes at least, most certainly in character for Columbo.
Repeated viewings skew scenes like this. I seriously doubt that any but the rarest first-time viewer asked, “Why is Columbo holding his hands in his pockets for this entire scene?” So much else was going on.
And it doesn’t matter, for Kingston’s purposes, whether Columbo’s hands were always in his pockets. He was always wearing gloves, wherever his hands were. Furthermore, there were five other cops in the room who could testify that, between the time the paintings were recovered and the fingerprint test conducted, Columbo never touched the paintings.
Was just skimming through the scene in “Death Lends a Hand” at Kennicut’s estate when Columbo and Kennicut enter the room to meet with Brimmer.
Columbo has his hands in his overcoat pockets.
Maybe……hiding a potato in there?
Glenn, actually the lieutenant had hard boiled eggs in his pockets at all times along with crackers for his chili. Sometimes he even had fried chicken, especially when he worked with Sgt. Wilson. Gotta be ready for those long nights!
Just watched this episode again, barely remembered it, and something else about the gotcha is occurring to me. Wouldn’t the paintings also have Tracy’s fingerprints on them, and thus also be proof that Kingston murdered her as well?
I think she only handled them while they were wrapped in paper?
Yes, Tracy delivered the Degas pastels to Kingston wrapped in brown paper. He inexplicably (except for plot convenience) unwraps them on the hood of his car before putting them in the portfolio carrier. Tracy does handle them unwrapped, but she wears leather gloves while she does.
By the way, so Columbo claims he unconsciously fell asleep in Kingston’s living room, and was shocked to learn it was now nighttime? Except he must have told headquarters that Kingston’s place is where he could be found at that late hour. After all, that’s where police called him about Tracy’s car going over the cliff.
not the loosest end in the history of the show but Columbo is usually meticulous about the phone records, so it should have been easy for him to get Tracy’s phone records after she turned up dead in the accident. Which would have then shown she was the woman who called Dale on-set of his show when Columbo showed up unannounced. Could’ve made the connection between them that was eluding him
We can assume that Tracy’s calls to Dale were local ones and not subject to tracking, as explained here:
https://columbophile.com/2021/02/21/just-one-more-ring-examining-the-use-of-phone-records-in-columbo/
And Benoit, what exactly is that accent you’re using?
Yeah i remember back then local calls could not be traced unless pre-arranged with the police / telephone company. Reminds me of Nelson “His own man” Heyward when he called the Police while disguising his voice with a handkerchief…….hilarious.
Maybe someone mentioned it above, but WHO PLAYED SALLY, THE LADY COP that ran down the stairs, revealing that the cop had heard high heels? She’s not even credited?
Did anyone reply? What actress played the police officer?
The only thing I didn’t understand was the blanket? Why put the corpse under it only to have the accomplice take it away.
Blanket was used to keep the corpse warm so it appeared fresh when the security guard discovered it. She put it away so no one would realise it was used.
And I always like to note that despite the best Gotcha of all time, nowhere in the episode does Columbo do anything to disprove Kingston’s alibi, as “established” by the corpse’s body temp and Dale’s dick-ish appearance at Sam Franklin’s coming-out party. Suspicious, yes indeed, but we never see Columbo disprove it.
Very true, another reason this episode is so well liked. Kingston was the quintessential Columbo killer, wealthy (though not when the will is read), egotistical, intelligent, and somewhat demeaning. Just another fantastic 70’s episode.
I’ve never been a big fan of freeze-frame endings, but here is is very fitting. The gloves reveal was so perfect that you couldn’t have added anything to it to make the episode better.
The electric blanket will keep the body warm longer, so time of death will align with the footsteps and the gunshot the security guard heard.
Only just found this site after years of searching for Columbo episodes. You have saved me from extreme boredom. They just don’t make ’em like this anymore!
When Columbo was televised, I was a teenager. I would wait up until 10 o’ clock on Sunday night, all excited, but Columbo’s character was so comforting somehow that I’d fall asleep before the end. I’d awaken just as the music started after the great reveal.
I fell asleep while watching again, several times but this time I could click on replay. Best Christmas present ever!
One of my three most beloved tv characters is at my fingertips!
And for the first time, I saw this marvellous ending.
It was only recently that I realised the difference between Columbo and my favourite Agatha Christie mysteries is that we didn’t have to figure out who dunnit but rather how the detective would prove whodunnit.
Usually, it is quite clear to me how the suspect becomes the suspect in a seasoned and smart detective’s eyes, just as it was clear here.
They always slip up somewhere. The door being tampered with was a big slip up. The appearance at the hack’s showing was another. The time being so deliberately established and the neatly arranged search of the car were all too convenient.
Even my untrained nose would have picked up that scent. I probably would not have been able to set up the proof so nicely though. That takes imagination.
Just watched this superb episode again and there is one big question that lingers in this and several other episodes in the series. Actually this is more of a scientific puzzle……..How is the ice in the buckets at the liquor bars never melted whenever they enter the house or office?
Excellent episode, and without question one of the best. At least for the gotcha moment. There’s however one thing I don’t quite get, and it might be a dumb question, so bear with me:
Dale Kingston murders his uncle and frames Edna so that the paintings will go to him instead of her – because she can’t inherit them if she is incriminated. So far so good, it makes perfect sense.
But to make Edna a plausible suspect, she would have to have a plausible motive, and what would that be? She was going to inherit the paintings anyway. Unless she didn’t know that, but it seems she does.
Hey, Columbophile, or anyone else who might have an idea about this: I didn’t understand, why did the uncle suddenly decide to change his will around 10 days before being murdered? According to the lawyer he had intended to leave the paintings to dale, instead of all of a sudden left them to edna, I find it strange.
Far be it for me to psychoanalyze a fictional dead man, but I think it was his changing of the will that prompted Dale to kill his uncle. Why did he change his will? Perhaps he began to realize over time that Edna, being the sweetheart that she was, deserved the art. After all, Dale was seemingly successful in his own way as he was known and in demand in high society, had his own place, his own TV show, and his own academic career and Dale would probably end up with Edna’s art eventually anyway. (Not really though, Fun Fact: Kim Hunter was 2 years younger than Ross Martin and out-lived him by almost 2 decades.)
On the other hand, maybe Dale said or did something at some point that made the uncle think “Hey, my nephew is a spoiled, pretentious dick! I don’t want to give my collection to him!” His choice to change the will might seem sudden to everyone else, but for all we know he had been thinking it for a long time before telling anyone or changing his will.
In either case, Dale learned of the will change and this motivated him to concoct the plan and execute the murder. Certainly Dale’s calm reaction to the reading of the will suggests he knew ahead of time what the will said.
A third, perhaps more remote possibility is that the whole thing was Dale’s idea, to convince his uncle to change his will, thereby creating an alibi for himself and a means to frame Edna and collect the art.
I may well be forgetting a line of dialogue here or there that clarifies the whole matter, but I don’t think it’s ever fully explained.
Thanks for the quick and detailed answer, and I’m very surprised about that fact you mentioned about the actors’ age, an aunt is supposed to be around 25 years older than her nephew, and instead the actor who acted as the nephew was 2 years older, that’s crazy!
Edna really provides the explanation of this to Columbo. She and Rudy had started rekindling their romance after being divorced for many years, and had started considering what to do with Rudy’s art collection, which Edna helped him start and grow during their marriage. They agreed that the artworks should be returned to the people (schools, universities etc), and that’s why Rudy changed his will. Not being a ‘man of the people’, Dale was sufficiently disgusted by this act of humanity to slay uncle and frame aunty.
Ah, yes, I remember that dialogue, I just didn’t make the link that this change of will was exactly what motivated Dale to execute his plan, which explains why it was only 10 days before the murder then.
But don’t we only have Edna’s word that that was the plan. I don’t remember that being corroborated anywhere. What if she really poisoned the uncle against Dale, fed him a load of smoke about being philanthropic, but really intending to flog the lot? Maybe she knew Dale would do something rash?
I have been lurking on this blog/website since time immemorial 😉 I even think it was at around the time when your “Prescription: Murder” review had only recently been released! But I am not too sure about that – in any case, it was since the very beginning of season 1 at least …
I am usually not too prone to comment on blogs or websites, but I finally brought myself to voice my appreciation for your tireless efforts to create an environment for Columbo fans of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds – as belated as that praise may be. And this particular microcosm of columbophilia is so especially insightful and funny!
I have been browsing your blog so often, it even seems like I know many of the commenters on here, sometimes almost personally LOL … and I greatly appreciate the insightful contributions, like those of Richard Weil and quite a few others!
For a long time my exposure to the Lieutenant had been limited by German TV standards – not the greatest standard by any means – until I bought the 1st season DVDs sometime in the mid/late 2000s … and later a few more. Originally, I knew this show for one simple reason: My dad could not phone my grandma during a particular time at Sunday evenings – because she was watching “her Columbo” … for some reason, that stuck with me, many years before I ever saw one 🙂
Since my early twenties, I have been a huge fan who watches it as often as his Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Northern Exposure, Twin Peaks, X-Files (only 90s), Deep Space Nine, Seinfeld, Better Call Saul or whatever …
By the way: This is the greatest episode of all! At least in my humble estimation 🙂 Dale Kingston is a piece of work … and gets caught by an amazing gotcha!
Thank you Velvet Tuxedo! Dale would be proud of your name and I am am delighted to read your kind words -especially coming from such a long-time visitor. I share your appreciation of the community on this site and of the many knowledgeable, sensible and insightful commentators. In the seven years since the blog went live there’s been almost no aggro on the site, and when there is it’s shut down good and quickly. The average Columbo fan is cut from a decent cloth!
Thank you for your reply!
I want to add that I share many of your favourite episodes: My number 2 would be “Publish or Perish”. Many seem to not love that one as much as we do, but the first part alone – the establishment of the alibi – is one of the greatest TV sequences of all time.
After that, it becomes a bit harder for me to choose, although I am not that interested in ranking episodes. But “Any Old Port in a Storm“, “Double Shock”, “Murder by the Book“, “Death Lends a Hand” and “Double Exposure” plus “Negative Reaction” and “A Friend in Deed” would probably be my next favourite entries, in no particular order.
Can’t beat Cassidy and Culp … and, believe it or not, I have a soft spot for “Greenhouse Jungle” – because I love Columbo in it! I can even buy Uncle Jarvis as the most arrogant jerk in the history of the world – even if I don’t buy his toupe. But it is fitting somehow, for a guy like him – and the soundtrack is absolutely amazing. I could go on and on about the episodes, but I will leave it at that!
There is so much more to like and even love in this show, it is hard and not really necessary to choose … except, of course, that “Last Salute to the Commodore” is one of the most bizarre episodes in the history of television! I can’t not mention it.
hi fellow fans and host, stumbling my way through a way to comment. the key exchange in this episode still cracks me up and the lady removing his makeup seems to have the hands of a pro at that job, do you know if she was really a makeup artist or actress? best Columbo fan site going, love the commenters and thank you all
>>the lady removing his makeup<<
I gave that some thought, myself. I am sure that the actress playing the make-up artist had been instructed to merely apply some transparent substance or simply go through the motions of removing the make-up. After all, we, the viewers, ought not to be shown how Ross Martin really looks without make-up (he was 51 years old at the time of the filming of this episode, but Columbo describes him to the landlady as a "distinguished man" of 40 years of age.
“I’ll use high speed turpentine”
Thanks for the acknowledgment, V.T.
You‘re welcome! You always have something worthwhile to say.
I love your legal and literary insights!
The “spiraling, manic piano solo” is drawn from the actual Chopin etude. It’s played under tempo to give it a more relentless character (and make it easier!) and the penultimate cadence of the passage is repeated over and over for effect and to fill time. Then it’s back to the usual bass stomping and circle-of-fifths arpeggios that are so characteristic of suspense scoring in this period.
Thanks for the intel!
How did Columbo know that the paintings he touched in Kingston apartment were the exact 2 painting that were framed. He didnt see them only touched them ????????
A hunch.
Rating update:
My previous rating for this episode included a
2.0 penalty for the Gotcha, as the presence of
Columbo and Kingston’s prints on the paintings
alone does not prove they were the ones from,
Kingston’s pad.
HOWEVER I see that Kingston’s prints are also on
the dress boxes used to transport the stolen paintings.
Which he would have no explanation for, since Edna
and her lawyer were the only ones who touched them
As the boxes too would probably be seized by the police,
all the fingerprint evidence should be enough to convict
Kingston.
New Episode Rating: 10.5 out of 10 (penalty removed)
Dale is not visible during 12 seconds from the boxes rearrangement scene up to his return cleaning his tie. What did he do during 12 seconds ? I think Dale have enough time to clean up his prints from the boxes !
Now that Katherine Darc has been identified, can I ask about the uncredited actress who plays Hildy, the makeup assistant who uses “high-speed turpentine” to clean Kingston’s face? I was just watching the episode again and was reminded that she looks awfully familiar to me. Could it be Odessa Cleveland, who had a recurring minor role as Nurse Ginger Bayliss on M*A*S*H?
It IS Odessa Cleveland – well spotted! I just watched the episode and thought “Hey, it’s Ginger!”
Incidentally, did anyone catch the painting that Dale
Kingston puts down for its lack of artistry?
The stylized blue horse shown is a frequent theme of
German artist Franz Marc. In 2022, one of his paintings
sold at auction for $58 M US.
So much for Kingston’s abilities as an arts appraiser!
Thank you for this. I thought that painting was probably something famous – a sort of inside joke for the show. Coincidentally, after watching this episode I was looking at Expressionism and the Blue Rider came up making me wonder about that painting and then, voila!, here is your comment.
Some rise by sin,
Others by virtues fall.
Somehow this Shakespeare quote seems to sum up how
this usually highly praised episode disappoints me. Like
‘Etude in Black’, it’s a very stylish and enjoyable outing
in the arts. And like the other, it falls down on the final
gotcha.
My impartial marking as usual weighing equally the
entertainment, and value as a mystery.
Entertainment: 5/5
Top notch. Ross Martin and Kim Hunter raise the bar on the
overall acting. But their roles are a little too 2-D, like the
Big Bad Wolf versus the Dotty Aunt, rather than fully fleshed
out characters. So no bonus marks on this section.
Clues Leading Columbo To the Killer: 2.5/2.5
The writer(s) did a good job here at least, and I think there’s
enough to lead the lieutenant to Kingston, even though
perhaps not enough proof to lay any charges. All the more
reason why Columbo tries to catch him on the final gotcha.
Gotcha: 0.5/2.5 + (bonus of 0.5) = 1.0/2.5
The bonus mark is for the truly ingenious twist, a set of
fingerprints that shouldn’t be there. Incriminating someone
whose prints they’re not.
But besides surprise, ingenuity, and viewers being able to
deduce it, the gotcha above all needs to be a smoking gun.
In other words, incontrovertible proof of guilt. Here it isn’t,
merely more evidence and another clue.
Why? IN NO WAY can Columbo prove these were the
drawings that he put his hands on at Kingston’s house,
but wasn’t allowed to see. There may be hundreds of drawings
over the years with both their prints on them. Kingston could
always chose any drawing at his house as the one Columbo
touched and say he just cleaned it.
Columbo, anticipating that Kingston will try to frame his
aunt, and likely having searched his house for them, probably
knew these were the stolen drawings. But he had no search
warrant to seize them. Then he should have had Kingston
arrested with them on him outside his aunt’s home.
Allowing Kingston to plant them allowed for a great ending,
but made them nearly useless in proving him a murderer.
Incidentally, Columbo’s prints would probably be enough to
get Aunt Edna off. Who wasn’t a good goat for Kingston anyway,
other than living nearby. Why would she murder for two drawings,
if Kingston knew she would inherit the whole collection, which
she’d only donate to public museums anyway?
Final Rating: 8.5/10
Some rise by sin,
Some by virtues fall.
Sorry Bill, my mistake.
Hundreds of drawings? Really? Columbo obviously appreciates art, but would he have spent years going around Los Angeles touching drawings and paintings?
And Dale’s hastily contrived story was that he had been asked to evaluate some water colours. Why would these now be on his wall? And what happens when nobody comes forward to corroborate Dales’ story? He probably was asked to evaluate artworks quite often, but not on that particular day.
You make a good point that Columbo could have had Dale arrested outside the house, with the paintings on him, but by proving (“with fingerprints”) that they were planted, it gets the aunt right off the hook. Columbo doesn’t only want to nail Dale, he also wants to clear Edna.
As to why Edna might have actually murdered Rudy, there was no mention in the will as to why he left the paintings to her. We only have her word (although I believe her) that she intended to donate them to museums, etc.
A jury can’t nail Kingston on
Columbo’s testimony that he
himself has never touched any other drawings.
Case in point, he’s already shown Kingston a painting
by a deceased art student that he got from her landlady.
Moreover, he cannot even identify the drawings that he
touched at Kingston’s but didn’t see. Columbo had free
access to Kingston’s home, who could say these were
the drawings Columbo touched, but he cleaned them.
In fact, the only one that the drawings now at Aunt Edna’s
might implicate, besides her, is…. Columbo. He definitely
has to explain how his prints got there. A jury at Edna’s
trial would probably decide the drawings had been in police
custody at some point, and let her off. Hence my belief that
she is now in the clear.
Columbo definitely had to catch Kingston with the goods on
him. Had he done so, Kingston couldn’t even use the excuse
that the thieves had contacted him to buy them back. Which
was the point of Columbo tapping Kingston’s phone(s) from
the start.
I think I must be misunderstanding your point about cleaning the paintings.
As Kingston says, his fingerprints would legitimately be all over the two pastels as he helped his uncle to unpack them.
And of course, they would be on paintings he owned on display in his home.
So, it would be odd if only Columbo’s prints were on any of the paintings. Or is that where I am going wrong?
Tracy’s prints would not be found, as she wore gloves. And Edna never touched the paintings.
Of course, if Dale could have somehow contrived a way for Edna to touch them the way that Columbo did . . .
“but by proving (“with fingerprints”)
that they were planted, it gets the
aunt right off the hook. Columbo doesn’t only want
to nail Dale, he also wants to clear Edna.”
My point is, the plant can’t be proven, so Edna
is under suspicion for the theft and murder. In
the end, Columbo’s prints on the drawings
will probably get her off, but not as proof that
they were planted.
If Columbo catches Kingston with the goods,
then Edna is never implicated. But he has to
seize them legally, which he couldn’t do in
Kingston’s home.
But what drawings did Columbo put his hands
on in Kingston’s home? Likely the stolen drawings,
which he wasn’t allowed to see. So Kingston could
always pull out some X-rated drawings, and say
these were them. But he was too embarrassed to
let Columbo see them, so he just lied that they were
for clients. Then cleaned them of prints, as he
was going to sell them.
Or, knowing that Columbo was looking for
the stolen drawings in his house, find ones
amongst those leaning against a wall with
his prints on them. This is riskier, as Columbo
might remember he’d seen them.
As these ‘alibi drawings’ don’t become evidence
until the trial, Kingston has enough time to
cook up a reasonable story.
OK, so Dale’s defense could be that Columbo touched some other paintings in the bag, and his fingerprints are not on them now, as Dale cleaned the paintings afterwards? So how did Columbo’s fingerprints get on the stolen paintings?
As Columbo explains, if Aunt Edna is guilty, how come his fingerprints are on paintings that she stole? And if Columbo’s fingerprints are on other paintings in Dale’s home, so what? Those paintings were not stolen, they are not now in Edna’s home, and it proves that Columbo was in Dale’s home, where he would have touched the stolen paintings.
Of course if Dale was really smart, he could claim that Columbo had somehow touched the paintings during his earlier visit to Edna’s home, just after the gun was found.
Happy golden anniversary, “Suitable for Framing”! Therefore I just watched my favourite again. Interesting, what David Koenig writes about it in “Shooting Columbo”: If Everett Chambers had produced this one, we probably would have seen Patrick O’Neal as the arrogant killer.
There is one and only one thing Dale Kingston did not do well in his ingenious plan. He shouldn’t have immediately shouted “Columbo!”, when he saw him sleeping. First he should have hidden the incriminating proof of his guilt which he carried in his hand, just to feel a bit better while talking to Columbo afterwards.
“There is one and only one thing Dale Kingston did not do well in his ingenious plan. He shouldn’t have immediately shouted “Columbo!”, when he saw him sleeping. First he should have hidden the incriminating proof of his guilt which he carried in his hand, just to feel a bit better while talking to Columbo afterwards.”
Good point. I guess it just goes to show how much Columbo had irritated Dale into making a mistake. Of course, we do not know for certain if Columbo had really fallen asleep, but it does look like he stayed in Dale’s house on purpose, to get some sort of reaction that would catch Dale off guard. (Too bad he didn’t have him tailed, or Tracy might still be alive).
Just watched again and was reminded why it’s in my top ten. Great episode, writing, plot, and acting. The ending is superb and as CP writes, the scene with the landlady is just great, so funny and you could tell Falk enjoyed doing it. Ross Martin was a great pairing with Falk and really delivered. Classic Columbo!
I saw this for the umpteenth time last night on 5USA, and it has only taken me 50 years to realise that Columbo is immediately suspicious that the guard heard women’s shoes on the stone stairs.
If a woman actually were to commit a break-in, robbery and murder as Dale would have everyone believe, she would surely have worn trainers or something similar to make a quick getaway? Even Edna?
I’m always worried that Policewoman Sally will take a stumble down those steps in the dark . . .
True. I always thought it’s another example of Dale’s ham fisted attempts to implicate Edna.
But then why trash the room?
Apart from his own “gotcha” moment (I knew about the will change 10 days ago), Dale was a pretty clueless killer.
Enjoyed this one. Especially the ending.
I think I’d confess feds just to get Columbo to leave me alone. 🙂
I always felt Averback shot all the faces in the paintings during the murder bc he was in a way showing us the witnesses to the murder.