On November 28th, 1976, the second episode of season 6, Old Fashioned Murder, premiered. It’s one of those Columbo episodes where the setting does half the storytelling. Instead of glossy mansions or TV studios, we spend most of our time in the creaky, candlelit Lytton Museum—a family institution that feels like it was built to trap secrets in its walls.
The premise is simple: the museum is broke, the heirs are restless, and the museum is all that curator Ruth Lytton really has. When her brother Edward decides the sensible thing is to shut it down and sell off the collection, Ruth chooses the only solution she can imagine—engineering a robbery for insurance money…and get rid of brother Edward.
That makes her surprisingly dangerous. Ruth doesn’t underestimate Columbo, and she doesn’t waste energy trying to dominate him. Instead, she tries to be useful to him—helpful, informed, cooperative—because she assumes the truth will never point back to her.
Van Patten manages to deliver several very clever, even funny, lines with calm deliberation. And she also very effectively conveys the obvious heartbreak and longing her character experiences.
Old Fashioned Murder is basically a family meeting where someone keeps getting shot in the background.
Edward Lytton (Tim O’Connor) is the practical sibling: if the museum can’t survive, cash out. Phyllis Lytton Brandt (Celeste Holm) is the theatrical sibling: she floats in, performs worry and melodrama, and floats out again. And then there’s Janie Brandt (Jeannie Berlin), the niece Ruth genuinely loves—the one person who makes Ruth seem human rather than merely “correct.”
“What are you doing here?” -Edward
“I do wish people would stop asking me that.” -Ruth
If Edward seems familiar that’s because he’s played by Tim O’Connor, who played the family lawyer, Mr. Hatheway, in season 2’s Double Shock.
This is a great example of Columbo’s location scouting doing character work. A modern, bright museum would make Ruth’s obsession feel petty. This place makes it feel inevitable.
One of the quiet pleasures here is watching Columbo navigate a space that’s designed to control people. Museums tell you where to stand, what to touch (nothing), and what the story is supposed to be. Columbo, naturally, does the opposite: he lingers, doubles back, and asks about things no one thinks matter.
The cheeseburger sounded good too.
The gotcha in this episode feels familiar to me; it seems similar to the gotcha in Mind Over Mayhem where Columbo uses the father’s love for his son to break his story. In this one he arrests Janie, and plays her arrest against Ruth, leveraging Ruth’s love of Janie and the family.
Columbo has an official recap/condensed upload for this episode on YouTube:
The premise is simple: the museum is broke, the heirs are restless, and the museum is all that curator Ruth Lytton really has. When her brother Edward decides the sensible thing is to shut it down and sell off the collection, Ruth chooses the only solution she can imagine—engineering a robbery for insurance money…and get rid of brother Edward.
Meet Ruth Lytton
Joyce Van Patten plays Ruth like someone who has been living in a chilly building for so long that she’s started to think in museum temperature. She’s not flamboyant. She’s not even particularly manipulative in the usual Columbo sense. Her confidence comes from believing she’s the only adult in the room—the only person who understands what the museum means and what it costs to keep it alive.That makes her surprisingly dangerous. Ruth doesn’t underestimate Columbo, and she doesn’t waste energy trying to dominate him. Instead, she tries to be useful to him—helpful, informed, cooperative—because she assumes the truth will never point back to her.
Welcome back Joyce Van Patten
If Joyce Van Patten looks familiar it’s because she was the delightful nun in Negative Reaction. She does an outstanding job in this episode too, even though her character is much more reserved.The writing is the star of this episode
I’m curiously fond of this episode. It might not quite make my top 10, but it’s in the conversation, and the biggest reason for me is the writing and most of the performances. The dialog is some of the best of the entire series, really listen to the word play and the exchanges, especially from Joyce Van Patten.Van Patten manages to deliver several very clever, even funny, lines with calm deliberation. And she also very effectively conveys the obvious heartbreak and longing her character experiences.
“There’s a man’s arm for any woman who wants one.” -PhyllisThe pace of this episode feels slower than most as well, they’re not in any rush to get to the next scene and that sort of adds to its charm.
“No. Not any woman.” -Ruth
The Lyttons: a family that curates its grudges
Old Fashioned Murder is basically a family meeting where someone keeps getting shot in the background.
Edward Lytton (Tim O’Connor) is the practical sibling: if the museum can’t survive, cash out. Phyllis Lytton Brandt (Celeste Holm) is the theatrical sibling: she floats in, performs worry and melodrama, and floats out again. And then there’s Janie Brandt (Jeannie Berlin), the niece Ruth genuinely loves—the one person who makes Ruth seem human rather than merely “correct.”
A heist that immediately feels…wrong
Ruth’s plan—staging a robbery for insurance—has the right kind of Columbo-era audacity: it’s clever enough to sound plausible, but messy enough that you can feel the show itching to pull at the threads. She recruits Milton Schaeffer, the museum’s security guard, by dangling money and a fresh start.“What are you doing here?” -Edward
“I do wish people would stop asking me that.” -Ruth
Let’s talk about Edward for a moment
If Edward seems familiar that’s because he’s played by Tim O’Connor, who played the family lawyer, Mr. Hatheway, in season 2’s Double Shock.
One lucky break
Ruth takes a chance that Schaeffer would bring his gun into the museum with him. If he’d left it in the car, or if it wasn’t loaded, she’d have had a problem. Edward would have found her standing over Schaeffer’s dead body and she wouldn’t have had the second gun to shoot Edward with.And speaking of Schaeffer…
It probably didn’t take actor Peter S. Feibleman much time to learn his lines, because he wrote the teleplay for this episode. He also wrote the teleplay for the previous episode, Fade in to Murder.
One thing I didn't understand, by the way...when we first see Schaefer he's smoking in the museum. You'd think that would be a no-no, but it was 1976 so maybe. But Ruth sees him drop his cigarette butt on the floor and says nothing.
I can only assume that she wasn't ready to talk to him quite yet, so she waited until later when she came back down. But it seemed odd.
Janie is the weak link?
I can’t explain why, exactly, but the Janie character just doesn’t seem to fit somehow. I’m not sure if it’s the way she talks, or the odd reaction when she finds the bodies or…I just can’t quite put my finger on it.
A familiar face
Yes, that’s the legendary Michael Lally dusting for prints in the phone booth at the crime scene.
But Sgt. Miller probably doesn’t feel familiar
Sergeant Miller is played well by actor Jon Miller, but this was the peak of his acting career. It was his second, and final, acting credit.
The best production choice: the building itself
If you remember anything from Old Fashioned Murder, it’s probably the atmosphere: dark wood, and quiet shadowy corridors.This is a great example of Columbo’s location scouting doing character work. A modern, bright museum would make Ruth’s obsession feel petty. This place makes it feel inevitable.
One of the quiet pleasures here is watching Columbo navigate a space that’s designed to control people. Museums tell you where to stand, what to touch (nothing), and what the story is supposed to be. Columbo, naturally, does the opposite: he lingers, doubles back, and asks about things no one thinks matter.
She doesn’t recognize it
When Columbo goes to visit Janie in jail. He brings her food, cigarettes, and the gold belt buckle that was planted in her closet as if she had stolen it. But she doesn’t recognize it and uses it as an ashtray during their conversation. I thought that was a really nice touch.The cheeseburger sounded good too.
A familiar gotcha
The gotcha in this episode feels familiar to me; it seems similar to the gotcha in Mind Over Mayhem where Columbo uses the father’s love for his son to break his story. In this one he arrests Janie, and plays her arrest against Ruth, leveraging Ruth’s love of Janie and the family.
Did she or didn't she?
A bit of a subtext at the end is whether Ruth actually did murder her former-fiance', and Jamie's dad, Peter oh so many years ago. Columbo postulates how it could have happened, and Ruth persuades him to repudiate it at the end. But maybe?
Just a few more things…
- The Lytton Museum exteriors were filmed at the Doheny Mansion, 10 Chester Place, Los Angeles.
- Celeste Holm brings a different energy than the episode’s gothic setting suggests—almost like she wandered in from a comedy of manners. It’s an odd fit, but it also underlines how out-of-step the family members are with each other.
- I don’t mind the slow pace generally, but maybe the bit with Columbo trying to figure out what’s wrong with the inventory recording drags out just a little too long, in my opinion.
Learn more
Columbo has an official recap/condensed upload for this episode on YouTube:
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