46:56 in. The cue has a slow speed, pausing for multiple seconds at a time, finally ending before Columbo says he spoke to the manager.^
54:20 in.^
55:55 in.^
57:09 in.^
59:58 in.^
1:17:00/1:18:53 in.^
1:20:45 in.
1:24:19 in.^
1:25:35 in.
1:30:22 in.^
1:32:00 in.^
1:34:00 in.^
I really am enjoying how with DeBenedictis' return, the scoring is returning more to its old form, making the music much more engaging and interesting.
Columbo: "You believe everything a cop tells ya, you're a damn fool."
47:51 in. Trumpet-lead piece implying a theme in the vein of "The Godfather".^
50:36 in. More of the above, with some additions, then transitioning to mystery scoring.^
57:15 in. And the cue after the commercial break.^
1:00:09 in.^
1:11:51 in.^
1:13:43 in.^
1:17:48 in.^
1:27:01 in.
1:30:04 in. Followed by the end credits, which is probably the best arrangement of This Old Man heard so far.^
Also starring Tyne Daly's surprisingly substantial boobs.
Oh, lord -- "Columbo" has de-evolved into using a jump-scare cat.
Watching this, it occurred to me: Peter Falk could have co-starred in a movie, playing a bumbling old crook. Imagine that and a score by Hamlisch or Barry at the time. That could have been interesting.
49:47 in. And the cue after the commercial break, which also includes another "The Godfather" theme knock off.^
58:15 in.
1:00:51 in. And the cue after the commercial break.^
1:05:18 in.^
1:09:25 in. Some super rare action music. Damnit -- that four-note end to the cue -- where do I remember that from??? Ooohhh, now I remember: "The X-Files".^
1:21:43 in.^
1:24:29 in.^
1:28:07/1:30:48 in.^
1:32:10 in.^
So, now we know what George Wendt does after he gets good and drunk at Cheers -- he goes out and kills a guy.
Man, Peter Falk has gotten fat suddenly. They're using his coat to hide the belly, but you can still catch it.
I think this is one only two or three times Columbo actually got attacked in all these "episodes".
Continuity Error: In an earlier season Columbo spoke Italian and said he was Italian (or Italian descent), but in this episode he can't and says he "never quite got the hang of it".
Continuity Error: Columbo turns down a drink, saying he's a cream soda type of guy, but in a prior "episode", he says he drink a little every night when off work.
26:28 in. And the cue after the commercial break.^
41:41 in.^
44:08 in.^
51:13 in.^
51:59 in.^
1:14:28 in.^
1:15:31 in.^
1:31:15 in.^
Trivia: I won't pretend to be a scientist, but when he said a lethal dose of cyanide is "Twelve ounces", I decided to do a quick look. I didn't find ounces, but 12.5 grams is a general lethal dose. Maybe the actors misspoke and said "ounces" instead of "grams" (Assuming the writers didn't get it wrong in the script). So then -- since he said apple seeds contain cyanide (which is true), how many apples would it take to kill you? No, it would be almost impossible. Learn something new every day: the body can actually process small doses of cyanide, and even the amount in apple seeds, has to be crushed or chewed to get the impact, and even then you'd have to eat at least 18 apples consecutively, and chew the seeds completely, to kill yourself with apples, since the typical apples has five seeds in it and it would take 150 or more seeds to do the dirty job.
So, do any other fruit seeds have cyanide in them? Yes. Here's a short list: Apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, cabbage and prunes. But it's the same thing as apple seeds, and it's even harder when the fruit is fresh.
The scoring of this episode is a little sparse and sometimes kind of in the background -- not as pronounced the prior episodes when Dick returned, so I suspect McGoohan tampered with this score, too, and a set of scoring will reveal dropped cues and alternates.
Very very sadly in real life, Peter Falk suffered from Alzheimer's and could not remember playing Columbo -- he had to be told/reminded about it in the last years of his life. I knew at some point I'd start to see something along the lines of dementia set in and sadly in this episode, I was getting hints. The family revealed the last four years of his life he suffered from a server case, but I suspect it started slowly setting in beforehand. This episode was about eleven years before he died.
2:05 in: I think that's the fake news theme music tracked from a prior episode ("Butterfly in Shades of Grey").
Patrick McGoohan makes is final appearance in the "series".
For me, any hints of that work as part of his characters disarming "bumbling" persona... check out this funny comedy sketch he did with the cast of ALIAS in 2003, around the same time of his final Columbo episode:
I think he was still brilliant in the role up to the end, whatever challenges he may have faced.
And while I'm sharing Columbo-related YouTube videos...
About 50:23 in: Something is wrong with Peter Falk. Look at the right eye (his left eye) -- it looks left while the other eye does not, and moves oddly.
Peter Falk's glass eye (which he sadly lost all the way back when he was three years old after being diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer) was so well known and acknowledged in pop culture, that Falk himself would get playful and joke about it on occasion, and here's a loving impression done by Kevin Pollack where he even plays with it in exaggerated form:
I didn't even know James Doohan was missing a finger until somebody posted a screen grab from an episode of "Star Trek".
I just assumed the befuddled eyes look was part of the facial and body mannerisms Falk used for the character. It wasn't until this episode that it stuck out so badly it looked like something was wrong with him.
Huh! I noticed and was aware of it almost from the beginning (a partial missing finger is much more easy to go unnoticed, on film I think), but then I grew up on Columbo because my father was a big fan and recorded a bunch of it off TV onto VHS.
Falk told a story about his glass eye--I don't know how old he was when he got it but apparently fairly young; on a talk show he related playing in a baseball game and being called out by the umpire when he was sure he was in--he walked up to the man, took out his glass eye and handed it to the umpire and said, "Here--you need this more than I do."
Regarding the Goldenberg scores, there's a "Columbo theme" of sorts in "Lady in Waiting" and "Suitable for Framing" at least--it might be tracked from the earlier score into the latter, but I'm wondering if it appears in any other Goldenberg Columbo scores.
This is an example in how to NOT score "Columbo". I understand some of the cues would work in the context in the club, but the entire episode is scored like the club. No set of scoring from the show should waste any space on this score. It's also over scored.
What a bad episode. And it looks and feels nothing like the rest of the "series". Peter Falk looks out-of-place here. And he's not only gone really really grey, but he's got a look in his face like he's maybe not all there.
Just a horrible way all over for "Columbo" to end. And Peter is listed as na executive producer on it. This should be struck from "Columbo" canon.
Examples of cues: 1:35, 4:02, 5:38, 10:30, 15:45, 31:59, 53:46, 1:18:43, and 1:27:21.
0:00/6:00 in. Score for a fake movie, that we see recorded at a film score recording session. Over three minutes long.^
11:15 in. And the cue after the commercial break.^
13:19 in.^
15:08 in.^
19:59 in.^
25:38 in.^
48:59 in.^
51:07 in.^
53:46 in. And the cue after the commercial break -- more fake movie scoring.^
58:53 in.^
1:04:52 in.
1:07:57 in.
1:14:40 in. More fake movie scoring. This fake movie score is better than most scores for many years now...^
1:25:30 in.
1:28:00 in.^
This episode is directed by Patrick McGoohan.
Yes, this is the episode where the killer -- a film composer -- looks suspiciously like Michael Kamen. I guess Zimmer realizes doing the same thing would become a second full-time job for him... ;-)
You know what would have been a good plot? Director rejects a score, composer kills him over it.
And that was that. No further TV movies, no spin-off's, no remakes, no failed pilots, and no plans that I could find (I won't count rumors here). This time, there was not one more thing.
Culled from BMI and ASCAP. In no particular order.
Harold Mooney. (listed as a music supervisor on the series)
Terry Woodson.
Henry Mancini. (he did the Sunday Night Mystery Movie Theme, but nothing specifically for this show)
Bonnie Cacavas. (listed with John Cacavas)
Sonny Charles. (listed with Dreith)
Lara DeBenedictis.
Edward Karam.
David C. Wilson. (listed with Goldenberg)
Richard Clements. (MUST have been for Goldenberg)
William Dryer. (listed with DeBenedictis)
Brian and Dean DeBenedictis.
Jon Epstein and Jerry C. McNeely.
Abe Osser.
Bernard Herrmann.
Burt Bacharach and David P. Robert.
Irwin Coster. (apparently just an arranger for classical source music pieces, like Vivaldi)
Frank Comstock.
John Peter Smalley. (listed with Markowitz)
Billy H. House. (listed with Dreith)
Richard I. Reicheg. (listed with Dreith)
James D. McAdams. (listed with Bonnie & John Cacavas)
As usual, there has been no [official] release of scoring from the show. If only Columbo was "in the neighborhood" at the studio vault all the time, maybe they'd give up and just make it happen already.
Other Threads I Have Created or Commented in About TV Scores:
PLEASE NOTE: There are some shows left off, that I created as place holders to new TV series, incase I wanted to cover then later, but changed my mind.
