This episode aired October 10, 1976. Falk was convinced to return for a truncated sixth season of the series. He received a bump in pay that saw him make $300k/episode, the equivalent of about 1.5 million/episode today. The picture in Ward Fowler’s living room is actually a head shot of William Shatner as Captain Kirk. Fellow Star Trek alum Walter Koenig plays Sgt. Johnson in this episode. Peter Falk’s real-life wife, Shera Danese, makes six appearances in the show. This is her first, playing Molly. The scene in which Ward captures Columbo on video was largely ad-libbed. It’s clear the two actors were having a great time together. My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order… Love the in-show opening. “It’s Joseph, isn’t it?” No, it’s Swanny from last episode! I absolutely love the discussion about Ward and his demands…which no doubt echoed the opinions of many an executive when it came to Falk: “There is no actor in this business who is irreplaceable.” “Claire, Ward Fowler is not the first actor on this network to win an Emmy. And he’s already one of the highest paid performers in television.” Falk coming off his Emmy win. “If we give in to him now…”“Without Ward Fowler there isn’t going to be any next year for this show.”“Ward Fowler IS the show.”The only thing that would have made this exchange more perfect would have been to have actual executives cast in the roles – which is what we did on Stargate: SG-1’s “Wormhole X-Treme”, giving the studio executive the line “You know what this show needs is a sexy female alien.” which is pretty much what he suggested on a notes call. Does the prop department keep real guns in the gun room? Ah, establishing his alibi with the pre-recorded game. Even as a whispering stick-up man, he sounds Shatneresque. Why the need to shred his robber outfit? I assumed Columbo would track the feather stuffing back to him. Ah, good. Fixing the watch. Clever. Chekov! “We never missed that show. What a detective!” Columbo and the missus are fans! “About your height.” “Average height.”Columbo sensitive about his stature. Strange how Columbo shrugs off the guy’s emotional plea to catch the killer. Columbo stumbling around like a producer visiting set for the first time. Did I mention that time I invited a producer for their first set visit – only to have them walk off the edge of the dark stage and face plant? Ah, the clumsy establishment of the Ward’s alibi. I really do like how Shatner is playing this. Columbo believes the robbery was staged. Lieutenant Lucerne is also on the case! He’s as savvy as his fictional counterpart. He also has answers for everything – the ring was too tight, the alligator bag was worn, why take the credit cards that could tie them to a murder? – thus, no doubt, making Columbo instantly suspicious of him. Meanwhile, Sid Daley is back on set producing the show as if his wife’s death was just a minor inconvenience. The Gopher always set his watch 5 minutes ahead – but his watch lost 5 minutes. Hmmmmm. Ah, the Jaws shark cameo (although I highly doubt it WAS the shark used in the movie). Another tip of the hat to director Steven Spielberg who directed the first episode of Columbo’s first season. Love the tete-a-tete between detectives. Fowler is full of himself and Columbo plays along beautifully: “No wonder you solve more crimes than I do.” “Where do you think he got the costume?”asks Ward. Now why refer to it as “a costume”? The mask had make-up on it. Hmmmm. “Good working with you.” And the two detectives shake hands. Brilliant. That giant blue thread on the trigger of the murder weapon! Planted evidence has never been more obvious. This is a fun scene of Columbo trying on Fowler’s shoes and hat. According to the lab, the mask contained four different shades of make-up. Ward: “I, for example, use precisely that product myself.” This reminds me of Hitchcock’s Witness for the Protection. “There were only four people who knew where Claire would be that night,” offers Ward’s alter-ego Lucerne. He’s his own worst enemy. On the other hand, one could argue he already knows Columbo knows this as well. “I was in theater in Toronto.” Ward Fowler’s humble beginnings are suspiciously similar to William Shatner’s. “Paying an actor that kind of money is insanity,”says Sid. “I think they [the studio] should have turned him down. I think he would have folded.” More inside gags. The safe held silver certificates and IOU’s from Ward Fowler! Aha! Sid was not playing chess that night. He was having sex with his assistant! This is a fun little scene with the video camera. Falk and Shatner look like they’re having a blast working together. Columbo accepts a glass of brandy. He’s back off the wagon! “Just might conceivably be Ward Fowler might be the man we’re after,”offers Lieutenant Lucerne. “Let’s examine the possibilities.” He’s his own worst enemy. He assumes Columbo has already checked with the Toronto police. He has. And discovered he was a Korean war deserter. “Does an intelligent woman destroy her only means of income?”posits Lucerne. Very good question. “Can I ask you a question, sir? Why don’t we just ask Ward Fowler whether he was being blackmailed or not”“I asked him.”“And?”“He claims not.”But does Lucerne believe him? “The army unit he deserted from was the artillery. He was an expert marksman. I checked on that too.”“He never told me that!”“You see. You never know.”Has Ward actually lost his mind or is he playing Columbo? What does Columbo believe? “That leaves us with Sid Daily.” “That’s a great third act line.” Waiting for… “Oh, one more thing.” And there it is! “Would you stop calling him Lieutenant Lucerne. He’s a television detective. You can’t conduct an investigation based on his suspicions.” Sid saying what we’re all thinking. Columbo lays it all out, exactly how he did it. “But as lieutenant Lucerne would say Where there is no proof there is no criminal,”says Ward. And he’s right. “You remembered to clean the gun. But you didn’t remember to do the same thing with the bullets.” Oh damn. That is a clever Gotcha. Ward snaps his fingers: “Damn. I had to forget something. That’s always how the third act ends.” Really more of a fourth or fifth ending but, inevitably, yes. “You see I have no rehearsal as a murderer. I am, after all, a detective.” He has a point. Even if he is clearly crazy. “And I believe that in this killing the murderer has the sympathetic part,”concludes Ward. “Does that satisfy you?” Works for me! I thought William Shatner pretty damn brilliant in this episode and loved his onscreen chemistry with Falk. Also, as someone who works in television and is also privy to Falk’s behind-the-scenes battles with the network, I very much enjoyed all the in-jokes. I thought the murder pretty clever and the ensuing investigative beats and Gotcha equally great. Now I now a number of fans bump on Ward’s seeming descent into madness as he bounces back and forth between himself and his alter-ego, Lucerne, but I was totally on board, embraced the lunacy, and, as a result, had a tremendous time with this one. My revised episode rankings: 1. Forgotten Lady, 2. Now You See Him, 3. Fade in to Murder, 4. Negative Reaction, 5. Any Old Port in a Storm, 6. Double Exposure, 7. A Friend In Deed, 8. Double Shock, 9. A Stitch in Crime, 10. Death Lends a Hand, 11. Suitable for Framing, 12. Publish or Perish, 13. Dagger of the Mind, 14. Requiem for a Falling Star, 15. Prescription: Murder, 16. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), 17. By Dawn’s Early Light, 18. Swan Song, 10. Troubled Waters, 20. Lady in Waiting, 21. An Exercise in Fatality, 22. Etude in Black, 23. Playback, 24. The Most Crucial Game, 25. Blueprint for Murder, 26. Lovely But Lethal, 27. A Deadly State of Mind, 28. The Most Dangerous Match, 29. The Greenhouse Jungle 30. Identity Crisis, 31. Dead Weight, 32. Short Fuse, 33. A Case of Immunity, 34. Candidate for Crime, 35. Mind Over Mayhem, 36. Last Salute to the Commodore. Finally, let’s consider the evidence and judge whether Ward Fowler would be looking at a GUILTY verdict or an ACQUITTAL. I think that, the prints on the bullets are pretty damning. If they can tie that gun to the murder, then I’m sorry to say Lieutenant Lucerne has solved his last case. GUILTY!
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