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| Columbo - The Complete Fifth Season |
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List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $25.50
You Save: $14.48 (36%)
Buy New/Used from $25.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 25 reviews)
Sales Rank: 170
Category: DVD
Author: Columbo
Publisher: Universal Studios
Studio: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Label: Universal Studios
Format: Color, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Number Of Items: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.9
UPC: 025192646829
EAN: 0025192646829
ASIN: B000BF0C7A
Release Date: June 27, 2006 (New: Last 30 Days)
Theatrical Release Date: September 15, 1971
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Peter Falk took home back-to-back Emmy Awards for his portrayal of the indefatigable Lt. Columbo during the show's fifth season in 1975-76, and the series itself earned two Emmy nominations, which should give an indication of the quality of the episodes contained in this double-disc set. Although the fifth season only featured six episodes, the quality of writing and acting talent is impressive, to say the least: Janet Leigh, John Payne, Sam Jaffe, and Maurice Evans star in the season opener, "Forgotten Lady," about a faded movie queen who may have murdered her elderly husband to finance a comeback; Patrick McGoohan, who won an Emmy for his performance in the fourth-season episode "By Dawn's Early Light," returns to direct "Identity Crisis", which pits Columbo against a deceptive secret agent (McGoohan, who makes slyly overt references to his Prisoner character throughout the episode), and "Last Salute to the Commodore," with John Dehner and Robert Vaughn as relatives whose disagreement over the fate of a shipping line turns deadly; and then-newcomers Steven Bocho and Steven Spielberg write and direct, respectively, "Murder by the Book," with Jack Cassidy returning for his fourth Columbo turn as a devious PR agent. As far as TV mysteries go, few have been as clever, well acted, and intricately plotted as Columbo, and home detectives should find plenty of sleuthing material to enjoy here. Unfortunately, as with all previous Columbo boxes, the supplemental material is limited; the "Caviar with Everything" episode of the Mrs. Columbo series with Kate Mulgrew is this set's sole extra. --Paul Gaita
Description
Peter Falk dons his famous trenchcoat again as he returns in his 4-time Emmy award-winning role as everyone's favorite Police Lieutenant in Columbo: The Complete Fifth Season! Join Columbo in this three-disc set as he asks all the right questions in some of the most deceptive and deadly cases. The Fascinating Fifth season also features such brilliant guest stars as Janet Leigh, Sal Mineo, Robert Vaughn, Ricardo Montalban, Hector Elizondo, Robert Loggia, Patrick McGoohan, and more. The landmark crime series returns, and no murderer can hide for long with Columbo on the beat!
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Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
Here's hoping for "complete" set of Columbo episodes this time. July 22, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's great that Universal finally got around to releasing the Columbo detective series on DVD. Columbo was one of the few shows, where the story quality rarely degenerated from one season to the next. That said, however, it's nothing short of criminal that several of these episodes are NOT in their original full length. From the first season DVD set, actress Barbara Rhodes is missing from "A Lady In Waiting". Even worse, a key scene in a recording studio with Columbo and an engineer is missing from the famous "Swan Song" episode with Johnny Cash, from the second or third season. And I've found large scene deletions in at least two other favorite episodes on other season DVDs. These shameful practices are characteristic of most American conglomerates like GE-NBC-Universal that consistently show that their regard for their customers is even lower than that of their own substandard merchandise. Thank you, Bob Welch-who at least for Columbo fans should have stuck to dishwashers and weapons contracting.
 Still a great season July 20, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is probably my least favorite columbo season however it is still great. I love seasons 1-7 but lose interest when season 8 resumed in 1989.I will buy seasons 6 and 7 then stop.All i can say is hurry up and bring on seasons 6 and 7.Cannot wait to own seasons 1-7. I think one of the funniest things said in the columbo series is in the bye bye hi iq murder episode when the murderer says in a panic " VIBRATIONS"!!! "WHAT VIBRATIONS"!!!
Everybody's missing the Commodore's boat July 18, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Contrary to most reviews here, "Last Salute to the Commodore" is the BEST Colombo episode of all time. It takes a second viewing to realize the whole show is done as a comedy -- with all kinds of clues that Falk and Vaughn and the cast are staging an episode-long put-on. I salute Falk and director McGoohan, who had the guts (it must have been Falk's idea, he had all the power by the fifth season) to hilariously do a two-hour takeoff of the Colombo series and the title character. Come on, loosen up critics -- Falk playing with Vaughn's arm and ear while they exchange dialogue; practically sitting on his lap in the car; the Inspector tangling Vaughn in a phone cord then having him try to hang it up in a jumble; Falk hilariously trying to scream over the drilling in the boatyard in a scene in which everybody starts to crack up before somebody yelled 'cut.' The Inspector crawling all over the boat and bizarrely repeating every technical explanation about sailing that he hears (and nearly falling in the water). Colombo supposedly whistling beautifully, like a bird, at the close just before the credits, even though he has a lit cigar firmly planted in his mouth. Falk talking directly into the hair of the TM girl as she meditates. And driving his car in unnecessary repetitive circles and speeding short distances like a madman. The whole show is intended as a joke, a put-on of -- and for --the audience, the way Saturday Night Live or Python might have portrayed the series. Hard to believe that the bitter critics of this episode don't get the self-parody. The actors can hardly keep straight faces. To rate and review this one as a serious whodunit is to completely miss the very clever point. Kudos to Falk and whomever else had the guts to purposefully sink an episode for sly laughs. And watch Falk's eyes and the manners of most of the actors--there was either a lot of drinking going on during lunch, or somebody showed up on the set each day with some illegal smokes. It's a full-out joke, and a very gutsy and funny one, making it the best Colombo episode ever. I've been waiting for its release. "Last Salute's" inclusion on this box set alone would merit a Five-Star ranking here, but the inexcusable and astonishing editing blunders -- the black dropouts and sloppy cuts are shocking -- drop it to Four and almost merit a money-back demand by consumers. In that regard, the set is a rip-off and the producers should pay. But life being what it is, that ain't gonna happen. So I'll gladly accept Season Five and the wonderful inclusion of the magical and hilarious in-joke "Last Salute to the Commodore," THE greatest Colombo episode of all-time. If you have a sense of humor, unlike many obviously, it's not to be missed.
 I Love Columbo, but this ain't Columbo July 18, 2006
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'm not cynic, or a critic, or a negative guy in general. I love to see the beauty and value in things... but I gotta say, all the negative reviewers were right. I'm a HUGE Columbo fan, in fact, it's hard for me to imagine someone who appreciates Columbo more than me. Maybe that's why this season bother me so much. It's simply not Columbo. All the sublety is gone. Columbo's not Columbo. All his words and actions are uncharacteristic of himself. Every aspect of the series is uncharacteristic off the Columbo formula. I'm all for change and evolution, buy this is definitely a step backwards.
And yes, Patrick McGoohan who directed Commodore and Identity Crisis is a pretentious wanna-be. It's so easy to tell that he's a fan of Bergman, Goddard, and the like, and is trying to turn Columbo into some hip noir piece. So much of his style is cliche, he overuses the same tricks again and again. In attempting to glorify his cinematic hipness, he totally destroys something that was already far more elevated than his limited artistic mind can even conceive. Columbo fans, skip this one, it will make you mad.
Big Disappointment July 16, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have enjoyed the first four seasons of Columbo very much. Excellent stories and very enjoyable acting. Unfortunately, season five does not follow that same trend. The stories are trite and the acting is below par. Actors that performed very well in previous seasons episodes (Jack Cassidy, Robert Vaughn) seem to have become bored and unimpressed in this set. Even the maestro, Peter Falk, is below par. He has become bumbling and boring in most of these episodes. Also, it seems as though the stories were based on 30 minutes worth of ideas stretched out to 90 minutes. What happened? How could such a clever show change so dramatically? I felt season four was great. Maybe everyone was tired of doing it by season five. If this is what I have to look forward to in season six i won't be buying it.
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Copyright Runningonkarma.com 2006
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