Caught the second COLUMBO pilot, "Ransom for a Dead Man". The real COLUMBO formula hadn't been worked out, yet. Columbo breaks the chain of custody on evidence, opens a locker without a warrant, etc. But holy shit!! The "Cat and Mouse" scenes with (murderer) Lee Grant are just sublime!!! (1) - ThreadSky

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mikemarano.bsky.social • 549 days ago

Caught the second COLUMBO pilot, "Ransom for a Dead Man". The real COLUMBO formula hadn't been worked out, yet. Columbo breaks the chain of custody on evidence, opens a locker without a warrant, etc. But holy shit!! The "Cat and Mouse" scenes with (murderer) Lee Grant are just sublime!!! (1)

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bridgetmckenna.bsky.social•549 days ago

Not a TV historian, nor do I play one... never mind. But I think Columbo may have started the trend of non-mystery mystery shows. We know from the first scene who dunnit (often from watching it happen in flashback), and the rest of the show is devoted to showing how clever the detective is.

mikemarano.bsky.social•549 days ago

The terms used are "open" & "closed" mysteries, at least in histories of mysteries I've read. "Open" is when the audience knows whodunnit from the start, and "Closed" is when they don't. The terms have been around forever, so I think Columbo wasn't the start. https://blog.karenwoodward.org/2017/04/murder-mysteries-open-vs-closed.html

luciennediver.bsky.social•549 days ago

Columbo is my all-time favorite show.

mikemarano.bsky.social•549 days ago

Yes, Levinson & Link and Falk worked out the kinks of the character and the series in later installments. But wow... those scenes with Falk and Grant are just killer!!! Gonna start teaching them in my Pop Fiction and Suspense classes...(3)

mikemarano.bsky.social•549 days ago

Each character knows the other character is brilliant, and you can _see_ each actor trying to outthink the other behind each syllable of their, on the surface, polite and professional interactions. You can _taste_ the sangfroid. (2)

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