Customer Reviews

Columbo - The Complete Fifth Season

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ok, heres the deal: Universal continues to produce bare-minimum season sets regardless of cries from Columbo fans worldwide. We fans again and again are asking for the extras that make a DVD set special. Like, for example, out takes, bloopers, promos, trailers, that NBC mystery movie intro, rare appearances with Falk, interviews with Falk or Levinson or Link, anything remotely connected to the charm of the Columbo character...HOWEVER, we get nothing but no-frills packaging and as an "extra" some lame "Mrs. Columbo" episode, which doesn't even qualify as a spin-off because the character was never in the original Columbo cast. I, like many fans, own all 4 seasons issued thus far and have yet to watch any of the lame "Mrs. Columbo" extras. Why couldn't they have done an interview with Falk while he's still with us? Wouldn't that be incredible to hear it from Peter himself...his thoughts on certain episodes or the development of his charcter? Or perhaps the origins of Columbo, which have been stated by both Levinson & Link to be that pesky and inquisitive inspector hounding Raskalnikov in Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment".
Mrs. Columbo does not interest Columbo fans. With this mismatched formula in mind, the people at Universal might also include a live performance of Wayne Newton as an extra to their documentary on Isaac Newton.

Dear Universal:
I want you to stop editing the Columbos. I watched Troubled Waters on DVD and there is a whole scene edited out! I know it's missing because I remember it on TV. The scene is the one where the magician explains to the police that a real gun has been subsituted with his fake gun for his performance. THe way it has been cut leaves the viewer confused as to why the magician scene is in there in the first place! I love Columbo as is. We're paying tons of money for these old pictures that would be sitting around earning no money so please give us what we want. SO QUIT EDITING will you!!! We're paying for this and I thought CDs hoave so much room, why edit? Also lose the Mrs. Columbo, that'll give you more room so you won't have to edit! I will of course purchase season 5 but if anyone ever comes out with a totally unedited version of all, I will probably purchase those!

The Fifth Season of Columbo consist of 6 Episodes.

Episode 32
FORGOTTEN LADY(An aging actress kills her husband because he refuses to pay for the production of her comeback show)
*Spoilerish* This was one of the most far-fetched episodes. The wealthy husband is shown, at first, to be heartless for refusing to finance his "famous" wife's dream of getting back into show biz. The reveal was, he knew she was losing her memory and ill(can't remember if she had alzheimer or another diagnosed illness). Her husband wanted to spend time with and take care of her. The far-fetched part was how the suspect/wife was able to commit this complex crime. The worst part was the fact she got away with it.

Episode 33
A CASE OF IMMUNITY(A foreign ambassador steals money and murder's two people. Columbo must solve the crime and find a way around his immunity)

Episode 34
IDENTITY CRISES(Espionage with a twist. A spy is killed by his contact)

Episode 35
A MATTER OF HONOR(Columbo, while on vacation in Mexico, helps the policia de Mexico solve a case where the murder weapon is a bull)

Episode 36
NOW YOU SEE HIM(A master magician kills his employer who attempts to blackmail him after discovering he was a German camp guard during WWII)*FIVE STAR EPISODE*

Episode 37
LAST SALUTE TO THE COMMODORE(Commodore Swanson attempts to sell his ship building business out from under his son-in-law)*A very interesting who-done-it episode*

Dear Universal,
I know, being the intelligent people that you are, you can read the comments here and elsewhere about the total lack of extras that have appeared in these Columbo sets up to now (repeat after me..."Mrs. Columbo" is not an extra), and if you haven't figured it out yet, you're really starting to irritate us fans. Now I know like all large impersonal corporations you really don't care about the bottom-line (cough) and only want to see your customer base happy and content. Therefore I would like to point out to you that Season 6 has only 3 episodes - half the number of Seasons 4 & 5, and that means 3 fewer episdoes you have to pay to clean-up and restore! Now wouldn't it be nice to fill up all that empty space on those disks with the extras we really want to see - interviews, outtakes, the original NBC Mystery Movie opening (hey, you and NBC are family now since Vivendi owns you both)...I'll even let you throw in a "Mrs. Columbo" episode if you provide the other items! Think how happy your customers will be. Think how happy you will be when you can get away with charging the same price for 1/2 the normal number of episodes. It sounds to me like a win-win for both of us!

I very much agree with the reviewer Martin Landau - it would be so nice to know a bit more from behind the scene, definitely would love interviews with Mr Falk and I also truly do not care for Mrs Columbo.

Alena Tetreault, Sydney, Australia

Peter Falk won an Emmy for his work during this season, and for good reason: some of the episodes rank among the best of the series. Unfortunately, there is some inconsistency in these episodes as well. Without question my favorite of the set is "Identity Crisis" starring the wonderful Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan is involved with another great dramatic actor, Leslie Nielsen (of course best known in his comic role from "Airplane,") in a complex web of spying and personal vendettas. McGoohan makes wonderful inside-joke references to his character from "The Prisoner" ("Be seeing you...") and generally serves as one of the most effective Columbo villains (for the second time in his case.) McGoohan also directed this episode, proving his talents extend to both sides of the camera.

Interestingly, McGoohan also directed my least favorite of the shows from this set, "Last Salute to the Commodore," which features an unrealistic and implausible plot with an exceptionally drawn-out inquisition scene. The best part about this episode was watching Robert Vaughan be taunted by not only Columbo but his drunken wife. The problems with this episode range from the two other cops that "help" Columbo investigate the case, to competing alternate theories about who the murderer could plausibly be that make more sense than the version finally accepted. I actually had reservations at the very beginning of the episode when the actual murder wasn't shown, as is customary on Columbo. Sometimes hunches prove correct.

Another strong episode is "Now You See Him" featuring a magician with a past worth concealing. I found it amusing that the magician's name was "The Great Santini," later the name of a great Pat Conroy novel, and fabulous film starring Robert Duvall. I am supposing that Conroy must be a "Columbo" fan, too. I enjoyed "A Matter of Honor" with special guest-villain Ricardo Montalban as a bullfighter. In this lesson Columbo learns many important lessons about life south of the border, including why it's unwise to drive in Mexico. "Forgotten Lady" stars Janet Leigh, and while interesting is not one of my favorite episodes for two reasons: one, Leigh's performance is somewhat wooden, especially during her "forgetful" moments; and two, the premise is so implausible as to be unbelievable, even by "Columbo" standards.

Peter Falk is consistently brilliant in this set, and I do recommend it. I would have given the set five stars had there been meaningful extras for once, and no, the "bonus" episode of "Mrs. Columbo" does not count. While earlier seasons are more consistently excellent, this is still very much worth your time.

This set was a gift. I was amazed at how cheaply this series is now being produced. No artwork on the DVD, no artwork on the inside of the cases. The worst of all is the fact that Universal markets these sets as "complete & uncut". They are not uncut. "Last Salute to the Commodore" is missing more than 10 minutes of footage. In the 1970s, commercial breaks did not run 25 minutes for a 2 hour program. That is common now, but not in the 70s. "Commodore" runs just over 95 minutes. In a 2 hour slot, that leaves 25 minutes for commercials. As I said, not in the 70s. The show is very jumpy because of the cuts. Each of these episodes is heavily cut up. If you don't mind chopped up episodes, and cheaply done packaging, this set is for you. Otherwise, look at the alternate sets being offered online by other providers. Universal deserves no one's loyalty. Universal is home of vast numbers of greed merchants.

It's great that Universal finally got around to releasing the Columbo detective series on DVD. Columbo was one of the few shows, where the story quality rarely degenerated from one season to the next. That said, however, it's nothing short of criminal that several of these episodes are NOT in their original full length. From the first season DVD set, actress Barbara Rhodes is missing from "A Lady In Waiting". Even worse, a key scene in a recording studio with Columbo and an engineer is missing from the famous "Swan Song" episode with Johnny Cash, from the second or third season. And I've found large scene deletions in at least two other favorite episodes on other season DVDs. These shameful practices are characteristic of most American conglomerates like GE-NBC-Universal that consistently show that their regard for their customers is even lower than that of their own substandard merchandise. Thank you, Jack Welch-who at least for Columbo fans should have stuck to dishwashers and weapons contracting.

to make these box sets special. I too own them all so far, and agree that Peter Falk should have some sort of commentary on these. It's not too late. Was He ever consulted? Are the Universal executives blind to what Sony has done with Bewitched Season 1 and I Dream of Jeannie? Granted Bewitched can't really have any more extras considering everyone of the characters is deceased except Louise Tate 2, Tabitha and Adam. Regardless, the episodes themselves are excellent and I commend Universal for getting away from the dual sided discs that plagued Seasons 2 and 3.
Oh and one more thing the Mrs. Columbo episodes don't cut it
and please get Falk's recollections about the show on video before we lose him.

Good, another season being released. Here?s a little description and highlights of the episodes that this season inlcudes:
*Forgotten Lady.- Features Janet Leigh, the Psycho movie star.She plays the part of a retired actress that wants to make a comeback but her husband stands in her way.
*A case of immunity.- Great performance of both Hector Elizondo and Sal Mineo.
*Identity crisis.- Features Patrick McGoohan, who later became producer of some episodes of Columbo as well as acting. Leslie Nielsen plays the victim.
*A matter of honor.- Mexican flavored episode. Columbo finds himself in Mexico and gets involved with local police to solve a murder. Ricardo Montalban from "Fantasy Isand" is featured along with a good number of Mexican actors such as Pedro Armendariz Jr and Jorge Rivero.
*Now you see him.- One of Jack Cassidy?s last performances before his death in 1976 (in a home fire). This is a great episode, Cassidy plays the role of a magician (Santini) who has an obscure past which he doesn?t want anyone to discover.
*Last salute to the Commodore.- An unusual episode that unmasks the murder at the very end of the episode. Robert Vaughan is featured here.