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PODCAST

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast

Weirding Way Media

Podcasters Chris Stachiw (The Kulturecast) and Mike White (The Projection Booth) look at the enduring character of Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) and his creators.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-shabby-detective-yet-another-columbo-podcast--5084441/support.

tv & film after shows

All Episodes

42:32

The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/10/31

The Shabby Detective closes out Season Six with “The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case,” a murder most cerebral — and a little bit silly. When genius accountant Oliver Brandt (Theodore Bikel) kills his embezzling partner at an exclusive Mensa-like club for the gifted, Columbo wanders into a den of self-proclaimed intellectuals armed only with a cigar and a rumpled raincoat. The result? A battle of wits where the lieutenant’s “low” IQ proves a lot more useful than anyone expects. Mike and Chris

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27:07

Old Fashioned Murder

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/09/21

The Shabby Detective returns to Season Six with “Old Fashioned Murder,” where genteel larceny meets genteel homicide. Joyce Van Patten takes center stage as Ruth Lytton, a spinster running her family’s failing museum. When her ambitious brother threatens to sell off the artifacts, Ruth turns to murder and possibly taking revenge for things that happened off-screen twenty years prior.This episode went over-budget and over-schedule thanks to some behind-the-scenes meddling from Peter Falk's pals,

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47:13

Fade in to Murder

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/08/18

The sixth season of Columbo kicks off with “Fade in to Murder,” and we’re right there with it. Yes, we had to scrap our planned chat on Elaine May’s Mikey and Nicky (Mike just couldn’t stomach it), but that means we get to dive straight into William Shatner swaggering his way through one of the great villain roles of the NBC years. Chris can’t help but heap praise on Shatner’s performance as ego-fueled actor Ward Fowler, while Mike wrestles with the episode’s meta conceit, its TV-within-TV layers,

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31:30

Griffin & Phoenix (1976)

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/07/28

Not every Peter Falk performance comes with a rumpled coat and a homicide to solve. In this episode, we take a look at Griffin & Phoenix, a 1976 made-for-TV gem that finds Falk in rare romantic form. As Geoffrey Griffin, a terminally ill professor, Falk trades sharp wit for quiet heartbreak opposite Jill Clayburgh’s Phoenix, a fellow traveler on a limited timeline. What might sound like a recipe for melodrama turns into something far more poignant and disarming, with Falk giving one of his most

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48:30

Last Salute to the Commodore

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/06/23

It’s here. The one we’ve all been bracing for: Last Salute to the Commodore. As the final episode of Columbo’s fifth season and a proposed ending place for the entire NBC run, it manages to sink the ship with an almost gleeful disregard for coherence, tone, and character. Mike and Chris try to make sense of the chaos—was it Jackson Gillis’s bewildering script? Patrick McGoohan’s direction? Peter Falk’s performance? Or all of the above? Whatever happened, the result is a baffling, self-sabotaging

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31:37

Columbo Explains the Seventies

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/06/18

In this special bonus episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike White sits down with author Glenn Stewart to discuss his insightful and wildly entertaining book Columbo Explains the ’70s: A TV Cop’s Pop Culture Journey. Stewart’s book explores the cultural and historical shifts of the 1970s—from Watergate to disco, second-wave feminism to fast food—with the trench-coated sleuth as our shrewd, inquisitive guide.Mike and Glenn dive into the origins of the project, the writing process behind channeling

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40:12

Now You See Him

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/05/19

The great Santini takes center stage—but Lieutenant Columbo isn’t impressed by smoke and mirrors. In this episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike and Chris shine a spotlight on Now You See Him, the 1976 Columbo classic starring Jack Cassidy in his final turn as a Columbo killer. Cassidy plays the arrogant nightclub magician who thinks he can make murder disappear, but the rumpled detective sees right through the act.Chris and Mike unpack the episode’s sleight-of-hand plotting, its eerie undertones of

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37:09

A Matter of Honor

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/04/21

Mike and Chris head south of the border for A Matter of Honor, the rare Columbo episode set in Mexico, where the Lieutenant faces bulls, bravado, and a different kind of justice. Ricardo Montalbán plays a retired matador with a secret—and a motive—and Columbo has to navigate a new culture and language barrier while staying one step ahead. The guys dig into the episode’s unique setting, the ethics of honor killings, and how the show handles cultural sensitivity (or doesn’t). Is this an underrated gem

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31:39

Identity Crisis

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/04/18

Mike and Chris slip into the shadows with Identity Crisis, Columbo’s espionage-laced foray into cloak-and-dagger territory. Directed by none other than Patrick McGoohan—who also stars as a smug, sartorially superior spy—this episode finds the Lieutenant matching wits with a killer who’s as cool as he is cold-blooded. The guys dive into the episode’s slick style, surreal touches, and McGoohan’s unmistakable fingerprints all over the production. Is this Columbo at its most cerebral—or just a secret

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26:25

A Case of Immunity

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/03/21

In this episode of The Shabby Detective, Mike and Chris take a diplomatic detour into A Case of Immunity, where political protocol, palace intrigue, and murder collide. Columbo finds himself navigating foreign immunity laws and velvet robes as he tries to outwit a slippery embassy official (Héctor Elizondo) with a taste for treason. The guys break down the episode's unique tone, the curious case of Sal Mineo, and the appearance of Jeff Goldblum.

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26:50

Forgotten Lady

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/02/21

Step onto the faded red carpet and into the world of aging Hollywood glamour as The Shabby Detective takes on "Forgotten Lady", one of Columbo's most poignant mysteries. In this episode, we unravel the tragic tale of fading movie star Grace Wheeler (Janet Leigh), who dreams of a comeback but finds herself tangled in a web of murder and memory.With Peter Falk’s rumpled lieutenant navigating a case where sympathy and suspicion go hand in hand, we dissect the episode’s emotional depth, the

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59:01

The Gun (1974)

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2025/01/17

In this episode of The Shabby Detective, we examine the riveting 1974 TV movie The Gun, a gripping exploration of fate and consequence. Crafted by the legendary writing duo Richard Levinson and William Link and directed by John Badham, the film follows the journey of a single handgun as it passes through various lives, leaving a trail of drama and intrigue. Join us as we unpack the film’s unique episodic structure and the creative forces behind this powerful cautionary tale.

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60:37

The Execution of Private Slovik (1974)

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2024/12/23

Between Columbo's Seasons 4 and 5, we're shifting our detective lens to explore another powerful creation by Richard Levinson and William Link: The Execution of Private Slovik (1974). Directed by Lamont Johnson and featuring an unforgettable performance by Martin Sheen, this adaptation of William Bradford Huie's work tells the harrowing true story of Eddie Slovik—a small-time Michigan criminal who made history as the only U.S. soldier executed for desertion during World War II.

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36:09

A Deadly State of Mind

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2024/11/15

We conclude the 4th season of Columbo with the episode "A Deadly State of Mind" wherein George Hamilton is a suave hypnotist of ladies -- one in particular played by Leslie Ann Warren. He has designs on her while also conducting "research" for his work. Her husband as other ideas.

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38:07

Playback

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2024/10/18

Season 4 continues with "Playback," an episode starring another Cassavetes alum, Gina Rowlands. Unfortunately, she's sidelined as a innocent bystander and wife to the episode's murderer, played by Oskar Werner. He's a fan of gizmos which aid his plan to murder his mother-in-law but, of course, they're ultimately his undoing.

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48:06

Troubled Waters

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2024/09/20

Set sail for murder as Lt. Columbo takes a cruise to Mexico with his wife only to be asked to help solve the murder of lounge singer Rosanna Wells (Poupée Bocar) at the hands of used car sales exec Hayden Danzinger (Robert Vaughn). It's the return of Bernard Hill and Dean Stockwell in an episode Chris Stachiw says may be the best of the season.

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44:20

By Dawn's Early Light

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2024/08/19

Welcome to the show Mr. Patrick McGoohan as Colonel Rumford, headmaster at an all-boys military academy and devotee of rules and regulations. When his reign is threatened he retaliates by killing his rival with a cannon! Now it's up to Lt. Columbo to stick around the academy and solve the crime in one of the more solid episodes of Season 4.

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66:14

Negative Reaction

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2024/07/22

Season 4 of Columbo continues with a favorite of Mike's, Negative Reaction wherein Dick Van Dyke plays photographer Paul Galesko who think he's committed the perfect murder of his wife (Antoniette Bower) and patsy (Don Gordon). Unfortunately for him, Columbo is on the case. This episode features great roles for Vito Scotti, John Ashton, Joyce Van Patten, Larry Storch, and Michael Strong.This episode of The Shabby Detective also features an interview with author David Koenig about his new book,

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74:01

Exercise in Fatality

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2024/06/21

We start off the fourth season of Columbo with a discussion of Exercise in Fatality in which our titular detective squares off with tough guy and fitness guru Milo Janus (Robert Conrad) in a case that gets everyone tied up in knots. This episode also features an interview with Amelie Hastie, author of Columbo: Make Me a Perfect Murder, a close reading of the series. Get it now at https://amzn.to/3xf8Pjk

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80:40

Corky Romano

The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast ·

2024/05/17

Chris Stachiw and Mike White are taking a break between the third and fourth seasons of The Shabby Detective: Yet Another Columbo Podcast and discussing one of Peter Falk's later roles as the patriach of the Romano family which includes Paulie (Peter Berg) and Peter (Chris Penn) along with black sheep Corky (Chris Kattan).We discuss Kattan's career, the panning of Corky Romano, and the Happy Madison universe.

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