MovieChat Forums > Columbo (1971) Discussion > How you can tell this is in a whole othe...

How you can tell this is in a whole other world....

posted 8 years ago by wordsatplaytoday
14 replies | jump to latest

I love this show. Columbo is my favorite cop or detective of them all!

However, you can tell that it is fiction based on:
Every murder case is a rich white person and sometimes they are famous or well known when those kinds of killers and murders are very rare compared to your run of the mill street crimes.

Columbo doesn't ever take them in for questioning as detectives would do. He always shows up and hangs around where they live and work.

Just the way that Columbo is and acts.

There are opportunities and the killer doesn't try to kill Columbo.

Sometimes at the end it's just Columbo and the killer sitting there together with no other cops around.

After Columbo gets the killer, he is never seen put up against a wall, frisked and taken away in handcuffs.

Anything else?

I don't know jacksht about anything. - kinch_telemachus

[–] lorraine1232 8 years ago

I agree and disagree. Yes, the killers are usually a certain type, but that doesn't mean in real life, there aren't more like them - somebody like Columbo wasn't around to catch them, lol. In real life, the famous rich person just lawyers up and that wouldn't make for an interesting show. Ditto with dragging them down to the station to question them, they would say nothing, lawyer up=boring.

I can think of a few times the killer did try to kill Columbo. The guy with the trained killer dogs, the food critic with the poison wine come to mind, I think there was one or 2 others?

[–] mg! 8 years ago

Rest in Peace, Mrs Columbo where the crazy realtor tried to poison him with marmalade. While I won't say "tried", William Shatner thought about it in "Butterfly" when he stared at the rifle in his trunk. He had a gun pointed at him in "Lady in Waiting", but cool Columbo didn't take the lady killer seriously.

[–] NotAmyMerrick 8 years ago

The one with the British magician, He tried to behead columbo.

[–] caladon 8 years ago

After Columbo gets the killer, he is never seen put up against a wall, frisked and taken away in handcuffs.

I remember in "Now You See Him" as Santini is about to be taken away, the officer puts his hand on his shoulder and Santini gives a kind of "don't touch me I'm above that" look and the officer removes his hand. In the real world, he'd be searched for picks and weapons then cuffed with his hands behind his back and taken to the squad car like the murderer that he was.

Jesus is the Son of God and my Lord and savior. Pretty cool.

[–] wordsatplaytoday 8 years ago

I agree and disagree. Yes, the killers are usually a certain type, but that doesn't mean in real life, there aren't more like them - somebody like Columbo wasn't around to catch them, lol. In real life, the famous rich person just lawyers up and that wouldn't make for an interesting show. Ditto with dragging them down to the station to question them, they would say nothing, lawyer up=boring.

I know this isn't real life and that's what I'm pointing out.

The difference between Columbo's work ethic vs real life detectives as well as the fact that not that many rich white somewhat famous men commit murder in the LA area.

I don't know jacksht about anything. - kinch_telemachus

[–] lorraine1232 8 years ago

It's an entertaining show about a fictional detective, not a document about police procedures or real crime demographics. Enjoy it for what it is, even if you have to suspend real life. I get into this same disagreement all time at work, I watch House and this guy is always interrupting yelling about how much this and that procedure or test would cost in real life, blah, blah...I just say it's a medical drama show! Not a documentary on insurance billing! And don't distract me from looking at my sexy Dr. House with real life, dammit!

[–] OldSamVimes 8 years ago

Columbo never seems to have to take a poo or urinate.

That is physically impossible.

[–] cujokay 8 years ago

Columbo never seems to have to take a poo or urinate.

That is physically impossible.

Are you serious?!! How would that add anything to the show? So you actually want them to take 5 minutes of the show waiting for him to come out of the restroom? REALLY????????????? I'm sorry, that's just silly.

[–] wordsatplaytoday 8 years ago

I agree.
You could make the same case for EVERY TV show and movie.
Well, except for porn where sick freaks are into that kind of stuff and the porn is made for them....

But no one ever takes a restroom break...
Really reaching or just being silly with that one.

I don't know jacksht about anything. - kinch_telemachus

[–] OldSamVimes 8 years ago

I was just being silly. I thought it was obvious that I was joking.

Don't take me seriously, I don't.

[–] cujokay 8 years ago

lol! Gotcha!

[–] wordsatplaytoday 8 years ago

Just one more thing...

Columbo smoking at the crime scene and walking around all over it.

Even though smoking was in a lot more places, I doubt that it would have been allowed at crime scenes even back then and detectives would not be as sloppy all over the crime scene as Columbo is.

I don't know jacksht about anything. - kinch_telemachus

[–] hannahrose313 8 years ago

Nope. It actually was allowed in many crime scenes...perhaps not in LA. But smaller cities and towns didn't give a hoot.

[–] hannahrose313 8 years ago

Colombo takes a pleasure in catching these rich, white people, with large egos. It's not that he wants yo take all the credit, but he enjoys seeing their face and savouring it once they realise they've been had. He also likes to make sure they feel "safe", and not like he's setting them or entrapping them...which is why these confessions take place in the perp's own homes or work places (places they trust--if they were in a police station they would get suspicious). However, there have been several cases where there are other cops in the area, or he catches them at the police station.
Also, I'm sure these people do get taken in for questioning (sometimes you see other cops doing it at the place of the crime), but Columbo probably has his subordinates do it.