Notable for being the first (and only) episode directed by Peter Falk himself, Blueprint for Murder hit the air on 9 February, 1972, as the curtain fell on Columbo‘s legendary first season.
Being pitted against egotistical architect Elliot Markham, and investigating a crime for which no body has been found, Columbo has his work cut out for him more than usual. But how did Falk cope with the rigours of being in front of and behind the camera? Or to put it another way, is Blueprint for Murder TV immortality or should it be condemned to quiet burial in the foundation of a skyscraper? Read on to find out what I reckon!
Dramatis personae
Lieutenant Columbo: Peter Falk
Elliot Markham: Patrick O’Neal
Bo Williamson: Forrest Tucker
Goldie: Janis Paige
Jennifer Williamson: Pamela Austin
Directed by: Peter Falk
Written by: Steven Bochco
Score by: Gil Melle
Episode synopsis – Columbo Blueprint for Murder
Volatile Texan Bo Williamson is in a trademark hot temper. He’s taken exception to ace architect Elliot Markham’s attempts to wheedle him out of millions of dollars to fund a super-sized vanity project dubbed ‘Williamson City’.
Returning from an 8-week trip to Europe to find that his young trophy wife, Jennifer, has green-lighted Markham’s project without his permission, Williamson goes APE – Texan style. First he smashes a scale model of Williamson City in front of the gaping eyes of Markham’s busybody secretary. He then hoons over to the construction site (where Markham is directing some bungling oafs) to confront his nemesis.
A blazing altercation ensues. Williamson tells Markham (in his inimitable Texan way) to go whistle for his cash, and not to speak to his easily-influenced wife ever again. Markham zaps him back, calling him a Philistine and hinting MASSIVELY that he’d like to see him dead.
Williamson laughs it off. Jennifer won’t inherit his fortune even if he were dead. She’d earn a fair income from a trust fund, but not enough to fund a city. Williamson then delivers a condescending slap to Markham’s cheek as he bustles away to his horse training track, confident that he’s left the architect in no doubt who’s boss.
But Markham doesn’t take the hint. And when Williamson finishes whooping away at the racetrack, who does he find waiting for him in the back seat of his car but Markham himself. To the jaunty soundtrack of Williamson’s beloved country and western music, Markham whips out a revolver and frogmarches the Texan to a presumed grisly demise in the nearby equipment shed. He then drives off in Williamson’s car, switching to a classical music station more amenable to his high cultural leanings, to put the next phase of his plan into action.
Back at the construction site the next day, Markham and young Jennifer Williamson (in a stupid polka dot hat) are merrily swigging Champagne at the dedication of his current project when they are interrupted by one Lieutenant Columbo. The LAPD have been informed by Bo Williamson’s wife that he’s dead, and Columbo has been despatched to investigate.
Jennifer isn’t in the least concerned. Of course Bo’s not dead, she says. He’s likely just jetted off to Europe again. He does shiz like this all the time. And she hasn’t rung the police. It must be Goldie – Bo’s first wife, who he remains on chummy terms with (i.e. “friends with benefits”).
Columbo pootles off to see Goldie – and meets as flamboyant a character as he’s ever come across. She’s being attended on by a Japanese masseuse, clad only in a towel, as he grills her. Goldie’s adamant Bo’s dead. Why? Because Bo tells her everything, and always lets her know when he’s leaving the country. He also has an appointment with his heart specialist coming up, and he’s very wary of his health. Ergo, his disappearance must be foul play.
While Columbo is open-minded and takes Goldie seriously, when Bo’s car (planted by Markham) shows up at the airport it’s starting to look like she might have got it wrong. But something’s bothering the Lieutenant. All of Bo’s cassette tapes (Google them, bewildered, younger readers) are country and western. Yet the radio’s tuned into classical music. As his puzzled colleagues look on, only the wily Lieutenant realises that the game is afoot!
The clues then start coming thick and fast: Columbo learns that Bo has a pacemaker for his dicky ticker and that his upcoming appointment was a crucial one that he’d never miss. He finds out that Bo and Markham met on the day the former was reported missing. Markham tells the Lieutenant that they were discussing Williamson City, which, he alleges, Bo was cock-a-hoop about.
When Columbo visits Markham’s office, though, he discovers the smashed up model of the city. Hardly the act of a man in love with the project, eh? He also comes across Markham’s clearly visible stash of classical LPs that he relaxes to while at work. The detective is very quickly building a solid foundation for his suspicions (puns 1,000,000% intended).
Next up, Columbo goes to earwig into one of Markham’s university lectures on Egyptian burials. The idea of a body being buried within the foundation of a building is conveniently raised, poker stylee. But who is bluffing, and who’s got all cards in their hand? At this stage, it’s not clear who’s leading who on.
Things take a radical twist when Markham and Jennifer, flirtatiously playing tennis, find one of Bo’s blood-stained cowboy hats in undergrowth. The blood type matches Bo’s. Even the unflappable architect is taken aback, although he tries to hide it. “A battered, bloodstained hat by itself means next to nothing,” he tells Columbo. Errrm, since when, matey…?
Realising he has to now disprove that Bo is dead (no body means Jennifer can still fund Williamson City, see?), Markham indulges in some gentle private investigating, you know, the sort of help that immediately indicates to Columbo that the helper is also the killer. He suspects Goldie has planted the hat, so turns the tables on her.
During his snooping, Markham discovers Goldie stands to inherit 25% of Bo’s money. She has an excellent motive for killing him. Columbo doesn’t fall for that, but he is aware that Goldie has a cut on her leg and that her blood type matches Bo’s. She admits to planting the hat, but she remains adamant that Bo has been slain.
Success appears to be eluding Columbo. He believes Markham has bumped Williamson off, but where is the body? Has it been buried in the foundation of the high-rise Markham has been constructing? Goaded on by Markham, Columbo is determined to find out by digging up the pile of the building – a major operation that will cost the taxpayer thousands of dollars.
Before that can happen, Columbo needs PERMITS, which he gets after several hours of real-time queueing in a government office. The building pile is duly dug up and drilled to pieces. There’s not a trace of any foul play, let alone a body. The Lieutenant has been publically humiliated. Or has he?
Not wanting to miss the chance to finally be rid of the troublesome corpse, Markham fetches it from the horse farm and returns to the construction site. He’s just about to pitch the body back into the foundations when the scene is illuminated all around. Markham’s been caught in the headlights – just like Investigator Brimmer in Death Lends a Hand a few episodes before.
“Why would a man who only ever listens to country music have his radio tuned into a classical station?”
Columbo saunters over. Turns out he’d been playing along with Markham’s games all along. Why had the architect been so keen for Columbo to dig up the pile? So he could place the body in a place nobody would think to look: a place that had already been searched.
Columbo played a classic double bluff – and it was the music in Bo’s car that cracked the case for him. Why would a man who only ever listens to country music have his radio tuned into a classical station?
“Carnegie Hall and Nashville. They don’t mix,” concludes the Lieutenant. “No. No they don’t,” concurs Markham as he’s carted off down town.
Columbo goes to light up a cigar but, remembering a health warning he received from Williamson’s heart specialist earlier in the episode, he symbolically crushes it underfoot before being driven away in a police black and white as credits roll…
Blueprint for Murder best moment: the near miss…
A chirpy Markham is racing back to the construction site with Bo Williamson’s body in his trunk when he runs into trouble. A blown tyre leaves him narrowly avoiding a nasty smash, but just when he thinks he’s gotten away with it a traffic cop pulls up behind him.
After congratulating Markham on his fine driving skillz, the cop then invites him to open the dead-body-filled trunk to help replace the tyre. Markham freezes, but, thinking fast, comes up with an excuse: his spare tyre is flat, too, and he’s been meaning to get it filled up. The affable law enforcer then rides off, promising to send a repair truck, and Markham is back in business after one hell of a close shave.
It’s a scene of superior tension – and one that was actually originally planned for Murder by the Book (also written by Bochco), but was cut for timing reasons. It does appear in the novelisation of Murder by the Book.
Additional: look closely and you can see Markham hands over Columbo’s ID to the police officer when asked for his licence. Did he pickpocket the Lieutenant? Does his scurrilousness know no bounds? Was the officer a halfwit? We’ll never know…
My thoughts on Blueprint for Murder
If you’ve read the previous reviews of Dead Weight and Lady in Waiting, you’ll perhaps already know that the filming of Columbo Season 1 wasn’t all plain sailing. Falk was having regular bust-ups with Universal after he accused them of reneging on an agreement to let him direct an episode. The rows even caused him to be barred from the sets, causing delays in production and, at times, consternation among cast and crew.
After toughing it out, Falk got his way. The studio would let him direct. But it would be the series’ most demanding directorial challenge, Blueprint for Murder, that the star would be lumbered with. The heavy amount of filming at a live construction site would have taxed a veteran. For a newcomer it would be a punishing prospect indeed.
“Directing Blueprint must have taken its toll on the star – Falk would never direct another episode.”
Series creators and co-producers, William Link and Dick Levinson, admitted that they had become exasperated with Falk and were pleased to palm off the episode on to him. But they also admitted that Falk’s commitment to excellence was commendable. He approached directing in the same meticulous way as he did his acting – even seeking input from Steven Spielberg (who he worked with on Murder by the Book) and his old mate John Cassavetes.
As a result, it sits proudly in the company of some marvellously directed pieces of television from Columbo Season 1. But it must have taken its toll on the star – Falk would never direct another episode.
Blueprint for Murder is also a strong mystery in its own right. There’s a lot to enjoy here, not least (as fast became the series’ norm) the stellar standard of the supporting cast. Everyone here adds value to the episode, from the central stars right down to the officious secretary, Bo’s doctor, the construction site security guard and the jobsworth at the government department, whose red-tape, regulations and lunch stand between Columbo and getting the job done.
Patrick O’Neal excels as Elliot Markham. He has the right level of cool arrogance to off-set the Lieutenant’s earthy charms, as well as being the perfect polar opposite to the blustering Bo Williamson, played with gusto by Forrest Tucker. O’Neal doesn’t have the natural charisma of Jack Cassidy or the danger of Robert Culp, but he does exude a sense of unsympathetic, cerebral menace that makes him a fine foil for Columbo.
As chronicled in my article about the best ever Columbo guest stars, Janis Paige as Goldie really rocks the house in every scene she graces. Goldie has sass in spades, but also an authenticity that both the Lieutenant and the audience can’t fail to warm to. Her best moment comes when she tells a bashful Columbo to turn away so she ‘doesn’t corrupt him’ while partially clothed in his presence, but every moment is to treasure and when Goldie’s on-screen the episode is at its most engaging.
Blueprint for Murder has its problems, though. Like Short Fuse, reviewed last time round, key clues come by the Lieutenant too easily. The lack of a corpus delecti throughout the episode ought to make this a real challenge for Columbo. Instead the crucial evidence he needs to build his case is handed to him on a plate. It’s painfully obvious Markham is the man. And the circumstantial evidence Columbo needs is gifted to him really quickly, too, which is another issue with the episode.
“The first half of the episode motors along like an enraged Texan in a Cadillac. Halfway through it slows down to a crawl.”
The pacing just isn’t quite right. The first half of the episode motors along like an enraged Texan in a Cadillac. Halfway through it slows down to a crawl – and not only when Columbo is forced to confront the bureaucratic process in a series of mammoth queues. These scenes actually raise a smile, but for me the frantic start unbalances the episode and highlights weaknesses that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Adapted for the screen by Steven Bochco, writer of the seminal Murder by the Book, Blueprint has a fine mystery at its heart and a terrific conclusion. I just feel that it’s heavy-handedly set up. There’s little subtlety in Markham and Columbo’s charade surrounding whether the body is buried in the foundation. When the idea is first mooted at Markham’s university lecture it feels conveniently shoehorned in, as if the writers didn’t quite have the time to establish the idea in the mind of the audience in a more natural way.
Part of that may lie in Falk wearing both actor and director hats. He must have been preoccupied. Having finally forced the studio’s hand to let him direct, Falk was determined not to fluff the task. He doesn’t, but it’s not his finest hour as Lieutenant Columbo, and I’m not convinced he and O’Neal really played off each other as well as they might.
“Blueprint for Murder is a good Columbo episode, but not a great one.”
I’ve read reviews of this episode suggesting that Falk and O’Neal ‘sizzle’ on-screen together. They don’t. While I’m interested in their confrontation, I’m not compelled by it as happens in the very best Columbo outings. But I feel like I should have been, as they’re such contrasting characters.
Maybe they were rushing the clock and didn’t get enough takes together with Falk on the other side of the camera. Or maybe the amount of overall screen time shared between Columbo and killer is lesser here than in other episodes. It’s hard to pinpoint, but something’s missing. It’s not a fatal flaw, but it does limit Blueprint‘s potential.
There’s another flaw, too, which has long bothered me. Boisterous Bo allows himself to submit to Markham far too meekly. Sure there’s a gun, but he lets Markham walk him into the equipment shed without a peep. I don’t buy it. The Bo we see before then would have gone down scratching, kicking, biting and butting to come out on top. What we’re shown is a cop out. Bo deserved better!
Even more damning for the episode is that the behind-the-scenes police work must have been non-existent. It wouldn’t have been hard to track Bo to the racetrack, where at least one witness could have placed him. Presumably a search of the grounds would have ensued, turning up the body in a jiffy. But of course, that wouldn’t have been any fun, would it? Instead I prefer to think the bungling Sergeant Grover (left) from Greenhouse Jungle was assigned to the task…
In conclusion, Blueprint for Murder is a good Columbo episode, but not a great one. While it sufficiently satisfies I believe it could have scaled greater heights under different circumstances. Although Falk does a competent job in the director’s chair, I’d rather he’d left it to someone else and just focused on the Columbo character. As he never returned to the director’s hotseat, I guess he must’ve felt the same way.
Did you know?
Elliot Markham’s car of choice is an uber-stylish 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Convertible. If it looks familiar, it should, because the same actual car was driven by dastardly Ken Franklin in Murder by the Book. Like Markham, he also stowed a dead body in the boot. I like to think that Markham picked up Franklin’s car in some sort of auction after Ken was sent down, and perhaps a little of Ken’s wickedness rubbed off on the naughty little architect.
How I rate ’em
A decent enough outing without ever threatening the upper echelons of the leaderboard, Blueprint for Murder is a mid-tier Columbo episode in most regards. But that’s not necessarily a criticism given the sky-high standards we’ve largely seen up to now.
While Blueprint isn’t in the top half of our rankings yet, I have a feeling it will comfortably end up nearer the top than the bottom when every episode has been reviewed (at this rate in about 500 years). Read my past reviews by clicking on the links below.
- Suitable for Framing
- Murder by the Book
- Death Lends a Hand
- Lady in Waiting
- Prescription: Murder
- Blueprint for Murder
- Ransom for a Dead Man
- Dead Weight
- Short Fuse
And of course, if you heart Blueprint above all others, do vote for it here in the favourite episode poll!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the complete run-down of Columbo Series One. I’ll be back to review Season Two’s curtain raiser, Etude in Black, in a few weeks.
Read my thoughts on Blueprint for Murder‘s top 5 scenes here.
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I liked this episode, and I liked Markham’s personality. My favorite scene with him, was when Bo came tearing in to the construction site (thank goodness no one was in his path)…the construction worker and Markham were talking about the seating arrangements…”east, oh, that’s east”), when the construction worker asked Markham if he wished to talk another time, but Markham said, no, let’s talk now. Loved the way Markham, calmly, said to Bo, “…didn’t know that you were here…”
There are a thousand Columbo moments like this, but I always like hearing him apologize to Elliott very sincerely for the reporters at the building site, even though he’s supposedly in the middle of hoping to find Beau there.
Because of that, I always kind of wish that Elliott himself hadn’t called them.
Just here to remark on how much the country song Beau was listening to with Markham in the back seat of the car sounded like Yakkety Sax. I kept expecting Benny Hill to run out from the racetrack.
Pamela Austin’s attempt at crying was the worst acting I’ve seen on the series.
Just an okay episode.
I never really liked this episode. Guest murderer Patrick O’Neal was very bland, boring, showed no emotion, and was often difficult to understand when he spoke. As a villain he had no pizzazz, personality, or style, unlike greats like Cassidy, Culp, McGoohan, or most of the other interesting, colorful Columbo killers. I’m not saying O’Neal should’ve been like a crazed Robin Williams, but he could’ve made his Markham character a little more interesting, and more enjoyable to watch, just by the way he could’ve delivered his lines. He spoke in a monotone most of the time, and every time I see this episode (which thankfully isn’t too often; I only watch it when there’s absolutely nothing else on), I find myself dozing off. But that wasn’t the only reason I disliked this episode. Trying to solve a murder without a body (until the very end) was too much of a departure from most of the episodes, and I didn’t buy it. Would the LAPD really send in a homicide detective for a missing person? That’s contradictory to what Columbo told Rick Carsini’s girlfriend in ‘Any Old Port in a Storm.’ And I’m sure he said that in a few other episodes, too. Need to see a body first, Lieutenant, right? And as much as I love Columbo‘s odd, amusing little ‘everyman’ quirks and eccentricities, I cringed when he pulled raisins, and then a candy bar out of his pocket and offered them to Patrick O’Neill. It’s bad enough that a nun once actually thought Columbo was a genuine street bum (based ONLY on his physical appearance) in the Dick Van Dyke episode, but it’s quite another thing to pull out food from your grubby old coat pocket, acting like a hobo, and offering it to a professional architect/college instructor. Stuff like this is embarrassing to watch. And I felt hurt and bad for him, because I love Columbo so much, the character AND the show. And, I’m a huge fan of Peter Falk. He just goes a little too far sometimes with the alleged ‘everyman’ bit. Offering food FROM YOUR POCKET to somebody to eat? Your average ‘everyman’ would never do this, but a street bum WOULD! It’s actually kind of an insult, both to police officers and your average ‘everyman.’ And I understand that it’s done so the murderer underestimates Columbo’s intelligence, and writes Columbo off as an incompetent (yes, I get all that. I’ve loved this show for over 40 years). But it’s too over the top sometimes, And makes him look really bad. But that’s just my opinion. One of my least favorite episodes, along with Robert Vaughn on the cruise ship (another very boring, expressionless killer), and the episodes Last Salute to the Commodore, Make Me a Perfect Murder,’ and the Irish troubadour/gun smuggler (‘Let each man be paid in full.’).
I guess I’m one of the few who found Goldie annoying.
I’m glad someone said that, but not because I find her annoying.
I like Goldie, but I like Jennifer just as much. Which might be enough to put me on the outside, since you’re probably supposed to “choose” between them, since of course they’re the down-to-earth ex-wife and the “trophy wife.”
That’s another good thing – this story is a lot nicer to Jennifer than a thousand stories are to “trophy wives.” You never find out that she’s a gold-digger, she isn’t pictured as really “vapid” or just dumb. (She even calls HERSELF “not the brightest lady in the world.”)
Am I imagining things or is the motorcycle officer played by Michael Ironside? It looks like him and sounds like it could be him. The chin is just a bit different though and he only be 21-22 at the time. It’s uncanny though.
I don’t like to confuse actors and their characters too much, but I know there’s a tradition about Forrest Tucker that could explain at least one thing that both Jennifer and Goldie saw in him (and I don’t mean money).
Markham isn’t just in love with classical music, he OBSESSES over one particular section of the 2nd Brahms piano concerto. We hear that same sequence over and over and over, on tape, on vinyl. Even when Columbo plays music in Markham’s office, the music starts at that exact same section! Which means either Markham already prepares the vinyl so that when he hits play, the piece starts at that section – which is insane, even for a classical music enthusiast.
Second (less satisfying) explanation is that the music curating for this episode is really heavy-handed. We get it, classical music it is, just don’t always give us the same section!
This may be the only episode where Columbo doesn’t mention his wife at all!
Enjoyable episode. But many things make no sense. Does LAPD send a detective out to investigate when an ex-wife (who is at a health spa where she is said to have no incoming or outgoing calls) phones them to report her ex-husband has been missing for just half-a-day? What hard evidence does she have that the LAPD would think is a serious missing-person report? How does Markham get out to the ranch or back from the airport? He’d have to leave his car at the ranch for many hours as he drives Bo’s car back to Bo’s place, then out to the LAX airport, then take a taxi back to the ranch. Wouldn’t he fear that people would be making inquiries about Bo at the ranch during those hours and find his car — or the body? He wouldn’t dare be driven originally to the ranch by taxi (or by someone else) being left with only his feet to take him away if his plan at the ranch went awry. Might the jockey or others at the ranch hear the gunshot?
A first for Columbo in that we don’t see the victim being murdered. This kind of takes away some of the satisfaction of Markham being caught. Also, did Markham shoot Bo or did he die from the lack of a pacemaker?
I really, really like this episode. If only the murderer were more interesting!
Bo is great, Goldie is amazing, the concept of the murder is fascinating and the whole bureaucracy thing is hilarious 🙂 But sometimes this episode drags on, that’s absolutely true …
Watched this episode last night. The question it left m with was “how did Markham hope to get away with it?”
Not the murder, but the building of Williamson City. Building a new city takes years, it’s not something you can put together while he’s away from home and offer up as a fait accompli when he gets home. It’s no good sweet talking the young wife into the idea – it’s Bo you have to sell it to.
We don’t know how he made his money, but if even part of it came from property investment, it shouldn’t be hard to put together a compelling business case for the new city. Easier than getting away with murder when Columbo’s around anyway.
I personally enjoy this episode a lot, and a lot more than the writer of this article it seems. I think it has a lot of charm from its earthiness, as well as a lot of humour. The Goldie character really shines in all her eccentricity. And my favourite part of the episode is probably the scene where Columbo is standing in queues to get the permission to remove the pile. Anyone who has experienced bureaucracy would relate to Columbo’s frustrations.
My only issue is the character of Bo Williamson who is just too much of a caricature. He is insanely stereotype as the uncultivated Texas “cowboy”, but on the other hand that clearly makes him a person that you’d like to get rid of.
But still an enjoyable watch, and even though it may “objectively” be artistically inferior to, say, Murder By the Book, I think I enjoy in more on a personal level. Book might be über-aesthetic and masterfully directed, but it lacks warmth. This episode has plenty of it.
The thing I really hate about this episode is the way it intended. Rather anticlimactic and disappointing. Patrick O’Neal’s character was simply too nonchalant and unbothered by his getting caught and subsequent arrest. But worst of all is the incredibly ridiculous fact that he was allowed to light a cigarette and walk into the police car and sit down there without any handcuffs as though he were entering a limo to be driven by a chauffeur. This is a criminal who has just murdered someone, for God’s sake!! Is that how murderers can just say to the police, “Oh don’t bother yourselves,” and then light a cigarette and just walk into the police cars themselves without handcuffs even in the seventies? Or did it only apply if they were rich and racially privileged?
The thing about Bo allowing himself to be led off to the shed without resistance and the cops not bothering to search for his body did not bother me too much as I understood that they were necessary for the plot, as unrealistic and silly as they were. But I’ll still say a few things about them:
Either Bo is the biggest pretender and poser on the planet or this was a gross act of character inconsistency by the writers. Here is a guy who is presented to us as this tough, macho cowboy Texan who has a furious temper, and now all of a sudden, he completely paralyses at the sight of a tiny silly-looking pistol being pointed at him behind him by his own annoying architect and allows himself to be ordered out of the driver’s seat and led like a lamb to his slaughter without so much as a whimper.
And what exactly was he expecting? That the guy pointing a gun at him was merely leading him off to the barn just to talk to him and then let him go??? Even after he had already basically told him he was going to kill him with the words “Or the reverse” (in the car) and the earlier threat about his coffin (at the construction site)??
And what is it with Columbo not bothering to trace the last whereabouts of Bo and the last people who saw him alive, and him not bothering to search around for his body given that he was convinced that the man had been killed? I did not find the whole building-foundation-cat-and-mouse-game at all convincing and realistic and thought it was rather silly. Sure it makes for an interesting plot gimmick and an interesting final gotcha, but it is still unrealistic and silly. In real life, Columbo could very easily have been wasting his time (not to mention millions of dollars) for absolutely nothing. Elliot could easily have just buried the body in the woods someplace or at the sea and STILL have played that building-foundation game with Columbo, knowing that once Columbo makes a fool of himself and wastes so much time and money for nothing, he would not have the face to try to instigate another massive search elsewhere for a body. In other words, Elliot could easily have had a different motive for playing that game with Columbo and getting him to dig out the building WITHOUT having any intention whatsoever of taking the body there. Thus, Columbo’s smug statement at the end that he knew that Elliot was coaxing him to go through the trouble of digging up the building in order to later put the body there was pretty lame.
And one final thing. One of the most nonsensical and unrealistic things about this episode is the fact that Bo, after exploding at the office and having a fight with Elliot, goes off to an empty race track to play around there by watching a horse. Not once did he call his wife or his ex-wife to tell her about what happened. Why would he not either call or storm off to his young wife and yell at her regarding the project?? He told Elliot at the construction site that he wanted him nowhere around him or his wife again. Thus wouldn’t the most natural thing for him to do to go to his young wife (or call her) and tell her to have nothing to do with Elliot again? And since Bo was so close to his ex-wife Goldie and told her practically everything, wouldn’t he have raged to her about what had just happened and how he just got threatened by Elliot (“would you like me to design your coffin”)? Men like Bo do not take threats lightly. And if some meddlesome architect who was using MY money said such words to me, even I would go berserk. Instead he just tells him to “forget it” and gives him a small smack on the face. A real Bo would have knocked his teeth out. Bo’s actions in the script simply were not realistic at all.
And, also, in the same vein, how would Elliot know that Bo hadn’t done those things? How the hell does he know that Bo hadn’t talked to others about the fight and Elliot’s thinly veiled death threats?
And what was that nonsense that Elliot told Columbo about Bo being an international business man and thus having to fly under different identities? The guy isn’t a criminal, he does a legitimate business, so why the hell would he need to go around disguising his identity? And don’t people need passports to fly internationally? Or is he suggesting to Columbo that Bo goes around using fake passports??
Despite these nonsensities, the episode is nevertheless enjoyable to watch. And the entertainment it provides (due in no small part to the great directing job by Columboand stellar performances by Janis Paige) makes it such that these plot problems are very easy to ignore or not even notice.
NB: Just a little trivia: I found John Finnegan’s appearance as the head construction worker to be quite irritating and distracting, because it tends to ruin the suspension of disbelief, reminding you that this is all just acting. Because I couldn’t help constantly thinking, while seeing him, “this guy AGAIN!”
Hardly any of the murderers in the 70’s episodes were handcuffed while being arrested, i guess the show didn’t dwell on that fact even though in real life it is mandatory procedure. I don’t think it was racial privilege, remember it was a show…..not real life.
One thing that bothers me about this episode (beyond the ease at which Williamson’s body SHOULD have been discovered) is that it seems that a lot of the lines have been overdubbed. Jennifer seems completely dubbed, whether inside or out. And most of the outdoor lines between Columbo and Markhem seem dubbed too. That kind of minimizes the tension and hurts the over all feel of it.
Marking Breakdown:
Entertainment: 4.5 out of 5 (penalty of 0.5)
Normally this is an easy 5, but this one misses it only
just barely. O’Neal’s performance comes off as a little too
reserved and unemotional overall. Too relaxed when Bo
confronts him at the site, and the same after he is caught and
arrested. Also, the exchanges between Markham and Columbo
lack conflict or tension, and Falk may be too relaxed here
himself.
Also, puzzling aspects of Bo’s behaviour pave over plot holes
or scripting or directorial problems. Bo’s going to his death too
quietly. His not chewing his wife out after his return, or even crying
on the shoulder of his ex, but finding time to test his racehorse.
Also, outside of Goldie, the episode doesn’t have much humour,
making for a rather dry outing.
Clues Leading Columbo To The Killer: 2.5 out of 2.5
The classical music vs. country isn’t so novel. Killers in Columbo
mysteries are unable to leave their victim’s car as it was. Whether
it is moving the driver’s seat, or twiddling the radio dial.
The bloodied hat red herring though leads Columbo to uncover
the legal reason why Markham must not allow the body to be found,
helping him set up the final gotcha.
Final Gotcha: 2.0 out of 2.5 (penalty of 0.5)
It is apparent that Markham is daring Columbo to dig up the column, who
in turn ‘falls for it’. But viewers have seen him lying in wait before, and
so it is of little surprise here.
The gotcha will be used again and again in future episodes, with more
pizzazz and surprise. But here it just falls flat as the killer goes quietly
into custody. Elliot Markham does not do the ‘rabbit caught in the
headlights’ scene at all well.
Overall Rating: 9 out of 10
This has always been a fascinating episode for me. I hadn’t seen it before I got the complete box set, and wasn’t super familiar with Patrick O’Neal prior to watching it, and so I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it as much as the episodes with Culp, Cassidy, Ross Martin, Roddy, etc.
It sure had some leaps in logic, but I ended up loving it. The gotcha was a bit contrived, and how the hell did Bo’s body escape detection for all that time, but on the flip side, O’Neal made for a fascinating villain, one of my favorites of the series by episode end. He just fit Markham perfectly, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the role as well and uniquely as he did.
For quality, I can’t rate it as highly as some, but from personal preference, easily in my top 10.
I’m biased about this one because Peter Falk and Patrick O’Neal are both in the movie CASTLE KEEP.
Please Help me
what is the classical music song that Columbo hear on Architect studio and also the Architect hear at his studio at higher volume?
Who is the author and what is the title of this classical theme?
2nd movement of Brahms 2nd piano concerto
I have a favorite (1963) frivolous comedy called “Bachelor in Paradise” with lots of comedic talent, written as a vehicle for Bob Hope and Lana Turner. I immediately ran to my new copy of Leonard Maltin’s book of film reviews, who found it “okay”, but singled out Ms. Paige, as “fun as always”, which is actually a high compliment. Since then I have consistently watched for her in shows and film. In this her natural talent stands out. Or is it her talent for being natural? She is tops.
On this episode there Is a beatufull Classic theme that Colombo hear on Architec Studio and Architec hear in his Studio
Do you know what Is this Song/theme, Who Is the author and so on
Thank you
Something that bugged me in this episode – Markham tries to suggest that Bo Williamson wouldn’t show up on the flight list due to flying under an assumed name. I know it was the early 70s but I’m pretty sure even back then you had to produce a valid passport with your real name to fly to any country in Europe. Also in the pre-Schengen days, visa requirements would have again needed a real name and real ID. That should have reinforced the case instead of being brushed off so easily.
On this episode there Is a beatufull Classic theme that Colombo hear on Architec Studio and Architec hear in his Studio
Do you know what Is this Song/theme, Who Is the author and so on
Thank you
That passport issue bothered me too. I guess it’s just another one of the necessary nonsensities of the episode which are fortunately rather easy to ignore due to the entertaining quality of the episode.
Greetings to all Columbo fans. I wonder what the music is called in this episode. The music starts playing at 19:38 to 20:00 minutes. when Lieutenant Columbo sits in Boa’s car and listens to the cuntry. I would like to know the name of the music from that tape. Does anyone know the name of the song?
It’s probably just stock music or created by session musicians for the episode to avoid copyright issues.
Because, apparently, they cannot simply pay the artists to use their songs for a couple of seconds.
I’ am a columbophile. I ask if there is some columbophile club. Thanks
“So Jennifer, what do you see in your furious, ancient, millionaire husband Bo?”
Reminds me of Solomon’s dictum that a wise man’s questions contain half the answer.
In this case the question contains all of the answer.
I wonder what that construction site ultimately became? Anyone know?
It became a complex called, Century City. It’s full of office buildings and condos and shops.
It became the world’s highest and most expensive bachelor pad complex.
Agreed, I think the real Bo Williamson would not have given in so easily. The way he drove that car, no doubt he would have gunned the gas pedal and dare Markham to shoot him going at that speed.
Exactly. That would be the smart (and gutsy/arrigant) thing to do. Just ignore the a-hole’s commands and just step on the gas pedal and start driving at full speed and dare him to shoot. If he does, he’ll almost certainly suffer injuries himself and he can kiss his plans goodbye. Instead, the script makes No act like a pussy cat who has never seen a tiny pistol before. Completely out of character.
I did notice that ID resembled Columbo, figured it was just a gag Falk threw in. Back then they probably never dreamed HD TVs would be able to see every little detail, even with old classic TV shows.
Another flaw with the mystery I haven’t seen mentioned: I doubt very much a tycoon (though you have to wonder what kind of mogul he is who has no assistants or servants evident in the episode) would go away for weeks to Europe “on business” and be out of contact. I don’t think intercontinental phone calls were unknown in the 1970s. Yet Markham relies on this to keep suspicion at bay. As well as to get very far in the construction project without so much as a signature from Bo.
Have to agree that Janis Paige is the highlight of the episode!
I dont understand what Bo Williamson says to Markum just before he slaps him, He say “If your thinking of any ??????? forget it” then slaps him.
What does he say? I’m buying Coffee!
“…uglies…” is the word. An odd but made-for-TV euphemism, I guess…
ug·ly (ŭg′lē)
adj. ug·li·er, ug·li·est
1. Displeasing to the eye; unsightly.
2.
a. Repulsive or offensive; objectionable: an ugly remark.
b. Chiefly Southern US Rude: Don’t be ugly with me.
Just watched this again and was reminded what a great job Janis Paige did as the Goldie character. She like LQ Jones in The Conspirators stole the scenes they were in. That would be a good subject….. Top ten scene thieves
My husband and I laughed at the “buried-under-a-piling” conceit. We recently watched (again) “Robin and the Seven Hoods,” in which Falk’s gangster character ends up folded into the cornerstone of a new building!
Glad you singled out Goldie’s performance. She was absolutely brilliant.
Other commenters didn’t understand why Markham’s secretary keeps saying “yes, it is.” If you put “will you now leave” after each time she says it you will see that she starts being short with Columbo at the beginning, and then tries to make it more obvious by repeating it before finally, in frustration, asks him to leave. I thought it was great because he just ignores it five times.
The one thing I liked about this episode is the clue of the radio being tuned to the classical station and how that conflicts with his musical tastes. That seems like a real mistake a person might make. I always wonder if detectives would be that meticulous in real life to note the station on the radio and connect those dots.
Seeing this episode today for the first time in quite a while, you know what it was that most impressed me? Peter Falk’s directorial style! I knew that this was the only episode he directed, and that the producers really didn’t like the idea of letting him do so, and that they made they episode they allowed him to direct as difficult as they could, so that he wouldn’t ask to do it again (and he never did), but dang, he did a great job anyway. I was really impressed with the lighting choices, the framing, and the way he used a lot of head-shots or near-head-shot close-ups. I needed to watch quite a bit of it with the volume muted (I was on a phone call) so all of these things really stood out to me, and contrasted well against the other directorial efforts of the series.