Did anybody try to kill Columbo?

A question I see asked from time to time is: "Did any of the killers try to kill Columbo?" The answer is...YES! A few of them did (always unsuccessfully, of course).  Let's take a look.

(See also: Does Columbo carry a gun?)

Beth Chadwick is too classy

The first close call was at the end of Lady in Waiting. Columbo lays out his case in Beth's bedroom and she realizes she's backed into a corner. She already had the gun in her hand, so she points it at him. Columbo talks her out of it though by appealing to her vanity. "You're much too classy a lady."

What pairs well with handcuffs?

At the end of Murder Under Glass, Columbo and Gerard (the murderous food critic) are cooking a meal together in Vittorio's kitchen. Sure enough, Gerard tries to use the same poison on Columbo that he used on Vittorio. But Columbo outsmarts him by switching the wine glasses.

Good doggies

In maybe the most vicious attempt to kill the good Lieutenant, Dr. Eric Mason of How to Dial a Murder tries to sick his killer dobermans on him. Little does he know that Columbo has had the dogs "reprogrammed".

Columbo loses his head (almost)

In the opening episode of Season 8 Columbo Goes to the Guillotine, literally. As he springs his gotcha he plays a dangerous game with killer (and fake psychic) Elliott Blake. He gets Blake to put the trick guillotine collar on him and drop the blade. But Columbo gambles that Blake would take the opportunity to try and kill him.

Instead, Columbo has switched the labels and survives.

A dangerous breakfast

In Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo psychotic Vivian Dimitri thinks she's killed Mrs. Columbo and gleefully confesses while she thinks she's watching Columbo die too. But just like with Columbo Goes to the Guillotine, Columbo has made a switcheroo to trap the killer.

Butterflies in shades of busted

In Butterflies in Shades of Grey, murderous radio host Fielding Chase has just realized he's both A) caught, and B) alone on a quiet road with Columbo. Well, not quite alone. Just as he pulls out his rifle to kill Columbo, a few other officers show up to spring the trap.

Frankly, I think Shatner's makeup person should have been arrested for the awful, constantly changing, moustache he had to wear in this episode.

And one close call...

In Undercover it's not clear that anybody was actually trying to KILL Columbo, but Mo Weinberg tried to ambush him with a pistol...and Bramley Kahn smashed him over the head and knocked him out.

Fortunately the good lieutenant survived all those attempts to solve another day.

Honorable Mention: Mrs. Peck

Perhaps nobody wanted to kill Columbo more than Mrs. Peck from Season 2's Double Shock. Fortunately the closest she came was feeding him "health cookies".