Double Exposure

Welcome to the Shabby Detective, yet another Columbo podcast. I'm your host. Mike White joined me, of course, is mister Christashu. Mike, I'm feeling a little parched at the moment. Can I have some of that famous Mike White iced tea that I've heard so much about?

Sure, I've just got a cup right here in my projection booth. Oh whoa. On this episode, we were talking about the fourth episode of the third season of Colombo, Double Exposure. It was directed by Richard Quine, who had directed a few other episodes, at least Dagger of the Mind. I can't remember off the off hand what else written by the one and only Stephen J.

Canal. This is before he would go on to do Hill Street Blues and Rockford Files and just pretty much own the airwaves after a while, as well as Greatest American Hero with mister Robert Culp. Because mister Robert Culp is back, I don't think that we are done with Culp. I think he might show up one more time during the run of the show. But this is the Big Three.

This is the third of the Big Three for Culp here as Bert Keppel, the Doctor of advertise Ology, motivation research specialists. Man, oh man, he will not let you forget that either. I'm surprised he doesn't point to his degrees up on the wall. This guy's very very into his intellect here. And yeah, we've got yet another double murder.

Robert Middleton very thankless role for him as Vic Norris, and then Chuck McCann the Projectionist himself as playing a projectionist Roger White in this episode, which aired originally December sixteenth, nineteen seventy three. Oddly, this one was longer than it showed in its airtime. David Knigg has a great piece about this in his book about Colombo, where he talks about a whole opening that never made it to air, including we get to see the mentioned Tanya Baker, who's played by Arlene Martel, who has shown up once and will show up once again. Most people know her as Spock's girlfriend from the mock time episode of Star Trek to Pring. I believe yes, oh boy, yeah, she's pretty awesome.

Ironically, she's over in Lisbon, So, Chris, what did you think of double exposure? Chuck McCann, right, the way he holds his mouth, he always looks like he's smiling, and I love Chuck McCann. I have not seen him in anything other than in this is a very deep cut. I mean, obviously, I'm a huge fan of Ducktails, so I know he did a voice in Ductails, but and I just saw him in foul Play. But the thing that I remember seeing him in that makes when I think of him, this is what I think of is he was one of the people who told one of the jokes in the Aristocrats movies, an Aristocrat movie and his was about, you know, being hit over the head with a giant hammer or something.

And I remember I was like, Oh, this guy's funny. But I don't know what he's from. I don't know any reason as to what he would be from or who he is, and so and again a while ago, but seeing him here and now going and doing research and understanding like who he is and what the gimmick is and why he's a projectionist in this specifically, I found to be really funny. Because this this episode is great. I liked this episode a lot.

This is probably up there for me for my favorite episode of the show so far, because a Robert Culp is just fantastic in this episode. This is the best version of him so far, of the character that he's playing such just a such a piece of shit, like just because we all know someone like this guy who's just so full of himself, such up his own ass his abilities, his abilities precede him, you know, like that he's that kind of guy. I love that characterization. I think Robert Culp really leans into it in a fun way that makes him, you know, perfectly detestable, but at the same time you enjoy seeing him and Colombo go back and forth because there is a level of back and forth here that we don't that we don't see but we haven't seen in a while with the show.

Having the Chuck mccannon character in the episode benefits the episode overall because it gives Columbo someone else to play off of that isn't Robert Culp, who he plays off of a lot. I mean, there's a lot of Colombo and the villain in this episode going back and forth, and I like that, But I also like the there is Chuck McCann George Weiner is in this episode for a moment. Yeah, I enjoyed this episode a lot. I think this episode is really really good in a lot of interesting ways that both are similar to the episodes that I've liked so far, but also do something a little different. What about you important Louise Latham, She does not get very much to work with at all.

She is the wife and that's it. And Robert Kulp is doing his best to try to set her up and point Columba towards her, and Columba wants nothing to do with it. From the very first instant, He's just like, well, I know she, I know you didn't do it. And then from then on out, you know, keeps trying, Oh well Gunn was there. Oh and the only person that could use it was her, and it's like no, no, Columbo's just doesn't want to have it.

And yeah, the back and forth between these two guys, I think this might be the best back and forth that we've seen between Culp and fulk before, because you know, he was better than he was in his first appearance, and I think even better than he was in the second appearance here. He he doesn't have that rage at the surface. It seems to be hidden a little bit more, but you definitely know that it's there because it's Robert Culp. For me, I grew up on. Speaking of Chuck McCann, though, I grew up on The Far Out Space Nuts, which is not a good TV show.

It was him and Bob Denver and it was one of those Siden mardy Croft joints. But every time I say that I'm going to go to launch instead of lunch, it's because of Chuck McCann. Found him to be mesmerizing in this episode. I mean, I loved every time he's on screen. His back and forth with Columbo is really funny.

Like their repartee I think for me is like it's a it's kind of a standout moment of him in the projection booth and he's teaching him kind of these tricks of the trade and oh, you put the nickel there and it does. It's like, oh okay, and then he you know, the thing with the iced tea and why am I so thirsty? And all. I've loved all of that, But I mean, again, like the real stand out of the episode is the Bart Keppel character, who's just a dickhead. And you get the sense because again, like you mentioned, there is some footage that we don't see he's been doing this constantly to everybody and this guy is so repugnant and so beyond reproach that he just if you work with him, he's just gonna do this to you, is clearly what's going on to I guess.

So what I can't figure out is he's doing that to blackmail them, to get more money to keep working with them, I guess, or to retain his services, is what it seems like, I guess, which I mean again for like, of all the things for a Columbo character, the reason to do it, of course, he's doing it for the most capitalistic reason of all money. And that makes sense given that a what his character does for a living be the way his character acts throughout the entire episode. And see, if Colombo's episodes aren't about, what are they about? I mean, all of these episodes, for the most part, have been about someone trying to kill someone else for financial gain or to prevent financial loss in some aspects of something like the Eddie Arnold episode.

But for me, like the Robert coulf character, he's just such a standout that, like, like you said, like it's better than the other two times he's been on the show. But it's almost like he built up to this moment. It's almost like he's the character that he was and Death lends a hand and he's out of jail now, you know, because he was doing the same shtick and Death lends a hand the skull I'm going to blackmail you type of thing. And here what I'm guessing is, and from what I read from Kanni's book, it sounds like he Culp's character is using, uh, the Tanya Baker character to get in with our victim. And then he has all of these photographs of them together.

So there is you know, when he calls up and I guess he's pretending to be Chuck McCann on the phone because he's putting on that weird voice when he calls up. I guess he's doing that, and he has the photos and I don't know what his his whole motivation is with that, because it feels, you know, of course, there's the whole converter for the gun, which really plays a big role later on, but we don't really understand that or see that necessarily as much as we maybe should in this one. But hey, I agree with you. I'm like picking this apart a little bit because of that missing opening, but I agree this is very solid. It's got all these things that I love.

It's got this yet ultimate capitalist being fucked over. It's got technology both between the projector with the nickel in that final reel, as well as the or the middle reel, I should say, as well as the technology when it comes to subliminal advertising, and that fucking c Lumbo uses the subliminal advertising back against Peppel. Oh, I love it. You mentioned it, like to jump all the way to the end, like the moment that he gets him in. This is the fucking greatest moment of the show so far.

I will say though, However, for me, it is a little unbelievable that he didn't realize what was going on, because this guy is such an asshole. Again, like I go back to the idea that this guy is just such a Braggadocia's dickhead that I find it hard to believe he wouldn't have realized Columbo was doing what he was doing, given that he like grilled him incessantly. But again, I mean the characterization of this character, you could also see it as well. He just thinks that he's above it anyways, and so he's not concerned that he's gonna get caught to begin with, so he finds everything that he has done to be more or less air tight, and to be fair, it essentially is I mean, that's the thing Columbo really does have to get into the here to catch Robert Culp, because Robert Culp has every everything more or less squared away.

And you mentioned the barrel converter. I didn't realize that's what was going on initially, I mean until later on in the episode when he keeps going back to that lamp. But it does feel a little bit like the show is kind of withholding information intentionally, which isn't playing fair, which doesn't feel great. But the reveal is so impactful that I kind of just let it go. I don't really want to chied to the episode for it, but it is kind of lazy however you want to look at it.

It's a little convenient, is kind of the way it feels. But at the same time, I'm not a huge fan of a show withholding information, because especially a show like this has been more or less upfront with it. Outside of one other episode, which was the Martin Landau episode. You mentioned the strong, stronging cast here, and yeah, I was so happy to see George Weiner show up as that film editor guy. But I was also really happy to see Danny Goldman show up as the press photographer.

He was almost unrecognizable with that big, bushy beard that he has, but he's got that voice, that brainy smurf voice, that Young Frankenstein voice. He's the medical student that's taunting doctor Frederick Frankenstein at the beginning of Young Frankenstein. Oh my god, I love that, and I love He's just like, I don't know, lieutenant, you don't have a search warrant. He's like, no, no need for searcherran And I'm just here pointing at things and you're taking photos of me. I love it.

I know you're right, like everyone that shows up as secondary characters or even just kind of like, you know, like a hairy Hickocks type, which for me is like bizarre. Okay for me, there's one thing in this episode that makes no sense and in what universe is what Lumbo is doing. Okay, showing up and just eating the food at the crime scene. I'm sorry, I haven't had anything to eat. Like I love I love Colombo for that.

Like this is a Peter falkism that moment where he's like eating the caveyard. He's like, oh, fifteen dollars of caviar right here in my mouth, Like I I'm sure that it was in the script obviously, Like it's just such a fucking Falkism for him to be sitting there just like, hey, in this caveard that's really expensive and isn't this funny? Like and it is, but it's such a bizarre scene. But again, like with a with an actor like Harry Hickock's just being kind of so like genuine about it. It doesn't stick out, but it is weird that he's like, hey, you come have some of this caviars, Like I don't think that any of this is remotely allowed in any reality of police work.

Let me just have some. Let me sit down on this couch and just have some cannapa. It's like, I mean, what would CSI say about that? Right, like yeah, Ted dancing or you know the other guy who's yeah, yeah that shows up. He's like what the fuck are you doing?

Like eating the food at the crime scene, so you just see like pieces of cracker coming out of his mouth, which around it. I mean, that's a Frank Dreben move right. That's why it's like it's like oddly comical, but it's played straight too, Like the Harry Hickock's character is not like saying, what the fuck are you doing? He's like actively enabling this bizarre Columbo behavior. But again, it's Colombo, so okay, Like I kind of just give it a pass because it is Columbo.

So there you go. I've put this out there before. I don't think he actually has a home. I think he sleeps at the office. I think he eats at the crime scenes.

You know, I'm inclined to agree with you given what we've seen of his character in the show so far. He is clearly a guy who exists in a weird place in the world. And I don't know, I don't know what that place in the world is because again, like you said, like he's kind of a non human, like he's not a human being the way that he claims he is. But you're not saying he's a space alien like Dietrich from Barney Miller. No, but he definitely walks to the beat of his own drum all the time.

There is no question of that in my mind. Do you know one of the things I like about this episode is it is very spare with the Colombo isms, apart from this eating at the crime scene, and you know, there's there's at least one or two, you know, one more thing type lines. But we don't have dog, we don't have the car, we don't have I don't even know if he smokes in this episode. I mean it seems very light on Colombo touches, and I appreciate that. I think that Stephen J.

Cannell was smart enough. He was a fan of the show. Even though you're not supposed to write during the writer's strike. I think he was writing this, or at least coming up with the idea during the writer's strike. Once the writer's strike is over, he brings over the basically polished script and they're like, okay, yeah, we'll do this.

I wish he had written more episodes of Columbo, because I think that this one moves so fast and is so tight that it really works out well. I mean, there's certain things that we've seen before. Hey, I think I figured out how this guy murdered this other guy, So I'm gonna try to blackmail him, and I'm kind of an idiot about it, gonna ask for too much money and just be a little too greedy about things. I mean, Barbara Culp was never going to give Chuck mccannon that money whatsoever, any amount of money. Yeah, Like that for me is like that's why I say Chuck McCann's like a fucking dope in this episode.

He's like such an eighty but like the way he holds himself and the way that he looks it, oh shucks, oh shucks, bored, you're just gonna pay me like that? That's like literally like that like dumb, dumb character because like again, he's an idiot with a heart of gold. But like, in what fucking universe would you go to the person who you know is willing to murder people and go, hey, not only did I see murder someone? I could go tell the cops if I wanted to, but I'm not going to, so won't you pay me instead? Wouldn't tell the person who's murdering people anything?

Like he has to be played as that dope for it to be believable, And Chuck mccannon just plays a dope really well. Like it just you know, Oh, I'm trying to study for real estate, okay, right, my mom's kind of sick. Yeah, it's like this this guy, like there's a mom at home now that is not being taken care of because this guy's a moron. Like good job. Well, and it's so obvious when Culp comes into the theater and murders some you know, it's not his theater, it's not the center where they're showing these things, but still that you're going to murder your projectionist.

It's like, come on, Calumba's just like you might as well hang some bread lights on that buddy, right, yeah, man, that's and that's the other thing. Like again, Robert Colt just he really believes he is above everything with his ability to just yeah, murder his own projectionist in his own building. Yeah, and then not even on the street or anything, and make it look like a robbery. Who else is going to break into the projection bood the murder, Chuck McCann, I guess it'll it's the wife rights, it's Vic Norris's wife, who, for whatever reason, I guess she believed that it was him that called on the phone. I mean, the fantasy that Cope is building up just holds no water whatsoever.

And Columbo just doesn't buy it for a second. I mean, it's just you might as well just be hanging a big old guilty sign around your neck. Yeah, this is one of the episodes where I feel like Columbo knows it's Robert Colpe the moment he's talking to him, like there's you know. The guns come into play in this episode in an interesting way because, like we've already mentioned, there's a barrel converter which allows for Robert Colpe to shoot the gun, pull the barrel out, replace it with a smaller or larger, larger caliber barrel, and then it doesn't exhibit the signs of being shot, which is a really smart plot twist. I think it should have been using it different episode.

I think it should have been used in the Eddie Arnold episode, like anything else. Like it's what kind of what I like about this episode is legion. But what I dislike about this episode is kind of hard to square away, which is he has guns in his office. Why, Like, he's not a former military guy, he's he hasn't served, He isn't like, you know, ex Vietnam, which in the next episode there is that kind of thing, So like it could have even made more sense in that kind of episode with I don't know, it seems like sometimes there needs to be a moment of kind of thought put into characters in the way that they're murdering other characters, And does that make sense why they would do it that way if they have all these other opportunities to do it a different way, Because you could have had Robert Culp just choke Chuck McCann out with a length of film like and that would have been like and you know, you could have had little bit you know, this guy's having to get his hands dirty as opposed to hands off shooting someone the way he did before.

But I don't know, it felt like a little bit of a contrivance that it's like this guy has a barrel converter and he's like why why, Like the Eddie Arnold character would have made much more sense. And again, this character wouldn't have seemed as stupid straight up shooting people in his own building. Like I don't know, Like there is a level of like this guy just as fucking dumb though at the end of the day, like for as smart as he presents himself to be, he murdered someone in his own building. I get that he had a really interesting and believable alibi. But then he also has guns on the wall, like it's just again his character from Deathline Hand, who's a private detective or a private eye, would have made a lot more sense because, yeah, the guy who's doing the motivational research is not somebody that should have all these guns on his wall, but hey, it's America, get used to it, right exactly.

And he also top of the guns, he also has like look to be like like like like knives and like like tribal like it's I don't, I don't, I don't. I don't get that aspect of the episode, and that factors into the way that he's caught because he goes to find the barrel converter in the lamp, which reminded me of The X Files for whatever reason, with Mulder looking for the I think the alien murdering weapon and it's in the It's in the lamp, and I was like, when the other time I've ever seen anyone do anything with a cylindrical thing and a lamp is The X Files. But I wanted to mention, and this is what I mentioned last episode. There is a scene in this episode that I really enjoy and it's when they go to the grocery store.

It is unlike most of the scenes in this show that we've seen, there are other people running around behind them, like it's out in the open. I really enjoyed that scene because again it's that repartee there back and forth is on is on full display in that scene, and I loved it. And that jacket that Robert Kolp is wearing, man, holy moly, what a what a choice. That jacket is bright yellow with white fucking like detailing and accents, and he's got it's ross over in the front with a huge ZiT. Oh my god, Like he looks like a million bucks.

He really does. While we are picking on this episode, at times, I want to pick on the title. This is one of the worst titles. It just no sense. Yeah, Like whenever I say this title, like yesterday, I was like, oh, I got to watch Double Exposure.

Oh is that the one with Dick van Dyke. No, No, that's not the one with Dick Vandyke. That would make sense for the Dick van Dyke one when we get to it. This one, you know, like suitable for framing is better for this one because you're talking about frames of film. But obviously that's a perfect title for suitable for framing.

Just something else, like between the lines or hidden messages or something, you know, just not double exposure because that has nothing to do with subliminal advertising. We kind of touched on the subliminal advertising a little bit already, but I like, I think they should have leaned more into that. I think that they should have done more with it. I liked how he gets caught. I just think that the thing with the gun is kind of the weak part of that equation.

But I like the idea of Colombo, yeah going, oh my, this guy's doing the subliminal thing, so I should be able to get him the same way he got me. I like that a lot. I mean again, using our antagonist's own, you know, profession against them is something that I'm a huge fan of. I actually I think that works rather well. Yeah, and they've done it before, you know, they've done it before.

It's just this is the first time where it's like, yeah, I think that this is the best that I've seen. It like, works works really well, and they actually get a genuine reaction out of the Bart Keppel character being like, oh my god. But again, I go back to the idea of like, I do find it a little hard to believe that he wouldn't have thought Colombo might do that just based on the fact that he's meeting with the George Weiner character and he sees it and then he like exp There's the one scene that is a little strange is the second part of that scene, once George Weiner leaves. Robert Culp is just like being really strange with Lumbo because he's like giving Colombo everything that he would need to get him to incriminate himself, and I find it hard to believe that he as a character isn't realizing that's what's going on.

It is a little again, it's a weird kind of little rough edge in this episode and in otherwise really great episode. They do have to make the villain seem a little stupider in that moment and towards the third act for him to be caught, because otherwise I feel like this is one of the characters who might have been able to get away with her at least enough circumstantial evidence. I knew that he's going to get him with the subliminal stuff in the final film. I kept thinking of another episode, but it's not going to come about until the seventh season where there's a gun hidden in an elevator. So I kept waiting for him to go to the elevator and like take pictures inside the elevator.

So it's so weird how my mind mixed those two episodes up well, And I think, you know that moment where he goes to find the gun barrel, I think, I mean, again, that's a really good gotcha moment. It's just a gun. Guns don't need to be part of this episode. Is more I think kind of like the bigger takeaway for me is like they seem for someone as smart as Bert Kepel, like, why would you use a gun? It seems like a really easy way to get caught.

And yes, we understand that he has this barrel conversion kit and he has those guns on the wall, so it's a little bit like he's posturing. He's like, come and fucking catch me, prove that I did it. But why are you keeping it in your office? Why are you keeping the conversion barrel in your office? My friend?

Like what the hell? Yeah, throw that thing in a river or a lake or something, then melt it down and turn it into something else, but do not keep it in arms reach. Unless again, it's just he's being characterized as a man who thinks he's above everything, and that's reasonable for someone like him to just be like, I'm gonna just keep this in my office because fuck it, where else would I keep it? Which I mean does somewhat make sense based on real life serial killers and other people. I mean, BTK kept all of his trophies in his desk drawer in his office in a literal public building that was run by the city, like he kept it in his city city office, So it's not unreasonable to think, but he's Burt Keppel's not that kind of character unless unless, and again, this is the other thing that I wonder with that intro scene, would that intro scene have also fleshed out the idea that this is maybe not the first time he's done this, He's done this more as well, which would make sense why he's kept this barrel in his office, which makes sense why he keeps the guns there as a form of intimidation, but also like, should I need to, I can do it.

But at the same time, if that were the case, Colombo might have said something like, oh, yeah, this is keeps happening at this place, but that's not the case. Yeah, I never kept any trophies of my victims. I just ate them. He's got two things really working for him. One, he's got the alibi of his voice on the tape recorder, which is smart, which gives him also a ticking clock, and we don't really emphasize the ticking clock too much.

We just know he has to be back before the end of the film, but we don't know how long that film is, right. The other thing is he's got this guy who is incredibly thirsty, and he's making him thirsty. He's giving them all this salty caviat. He's showed them all these you know, images of iced tea on ice, showing him you know, desert scenes and offering him relief. Why not put something in a drink?

Why not maybe even put something in the caviar, but moreover, put something in a drink. Even if he's out in the hallway, he's just like, oh hey, you know, and like, obviously they don't have bottled water in nineteen seventy three, but you know, if he's just like, oh, well, here I happen to be at this coke machine or something and hand him over a tainted drink, that'd be nice. Or if he wanted to kidnap him and take him out to someplace else, put him, put his body in a car, drive him out someplace, and dispose of it there. You know, he's running off with his mistress or something. I don't know, but yeah, it feels like to your point, the guns are superfluous, we really don't need those, and that they are so displayed in his office it's a little much.

Well, and if they characterized him a little differently, it would have made perfect sense. It's just it never went there. Like all they would have had to have said was like, oh, you know, I'm ex military or I worked you know, you know, even go as far as to say like, well, you know after I got out of the military, when they were utilizing my services for subliminal films, because again and right, like why why not? I mean, this is this, this is the seventies, like this is prime time for that. But instead it's yeah, it's it's it's almost like the episode didn't go weird enough, like which, again, it's Columbo.

I'm not expecting it to get bogged down in the weirdness of its own narrative, but I think it kind of needed it here because we are talking about a concept here. I mean, the way he gets caught is subliminal insertion of images into the films. So there's some of it that's already kind of nebulous in the air. Why not go even further with it, like you said, with an MK ultra or like a mind control or just something to give us a sense as to why this guy who is ostensibly just a doctor has weapons on the wall of his office. If he's ex military, makes perfect sense.

The guns make perfect sense. Otherwise, I have a hard time getting to that moment with the episode, and I just I kind of wish it had gone any other direction. But at the same time, I like the episode so much I'm willing to just kind of okay, that's what you want to do with it. But I can't say I wouldn't have wanted a shot of Robert Kulp killing Chuck McCann with a piece of film. I think that would have been a great image, to have him choking someone that's off screen or something to that effect.

What we get I think speaks more to just well, guns are bad and guns are violent, and you know, it's a pretty violent way to kill someone is with a gun, but stabbing someone is much more personal. And again, the way Robert Kolp is talking to the character at the beginning of the episode, or the Vic Norris character, like it should have been more personal than it is, and it doesn't seem as personal as it could have gotten, especially with what is being threatened of the dismantling of clearly this guy's life work. I mean, if you want to talk about the zeitgeist, this episode came out in December of nineteen seventy three, and I don't remember which month Subliminal Seduction came out, but Wilson Brian Keye Subliminal Subduction is like one of the books about subliminal advertising, which really kind of rock the boat and pulled back the curtain of like, here's all of these ways that you're being manipulated by advertisers.

I'm sure that Don Draper was pretty upset by that when it came out, But they're having this episode the same year that that book comes out. Pretty smart. It's almost like when you're watching you know your law and orders, and you see a case that was just in the news. Well, and what's funny is when I think of subliminal messaging in films, I mean, there is only one movie that I think of, which is Room two three seven. I don't know how much of it is real in that movie and how much of it is just the Room two three seven people.

I guess the shining Room two three seven, the Room two three seven people. That's what I think of when I think of subliminal messaging and movies, and I don't know how much of that is real, Like, I don't know how much of that is legit or how much is just them kind of prognosticating that that's what Kubrick was doing. But they mentioned that book that you just mentioned in Room two three seven, and they talk about you know, the sex and the ice cubes and like, and that is like this, like you said, like this was part of the public discussion at the time, and this was a thing that people were thinking about. And I mean Robert Culpi even mentions like they've outlawed it, they didn't allow us to do it because it's you know, and like, yeah, this is all levels of factual, levels of reality.

And that's and again I also think that's why I like this episode so much is because it does feel like it's part of that Columbo discussion of like cutting edge technology coming into play in the seventies, like ooh, answering machines, Like remember because that was one of the episodes, Like it's the answering machine and like the what was the other thing was like the it was like not closed circuit TV, but that's in this episode. But the like the the in like the inside office phone line. Wasn't that in one of the episodes. It was just like in the last episode where he's white and for that like to show up right right, So like I love that it's also still on like would be like you mentioned the cutting edge of things at the time, like Colombo is contending with real world criminals who are utilizing real world technology, Like I I all have always liked that aspect of this show, and this episode is like it is right in the conversation for like the best usage of technology so far and the show's run.

I'm trying to remember because there was another movie in I want to say it was a TV movie that was about an advertising agency, and I want to say that Lee Majors from the Six Million Dollar man, I want to say that you might have been in that because I remember there was a there was a movie that Craig Baldwin did, and you know, Craig Baldwin's all about the found footage stuff, and he was taking a lot from this movie and I was like, what is this. This looks fascinating and I found it for like a dollar at a dollar store and I have you to watch it, but looks pretty cool. I'm a fan of really getting into these kinds of conversations and like what this movie is talking about. I'm I am. I am a huge fan or this episode.

I'm a huge fan of what this episode is trafficking in the world of film and subliminal and like what what can you make someone do without them knowing? Like I'm a huge fan of that conversation and all of that, and I appreciate any cinema or media that is interested in having that conversation or ut because Yeah, the moment where Robert Colp again kind of realizes what's happening is it's one of the great moments in this in this show. I think by the time we're done with this, I think it will still stand out for me as like I mean, because we talk about suitable for framing all the time, and this is right up there for like a genuinely like horrified reaction by the antagonist that like Colombo's wherewithal.

But again, I think I think Colombo was just getting Robert Culp to explain everything just so he could be like, yep, you know what this is, so you know when I do this that I've got you. I don't think Colombo had to have anything explained to him. I think it was just for the benefit of him going He's going to bury himself here and I'm going to give him the shovel and let him do it. And yeah, I think if you could really any condemnation of this episode for me really does go to the guns and that being unrealistic. But also, I mean, again, I give this episode a pass in Colombo knowing it's Robert Colp.

I have complained about that before that Colombo knows the moment he's on screen who the who the villain is and who how catch him is already obvious. But I feel like Robert Colp in this episode did it to himself, like it's his own goddamn fault. At this point, if they didn't think it was you immediately. I don't know who they would have thought it would have been. Well, when he gets caught in the lie about the tape recorder, right when he's just you know, when he sends the film back immediately, you know, people act differently when they're upset.

Lieutenant like, yeah, right, I don't think so, my friend. So you've finished opening the mail after you found out about your brother's death, you know, all those things that Colombo loves to do. Any I love the withering look that Culp gives to George Weiner after he's explaining the subliminal stuff to Colombo. That's great. It's like, oh, are you gonna go check that thing?

And I love that Culp. Like I said, he's not big in this epist and he never really gets big. He never busts out what that rage that Colp has. And he almost has like an affect to his voice at certain times where I'm like, is he putting on an accent or what is this whatever he's doing, I love it think that he just kills it. In this episode.

There are some moments where he's like walking away from Colombo and he is so beyond annoyed. He's like, all right, bye, take care whatever the fuck. He's like trying is so hard to get away from this little man who is antagonizing him, but yeah, he never lets it slip. I think, I think you're right, Like this performance really is just like it's a masterclass in this kind of acting and this expectation, but also doing that thing where you can't give up that you are the villain. You can't a hero, know that, because that's the intention here, but you can act supremely annoyed with him, which he does.

He's just so annoyed, and that's I mean, that's the energy instead of that anger. I like that he's just like frustrated. It's like Robert Colp is frustrated this entire episode that this fucking guy I don't know that. Every time he leaves those interactions with Columbo, he's just like, this fucking guy just will not leave me alone. And I'm not saying you don't get that with a lot of the other villains in this show, but you get to see it more with Robert Colp.

His level of exasperation, like like I mentioned with him going into the grocery store, like he doesn't want him there, he has to deal with the fact that he's literally interrupting the work site. Now this guy is interjecting himself into this man's business of making money, and he's just like, would you just fucking leave? But he can't say that to him, But he can, but he can't. And it's that body language that Robert Colp has that like I think you mentioned it early on when we started this show, like he is one of those people that when they show up, like he's a standout, and yeah, he he he really is for me so far, like he's the He's the one Colombo villain to beat in terms of genuine characterization that can go from character to character and be different, but also the same level of just frustration or anger is there.

It's just Colpe's ability to mask it and let it come through is really smart. So we've had Cope three times and we're about to have Jack Cassidy a second time. I'm really looking forward to having the return of Jack Cassidy as we come back next month and talk about Publish or Perish and this one, I don't know if I really remember it from the title, So excited to revisit this one again. Because I definitely remember Jack Cassidy's third appearance and obviously his first appearance, but I don't know if I remember this second one, so I'm curious to see how that goes. I'm excited to talk about it.

I have seen it a couple times now because I just let Peacock keep going and I haven't gotten any further than the next episode. But I am excited to talk about it. It's very different this episode in a very fun way. This is a fun I mean this for me, like genuinely one of the best episodes of the show so far. For sure, for sure for me, like I'm I'm glad like watching this show and getting to see an episode like the one we just talked about.

Is the reason I like doing this is this is an episode I will come back to outside of this show, and that is a success. I think a success of this show is being able to be like I want to watch this or this or this and like, Okay, this show is really flexing its creativity and its quality in this third season. Like this third season has been really good for the most part so far. Yeah, I'm digging it, and I'm glad you're digging it too. I was a little afraid with you know, all the double murders, like we talked about at one point would that be effective?

Would it not? But so far I'm with it. I enjoyed this episode immensely and I'm really looking forward to the next one. But this is a really, really good one. Well, Chris, until we come back next month to talk about some more Colombo.

What are you working on these days? Audio audio audio all available at weirdingwaymedia dot com. You and I do this show together. We also talk about another seventies now eighties cop show, Barney Miller. We've also covered colcheck the Night Soccer.

We also cover horror anthology TV shows with Midnight Viewing. And then I do the Culture Cast, which is a weekly movie podcast. If you're into movies, you should check it out. And if you're not into movies, hey, okay, cool, what about you, Mike, who's not into movies? Plenty of people it's weird to me, but I hate yeah yeah, really I prefer books.

Books are fine. I'm not making fun of books, I hope not. No, you know, so you want to do a podcast off books? You know what I mean? Yeah?

Yeah. When I was in high school, I got made fun of for using dictionary words, and I still wanted to ask them, well, what words aren't in the dictionary? But right anyway, Yeah, for me, I'm pretty much doing the same thing. But most of the things that I deal with our around movies, except for all of the nineteen seventies TV shows and now I guess eighties TV shows. When we are on the Midnight Viewing podcast and now we're talking about the dark Side, which is a nineteen to eighties show.

What the hell? This is a very off brand for me, Chris, And then pretty soon Barnie Miller is going to be in the eighties as well. I'm gonna be totally upset. I'm not gonna know which way is up. Wouldn't it be a shame to deal with the times man?

Next thing, I know, it's going to lead me to harder stuff like talking about this week's movie releases. Oh God, topicality be damned. A g pous n