Columbo - Season 10 Part 1 (Remastered) (1990)

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General		Extras
Category	Crime Drama	None
Rating
Year Of Production	1990
Running Time	540
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (6)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	E.W. Swackhamer Vincent McEveety Alan J. Levi Daryl Duke
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Peter Falk Robert Culp George Hamilton Steve Forrest Dabney Coleman Juliet Mills Little Richard Rip Torn Tyne Daly
Case	?
RPI	$39.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	Full Frame	English Dolby Digital 2.0 Isolated Score & Effects Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	None
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.33:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes, Columbo smokes cigars, others smoke
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     A long-running television staple, 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 underestimate him, when he is in fact one step ahead of them more often than not. 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 since here we see the murder taking place and the fun is derived from watching to find out how Columbo will get his man. It’s a refreshing change from the typical “whodunit” formula - it’s a “howcatchem,” instead.

     The show ran for seven straight seasons on NBC during the 1970s, but lay dormant for over a decade before being resurrected by ABC for more infrequent telemovies up until the final episode in 2003. This first part of Season 10 (the final season) does contain some worthwhile episodes, and there are more hits than misses, but it’s still unable to recapture that old Columbo charm, even though Falk continues to perform as well as ever. This set also contains one of the worst telemovies in the show’s history, “No Time to Die” (more on that later). The six episodes in this collection are spread out across six discs to facilitate two editions of each episode (full-frame and widescreen).

Disc 1:

Columbo Goes to College (89:30)

     In this season opener, fraternity brothers Cooper (Gary Hershberger) and Justin (Stephen Caffrey) cheat on their final exam by stealing the paper, and their criminology professor, D.E. Rusk (James Sutorius) finds out. Determined to expose the boys and potentially have them expelled, the pair conspire to murder Rusk via a remote-controlled firearm whilst sitting in class listening to a lecture delivered by none other than Lt. Columbo, solidifying an ironclad alibi. Finding the body with some of the students, Columbo is handed the case, but finds himself stumped by many of the tiny details. Both Cooper and Justin take a personal interest in the investigation and start to feed Columbo red herrings, but nobody is able to pull the wool over the crafty detective’s eyes...

     Out of the six telemovies in this set, “Columbo Goes to College” is arguably the best, with the series yet again serving up an ingenious murder scheme involving state-of-the-art (for its time) technology. It’s all formula, of course - the elaborate crime, the perp(s) thinking Columbo is a fool, and the climactic realisation that the lieutenant was playing them all along - but it’s all done well, and there’s enough innovation in the broad strokes to make it worthwhile, including the college setting and the young criminals. Often well-paced, this is an enjoyable, easy-going episode which should satisfy Columbo fans. Series veteran Robert Culp actually has a minor role here as Justin’s father, which marks his fourth Columbo appearance, though this is the first time he hasn’t played the killer.

Disc 2:

Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health (86:13)

     Wade Anders (George Hamilton) hosts the enormously popular crime show CrimeAlert, a job that he basically stole from his chain-smoking rival Budd Clarke (Peter Haskell), much to Clarke’s ongoing anger and frustration. Clarke discovers that Anders once starred in a pornographic movie alongside an underage actress, and hopes to use the video as leverage to force Anders to step down as the CrimeAlert host. Unwilling to allow Clarke to expose him, Anders doctors some poisoned cigarettes which kill Clarke in a matter of minutes, making it look as if he simply died of heart failure. Anders meticulously covers his tracks, but it’s not quite enough to fool Lt. Columbo...

     Yet another strong entry to the Columbo canon, this particular telemovie adheres to the formula and is all the better for it, serving up many of the show’s agreeable idiosyncrasies to terrific effect. As usual, the “perfect” crime is quite ingenious, and the episode takes its time to show Anders carefully planning and executing the murder, but it never ceases to amaze just how quickly the iconic detective manages to pick up the little things that Anders missed. Hamilton previously appeared as a murderer in the Season 4 episode “A Deadly State of Mind,” and he remains eminently charismatic throughout, and an ideal foil for Columbo who simply refuses to leave him alone. The story builds superbly, with nary a wasted scene, and it’s always a treat to watch the lieutenant operate, leading to a satisfying finale which yet again emphasises how sharp he can be. Falk may be getting older at this point in the show’s history, but the star can still carry these telemovies effortlessly. Naturally, “Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health” still can’t quite recapture the magic of the superior ‘70s-era episodes, but it’s nevertheless a competent latter-day Columbo which understands why the show worked so well in the first place.

Disc 3:

Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star (91:33)

     When successful, high-priced defence lawyer Hugh Creighton (Dabney Coleman) learns that his rock star girlfriend Marcy (Cheryl Paris) is having an affair, he evicts her from his luxurious mansion. However, Marcy blackmails Creighton into letting her stay, and in response he begins planning to murder her. When Marcy is visited by her lover Neddy (Julian Stone) at her beach house, Creighton crashes the party, strangling Marcy to death and framing the man with whom she’s been having the affair. The evidence seems to implicate Neddy, but not everything adds up, and Columbo begins to investigate Creighton, undeterred by his stature.

     This season’s winning streak continues with “Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star,” which represents another terrific latter-day Columbo episode. The big twist of this particular telemovie is that Lt. Columbo is pitted against one of his most formidable foes in the show’s history - an arrogant criminal attorney who knows his stuff, and who has never lost a case. Creighton is careful to cover his tracks, and his interactions with Columbo are especially sizzling as a result. The scheme itself is quite meticulous, more layered than usual, but there are a couple of aspects that should have been explained better in relation to Creighton’s alibi. Nevertheless, the formula still works, there is plenty of charm, and performances from Falk and Coleman are very good. And hey, Little Richard even appears, which is a great touch. Columbo fans should enjoy this one.

Disc 4:

Death Hits the Jackpot (92:13)

     A down-on-his-luck photographer, Freddy (Gary Kroeger) is in the final stages of divorcing his wife Nancy (Jamie Rose) when he unexpectedly wins a $30 million lottery. In order to prevent Nancy from claiming half the money, Freddy turns to his uncle, a jeweller named Leon (Rip Torn), and convinces him to cash in the ticket and hold the money for him until the divorce is finalised. However, Leon recently went bankrupt and therefore finds the money far too tempting, so he murders Freddy in order to keep the lottery winnings to himself. To create an alibi for himself, he holds a Halloween costume party, during which he sneaks out to kill his nephew. However, Lt. Columbo is not easily fooled by Leon’s story.

     Television Gods be praised - another terrific Columbo telemovie, maintaining the laudable high quality set by the three previous episodes. “Death Hits the Jackpot” makes use of the show’s set formula as to be expected, and succeeds thanks to its competent execution, with an engaging story that’s well-developed over its lengthy runtime. There’s humour as well, and Falk remains completely dedicated to his iconic role. Torn, meanwhile, is one of the better murderers of the season - and in a strong season, that is a big call. The only real drawback of the episode is that the writers elect for an obvious way for Columbo to nail Leon which is telegraphed rather early. This aside, “Death Hits the Jackpot” is a lot of fun, one of the best latter-day entries to the Columbo canon. We even get to see Columbo speaking fluent Italian in one scene, which is a treat.

Disc 5:

No Time to Die (87:38)

     Even though this show is called Columbo, it’s seldom about the titular lieutenant, as his personal life remains a mystery. But “No Time to Die” is a more personal case for Columbo, as he attends the wedding of his police officer nephew Andy (Thomas Calabro). On their wedding night, Andy’s new bride Melissa (Joanna Going) is kidnapped from the bridal suite by a crazy, obsessed psychopath (Daniel McDonald). Andy immediately springs into action, consulting his reliable uncle Columbo who sets up an investigation into what happened.

     Alas, this is where the Season 10 winning streak comes to an end - “No Time to Die” is one of the worst episodes in the show’s thirty-five-year broadcast history. This is the one and only Columbo telemovie in which there is no murder, and it contains very little in the way of the show’s recognisable idiosyncrasies - there’s no Columbo formula in place here, and it’s not as charming as the series is known to be. Very much an experimental episode, this is actually an adaptation of an unrelated novel by Ed McBain, making it peculiar fodder for a Columbo episode. “No Time to Die” may be more watchable than the loathsome “Last Salute to the Commodore,” but it nevertheless doesn’t mesh as well as it should. If this was a standalone television movie, it would have fallen into obscurity extremely quickly because it’s not skilful enough to rise above the ordinary. Thus, as a Columbo episode, it will more than likely leave you unsatisfied. I cannot see myself revisiting this one again.

Disc 6:

A Bird in the Hand... (89:21)

     A chronic gambler in serious debt, Harold McCain (Greg Evigan) requests assistance from his uncle, powerful millionaire Big Fred (Steve Forrest), but he is brutally denied. In retaliation, Harold moves to kill his uncle by planting a pipe bomb under his Rolls Royce, but somebody gets to Big Fred first - he is found dead as a result of a hit-and-run during his morning jog. Lt. Columbo shows up to investigate Fred’s death as a matter of routine due to his high profile. Harold seeks to remove the car bomb as police descend upon the property but, before he has the chance, it explodes when the gardener tries to move the Rolls Royce out of the way. Suddenly, the investigation shifts gears, leaving Columbo to solve another murder.

     The final episode in this collection was penned by veteran Columbo scribe Jackson Gillis, who also wrote the interminable Season 5 episode “Last Salute to the Commodore.” And much like that insufferably boring telemovie, “A Bird in the Hand” has a few twists and turns, and though it incorporate aspects of the formula, it is a more daring Columbo than usual. Big Fred’s killer is not immediately revealed, creating a rare sense of mystery. The opening thirty minutes are interesting and intense, and the second act successfully delivers the type of things we come to expect from this show. However, it all falls apart during its final third, which prevents this episode from becoming a true keeper. Still, Falk is as good as ever, and it remains watchable in spite of its flaws. There are certainly worse Columbo episodes.

Video

     At this point, it would be foolhardy to expect any more local releases of Columbo on Blu-ray, much to my incredible disappointment. Madman took a major gamble to release the first two seasons of the show on Blu-ray using high definition masters sourced directly from Universal, but sales were reportedly too low compared to the Blu-ray production costs, and all subsequent seasons were only released on DVD by Madman. It’s important to note that Columbo has previously been released locally on DVD, but Madman’s releases offer an improved, remastered picture using the newly-minuted HD masters as a basis. At the time of writing, Japan is the only country to have the entire Columbo oeuvre on Blu-ray, but the collection is encoded in 1080i and is worth a small fortune. The best we can hope for would be a more affordable Blu-ray release in America or the United Kingdom.

     As with Seasons 8 and 9, all six telemovie in this collection are available in two editions: their original 1.33:1 full-frame presentation, and a revised 1.78:1 widescreen presentation. However, the widescreen presentations are in fact cropped rather than open matte, and therefore lose visual information at the top and bottom of the picture. The full-frame presentations are consequently superior by default, though others are welcome to enjoy the widescreen editions if they choose. It’s once again commendable that Madman have given consumers the choice. According to IMDb, all of the Columbo telemovies except for the very final episode ("Columbo Likes the Nightlife") were framed for 1.33:1, meaning that full-frame is the intended aspect ratio and the widescreen presentations are revisionist.

     As for the actual quality of the presentations, this season looks about as good as it can be considering the source and the undeniable limitations of standard definition DVD. Indeed, even upscaled to 4K on my UHD OLED television, the picture is still lacking, and yet again leaves me yearning for a Blu-ray. The presentation lacks pop and refinement on the whole of course, with detailing and texturing that looks about average for a Blu-ray, though some scenes do fare better than others. Colours look a tad washed-out across the board (particularly the pale skin tones), which is almost customary for DVD presentations of movies from this era, but I’ve been so spoiled with the bold vibrancy of Blu-ray and now 4K Blu-ray that it’s difficult to accept this.

     Compression artefacts are common, most notably ringing on thicker edges like car windows which does compromise the sharpness of the presentation throughout. (It’s worth noting that I found many of the compression artefacts a tad more pronounced in the widescreen editions.) I also detected some edge enhancement (see the beginning of “Columbo Goes to College”), which is standard for masters prepped by Universal. It also appears that some digital noise reduction was applied during the creation of the masters, as there is a certain smoothness to the image, though there is still visible grain which fluctuates depending on lighting conditions. It does appear that compression-related noise creeps in as well, including obvious colour noise in darker lighting conditions, and there are film artefacts in places like white flecks, pieces of dirt, and even hairs. Said film artefacts are pretty much par for the course since Columbo was a celluloid production and it’s not major enough to warrant a full-scale restoration.

     No doubt the high definition masters used for this set are of a good standard, but they’re wasted on a DVD. With that said, though, this is still a watchable set for a DVD, and perhaps casual viewers won’t mind so much since there is still a fair amount of texture, especially in close-ups. But videophiles like myself with an expensive, large TV screen? It isn’t good enough.

     In keeping with all the previous releases, there are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Two audio tracks are available for all of the telemovies on this set: an English Dolby Digital 2.0 track, and an isolated score and sound effects track also encoded in Dolby Digital 2.0. Since Columbo is a very dialogue-driven show without anything in the way of big set-pieces, the sound design is exceedingly basic, and therefore the lossy primary audio track does its job well enough. Naturally, it lacks the crisp precision that a lossless or uncompressed Blu-ray audio track can provide, but the dialogue is consistently easy to comprehend, and all music and sound effects are well-prioritised. There is a bit of hissing throughout, as well as some other source-related anomalies like sibilance issues, but most of it is too fleeting to be bothersome.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

    It would appear that this is the first time these remastered presentations have hit anywhere in the world. No supplemental material appears on any DVD editions, so Region 4 is the clear winner.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall