Columbo: A Bird in the Hand

"A Bird in the Hand" from 1992 is a terrific late episode of "Columbo," but it doesn't follow the formula.

Greg Evigan plays Harold McCain, the gambling nephew of Big Fred (Steve Forrest), the owner of a football team. In trouble with mobsters, Harold realizes he doesn't have much hope of getting money from his uncle; however, since he's been romancing his alcoholic aunt by marriage (Tyne Daly), she might be good for it. He devises a pipe bomb to place under his uncle's Rolls.

This episode has a couple of major twists. Just don't think about the denouement. I can't say much else without involving a spoiler, but having dealt with dead weight myself, what is described would involve two people huffing and puffing.

The acting is terrific from everyone involved, with one unsung hero - G.F. Smith, the salesman in the Rolls Royce showroom where Columbo goes to figure out how the bomb was planted. The look on his face when Columbo unfolds a sheet of paper and starts talking about "the bomb" is priceless, as are his efforts to get Columbo out of the showroom to perhaps investigate more privately. A brilliant scene.

Very entertaining, right down to the beautiful rendition of Rags to Riches by a young Tony Bennett.

This episode may have been weakened by three people being killed off, with possible multiple culprits.

As in some other episodes, there is delightful chemistry between Columbo and his quarry, in this case played by Greg Evigan. Evigan's reactions and timing are impeccable.

Tyne Daly works hard, but not too convincingly at first, at being a middle-aged boozy ditz. However, when her husband is killed, she takes control of his football team and his money, the latter always needed by her younger lover, Evigan, for gambling debts; this transformation has a perverse appeal.

Noteworthy, too, is a scene when Columbo, in his rumpled coat, walks into a very proper Rolls Royce showroom and is all over the engine compartment and underneath the car threatening to take something apart, all this to the delight of a gathering sidewalk crowd.

Of course, I love Columbo. I must have seen this episode a few times whether on network or cable television. It is still worth watching. You have to love watching Peter Falk. Of course in the real world, murderers are not that smart as they appear on Columbo. But this is fiction and a detective show, the criminals are more than cardboard characters. This film is quite a mystery and I do miss Columbo episodes even the newer episodes today. Tyne Daly is one of America's best recognized actresses. I have seen Tyne on Broadway in Gypsy and she is still one of the hardest working actresses today whether film, television or stage. Tyne plays against type in this film and I won't spoil the plot for anybody. I love Greg Evigan and I'm from his hometown so I'm a little biased toward him. Of course, the episode could have been better but I still love Columbo and I always will have a soft spot in my heart for him. He reminds me of my own father in some ways.

It could be just me but I though that this was a wonderfully written Columbo movie. It's the type of story that would had also worked out for a regular movie thriller. The movie offers plenty of twists and surprises in it and slightly differs from the usual Columbo formula.

Of course in a way all Columbo movies are mostly predictable, since they are basically all the same. This movie perfectly plays around with this. Every time you think something is going to happen in that way, it happens in a totally different way. Even the murder(s) within this movie occurs in an unexpected way. What the movie does well is building up its tension. It's really thanks to the movie its very well written script that this movie works out so solidly, despite being somewhat different from the usual successful Columbo formula.

It isn't really thanks to the acting though that this movie works out so well. Greg Evigan is really one horrible actor, who is terribly overacting within this movie. Luckily the movie still features Tyne Daly who plays a real good and also fun role. There also are some solid supporting actors within this movie, such as Don S. Davis, Steve Forrest and Frank McRae. Of course Peter Falk is also in good form again, although he really looked quite old in this movie. It's perhaps also maybe true that he isn't as much in this movie as in most other Columbo movie entries. This movie just also focus a lot on the interaction between the Tyne Daly and Greg Evigan, which pushes Lt. Columbo a bit to the background at times but of course he still has plenty of screen time and he does all of the usual things and investigations and interrogations you expect to see him do.

Despite not sticking entirely to the formula, the movie still features all of the right required Columbo movie ingredients, such as its comedy. It makes this movie also real pleasant and fun to watch.

Director Vincent McEveety directed quite a few Columbo movies in the '90's and it doesn't seem like a coincidence that some of his movies are among the best Columbo movies of the '90's. His movies always slightly differ from the usual Columbo movie entries, which often make them unexpected as well as original and also perfectly watchable movies for those who aren't really familiar with the Columbo-series.

A real recommendable Columbo movie entry.

8/10

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This episode sticks more to the traditional formula, although it does not feature enough of the expected "cat and mouse" Columbo/murderer fun. I suppose that is the main failing for Columbo fans. However, it is well done, on all levels, without the goofy plot or setting of some other of the final episodes. Tyne Daly is great, as expected (she plays an enebriated but happy woman very well) and Greg Evigan also does a creditable job. Very entertaining overall.