Columbo Cast of Old Fashion Murder
The murky, potentially unexciting, world of family museums was explored in Old Fashioned Murder – the second episode of Columbo's sixth season, which aired on 28 Nov, 1976.
With a 6-month intermission later on this until the third and last episode of the truncated flavor, surely the creators would pull out all the stops to ensure viewers were left hankering for more past delivering a riveting adventure?
And so, is Old Fashioned Murder a solid gilt belt buckle of an episode, or is it more than of a rusty erstwhile pot? Let'southward turn our watches forrard twice after midnight and sew together up our favourite nieces equally we detect out…
Dramatis personae
Lieutenant Columbo: Peter Falk
Ruth Lytton: Joyce Van Patten
Edward Lytton: Tim O'Connor
Phyllis Lytton-Brandt: Celeste Holm
Janie Brandt: Jeannie Berlin
Milton Schaeffer: Peter S. Feibleman
Sergeant Miller: Jon Miller
Dr Tim Schaeffer: Jeff Osuna
Darryl: Anthony The netherlands
Watch salesman: Gary Krawford
Written by: Peter South. Feibleman (from a story by Peter S. Fischer as Lawrence Vail)
Directed past: Robert Douglas
Score by: Dick De Benedictis
Significant locations: Lytton Museum (Doheny Mansion, 10 Chester Place, LA)
Episode synopsis: Columbo One-time Fashioned Murder
Eye-historic period spinstress Ruth Lytton'south decades-long devotion to her family museum is hanging by a thread. Sick of it losing money hand over fist, elder brother Edward has vowed to shut it down and sell off its avails so the 3 erstwhile-money Lytton siblings (including shallow, socialite sister Phyllis) can swim in loot for the rest of their days.
Ruthy won't have this affront lying downward. Instead she plots with down-on-his-luck museum security guard Milton Schaeffer. If he'll break into the museum that night and steal some select, highly valuable relics, she'll pay him $100,000 – ostensibly so she can claim them on insurance to solve the museum's funding crunch.
To seal the deal, she as well promises to supply Shaeffer with a phony passport so he can split the land and showtime a new life in in the torrid zone with his ill-gotten gains. All he needs to do is rob the museum at 2am, and meet her afterwards to swap the artifacts for cash and passport. What could go wrong?
Shaeffer, who is existence tailed by thugs keen to compensate his gambling debts, agrees to this tomfoolery. He has to appear to be expressionless to get away clean, and so, at Ruth's bidding, he rings his blood brother at 9pm and leaves an answer auto message in which he pretends to be in danger, and which he ends by firing a gun shut to the receiver.
Meanwhile, back at Lytton HQ, sisters Ruth and Phyllis conversation to young Janie – Phyllis'south daughter – who has returned home from a date with Schaeffer's blood brother at 11pm. Janie should be helping Uncle Edward with his all-night inventory of the museum's stock, but Ruth gave her niece a hall pass and so she could put her murderous plan into action with no witnesses.
Once sister and niece are abed, Ruth heads to the museum. Schaeffer is there, stealing the items he was told to have similar a expert petty puppy, and is surprised to see Ruth. He's even more surprised when she guns him downward in cold blood abreast the museum's payphone booth.
Edward, who is yet cataloging items on cassette, comes to investigate. He, besides, is surprised to run into Ruth and uktra-surprised equally she pops a cap in his chest with the revolver she's just taken from Shaeffer's corpse. She so places the revolver in Schaeffer'southward dead hand, puts the other gun in Edward's hand, flips the telephone off the hook and beats her retreat – turning off the room low-cal every bit she leaves.
Columbo is on the case early next twenty-four hours. Schaeffer'south brother has uncovered the reply motorcar message and is in a PANIC, believing his luckless sibling to accept been slain! Columbo'south investigations thus takes him to the Lytton house for he has heard Schaeffer was fired from his job past Edward the day before (a lie concocted by Ruth), and he wishes to speak to the fella.
Instead he is greeted by Ruth, who tells him that Edward is sleeping later a late night and she won't wake him. She's gracious enough to provide the Lieutenant with a loving cup of chamomile tea to help ease his spring hay fever sniffles before introducing the detective to Janie and Phyllis. The histrionic Phyllis promptly faints dead away on the living room floor. She has no caput for foul play…
Still, the constabulary accept no corpus delicti to prove Schaeffer is dead, so Ruth puts the next phase of her plan into action. She and Janie caput to the museum to go on the inventory so Edward can 'sleep'. Knowing full well where the bodies are, Ruth rather cruelly sends Janie off on her own and the immature woman duly finds the two stiffs – too as a mother lode of fist-biting trauma! Columbo's real investigation is nearly to begin.
Columbo'due south dutiful underling, Sergeant Miller, has left the crime scene exactly as it was plant. The Lieutenant is immediately puzzled by why the lights were off. It appears that Schaeffer and Edward shot each other at the exact same time. So who turned off the lights? In darkness, neither would have been able to see the other conspicuously enough to fire accurately – although no i ever suggests the obvious that Edward could take fallen against the switch when dropping expressionless.
And so there's the matter of Schaeffer's outfit. He's wearing a tropical shirt, brand new shoes, a new calendar sentinel and has had a haircut and manicure. It looks for all the world similar he's heading off on vacation, simply in that location was no luggage and no passport in his motorcar exterior, nor at his apartment. Miller thinks the victim was dressed for Vegas, simply Columbo has noted the vaccination mark on his arm. Schaeffer was heading overseas.
The contents of Schaeffer'due south brief case and pockets are also confusing – especially an enigmatic note that reads 'Plow twice after midnight'. Whatever could it mean? The Lieutenant believes the bulletin could be directions Schaeffer was following within the museum to run into an accomplice. Simply at the moment it's all guess work.
He does have some hard evidence, though, that leads him to a hairdressing salon (where Schaeffer had had a trim and manicure) and a lookout seller'due south, where Columbo learns that 'plough twice after midnight' was not a set of directions, but was really a reminder Schaeffer wrote himself to current of air his watch forrad twice in club to set the correct date of 1 May (not 31 Apr) on his calendar.
While this is all a piddling confusing, Columbo does at to the lowest degree extrapolate that Schaeffer was very likely alive until after midnight on the dark of his murder, and that his 9pm call to his blood brother was artificial (duuuude).
He reveals this tid-scrap to Ruth, who is savvy enough to realise that all the female Lyttons are now feasible suspects as none of them had alibis afterwards midnight. So part three of her program goes into activeness: divert suspicion onto poor, innocent Janie! To practise and then, she plants a solid gold chugalug buckle in Janie's wardrobe – an particular she tells Columbo has been missing from the museum for 2 weeks.
Adding upward diverse pieces of bear witness, the Lieutenant requests a search warrant, which throws up the belt buckle in Janie's wardrobe. As Janie is read her rights past Sergeant Miller, Phyllis helpfully passes out…
Visiting Janie in her jail cell, Columbo brings a variety of items with him – including food, cigarettes and the gold belt buckle, which Janie uses as an ashtray. He and then starts talking nigh the many skeletons in the Lytton family closet – namely the human relationship between Phyllis and Ruth, and the death of Janie's father.
Columbo has discovered that Janie was born 6 months later Phyllis married Peter Brandt. This means she must take been three months pregnant at the time they wed – rather scandalous for a socialite, no?
He's likewise looked into the conditions surrounding the expiry of Peter Brandt when Janie was just 7. He was recovering from a heart set on and being nursed at the Lytton home by Ruth. Could Ruth, bitter and resentful at past humiliation, have caused his second, fatal, middle attack? The very suggestion infuriates Janie, who closes downwards the chat for expert.
After that evening, Columbo interrupts the Lytton sisters' dinner. He's releasing Janie into their custody because he doesn't recall she's had any part to play in the double homicide. Why? Because she was using the supposedly stolen chugalug buckle as an ashtray all afternoon. She had no idea what it was, let solitary whether it was a valuable antique.
He also has evidence to suggest that Ruth's story that the buckle has been missing for 2 weeks is a load of baloney. Later on spending hours listening to Edward'south inventory on cassette, Columbo finds a description of the buckle recorded on the night of the murders. Ruth has been lying. And when the example goes to court, all the family'south secrets will be laid bare.
In order to save Janie from further heartache, Ruth insists Columbo admit he had lied nearly implicating Ruth in the decease of Peter Brandt. The detective retracts his argument and Ruth turns herself over to him. Columbo takes Ruth's arm and escorts her out of the house with her dignity intact every bit credits curl…
Former Fashioned Murder's best moment: the sensitive stylist
Columbo was in for a shock to the organisation when he paid an innocent visit to Darryl's hair salon seeking data on murder victim Milton Schaeffer'due south new haircut and manicure.
Great to interview Darryl in the center of a decorated working day, the stylist is having none of it. When Columbo duly informs him that it's a murder investigation, and if Darryl won't exist more helpful he'll have to accompany the detective downtown, the crazed coiffeur goes into meltdown!
"Well, go correct alee. Arrest me!" he taunts. "Exercise you have the handcuffs with yous? Why don't you handcuff me? I'yard surprised you lot don't vanquish me unconscious so you can carry me out so I don't cause trouble!"
A bemused and embarrassed Columbo only manages to defuse the pressure-cooker state of affairs by requesting a haircut – cue a very different, sleek wait for the Lieutenant's usually unruly mop. The slice de resistance? He doesn't have enough coin to pay for the styling and manicure, then has to ask the dapper Sergeant Miller to encompass him!
Even more than fun follows when the watch shop assistant recognises Darryl's handiwork, pouts suggestively at Columbo and compliments him on his new wait! These are the only genuinely funny moments in the whole episode, and Darryl'southward histrionics add much-needed energy to a plodding outing. Enjoy a snippet below…
My take on Old Fashioned Murder
If e'er an episode premise was going to disinterest viewers from the beginning, a tale of an ageing spinster committing murder to safeguard a family museum was going to be it.
It hardly sounds gripping, and despite the best efforts of the capable and likable Joyce Van Patten, I imagine Onetime Fashioned Murder struggles to estimate any sort of strong emotional reaction from the average viewer, who is more than likely to exist quietly bored than on the edge of their seat throughout.
That'southward a swell shame for Van Patten, who can't exist faulted in the function of Ruth Lytton. She ably portrays a sympathetic, intelligent killer, giving Ruth both dignity and smarts. Ane could even contend that she's the closest of all killers to mentally matching the good Lieutenant, never underestimating him for a moment and giving him no real reason to suspect her.
Thematically she'due south similar to 2 other popular Columbo killers: Lady in Waiting'southward Beth Chadwick, who was besides oppressed by her family members; and Whatever Old Port'due south Adrian Carsini, who shares her unmarried-minded zeal for safeguarding the family business. On paper, it sounds promising.
Still, the confrontation between murderer and detective is never permitted to sizzle due to the docile nature of the story and some senseless writing that betrays the Ruth character and ultimately renders the episode a dud. Where information technology falters almost is in the illogical actions Ruth takes in the second one-half of the episode with regard to Janie. In short, Ruth stitches up the but person she loves – and it makes no sense at all!
Aunt Ruth and niece Janie have a special human relationship. Janie even admits early on that she prefers her aunt to her own female parent, Phyllis. Reading between the lines subsequently on, we can even infer that Janie is Ruth's secret daughter – the offspring of the love between Ruth and former fiance Peter Brandt before wretched sis Phyllis stole him abroad.
"Ruth is arguably the closest of all Columbo killers to mentally matching the skilful Lieutenant."
The way I run across it, jealous Phyllis couldn't stand to see her sister finding love, then lured Peter into her foxy lair. In one case it was discovered that Ruth was pregnant (scandal warning!), Phyllis and Peter escaped to the country to be out of the public heart and to wed, while Ruth was cooped upward at Lytton HQ to see out the pregnancy. In one case little Janie was built-in, she was handed to Phyllis and Peter to raise as their own in club to deny guild columnists a scandalous scoop. Information technology'southward heartbreaking stuff, and would explain why Ruth has no dearest for anyone simply Janie.
Granted, non all viewers translate Janie's lineage this manner. Information technology could well exist that Phyllis is the biological mother, but there's plenty murkiness to go far pleasingly ambiguous. Yet, past Janie's ain admission, Ruth has been the mucilage that kept the family together, and has been the most protective and supportive of Janie. So why does Ruth try to frame Janie for the double murder?
Planting the belt buckle in Janie's wardrobe was a calculated act to straight suspicion abroad from herself on to the younger woman. This can simply lead to (at all-time) acute stress and trauma for the poor, innocent lass – and possibly (at worst) life backside confined! This after Ruth already made sure that Janie was the one who discovered the traumatising dead bodies in the museum. That's some seriously tough love Ruth's dishing out!
Ruth'southward actions are actually more than suggestive of antisocial Janie than loving her. With that in mind, I put forward a tantalising culling plot that would have had Ruth playing the long-game of revenge against the family unit that wronged her, and in which Janie is definitely non her daughter.
Hear me out! It'south heavily implied that Ruth killed Peter Brandt years before, hiding her act behind ministrations to a ill human. Edward's determination to sell the museum was the trigger Ruth needed to finally rid herself of him, and by framing hated niece Janie she could accept completed her decades-long mission of revenge, leaving Phyllis to experience the sting of isolation and desperation that Ruth herself had felt years earlier.
This would accept given the episode a deliciously hard edge. As information technology is, the indecision and inconsistency in the script suggests that story writer Peter South. Feibleman (who besides starred as victim Milton Schaeffer) didn't take a full grasp on who Ruth was supposed to be and how she should plausibly act. The framing of Janie is the prime number example, but not the merely one.
For a quiet, bookish adult female, Ruth has ice-cold presence of listen under pressure. Note how casually she gunned down blood brother Edward moments subsequently dispatching the hapless Schaeffer. She displayed hired hit-homo levels of coolness. Given that it'due south heavily implied Ruth caused the death of Peter Brandt years earlier and nosotros're presented with a scheming, inconspicuous and remorseless series killer, who might be one of the series' most dangerous criminals if you're on her wrong side!
"For a tranquillity, bookish adult female, Ruth has ice-common cold presence of mind nether pressure."
Does this correlate with the tranquility, unassuming woman Ruth is shown as beingness? Information technology's certainly a stretch, although serial killers tin exist entirely unobtrusive when not carrying out heinous crimes. Nonetheless, the sympathetic treatment Ruth receives from Columbo, and the glowing character references she gets from Janie, conspicuously signpost that we should experience kindly towards her.
The writing'southward to blame for Ruth's inconsistent characterisation, and much of that is a probable result of Feibleman's major rewrite to an original story written past Peter South. Fischer – the legendary Columbo writer responsible for classics including Publish or Perish, A Friend in Deed, Negative Reaction and A Deadly State of Mind.
Feibleman, on the other mitt, had only 1 Columbo writing credit to his name – Fade in to Murder, which was co-penned. Entrusting him to rework a master craftsman's efforts is perhaps a primal reason why Old Fashioned Murder is as flawed as it is.
Fischer's original version (which you tin can read here – thank you to Rich Weill for drawing my attention to information technology) was entitled In Deadly Detest and was a riff on Shakespeare's Richard III. In it, the Bard-quoting Richard Costaine is sidelined from his role as curator at his dearest family unit museum by business-minded nephew Edward, whom Richard pays a private investigator $100,000 to bump off.
Richard himself then kills the PI at a family residence in the mountains and frames the second nephew for the double homicide. Phyllis (who doesn't faint once in the draft) is the stiff and adamant mother of the nephews, simply there is no Ruth equivalent.
Reading it, you tin can encounter there are a lot of the same beats that fabricated it into the final script, but in that location are significant differences. For one thing, Columbo is ane of ii cops investigating dissever murders; nephew James is having a undercover love affair with a Las Vegas showgirl, who ultimately provides his excuse; while the PI is keen to ditch a loveless marriage by faking his own death. There's too no sub-plot about shady family unit secrets.
"Casting Van Patten was a good move given the comparative scarcity of female person leads in the series."
Would In Deadly Hate accept been a summit episode? Unlikely, but it would accept been an improvement on how Erstwhile Fashioned Murder panned out – not least because Richard wasn't encumbered past whatever actual affection for his wider family, so behaved consistently throughout. Certainly Fischer was unimpressed by the concluding outcome, refusing to be credited as the story writer, instead going by the pseudonym Lawrence Vail.
The one improvement made (in my opinion) was to have a female killer. Burgess Meredith (The Penguin in 60s' Batman!) was in Fischer's mind'south centre to play Richard Costaine, and while he could have been a fine villain, having Van Patten play such an singular killer was a good move given the comparative scarcity of female leads in the series.
I merely wish the talented Van Patten had been given a stronger episode to star in. The sorry fact is that Columbo fans probably better recall her few minutes of screen time as the comic nun in Negative Reaction than for her leading role here.
The bland nature of One-time Fashioned Murder besides does few favours for the supporting cast, which, on paper, is outstanding. Like Van Patten, Tim O'Connor is making his second serial' appearance after a fine turn every bit scheming lawyer Michael Hathaway in season ii's Double Daze. His role as Edward here is short-lived and one-dimensional.
As Phyllis Brandt-Lytton, Celeste Holm is the script's biggest casualty. Every bit head of the household and a noted beauty and socialite, her office ought to be an intriguing 1. Instead she'due south one of the unabridged series' nigh abrasive support characters, reduced to performing multiple 'comedy' faints and setting back the course of women'south lib by l years with her insistence on never leaving a room without being on a man's arm.
It's axiomatic she's supposed to be adding comic relief, but bluntly it's an embarrassing waste of an Oscar-winning actress. If only Ruth had slain Phyllis as well, the audience could take been roaring their approving! Instead, any time Holm is on screen I'm quietly seething at what a weak, shallow, fool she comes across equally – although her presence admittedly helps ramp up sympathy for Ruth, who deserves our compassion for having such an idiotic sibling if cypher else.
Equally Janie, Jeannie Berlin is really the best-of-the-rest in the support bandage and is the to the lowest degree let-down past the story. She performs well in a decent role that gives her a take chances to showcase her range from sweet naivety to icy disdain (even so her unintentionally hilarious reaction to finding two dead bodies). A All-time Supporting Extra Oscar nominee in 1973 for her turn in The Heartbreak Child, Berlin really tin human activity and she comes out of the episode with credit.
Berlin's real-life female parent, the renowned and ground-breaking manager Elaine May, directed Peter Falk and John Cassavetes in acclaimed gangster flick Mikey & Nicky, which was released earlier in 1976. I wouldn't be surprised if this connection was responsible for Berlin being cast in Old Fashioned Murder. Interestingly, though, she had a 14-year acting hiatus after this episode was filmed. Hopefully her Columbo feel wasn't the reason!
Elsewhere, Feibleman even lets himself down by his own writing of the Milton Schaeffer character. Accepting that he was saddled with gambling debts and being tracked by hired goons, it'due south still one hell of a jump of faith to play along with Ruth'south scheme. Why would he think a bookish spinster would be able to secure him a fake passport? Why make such life-altering decisions in a heartbeat? Act in haste repent at leisure, eh, Milton? It'south hardly plausible and is further evidence of the weak writing.
"Falk's performance veers, at times, closer to Final Salute to the Commodore than is comfortable."
The episode doesn't even go out on a loftier. Many lesser Columbo outings have been partly redeemed by a memorable gotcha scene. Old Fashioned Murder doesn't have one. Instead information technology just peters out.
Columbo tin can show Ruth lied about the whereabouts of the gold chugalug buckle. She quietly gives herself over subsequently he agrees to her asking to backtrack on his before insinuations that Ruth may take killed Janie's begetter. In that location's no great revelation or a stunning admission that we should accept been building towards. Information technology'southward all very flat – although Ruth leaving the room on a human's arm on her ain terms was a squeamish bear upon.
The tepid finale points to further uncertainties within the story. I wonder if information technology was a late decision to try to redeem Ruth past having her relieve Janie from further pain? I recall it would accept been vastly more interesting to have Columbo lonely foil Ruth's dastardly long-term revenge program, saving Janie from a life behind confined but leaving her emotionally crippled, realising she was a mere pawn in a decades-long betrayal game. This could accept packed some real emotional dial – something the episode totally lacks.
So how does Peter Falk fare in this ocean of mediocrity? Presumably he had a major function to play in having the episode then thoroughly reworked, although quite how much is unknown. He's certainly not bad in this, merely it'southward not a vintage performance.
He seems to be trying to amuse himself throughout with a performance that veers, at times, closer to Last Salute to the Commodore than is comfortable. The exaggerated mannerisms and expressions he adopted there are in evidence, and he's annoyingly cryptic with sidekick Sergeant Miller when the directly approach would be more appropriate.
Still, he and Van Patten made for an interesting pairing and for in one case all of Columbo'due south obfuscating and sham incompetence doesn't fool his quarry for a moment. I tin merely repeat what I said earlier that this confrontation should have been far more gripping than information technology ultimately was.
Despite many problems, viewers that successfully combat the ennui tin nonetheless glean shreds of enjoyment. For i thing, the nighttime and gothic nature of the museum is nicely done and is an apt setting for a tale of murder and betrayal. Dick De Benedictis returns to score his 15th Columbo episode and his chilling, medieval, harpsichord-laden arrangement is a perfect accompaniment.
The skeletons in the Lytton family closet provide a heavy cloak of deception surrounding lost beloved, revenge and the lineage of Janie, and to the episode'south credit information technology's never too heavy-handed in what it reveals nearly Ruth's past life. Yep, nosotros can speculate that she killed Peter Brandt and that she's Janie's biological mother, but it's left open to interpretation. I recollect that's for the all-time and Feibleman deserves some props for that, if it was done deliberately.
The pickings are too slim to get excited almost, however, and Old Fashioned Murder is mirthless and unremarkable when compared to pretty much every episode that's come before it. Aside from Columbo'south haircut, the humour is lowest-common-denominator stuff, so there's very little to aid information technology stand up tall in the retentivity. Casual fans most probable hardly remember it at all.
To conclude, Old Fashioned Murder is not a terrible piece of television in the grand scheme of things, but by Columbo standards it'southward a disappointment. With Falk such a stickler for quality scripts, it's also something of an bibelot. The series' lead human scaled back his delivery to Columbo to concentrate on his picture career in 1976, just spoke of his intent to place quality above quantity in the few episodes he would appear in.
Deadening and unexciting, at times a confused mess, and with a central villain who'due south only partially realised, Sometime Fashioned Murder blows Falk's ambitions out of the water. For a season featuring only three episodes, actors and viewers alike had a right to accept expected much meliorate than this.
How I rate 'em
For all of Joyce Van Patten's quiet nobility, Old Fashioned Murder is too flawed to earn a recommendation. It'due south poorly plotted, it'due south tedious, it's hugely forgettable and is deservedly one of the least regarded episodes of the classic era. While I don't hate it, I'chiliad certainly in no hurry to view it again.
Feel the need to revisit previous episode reviews? Then click on any link below and saddle up!
- Suitable for Framing
- Publish or Perish
- Double Shock
- Murder by the Book
- Negative Reaction
- A Friend in Deed
- Death Lends a Paw
- A Stitch in Crime
- Now Y'all See Him
- Double Exposure
- Lady in Waiting
- Troubled Waters
- Whatever Old Port in a Tempest
- Prescription: Murder
- A Mortiferous State of Mind —B-List starts hither—
- An Practice in Fatality
- Identity Crisis
- Swan Vocal
- The Most Crucial Game
- Etude in Black
- By Dawn's Early on Low-cal
- Candidate for Crime
- Greenhouse Jungle
- Playback
- Forgotten Lady
- Requiem for a Falling Star
- Blueprint for Murder
- Fade in to Murder
- Ransom for a Expressionless Human being
- A Case of Amnesty
- Expressionless Weight —–C-List starts hither——
- The Nearly Dangerous Match
- Lovely but Lethal
- Brusk Fuse ———D-List starts hither—-
- A Matter of Award
- Mind Over Mayhem
- Old Fashioned Murder
- Dagger of the Mind
- Terminal Salute to the Commodore —Z-Listing starts hither—
That's it for now, beloved readers. As always I want to hear your views on this episode. Have you read the script for the original incarnation of this story? If so, permit me know if yous think it would have been a meliorate bet, or where Quondam Fashioned Murder went wrong. And do you share my opinion that Janie was actually Ruth's daughter?
Later on a somewhat lacklustre pair of episodes, can season 6 round out on a high with the preposterously titled The Cheerio-Cheerio Heaven High IQ Murder Case? Viewers of the day would have to wait 6 months for their side by side Columbo hit to find out. You won't have to, so check back in again soon!
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