Short Fuse

I am a huge Columbo fan, but while Short Fuse is not one of the worst of the series(Last Salute to the Commodore is for me the worst of the pre-1989 episodes, and No Time to Die, Murder in Malibu, Grand Deceptions and Dead Weight were also underwhelming) it was one of the weaker and blandest entries of that time period. I'll start with the good points. The locations and photography are stunning, the direction was solid enough and the music is well composed and fitting with the mood and period. Peter Falk is brilliant as always, embodying the iconic detective in the way that only he can do. In terms of any effective scenes, the best were the pretty clever murder sequence and the ending.

However, there are a number of problems, including a script that is lacking in wit and fluidity, a story that is good in concept and reasonably well paced but with plot twists that feel laboured and a lack of chemistry between Falk and MacDowell(when there is any it feels vague), disappointing considering that this is one of the best things about Columbo. Roddy MacDowell's performance is nowhere near the worst of the series(Andrew Stevens in Murder in Malibu and almost the entire cast of No Time to Die) but it was a performance lacking in subtlety and felt over-the-top in places, especially the laugh. In conclusion, enjoyable but fell short.

6/10 Bethany Cox

This one has Roddy MacDowell as the chief villain, a conniving and brilliant member of a family that owns some kind of gigantic chemical plant, only two victims away from the presidency. Good support too, from James Gregory (huffing and puffing), Anne Francis, Ida Lupino, and William Windom.

In order to eliminate the two obstacles to his career path, MacDowell blows one of them up with an exploding cigar and frames the other one for fornication and first-degree mopery.

Comic moments include Colombo being forced by circumstances to take a 15-minute ride on a tram suspended from cables, at times half a mile above the earth. Steve Bochco was the story supervisor and he knows his character. Colombo is frozen with fear but never speaks a word, perhaps unable to. He just stands there like a statue, avoiding the windows, while his guide points out all the scenic features.

The climax is good too, however implausible. MacDowell is led to believe that the exploding cigar is now aboard the tram, along with him, Wisdom, and Colombo. As the time passes and the moment of destruction ticks nearer, he becomes more nervous, finally betraying himself by becoming hysterical and ripping the box of cigars out of Colombo's hands.

It's lots of fun.

Curious note: Both Falk and Anne Francis were raised in Ossining, New York, the site of Singsing Prison, born only a few years apart. Falk visited his home town recently on a kind of nostalgic tour. Arriving, he was greeted by an enthusiastic, cheering crowd, raised his hands, smiled gratefully, and announced, "I gotta take a leak."

This was an entertaining segment with an impressive cast of actors, which include Roddy McDowall, Anne Francis, James Gregory, Ida Lupino, William Windom, and Jason Wingreen. That is quite a cast! Let me get the bad out of the way first; that is, the guilty party usually acting too cocky when they should be the opposite, such as Roger Stanford(McDowall)does here. Also, the song that plays in the club while Gregory's character(David L. Buckner)gets blown up in the car may be the worst recorded song in the history of music. It's that bad! The good parts include a fairly original kill, a mountain railcar, Roger's cool car, some nice outdoor shots at a huge plant, and one of the funnier moments in the series that has Columbo accidentally shooting silly string all over his head. Although I mentioned above that the killers act too guilty, the final scene wasn't something I expected, and that adds to this fun segment.

I love Columbo and I think these episodes from the early 70's are always an interesting time capsule. Probably the only episode to feature Silly String! I wonder if that was a recent invention at the time? I don't have a review so much as a question - what happened to Columbo's fear of heights in the last scene? Riding the tram seemed to make him sick the first time, but he couldn't be more cool and collected when riding it at the end?

It should have been Sir Roddy McDowall in my opinion. Why he never got knighted for his contributions to acting and drama, I will never know. This episode also feature Ida Lupino, another legendary actress, writer and director herself. Sir Roddy as I will call him plays a genius character who wants too much from his stepfather who played the evil Vice Presidential candidate in the original Manchurian Candidate. His plan is ingenious but there are exceptions being that Sir Roddy's character is still no match for Lieutenant COlumbo's genius. You have to laugh with him at the end of the film. Like most COlumbo episodes, you have to pay attention. We know who kills the character but how does Columbo catch him or her in some cases is just as fascinating as the episodes themselves.