March 14, 2025: The Columbo rewatch continues with…Short Fuse!

This episode first aired January 19, 1972.

After they had finished carefully plotting out the show’s 6-episode first season, co-creators Richard Levinson and William Link received a last minute request for an extra episode. According to Levinson: “The network was so pleased with what they were seeing that they wanted the seventh. We were furious. We didn’t want to do another one. We had just done all of these pictures in a very short time frame with no scripts ready.”

As a result, this episode took all of four months to write, produce, edit and air. It was Peter Falk’s least favorite episode of the first season and most critics and fans (spoiler alert: myself included) echo this sentiment.

Although “Short Fuse” was the second-to-last episode to air, it was the last episode shot for the show’s first season.

This episode was originally titled “Formula for Murder”.

This episode was directed by the show’s editor, Edward Abroms, as a reward for his exceptional work in previous episodes.

Doris Buckner’s home in this episode is a redressed version of the home featured in “Ransom for a Dead Man”.

Actor William Windom, who played Everett Logan, was apparently deathly afraid of heights and had no idea the episode’s final sequence would require him to take a ride up on a gondola with an open door. Windom would later admit that, had he known, he wouldn’t have signed on to do the episode.

My thoughts in chronological viewing order…

Longtime Roddy McDowall fan. I remember forcing my mother to take 13-year-old me to see him in a production of Charley’s Aunt because I so loved him in The Planet of the Apes.

Boy, that denim ensemble(!). In fact, his whole wardrobe for this episode.

Why is everyone freaking out over silly string? Does it burn to the touch?

Tremendous suspense with the back-and-forth cuts to the car ride and cigar box. It would not surprise me to learn director Abroms was in the editing room for this one.

Roger tells Columbo he’s at the Chauffeur’s residence because he saw the door was open? Our third less-than-genius criminal mastermind in as many episodes! No wonder Columbo zeroes in on him from the start.

Speaking of which, why is Columbo investigating the disappearance of some guy who hasn’t even been missing the standard 24 hours?

That audio recording from inside the limo is… convenient.

Love Ida Lupino.

Why does the guard accompanying Columbo on the gondola ride sound like his dialogue has been dubbed?

Columbo’s refusal to step closer to the edge of the drop suggests he is afraid of heights. That’s one thing we have in common.

Columbo continues his tradition of trespassing onto the property of his suspects, in this case Roger’s dark room where he unwittingly(?) sprays himself with silly string.

Why would Columbo suspect an exploding cigar or cigar box? This seems like one hell of a leap.

Roger took creepy photos of Valerie? This confirms my long-held suspicion that male photographers tend to be huge creeps.

Two-thirds of the way through this episode and I notice – not much is happening.

What is the deal with this planted typewriter? He’s framing the chauffeur who was also killed in the crash? Does that make sense?

Akemi walked by at this point and noted: “Columbo has a lot of hair!” Now that she mentions it…

Does Columbo suspect Everett of being a potential accomplice on the gondola ride up?

Why is Roger freaking out about the spilled cigars? Isn’t the trigger connected to the cigar case?

This episode treads water throughout most of its runtime, but this final suspenseful gondola sequence is exceptional.

Hmmmm. To be honest, this is the first Columbo episode that was a chore to sit through. Even “Dead Weight”, despite all of its flaws, was consistently entertaining. As much as I love Roddy McDowall, I felt his character lacked the depth and nuance of previous murderers. This one didn’t get the love and attention of previous scripts, and it shows.

So, my overall Columbo episode rankings are as follows: #1 Death Lends a Hand, #2 Suitable for Framing, #3 Prescription: Murder, #4 Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), #5 Lady in Waiting, #6 Dead Weight, #7 Short Fuse.

Finally, we come to the point in our review where we assess the evidence (or lack thereof) Columbo has gathered and ask whether, based on said evidence, our culprit would likely be found GUILTY or ACQUITTED. Well, as I noted above, what evidence does Columbo really have? Is Roger’s maniacal laughter at episode’s end enough? I would argue that if Roger settles down and gets his act together, he walks. If, on the other hand, his behavior at episode’s end is indicative of a nervous breakdown, then maybe he ends up committed somewhere. But I think that’s the best the prosecution could hope for. All things being equal, and as much as it loathes me to say this, Roger Stanford would be looking at an ACQUITTAL

So, what did you all think?

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