A Stitch in Crime

I liked this episode,Nimoy is excellent and believable as a non-alien, Columbo getting the raving hump when Dr Mayfield laughed right in his face was classic,but the only thing I thought was off was Will Geer's portrayal as Dr Heidemann. He wasn't really the right choice for a doctor,he looks too much like a country bumpkin,not a professional person at all. The weirdest part was right after getting the news about Nurse Sharon Martin, he displays a little shock at first, then in the next sentence he's chuckling away asking Mayfield when he thinks there'll be an improvement in his own heart condition! That didn't ring true to me at all,but a very good entry in the Columbo Canon nonetheless.

In this episode of Columbo, Peter Falk takes down a doctor who is one cool customer as he plans what he thinks is a truly inventive homicide. As his adversary here is Leonard Nimoy who gave us the ultimate in cool under fire in Star Trek as Spock we know we are in for a good battle of wits.

The problem is that Nimoy intends to murder his colleague Dr. Will Geer so he can take over a research project. Certainly something hard to prove except to Anne Francis who catches on really early because of her medical training. That necessitates her murder, done a bit more crudely, but still with Nimoy throwing some real good red herrings in the mix for Peter Falk to field. And there's yet a third murder to cinch up the reason for the Anne Francis murder that has nothing whatever to do with the hospital or Will Geer.

Three murders and like his Spock character, Nimoy doesn't bat an eye. He really turns his Star Trek persona for evil in this Columbo episode. Although Falk notices something that Nimoy inadvertently does when they first meet to zero in on him, still Nimoy is one good adversary.

For fans of Columbo and of Mr. Spock.

I have loved most of the Columbos. This one is a favorite because of the cast: Leonard Nimoy, Anne Francis, Nita Talbot and Will Geer. There's a wonderful relationship between Geer and Francis, which makes the murders all the sadder.

Nimoy plays a doctor, Dr. Barry Martin, working on a promising research project with an older doctor, Heideman (Geer) who is more conservative. Martin wants to get the work out there; Heideman wants to do more tests and is conversing with another doctor. Since Martin has only attached himself to this project and not done a lot of real work, he's unhappy at the idea of someone else coming in.

When Heideman needs a valve replacement, Martin operates. After the surgery, a nurse (Anne Francis) realizes that he used a different kind of suture. It's actually dissolving suture, so in a few days, it will kill the doctor. Martin kills her before she can investigate.

Of course, leave it to Nita Talbot to provide one of the funniest Columbo scenes, where she describes the differences between herself and her roommate, Francis. Paraphrasing: "She is kind and devoted to helping people, so she works in a hospital...I am only interested in shallow things like money, so I work for a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon." She's fabulous as always.

Great episode, and as someone else said, it's great because you're just not sure how Columbo will get this guy. Also, Martin's arrogance causes Columbo to lose his temper in a great scene.

One of the best.

A STITCH IN CRIME is one of the finest of the early Columbo episodes. In fact, my only complaint with it is that it's too short, and I would have liked an extra twenty minutes of watching Columbo harassing Leonard Nimoy's villain before the final denouement.

The hospital setting of this story makes for a fun change of pace and there's a notable increase in character comedy from Peter Falk, whether it's cigar stuff, the boiled egg scene, or filling up his plate at a buffet. Nimoy makes for an excellent guest villain and his many scenes with Falk are very well acted and very good fun.

The crucial murder scene is far more complex than normal and involves multiple victims. Nimoy is a proactive villain who goes out of his way to cover up his crimes, so the thing becomes something of a cat and mouse game between detective and killer. The script and production values are exemplary and I can think of nothing to dislike about this one - except I wanted more of it!

What a great "Columbo" episode. For fans, this has everything. A brilliant adversary. A tricky plot. Deftly chosen jokes. And a twist ending that comes like a thunderclap.

Dr. Mayfield (Leonard Nimoy) is a surgeon with an ingenious scheme for murdering the kindly Dr. Hidemann, his infuriatingly cautious partner in a research project. But Hidemann's devoted nurse (Anne Francis) catches on to the scheme, and Mayfield murders her to prevent discovery. It's up to our Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) not only to find out who killed the nurse but prevent another murder from taking place.

Two things often trip up even the best writers of this series. One is the ending. Too often an episode ends with Columbo revealing a damning piece of evidence that doesn't seem all that damning. Or he tricks the killer into giving himself away, which never quite feels satisfactory. I won't give away this ending, of course. Let's just say it'll please the most demanding fan.

The other thing is the comedy scenes. Columbo affects dimwittedness and bad manners to trick his quarry into underestimating him. But too often the writers seem to think that he is genuinely a buffoon. For instance, there's a terrible scene in "Dagger of the Mind" where he inadvertently creates havoc at an airport. It's not funny, and it's not our Columbo. "A Stitch in Crime," by contrast, has some splendidly comic moments where he is not a clown, just a bit inattentive to manners. What he does with a hardboiled egg is priceless.

He also has the standard scene where something makes him queasy. In "Ransom for a Dead Man" it's the airplane ride. In "Dead Weight" it's the boat ride. Here it's hospitals, especially the operating room. But I like how he's able to steel himself when it really counts. I also love a novel moment. We actually see our faux-obsequious detective drop the pretense and lose his temper. I don't think he's done that since "Prescription: Murder."

Leonard Nimoy is essentially Mr. Spock in a white coat. His Dr. Mayfield is better able to keep his emotions at bay than just about any other murderer in the series. He makes brilliant move after brilliant move, but Columbo checks him every time. And then in the very last frame: checkmate.