![]() ![]() The entire scene of Columbo volunteering to assist Santini during his live act represents entertainment at its finest. “I knew you could do it.” Now You See Him I imagine he wouldn’t have wanted to do another take after landing like that! Ouch!”Ħ. I think he was supposed to appear to lose his balance and run down the hill too fast, but not to actually lose his balance and fall. In other words, it’s not a self-cushioning fall the way a pro would set it up. You can see that he tries to land on his feet but ends up crash-landing on his knees before rolling over. “ The landing, too, looks hard and painful. ![]() You can see the moment where his weight goes too far forward and he can’t catch up with it-any of you who grew up hiking will know exactly how that feels, and how hard it is to regain your balance. I’m convinced that this is an actual fall, and that Falk really lost his balance and fell badly. Jenn Zuko expert analysis: “As a stunt person myself, this is one of my favourite Columbo scenes and one of the very rare stunts to appear in the show. Whether it was scripted or thrown in as an ad lib by Falk has never been revealed, but it’s become an iconic Columbo moment – and one that is universally cherished by fans. With multiple different camera angles in play, we’re clearly shown that Peter Falk did his own stunts – and it’s a helluva performance in which he appears to have risked genuine physical harm. “I’ll tell ya – it was the quickest way down,” he concedes as Wilson helps him to his feet. Directed towards the ‘quickest way down’ to the crash site by the eager Sergeant Wilson, Columbo’s perplexed look at the steep slope is hilarious in its own right, but it can’t compare to the mad capering that follows as the Lieutenant careers down the hill and ends up in a near neck-breaking heap at the bottom. Peter Falk showed he’s an ace at physical comedy in Greenhouse Jungle’s legendary hill fall scene. The quickest way down – The Greenhouse Jungle This is quintessential Columbo, and this is why the scene is so compelling more than 50 years after it first aired.”ħ. And here, even though Flemming knows exactly how his opponent ticks, even when he knows just how shrewd and brilliant the Lieutenant is, he still succumbs. Time and again we will meet self-assured, brilliant, suave, sophisticated villains trying to get away with murder and underestimating Columbo. With such conversational gems as Flemming telling Columbo he’s “a sly little elf”, it’s a scene boasting great writing and fine performances from the contrasting leads, and which leaves the viewer justifiably asking: how on earth is the Lieutenant going to outsmart this guy?ĭean Matthews’ expert analysis: “When the doctor perfectly dissects the Lieutenant’s character, it sets up every single episode of Columbo to come. It was much emulated but never bettered in the show’s 35-year life-span.Īdopting the ‘You know I did it I know you know I did it but you’ll still never catch me’ approach, Flemming oozes arrogant self-assuredness as the two men mentally size each other up. ![]() The extended ‘hypothetical’ conversation about the killing of Carol Flemming is the Granddaddy of many similar Columbo encounters down the years. The hypothetical debate – Prescription: Murder If this scene doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart, then I’m sorry to break it to you this way, but you’re probably already dead…Ĩ. I, for one, find it impossible not to smile along. This sense of fun is genuine and contagious. He’s as warm and charming as we ever see him – just look at his face light up as he and Landau revel in playing off one another. The nature of the scene made it perfect for ad libbing, and Falk, in particular, absolutely nails it. Yet he warms to the task, making a few wisecracks and milking the audience applause as his confidence grows. The legendary live cookery scene was almost entirely ad libbed by Peter Falk and Martin Landau – and it’s a masterclass in natural, comedic acting.Ĭalled up on stage to be a reluctant assistant to Dexter Paris, Columbo is initially abashed and stunned, and barely able to string a coherent sentence together – much to the delight of the live studio audience. ![]()
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