Columbo - Season 5 (Remastered) (1975)

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General		Extras
Category	Crime Drama	None
Rating
Year Of Production	1975
Running Time	493
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (3)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Harvey Hart Ted Post Patrick McGoohan
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Peter Falk Sam Jaffe Janet Leigh Maurice Evans Leslie Nielsen Patrick McGoohan Ricardo Montalban Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. Jack Cassidy Robert Vaughn
Case	?
RPI	$39.95	Music	Bernardo Segall Jeff Alexander

    At this stage, it seems wasteful to spend too much time introducing this gem of a show. Columbo stars Peter Falk as the titular homicide detective, who is always seen wearing his iconic rumpled raincoat, smoking a cigar. Lt. Columbo is a highly intelligent policeman who likes to let suspects believe that he’s dumb, when he is in fact one step ahead of them at all times. Each episode of Columbo is essentially a feature-length movie, running between 70 and 95 minutes, and it’s a far different type of show to the likes of Law & Order or NCIS.

    As with Season 4, this particular season of the show only features six episodes, which are spread across three discs for maximum possible video quality. Here’s what we have:

Disc 1

Forgotten Lady (93:35)

    Aging former movie star Grace Wheeler (Janet Leigh, Psycho) aspires to make a comeback, but her wealthy physician husband Henry Willis (Sam Jaffe) refuses to financially support Grace’s return to the spotlight. In response, Grace murders Henry, cleverly passing it off as a suicide, with her butler (Maurice Evans) believing that Grace was in her private screening room at the time of the killing. However, Lt. Columbo is not easily deceived despite being a fan of Grace’s work, and he becomes determined to figure out the truth.

    This Season 5 opener is easily the best episode of the set, and still stands as one of the better Columbo adventures in the show’s history. Leigh brings so much gravitas to her role, allowing Grace to come across as sympathetic, and her interplay with the ever-reliable Falk consistently shines. This is easily among the best-written episodes of the show as well, leading to a climax that’s unexpectedly touching. It’s easy to see why “Forgotten Lady” is often held in such high regards; fans of the show and newcomers alike should find this particularly case enrapturing.

A Case of Immunity (71:02)

    Hassan Salah (Héctor Elizondo) is the chief diplomat of a Middle-Eastern nation, living at an embassy on American soil. Plotting to overthrow his nation’s young King (Barry Robins), Salah murders a senior security officer with assistance from naïve idealist Rachman Habib (Sal Mineo), and plants evidence to suggest that radicals are to blame. Hoping to further avoid anybody from suspecting him, Salah pins the murder on Habib, who goes into hiding as part of the plan. Lt. Columbo is brought in to investigate, and though he suspects Salah, he finds himself treading on eggshells because Salah has diplomatic immunity and cannot be arrested.

    “A Case of Immunity” is an enjoyable, inoffensive Columbo episode; it’s certainly not bad, but it nevertheless lacks a certain spark to make this a true keeper. The diplomatic immunity angle is excellent, and it’s handled convincingly while still staying true to the things we expect from this show. Although the story is a bit murky, it’s interesting to see how Columbo conducts his business on this case, and it all leads to a memorable finale. With its brisk runtime, this is a perfectly breezy telemovie. And a young Jeff Goldblum has a cameo here.

Disc 2

Identity Crisis (93:55)

    A CIA operative codenamed “Geronimo” (Leslie Nielsen) is sent to meet with a certain Nelson Brenner (Patrick McGoohan), whom Geronimo recognises as a double agent from the past. To protect his identity, Brenner murders Geronimo, passing the killing off as a random mugging. Lt. Columbo is assigned to the case, and he begins picking up clues that there may be more to the killing that meets the eye. However, not everybody approves of Columbo’s investigation.

    Even though “Identity Crisis” is well-liked by most Columbo fans, I found it hard to warm up to this particular episode. As with “A Case of Immunity,” the creators try to shake up the formula by adding the CIA angle, but the end result is overly convoluted and not often fun, and it runs too long at over an hour-and-a-half. This episode marked the second time that the late Nielsen appeared in a Columbo adventure; he played an unrelated character in Season 1.

A Matter of Honor (71:03)

    Lt. Columbo is on vacation in Tijuana with his wife (who forever remains unseen, of course), where he is recognised by the local chief of police (Pedro Armendáriz, Jr.). Luis Montoya (Ricardo Montalban) is a national hero who’s renowned for his bravery as a matador, but his reputation is threatened when his trusted bookkeeper, Hector Rangel (Robert Carricart), witnesses Montoya in an act of cowardice. Montoya therefore makes the decision to kill Rangel, luring him into the ring before unleashing a bull. It looks like a tragic accident, but the chief of police asks for Columbo’s help on the matter, and the detective notices things which leads him to suspect that Rangel was murdered.

    An improvement over “Identity Crisis” but still far from the best that this show has to offer, “A Matter of Honor” is another perfectly enjoyable, inoffensive Columbo episode. In keeping with many of the other telemovies this season, it does shake up the formula with its Mexican setting, where Columbo is out of his jurisdiction, and he is not assigned to the case. However, this Columbo does stretch credulity with the “evidence” that the lieutenant digs up, and this is in no way an overly memorable episode. Still, it’s easy viewing.

Disc 3

Now You See Him... (85:39)

    The Great Santini (Jack Cassidy) is a successful magician who performs at the Cabaret of Magic, but he has a dark secret: he’s a former Nazi who was assigned to concentration camps during World War II. When Santini’s employer, Jesse Jerome (Nehemiah Persoff), threatens to expose his identity, Santini responds by murdering him. And to ensure he has an iron-clad alibi, he carries out the deed during one of his performances; more specifically, during a part of his act for which he is chained up and submerged in water. Lt. Columbo, however, is not so easily fooled by Santini, and suspects that the sly magician was involved in Jerome’s murder.

    “Now You See Him...” is simply superb, another top-notch Columbo episode with a memorable villain in Cassidy’s Santini. This was Cassidy’s third appearance on the show as the killer, and it’s easy to see why he was brought back again - his interplay with the ever-reliable Falk always sparkles, and he’s a convincing villain. The magician slant does enhance the story, and this episode contains all the elements fans love about the show: great comedy, smart plotting, tight pacing, and engaging cat-and-mouse play.

Last Salute to the Commodore (91:59)

    I hate this episode. Pacing is completely off, dialogue is horrible, and performances are stilted, awkward and unsure. The climax even runs for twenty freaking minutes, and it feels twice as long. Experimental in terms of style, with the decision to depart from many of the show’s idiosyncrasies, “Last Salute to the Commodore” is often perceived as the worst Columbo, and it’s not hard to see why. Skip this one. Especially if you’re a fan. No, it’s not worth watching as a curiosity. It’s unwatchable. How could director Patrick McGoohan churn out this garbage considering his otherwise superb track record with the show?

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    As with several other seasons of Columbo, the Region 1 release contains a bonus episode of Mrs. Columbo, which is not present on this set. I believe the episode was also on the previous Region 4 DVD release. The choice comes down to the consumer, but the remastered presentations win over a bonus episode of a shoddy spinoff show.

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