Day 209: Columbo, Blueprint for Murder

Show: Columbo

Episode Particulars: S1EP7, “Blueprint for Murder,” original airdate February 9^th, 1972.

 Summary: Elliot Markham (Patrick O’Neal) is an architect who wants to use the money of Texan Beau Williamson (Forrest Tucker) to fund the development of an entire city. When Beau gets wind of this (it’s his wife Jennifer [Pamela Austin] who’s really supporting the project), he puts his foot down, leading Markham to murder him. But he didn’t count on Beau’s ex-wife Goldie (Janis Paige) phoning the police and suspecting Beau of going missing, which means Columbo is now on the case. And he’s growing very suspicious about a recently filled in hole on Markham’s latest construction site…

Standalone Thoughts: I’m kind of indifferent to this episode. The unique little detail of the crime (there almost always seems to be one in Columbo episodes) is neat, and I love that Goldie goes against a lot of the ex-wife stereotypes and is an interesting character in her own right, but the execution is just kind of by the book. Columbo’s reasoning for suspecting Markham is pretty weak, there are a lot of stereotypes on display (Beau hits a lot of Texan clichés, and goes one further by having a pistol literally stuck on his car door), and there’s some unnecessary padding. Don’t get me wrong, the scene where Columbo has to deal with building code red tape is both amusing and sympathetic to anyone who’s had to wait at the DMV, but it goes on a little too long and doesn’t serve that much of a purpose. Similarly, there’s some drama at the very end involving a flat tire that absolutely isn’t essential and feels like it was just there to make the episode fit the time requirements. It’s not a bad episode, but it’s not one I would have chosen to end the season on.

Now all of that being said, this episode is notable because it was actually directed by Peter Falk. Overall, I’d say he did a decent job (although there was a bit of unnecessary camera trickery in one scene), and he certainly didn’t seem to have trouble dividing his time between his acting and directing duties. This was his only directing gig as far as I know, but I wouldn’t have minded if he’d done more directing work here and there. But as with many things, I’ll take what I can get.

Number of “Columbo-isms”: A definite 2/6 (“Just one more thing” and fumbling for a match), and there’s a glimpse of Columbo’s car near the end, but it’s so brief (and we never see him driving it) that I’m not sure if it should count or not. Definitely worth mentioning, though.

Other: *The opening of the episode feels a bit like a callback to “Murder by the Book”, since there’s no music for a long stretch and the only sounds are footsteps and, later on, the clack of a typewriter. We don’t even see a person’s face for nearly a minute. I’m not sure if the similarities were intentional, but I like it all the same.

*When Columbo is examining Markam’s office and talking to his secretary (Bettye Ackerman), she responds to his questions with “Yes, it is” four times in a row. It’s an odd repetition that serves no purpose, though at least it does show the effect Columbo can have on people.

*I’m a little surprised that Beau’s coat being draped over the back of a chair and seemingly overlooked by Markham wasn’t considered a piece of evidence. In fact, it’s not even commented on verbally or visually by the episode; it’s just something eagle-eyed viewers will notice. I guess that means I’m getting into the spirit of things, though…

*Columbo makes a pun in this episode, and I think everyone in the scene knows it. It’s obvious and groanworthy, but that’s what a good pun’s supposed to do, so I’m absolutely in support of this.

*Season wrap-up: Even if the last two episodes weren’t as strong as the prior ones, the season as a whole is so much stronger than Poirot’s first season. There’s way fewer annoying elements, the plots are creative and play fair almost by design, and it just feels way more entertaining than Poirot. Although they do have one thing in common; both Suchet and Falk stepped into their roles and played them perfectly pretty much from the get-go, so there’s not much to say on the acting front. Anyway, I’ll be leaving the Poirot comparisons by the wayside from here on in and focusing on what the show does right or wrong on its own terms. But so far, I’d say they’re mostly doing it right.

Would This Hold Up in Court?: We have an unquestionable yes this time around. Markham was caught red-handed; you don’t get more conclusive evidence than that.