On November 4th, 1973 one of my three favorite episodes of the entire series premiered - Candiate for Crime. It's the 3rd episode of Season 3 and honestly it's pretty solid from top to bottom (except for one or two small plot holes).
Of course, there's a catch...as part of Hayward's publicity campaign he and Stone have claimed that Hayward is receiving death threats and Hayward has been assigned a large police security detail. How to kill Stone while surrounded by protective cops is a central plot theme.
What to watch for
A few things I noticed in the episode.
Not very discreet
In the opening Harry Stone, played well by Ken Swofford, has invited Linda Johnson over to their campaign suite to order her to end their affair and leave Hayward alone. In the middle of that argument the phone rings and Stone answers it - it's apparently a local union boss. But in the middle of the call he continues to argue with Linda about ending the super-secret affair...with his hand loosely covering the phone microphone.
Seems like an awfully careless way to loudly discuss highly confidential information.
Ditching the cops
Nelson's plan for ditching his security detail is interesting but a bit problematic. For one thing, Stone and Hayward don't look that much alike. An officer with decent eyesight might recognize that it wasn't Hayward driving his car out of the garage.
Second, Hayward takes a bit of a chance that he can beat Stone to the beach house given that Stone has a headstart and may be extra motivated to drive quickly to elude the officers. Of course he not only has to beat him there, but park his car out of sight, then take up station in the garage to wait for him.
Of course this all had to be planned in advance so he could be at Vicki's birthday party for his own alibi.
Of course this all had to be planned in advance so he could be at Vicki's birthday party for his own alibi.
That dress
We first meet Vicki Hayward (played perfectly by Joanne Linville) in her home and she's lounging in a tight, thin, pink dress. The dress is a bit controversial - some Columbo fans wish she were dressed differently, or wearing something under it, but I think she looks wonderful.
If you like this dress you're probably going to see it, or something very much like it, again. Mariette Hartley wears one very similar (but probably not the exact same one) in Publish or Perish. Lesley Ann Warren wears a similar one in A Deadly State of Mind.
Peggy Bundy has entered the chat
When we first see Nelson's campaign office we discover that his secretary is an able young woman who doesn't look as familiar as she probably should. She's 19-year-old Katey Sagal who later in her career became known as Peggy Bundy on Married with Children.
How did she get the job? Well, her dad Boris was the director of the episode, which was probably a factor.
Hello again, Vito
Nelson's tailor is Chadwick, played with flair by Columbo occasional Vito ScottiVito Scotti. This was Vito's second Columbo appearance, his first was in the previous episode - Any Old Port in a Storm.
The Scarlet Letter
At the community event Linda is wearing a dark red sweater covered with the letter "A". More than a few Columbo fans have drawn the parallel to the book "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Hey Jude
Does that Highway Patrol officer who gives Columbo directions look familiar? He's Jude Farese and he'll be back in Season 4's An Exercise in Fatality as Murph the Janitor.
The Gotcha
The gotcha is beautifully executed. Falk and Cooper play it perfectly. And I'm not sure Linville exhales the entire scene.
Notice Cooper active listening, nodding subtly at key moments. And the soundtrack adds the perfect note at the moment Columbo tells him he's under arrest, and he finally blinks.
Plot holes
Columbo forms his theory that the murderer couldn't have followed Stone because his car couldn't have shone enough light into the garage to see Stone. But if the killer was the passenger in the car (and he had an accomplice driving) then the driver could have pointed the left headlight into the garage and the killer from the passenger side of the vehicle could have fired the shots.
Also possible the killer had a flashlight.
I didn't find the headlights angle a very compelling clue.
Clean firecracker
When Hayward lights off the firecracker to simulate a gunshot wouldn't there have been paper debris from the firecracker on the floor of the patio?
Just a few more things...
- Robert Karnes (Sergeant Grover) is always a welcome addition to Columbo. I wish he'd been in more episodes.
- I love how when the "gunshot" is heard in the climactic scene everybody in the party rushes TO where they think the shooting has occurred.
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