The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast

Weirding Way Media

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Podcasters Chris Stachiw (The Kulturecast) and Mike White (The Projection Booth) look at the enduring character of Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) and his creators.

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26 episodes

Swan Song

Chris and Mike discuss the Columbo episode where Peter Falk was in danger of being overshadowed by his co-star when Johnny Cash stars as a gospel singer who's under the thumb of Ida Lupino as she's lording over him being prosecuted under the Mann Act.

57m
Mar 18, 2024
Mind Over Mayhem

Mike and Chris look at Mind Over Mayhem, the 6th episode of the 3rd season wherein Lt. Columbo is faced with a puzzling murder that takes place on the campus of a think tank where the lead scientist, Jose Ferrer, wants to protect his son from an accusation of plagiarism.

45m
Feb 26, 2024
Publish or Perish

Jack Cassidy is back to square off against Lt. Columbo. He's gone from author to publisher in "Publish or Perish" where he knocks off the prize author (Mickey Spillane) who is about to move to his rival's publishing house. The twist this time is that Cassidy is setting himself up as the murder as well as providing himself with an air-tight alibi courtesy of a mad bomber.

48m
Jan 22, 2024
Double Exposure

Robert Culp is back for his third time in the villain position as Dr. Bart Kepple, a big shot media consultant who uses subliminal images to murder one of his clients as well as his projectionist Chuck McCann ("The Far Out Space Nuts") in a solid turn from Stephen J. Cannell.

42m
Jan 19, 2024
Candidate for Crime

Writer Richard Hatem joins Chris and Mike to discuss the political thriller Columbo episode "Candidate for Crime" in which Jackie Cooper murders his campaign manager in order to protect himself and his affair. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5084441/advertisement

36m
Dec 18, 2023
Any Old Port in a Storm

A contender for one of the best episodes of Columbo ever made, Any Old Port in a Storm pits Lt. Columbo against winemaker Adrian Carsini who has murdered his own brother in order to keep control of the family vineyard. Donald Pleasence turns in a powerhouse performance while Peter Falk is in top form. This episode also features an archival interview with story-writer Larry Cohen. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5084441/advertisement

1h 28m
Nov 30, 2023
Lovely But Lethal

We begin our third season with the murder of a cosmetics genius (Martin Sheen) by his treacherous boss (Vera Miles). Also along for the ride is a under-used Vincent Price. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5084441/advertisement

44m
Oct 20, 2023
A Woman Under the Influence

Like Peter Falk, we're taking a break between seasons. Chris and Mike talk about John Cassavetes's A Woman Under the Influence (1974), a harrowing look at mental illness, marriage, and gender. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5084441/advertisement

45m
Sep 15, 2023
Double Shock

We conclude the second season of Columbo with a double dose of Martin Landau as he plays twins Dexter and Norman Paris; a playboy TV chef and stuffed shirt with a gambling problem. Have they murdered their uncle before he can marry Julie Newmar? Why couldn't they have done away with their uncle's annoying housekeeper (Jeanette Nolan) instead? This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5084441/advertisement

30m
Aug 22, 2023
The Most Dangerous Match

Lt. Columbo enters the thrilling world of competitive chess in The Most Dangerous Game where he faces off with the conceited champion Emmett Clayton (Lawrence Harvey), one of his best rivals. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5084441/advertisement

32m
Jul 22, 2023
A Stitch in Crime

Lt. Columbo faces one of his deadliest foes, Dr. Barry Mayfield (Leonard Nimoy), a hotshot surgeon whose payday is being put off by his mentor Dr. Edmund Hidemann (Will Geer). When Mayfield performs heart surgery on Hidemann, he uses some bum suture which leaves a ticking timebomb in his chest... Artwork by parmaali02 https://www.deviantart.com/parmaali02/gallery from DeviantArt This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5084441/advertisement

42m
Jun 16, 2023
Requiem for a Fallen Star

On the latest episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike and Chris discuss the fifth episode of the second season, Requiem for a Fallen Star wherein a seasoned actress, Nora Chandler (Anne Baxter), may have murdered the wrong person... or persons. This episode includes an interview with The Columbophile, a major fan of Columbo who has written The Columbo Companion, 1968-78: Investigating Every Detail of All 45 'Classic Era' Columbo Adventures, which is available here: https://amzn.to/45me5xG This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5084441/advertisement

1h 6m
May 22, 2023
Dagger of the Mind

On this episode of The Shabby Detective, Columbo goes to England in "Dagger of the Mind," the fourth episode of second season. He goes up against Honor Blackman and Richard Basehart as a pair of actors who happen to murder their potential benefactor, The Columbo episode was released as a film in Italy as Scacco Matto a Scotland Yard. Check it out here: https://vimeo.com/609864275

42m
Apr 28, 2023
The Most Crucial Game

On the latest episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike and Chris discuss the return of Robert Culp, the death of Dean Stockwell, the cost of shoes, and we're visited by special guest, director Jeremy Kagan.

46m
Mar 24, 2023
The Greenhouse Jungle

On the second episode of Columbo's second season he's paired with Bob Dishy as one (of two) Sgt. Wilsons and squares off as victim-cum-killer Ray Milland as Jarvis Goodland, an avid orchid collector who murders his nephew (Bradford Dillman)... to fuel his orchid addiction?

41m
Feb 25, 2023
Etude in Black

The Shabby Detective kicks off our second season with a discussion of "Etude in Black," which pits Lt. Columbo against haughty conductor Alex Benedict (John Cassavetes), one of the more incompetent foes our hero has had to deal with.

51m
Jan 27, 2023
Blueprint for Murder

We wrap up the first season of Columbo with a discussion of Blueprint for Murder. Directed by Peter Falk, the episode stars Forrest Tucker as a brash but determined Texas millionaire and Patrick O'Neal as an ambitious architect. Writer Richard Hatem (Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Titans) joins Mike and Chris to discuss the episode and re-cap the first season.

47m
Dec 23, 2022
Short Fuse

In the penultimate episode of the first season of "Columbo", Roddy McDowall plays a spoiled brat who's a part-time photographer, part-time chemist, and full time jerk. He's got angles on his aunt's company but her husband (James Gregory) stands in his way. Can he get around that snoopy, shabby detective Columbo? Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

42m
Oct 10, 2022
Lady in Waiting

Beth Chadwick: (Susan Clark) lives under the thumb of her brother Bryce (Richard Anderson). He objects to her relationship with Peter Hamilton: (Leslie Nielsen) as well as keeping her out of the affairs of their family-owned company. When she pretends to be startled by a burglar and shoots her brother, Columbo has to figure out the order between a cart and a horse.

41m
Aug 26, 2022
Suitable for Framing

Columbo takes on Dale Kingston (Ross Martin), an art critic and the nephew of an art collector. Dale does away with his uncle and tries to pin the murder on his aunt (Kim Hunter) but Columbo knows a thing or two about art...

45m
Jul 23, 2022
Dead Weight

Chris and Mike discuss the third episode of the first season, Dead Weight. Eddie Albert plays a military man who murders a subordinate before he can blow the whistle on some shady business dealings. Meanwhile, Suzanne Pleshette witnesses the crime. But, why should we believe what a woman has to say? This episode features an interview with Professor David Martin-Jones, author of Columbo: Paying Attention 24/7.

1h 17m
Jul 05, 2022
Death Lends a Hand

Mike and Chris discuss the Levinson & Link-penned episode Death Lends a Hand in which we first encounter Robert Culp as Columbo's nemesis. Culp plays a professional private eye who tries to blackmail the wife of newspaper magnate Arthur Kennicutt (Ray Milland). We get our first glimpse of Columbo's car which plays perfect into the automotive theme of the episode. Our special guest Mark Dawidziak literally wrote the book on Columbo, The Columbo Phile: A Casebook. Get your copy at https://amzn.to/3a6c5BF

1h 31m
May 30, 2022
Murder by the Book

On the first proper episode of the first proper season of Columbo the writing team of Ferris (Martin Milner) and Franklin (Jack Cassidy) have a little breakup when Franklin murders his partner. While the two may have created the famous Mrs. Melville character, Franklin is no match for Lt. Columbo. Murder by the Book was written by Stephen Bochco and directed by Steven Spielberg. This episode of The Shabby Detective features an interview with Joseph McBride, author of Steven Spielberg: A Biography.

1h 44m
Apr 23, 2022
Ransom for a Dead Man

Not quite a pilot and not quite a first episode, this is another TV movie version of Columbo. This time our detective has gotten quite shabby, murderess Leslie Williams (Lee Grant) even calls him that. She's murdered her husband and sets it up to look like he's being ransomed in order to empty all of his accounts. Too bad for her, she's got a snoopy step daughter (Patricia Mattick) and Lt. Columbo on her case. This episode features an interview with the one-and-only Lee Grant who discusses working with Peter Falk on The Balcony, Ransom for a Dead Man, and Prisoner of Second Avenue.

1h 5m
Mar 21, 2022
Enough Rope & Prescription: Murder

Before Peter Falk put on his rain coat, Bert Freed smoked Columbo's cigar on the Chevy Mystery Show episode "Enough Rope." Chris Stachiw and Mike White discuss that as well as "Prescription: Murder", the TV movie from 1969 wherein Falk made his official debut as the shabby detective.

1h 2m
Feb 20, 2022
Episode 1: Crime & Punishment

Chris Stachiw joins Mike for the first episode of The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast where we talk about the origins of the Columbo character by way of Josef Von Sternberg's Crime & Punishment (1935). The film stars Peter Lorre as a criminal who thinks he knows better while Edward Arnold plays Inspector Porfiry Petrovich, a clear precursor to Columbo's patented tactics. This episode features an interview with David Koenig, author of Shooting Columbo: The Lives and Deaths of TV's Rumpled Detective.

1h 8m
Jan 16, 2022