This is one of the true all-time greats. I own nothing. #Columbo #NegativeReaction #PeterFalk #DickVanDyke #VitoScotti #JoyceVanPatten #LarryStorch #JohnAshton #EpisodeGuide #Review
A truly excellent review, my friend! I love how cold-blooded Dick Van Dyck is in this. And the gotcha is a masterpiece. I LOVE the way Van Dyck plays the part as his character, at the end, realizes that Columbo, a guy he's completely disrespected through the whole investigation, played him like a freakin harp. A beautifully acted moment. Thanks, Shlock!
I've been waiting so long for your review of this wonderful episode, Negative Reaction is one of the best Columbo episodes and an absolute favorite of mine, hhe gotcha at the end is my favorite gotcha moment and the best gotcha moment of any Columbo episode in my opinion hands down!
Larry Storch, to me, is ever and always Corporal Agarn, from the tv series "F Troop", which was a fun show with a wicked satirical bent I couldn't properly appreciate at the time.
Hello again! I appreciate taking your time to do things such as this, the passion for it spurred me on to really check this out. To me, Season Four is probably one of my most favorite seasons so far. Like seriously, Season Three had high highs and lows, but this is just continuous punches front to back. Great stuff. Hope to see more.
Another gem--thanks! Amen to everything, especially the praise for Van Dyke and the deep bench of boss character actors. The Gotcha is oddly suited for TikTok...just have Columbo asking: were you witness to what he just did...cut to the cops answering yes...but you can add a clip of any other character responding to Columbo and it would be hysterical... Were you witness to what he just did? Cut to Pikachu nodding yes...then Brando in The Godfather...DDL as Lincoln...it could be a endless loop of corroboration! 😉 Cheers!
Thank you so much for this. This is one I continue to watch, even as I’m burned out on most other episodes of real (70s) Columbo. The rest of the internet is Team Port in a Storm for some reason. That one has rotting corpse plot holes you don’t want to think about, and the terribly contrived restaurant scene with the over-the-top parody Columbo we’d see more of as the series progressed, plus a scenery chewing sommelier and maitre d’. Feh. This one doesn’t make most people’s top because of D#?k Van D%ke playing against type, but I like it a lot!
The Last thing Paul says to Francis is chilling. Francis tells Paul the police will know that he killed her and he won’t get away with it. Paul’s response: “It’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
To me, this is the "quietest" episode of Columbo. Not a lot of music, mostly just some cues, and that warped sound to the cues at times. Also, I feel this is a gateway to a new style of Columbo episodes. I ❤ Columbo! Edit: The ending, to me, is Columbo being worn out by his "howcatchem" talents. He goes through so many mental hoops it's probably exhauting. I've seen him look downtrodden the end of several episodes. 😢
It is a great episode but I also have a problem with the ending and 2 more points: first, despite the soup kitchen scene being amazing, it is in fact what you object to so much in other episodes - a padding. the plot doesn't advance in any way due to Dolan's blackout so it is meant and succeeds as a purely feel good comic relief. The other point is Columbo obtusely interrupting the funeral- I can't buy it. it was possible if he was really the bumbling, clumsy, tactless guy he pretends to be but we know in reality he's a very respectful person and this act beside the grave is very much against the grain.
Another frequent COLUMBO actor in this one is Fred Draper as the fingerprint man. For some reason he isn't in the credits, and he's hard to recognize with a beard.
The perfect episode, incredible casting. I've read that it would have been even stronger because they wanted to cast Orson fuc*ing Welles for Paul Galesko... This is how you conceive and produce a series, ladies and gentlemen, we all have to learn from this. But I adore Dick van Dyke and he did amazing: the whole episode is iconic like him, so I'll get over it. Ah and Frances Galesko is my favorite victim ever, superb all across her screentime. She wears red right after the preparation of her murder in the red light. The Galesko mansion is also in my favorite Columbo interiors collection together with Nadia Donner's yellow apartment in A deadly state of mind. As a side note, check and translate the lyrics of an Italian song "Colombo" written by this group Baustelle: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eUbhYPrnlHs.html
If you want a real good example of playing against type look up a movie called "Murder in Coweta County.' In it the lovable and non-violent Sheriff Andy Taylor, Andy Griffith. plays a vicious and racist murderer. Luckily, he is brought down after he accidently places the body of a victim in a neighboring county that is policed by a sheriff played by Johnny Cash.
11:30 It wouldn't be that easy to fool van Dyke with the enlarge photo cause there were alot of other photos around that proves the photo to be reversed.
Exactly! The gotcha is rubbish, as so many are. For some reason, people are afraid to confess that Columbo was a BAD series, dishonest to the core, raining frills on the viewer to make him forget how insubstantial/untenable the story really is!
