May 23, 2025: Our Columbo rewatch continues with “By Dawn’s Early Light”!

Our Columbo rewatch continues with…

“By Dawn’s Early Light”

This episode aired October 27, 1974

Peter Falk remarked on what made this episode vintage Columbo, referring to it as “‘the perfect balance between being both compelling and amusing’.

The campus scenes were shot at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.

Patrick McGoohan won an Emmy for his portrayal of Colonel Lyle C. Rumford. “By Dawn’s Early Light” would mark the first of his record four appearances on the show. It was the only one of the three he did not direct. McGoohan fondly recalled this episode: “That’s probably my favorite. It might be my favorite role in the United States. It took a bit of work, but I thought it was excellent. It was on the basis of that experience that I agreed to do the others.”

Edward Asner was originally cast in the role of Rumford but ended up dropping out.

Actor Bruce Kirby, who played Sergeant George Kramer, was the real life father of actor Bruno Kirby, who played Cadet Morgan.

My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order….

Love the disconcerting hand-held camera opening.

Colonel Hard-ass.

Oh, no! A co-ed academy! I’m sure the cadets would hate that.

That’s a pretty spectacular murder.

“What’s he up to?”asks one detective watching Columbo sweeping his feet along the grass. He’s already looking for alternate possibilities.

Classic Columbo attempting to interview the Colonel DURING the prayer.

Wonder if any other detective would have noted the cloth.

“My wife says I need the exercise.” Guess the exercise program he embarked on in “An Exercise in Futility” was short-lived.

“He’s my boodle boy.” Uh, wut?

Love this bit of the hopelessly befuddled Columbo getting the complicated directions from the Colonel, then asking the secretary, and then getting immediately lost.

Why are the cadets running like that with their arms by their sides? Are they practicing for some Monty Python skit?

Columbo suspects young Springer is holding something back.

“I always have a light supper,”says Columbo. Yet one more thing we have in common.

I like how Columbo describes a character as “One of your officers. He speaks very slow.”

Odd moment of Columbo waking up in the middle of the night and then snacking on the various items from his pocket.

“I’m sorry I woke you.”
“I’m sorry too.”

“It wasn’t the sleeping, it was the waking up.” Isn’t it always the way?

“Do you have an extra pair of socks?” Uh, sure. Why don’t you keep ’em.

Minute traces of C4!

“We don’t use it here.”
“But that’s the point, sir. You don’t use it here.”

“Now we’re talking about murder.”
“That’s easy to say; hard to do.”
Nice little exchange.

“Anything else I can do for you?”
“I’d love a fresh pair of socks.”
Great.

Loved this entire sequence where Columbo pulls up to the school and quizzes the suspicious student…
“I’m looking for a girl.”
“Sure doesn’t look like a police car.”
“Are you sure that badge is real?”

Springer has an alibi while Haynes’ files, no doubt written by Rumford, notes his contrary nature.

The fact that only a few individuals had access to the arms room certainly narrows down the list of potential suspects.

“Well, we have similar jobs in a way. I wear a uniform. You wear…I suppose you could call that a uniform.” lol

Aha! Columbo realizes it’s a renovation in preparation for a potential switch to a co-ed facility.

The Case of the Missing Cider!

Why is Columbo so interested in the cider? Maybe because Rumford is so interested?

Have I missed something? Wouldn’t Rumford know whose room it belongs to since it’s been days since he glimpsed the booze hanging out that window? Does this track?

Aha! He had to be standing in that one specific spot at that specific time in order to spot the hooch. Unfortunate for him that they strung up the hooch on that one day between those specific times when he was setting up the murder. Hmmmm.

Patrick McGoohan’s steely performance ranks as one of the best to date and this episode while straighter than the norm, still manages to offer instances of humor that make it uniquely Columbo. Also, for a maxi-episode, it is fairly well-paced and doesn’t feel like it drags although I can see how some may feel it is a bit leisurely in its narrative progression. I did miss some of the more comedic sequences that marked some of my favorite episodes and I ultimately wasn’t that thrilled with the way the investigation finally came together, feeling a little contrived.

My revised episode rankings: 1. Negative Reaction, 2. Any Old Port in a Storm, 3. Double Exposure, 4. A Friend In Deed, 5. Double Shock, 6. A Stitch in Crime, 7. Death Lends a Hand, 8. Suitable for Framing, 9. Publish or Perish, 10. Dagger of the Mind, 11. Requiem for a Falling Star, 12. Prescription: Murder, 13. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), 14. By Dawn’s Early Light, 15. Swan Song, 16. Lady in Waiting, 17. An Exercise in Fatality, 18. Etude in Black, 19. The Most Crucial Game, 20. Blueprint for Murder, 21. Lovely But Lethal, 22. The Most Dangerous Match, 23. The Greenhouse Jungle 24. Dead Weight, 25. Short Fuse, 26. Candidate for Crime, 27. Mind Over Mayhem.

Now it’s time to assess whether Columbo has the evidence to secure a GUILTY verdict, or will Colonel Rumford live to fight another day? This one’s a tough one but I think it’s another case of overwhelming circumstantial evidence. So, GUILTY!

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