If you long to ‘See The Light’, your chance has arrived after the official Columbo YouTube channel made the crowd-pleasing decision to add Swan Song to their list of available full episodes.
So you, too, can enjoy hearing Johnny Cash as Tommy Brown bellowing ‘HAAAHMICIIIDE?’ and threatening to bust the neck of his hated half-brother Luke in glorious HD!
- Let’s compare notes! Read my full episode review here!
- Read my thoughts on Swan Song’s top 5 scenes here
- Love Swan Song? Vote for it in the Columbo fans’ favourite episode poll
- Find out where Tommy Brown ranks in the list of most sympathetic Columbo killers
- Access the catalog of full Columbo episodes here
- Visit the Columbo YouTube channel here
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I don’t understand. If Tommy Brown’s wife kept a close eye on him so he does not start with girls – how could he sew such a huge 60 sq yards parachute and nobody noticed?
A little piece at a time.
what theatre is that that they are walking down the aisle in the beginning ?
Can anyone tell me if Johnny Cash and Peter Falk filmed any of the scenes separately? I’ve been searching for it online and my husband and I couldn’t help but notice quite a few scenes where they didn’t seem to be in the same room at the same time… The camera would be on one and then on the other and you would see Peter Falk at times and the back of “Johnny Cash’s” head.
I believe the only episode like that would be “Dead Weight” due to a contract dispute between Falk and Management.
Everytime I see this episode I scream at Johnny Cash “You’re home free DONT GO BACK!!” but of course he always does lol.
Also – never knew this episode was directed by Nicholas Colasanto who was the brilliant ‘Coach’ in Cheers – clocked his name on the credits last time out.
Thank you so much for making these episodes available, bless your heart.
It runs, but stays dark and won’t take the play button off the center of the screen. So not really watchable. Murder by the Book ran perfectly though. In the USA.
No full episodes in US…just 5-6 min clips and no Columbo on Netflix either…😫😭really want to see Swan Song again, and all the 70’s episodes…sigh…
My fave fave episode! The best gotcha of all!
I’d pay money to see Edna Brown and Francis Galesko together in the same room.
I can never muster up any sympathy for Edna, I find her despicable. Maruh Ann (as Edna calls her) is a much more sympathetic character.
I can understand Tommy brown murdering Edna but Frances Galesko didn’t quite deserve it , Negative Reaction and Swansong are 2 of my favorite episodes , deefinitley in my top 10 .
I can’t speak to how deserving Francis was, but you have to admit she was as abrasive and annoying personality as there was.
The argument scene between Tommy and Edna at the start is one of the best scenes in the whole series its just moving and it sets the tone for the rest of the episode , poor Edna and Tina didn’t deserve to be murdered as manipulating as Edna was which makes
Tommy brown one of the most ruthless killers , not quite on Riley green leafs or Dr keppell or Dr mayfields or even Paul Galeskos s scale. swan song is just a top top episode despite what other readers feel , it is most defiNetley in my top 10 maybe even my top 5 which now are 1) try and catch me 2) negative reaction 3) swansong 4) the bye Bye sky high IQ murder 5) make me a perfect murder 6) troubled waters 7) prescription murder 8) identity crisis 9) a stitch in crime 10) playback . THIS EXCLDING NEW EPISODES .
Just a brief comment on “likable baddies”, such as Tommy Brown here and Adrian Carsini on “Any Old Port in a Storm”. I have to disagree on the positive light with which both characters are portrayed. Not only does Brown have all the nasty attributes of a teenager molester and a recklessly hedonistic egotist; he also does not baulk at accepting the sacrifice of absolutely innocent, searingly young Tina as worthwhile collateral damage to the more than understandable murder of his hounding wife. THAT is absolutely revolting, and it comes as a surprise that our friendly Columbophile host makes no mention of it. As for Carsini, he left his own brother, no less, to die a horrible death to scorching heat, suffocation, relentless thirst and hunger. That guy´s death was slow, painful and excruciating in a pitch-dark cellar the horrors of which are nothing short of Poe´s “The Cask of Amontillado”, which might well have inspired this rather lurid episode. And it should be stressed that Carsini is not sacrificing HIS BROTHER to an ambition of lust and money, but just to a cranky obsession which would have landed him into bankruptcy anyway had he succeeded. His extremely sad scene with poor Karen (that sorely lonesome woman who truly loved him) shows him as an emotional cripple incapable of giving and taking love, and his childish hiding away in an adjacent room to eavesdrop on the wine experts´ conversation as they decide to award him the wine-man of the year price shows how infantile-narcissistic this nasty guy is. And all his boot-licking to those he expects something from turns into brutal upbraiding of the underdog as the tantrum scene in the restaurant shows…. Despite his well-mannered, coy “likability”, Carsini is one of the most despicable characters in Columbo´s rogue gallery. And donçt get me started on Abigail mitchell!
Sorry, promised brief! I cut my ranting now…. All the best to you all, fellow Columbo admirers!
I don’t do in-depth character analysis in these articles! They’re just pointers to the full episode. If you refer to my full episode review you’ll find plenty of debate concerning Tommy’s lack of morals and his lack of a redeeming moment – regardless of Columbo treating him kindly.
You’d never guess the brother-in-law was played by the same actor that assaulted Ned Beatty’s character in Deliverance. Bill McKinney. “Squeal like a pig!” He was an excellent heavy, also played the Space Needle assassin in Parallax View.
This episode is a blast, Cash does a great job and he and Falk had a good chemistry. Thought it was funny when he called Columbo “little buddy” a couple of times.
I think this is my favorite Vito Scotti character. Such a great character actor. “You’re a hard sell, Lieutenant.”
I get the distinct impression they’re letting him adlib his way into a state of high unction, in hopes of getting Falk to drop character and laugh. Which he basically does.
just saw this episode last week on Hallmark channel. Johnny was a better actor than i remembered. And it got me to reading up on Ida Lupino, who certainly was a much under-appreciated lady.
I think she was a trailblazing director, wasn’t she, as well as an acting talent?
Yes! She directed Perry Mason’s Hamilton Burger (Wm Talman) as a crazed hitch-hiker in a scary film noir. His eyes never shut, see? Never got any sleep. (And Talman looked like a guy who never got enough sleep.)