Fade in to Murder

I thought FADE IN TO MURDER was a very good episode of the Columbo show. The thing that you'll either love or hate about this is William Shatner as the guest villain. He plays a movie detective and is so larger than life that he dominates the whole thing. Shatner has never been so mannered as he is here and yet his character is completely likable throughout; in fact he plays one of the most likable characters of his whole career. I loved the bizarre interludes in which he gets interviewed by Columbo and adopts his TV detective persona, helping out the crumpled detective.

The rest of the production is above average. The opening murder sequence is surprisingly violent and arresting and unlike any other in the show. There's a fantastic little cameo from Walter Koenig which STAR TREK fans will love, and Columbo himself seems to be particularly bashful here and awed by Shatner's exuberance. The ending is one you won't see coming and FADE IN TO MURDER as a whole has the feel-good factor which makes it a delight to sit through.

Ward Fowler (William Shatner) is a successful television detective. However, his producer is taking advantage of him, as she knows he has a shady past and she threatens to expose him unless he gives her half his income. Not surprisingly, Ward is not pleased with this arrangement and it becomes the motive for his killing her. Using props from the studio, he stages a phony robbery and kills the woman.

When Lieutenant Columbo arrives on the scene, Ward behaves as if he, too, is a crime fighter. Again and again, this arrogant actor tells Columbo how to handle the case and time and again Columbo defers to the actor--pretending to be in awe of Fowler's detecting skills. Not surprisingly, Columbo gives the guy enough rope that eventually he does, figuratively, hang himself.

This was a very enjoyable installment of the series. Shatner was quite good as the egomaniac and the interplay between him and Peter Falk (Columbo) was quite enjoyable and clever. Overall, a very good episode with a well-conceived crime and investigation.

I found this to be one of the funniest episodes I've ever seen, even though most of them are funny, anyway. Falk and Shatner work great together. One of the funniest things is when Shatner's character is video taping Columbo and he has no idea how to act on camera. One of the aspects of Columbo that fascinates me is how he is able to almost befriend his suspects; that plays a great part in this episode. Don't miss character actor Timothy Carey's hilarious cameo.

I would probably have to say this is my favorite episode of this great series, as both Peter Falk and William Shatner have great chemistry together, and it's very obvious from start to finish that they enjoy each other's company and bring out the best in each other. I know that Shatner has basically become a ham of late, and although I'm not sure he planned for this back in 1976, one can easily see how he set the stage for his future career being one, and how many more fans he's acquired over the years. In this instance, he smugly portrays Ward Fowler, a television detective of all things, who murders a woman named Clare Daley, who he used to have an affair with; it turns out that she's blackmailing him by taking half of what he makes for a reason I don't quite recall, but it has to do with silver certificates. There's a few Columbo familiar faces like Timothy Carey, the unimpressive Shera Danese, and John Finnegan; also watch for Alan Manson and Danny Dayton, who I know from All in the Family(Hank Pivnik). For a good laugh, look for a poor imitation of the shark from Jaws, as this episode takes place on a film set. The best moments are the scenes between Columbo and Fowler, who seem enamored with each other, and constantly compliment each other too; watch for a few very funny scenes, especially when Columbo tries on Fowler's hat and platform shoes, and another good scene is when Fowler records Columbo acting silly on a new fangled and very expensive gizmo called a vcr. The ending is a bit of a letdown, compared to the rest of the show, as Columbo finally gets proof to Fowler's guilt, because he forgot to wipe clean a bullet in the gun he used to murder with. It's also slightly odd the way that Fowler acts guilty through most of the episode, as he must've thought Columbo was too fond of being with a celebrity to think of him as a murderer. Although I mentioned a few aspects which I had a problem with, I wouldn't hesitate to call this my favorite Columbo episode, mainly because the chemistry between Falk and Shatner was very real and entertainingly funny.

For Lieutenant Columbo this case must have been like looking through the mirror because he was facing a TV creation here. Of course the elegant, dapper, white suited Lt. Lucerne is so unlike the working class hero that Peter Falk made so immortal.

Our murderer here is William Shatner who as Columbo with his usual dogged style keeps seeking his company and getting bit by bit of information, goes in and out of his TV character. It also turns out that his name of Ward Fowler is also a pretense and he didn't just change it for stage purposes.

I won't reveal the reason, but it's why Lola Albright who was the producer of Shatner's TV show is murdered in a plot that predates the Mark Wahlberg film Four Brothers where Fionula Flanagan is killed during a convenience store holdup. She was also involved with Shatner at one time, but now she's blackmailing him and sucking him dry. It's all she has because husband Alan Manson is out stepping with Shera Danese.

I agree with another reviewer that the solution does come out of the left field bleachers, but the best thing that this Columbo episode has going for it are the scenes of Shatner and Falk together. A real duel of champions.