Day 225: Columbo, A Friend in Deed

Show: Columbo

Episode Particulars: S3EP8, “A Friend in Deed”, original airdate May 5^th, 1974.

 Summary: During an argument with his wife, Hugh Caldwell (Michael McGuire) accidentally strangles her to death. In a panic, he goes to his friend Mark Halperin (Richard Kiley) for help. Halperin goes to the Caldwell house, makes it look like Mrs. Caldwell was killed by the burglar who’s been robbing the area, then goes to his home (which is across the street), and pretends to see the burglar leaving the house. And that’s when we find out that Halperin is actually Deputy Commissioner Halperin, and therefore a member of the police. While Columbo is doing his usual routine, Halperin takes advantage of the various situations to murder his own wife (Rosemarie Murphy) and use Caldwell to provide Halperin with an alibi. It’s a complicated web Halperin is weaving, but Columbo knows exactly how to follow all the little threads.

Standalone Thoughts: I think we all knew an episode like this was inevitable. The idea of Columbo pursuing a fellow policeman was far too good for the writers to pass up. They even went a step further and had it be Columbo’s boss instead of just a colleague. That means this episode has a lot of potential…and I think it’s because of that potential that I feel let down by this episode.

I want to stress that I think this one is entirely my fault. Not only does the writer in me look at situations and try to imagine the various ways they could play out, but I’ve grown up in an era where TV shows have overarching plots and give their characters more development and depth. As a result, I think I set my expectations a little too high, even though I know things didn’t work like that in 1974. In a different era, the episode would have explored Columbo’s feelings and doubt about the fact that he suspected his superior of being a murderer, allowing for some great acting opportunities. There could also be some material about how Halperin is relatively new to the job or a transfer from another city, which would explain why he’s so impatient with Columbo’s methods when we’ve gotten the impression from previous episodes that his superiors tend to trust his judgment. Or they could have gone one step further and had Halperin be very aware of what Columbo was capable of, and then have to work even harder to cover his tracks. All of these would have been really interesting to see. As it is, Columbo never seems overly bothered about the situation, which I suppose is in character for him but just doesn’t feel right for this particular scenario. It’s like the Commissioner was just your average businessman instead of a cop, and I can’t help but feel disappointed by that.

That’s not to say that the episode’s a complete failure, though. Halperin is an interesting villain, thanks to his position and the fact that he apparently came up with the idea to murder his wife for her money the second the opportunity presented itself. There’s also a good sense of menace to him when you see the way he uses Caldwell, and if this character were in a movie rather than a TV show, he’d make one hell of a bad guy in a thriller. Although to be fair, I think he kind of was; I’d be willing to bet that part of the idea of this episode came from Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, given the whole concept of “One person murders (or in this case covers up) someone close to the other person and vice versa” that we see here. As they say, if you’re going to steal, steal from the best.

Anyway, borrowed or not, the idea is clever, as is the execution of the two cover-ups. As for Columbo’s investigation, while some of the facts come as a surprise to us (like the fact that the Caldwell maid had cleaned the house thoroughly that day, explaining a lack of fingerprints), others are kind of hinted at if you know what you’re looking for or are paying close attention, which is always satisfying. And while I’m not entirely sure that what Columbo did to catch Halperin was entirely above board (see “Would this hold up in court”), it does lead to a line you never thought you’d hear him say, and one I’ve always loved for that reason. There’s enough here that I think it will be enjoyable for almost everybody. Just…try to turn down your expectations a little.

Number of “Columbo-isms”: 4/6. There’s a brief mention of his wife, one scene containing two “Just one more things”, a recurring bit where Columbo’s having car trouble, and a bit of fumbling, including in Columbo’s first appearance in this episode, when he’s groping around in the Commissioner’s car to find the cigar he dropped. Which seems about right for him.

Other: *I’m simultaneously baffled and amused by the fact that the club Caldwell and Halperin frequent seems to consist of drinking and playing backgammon. Well, gambling is/was mostly illegal in California, so I suppose one needs to get creative if you want to bet on something. I just never would have figured on backgammon being the game of choice. It does make more sense than Solitaire, though.

*The scene where Caldwell tells Halperin about his wife’s death is odd for two reasons. The bigger one is why Caldwell felt comfortable enough to talk about the fact that he killed her in public; given how nervous he is, I’d have thought he’d at least have taken Halperin outside to avoid any chance of being overheard. Secondly, we never actually hear him say “My wife is dead”. He tells Halperin he needs to talk, they walk from the backgammon room to the bar, get a secluded table, and then Halperin says “Are you sure she’s dead?” There’s only one cut in this scene, so while it’s possible it happened during that cut or that we’re supposed to imply that he said it softly and we the audience didn’t hear it because of that, it still feels a bit odd that we never actually hear the words. It’s not a problem, though, just an oddity.

*When Halperin enters the Caldwell house to deal with the situation, a closeup on Mrs. Caldwell’s face reveals that her eyes are visibly moving (they’re closed, but they kind of twitch). I’m sure it’s very difficult to play dead, but I would have thought the giveaway would be the breath, not the closed eyes.

*Columbo not only has a pencil in his coat this episode, but he uses it to open cabinets to avoid disturbing any fingerprints. Which is further proof, as if you needed any at this point, that Columbo’s a lot smarter than he looks.

*At one point, a character discusses Mrs. Caldwell and intimates that she was getting older and either didn’t realize it or was trying to cling to youth by dating younger (or at least more exciting) men. He also says that she’s 36 years old. Maybe they judged age differently in 1974, but I wouldn’t consider 36 to be middle-aged, and I definitely wouldn’t bat an eye if a 36 year old was dating people in their mid to late twenties (the infidelity is a different matter). I’m going to chalk this up to the times it was made in and move on. Either that or this guy was really judgmental.

*Season wrapup: To be honest, this is the weakest season of Columbo so far. None of the episodes were outright bad, and there were plenty of good bits or ideas, but the majority of the episodes felt off in one way or another. Falk is still amazing in the role, of course, and I think these episodes would be perfectly fine if you happened to catch one on TV or staggered your viewing of them, but when you see them in rapid succession, it’s kind of a cumulative effect. I think it’s safe to say that this isn’t a show to binge watch—watching one a week would probably allow for maximum enjoyment. That being said, I’m not about to give up on Columbo; one “meh” season in a show where the episodes aren’t supposed to be related to one another isn’t a major cause for concern. Unless the show takes a nosedive from here on out (which I doubt), I’m sticking with the Lieutenant. He mostly seems to know what he’s doing, after all.

Would This Hold Up in Court?: I’m pretty sure Columbo’s method here, while clever, would qualify as shady, if not outright entrapment. Given who exactly is on trial, he’d better hope he gets more evidence, a good confession, and a sympathetic jury. Otherwise, he might well find himself off the force.