Season 5, Episode 6, Columbo - Last Salute to the Commodore (1976)

 Season 5, Episode 6, Columbo - Last Salute to the Commodore (1976)

 

 

This episode was directed by Patrick McGoohan, and written by Jackson Gillis, Richard Levinson, and William Link.

 

Some people really do not like this episode but it's one of our very favorites. The best way to view this episode is as if everyone involved from writing to directing to every actor and extra - is high on hallucinogenic drugs at almost all times. Some of them are really tripping. Maybe it's just alcohol, but it seems like they're tripping on mushrooms. Columbo invades the personal space of every person he comes across, sometimes several times. It's a psychedelic journey of hilarity. It is the episode from whence the banner photo of this very blog sprang:

1) And this is the best outfit in this episode. Lisa King, naval architect, bedecked in denim flare jeans and a space dye turtleneck sweater with an equestrian ranch landscape motif. It's trippy. And Columbo is tripping.

 

We will come back to this scene in depth for the funniest moments segment, but her sweater deserves an award. 

 

 2) Joanna Clay's orange dress: 

This is a slinky polyester v-neck long sleeve orange maxi gown. 

She's accessorized with a white gold and black diamond sparkly bracelet at the wrist and also a matching brooch at the v-neck

 

 

 She is having a rip roaring time. 

3) Lisa's rust brown puffy jacket over wrap cardigan sweater

 

 

 

We don't see much of this outfit, but it's a down insulated puffy jacket with denim flare jeans. 

She is also wearing a brown turtleneck under a natural fiber wrap cardigan sweater: 

She looks balanced and in touch with the earth, and not at all greedy. 

It's impossible to pick one line or scene as the funniest, this episode is packed with absurd humor, we have to celebrate it all. 

 

Let's look at Columbo close talking and invading personal space repeatedly: 

 

 

These are not even all of the close talking and personal space invading he does. It's constant. 

Let's look at Columbo physically goofing and doing slapstick tripping on drugs: 

Columbo is not the only one having the time of his life, the people on Swenny's party cruise are debauching their asses off: 

 

 

Much to the consternation of the Commodore: 

 

 

Here's Columbo crawling across a boat like it's normal

La la la la la laaaa

 

Here is Columbo absolutely screaming back and forth with a boat worker over the screeching of metal tools

 

 

It doesn't make no sense unless you're hallucinating. 

Here he is tripping balls on a boat deck: 

Just enjoying the hell out of life when he spots a mysterious meditator, enter hijinks

 

He sits down and joins her, shoulder to shoulder, personal space invasion maximus

 

 He's doing it wrong and asks for help

He realizes the futility and then he absolutely screams at the cops on the dock to come up

 

He almost falls off a boat

 

His psychedelic trip seems to peak right after this when he's rolling around on the dock 

 

He is really confused.

 

 

He doesn't know if he's on the island or mainland. 

 

His trip facilitator Mac helps him pretend he's an island. 

All of this is presented as normal behavior. 

But he's tripping. 

Next up is some more madcap physical comedy answering how many cops does it take to find the lipstick? 

 

 

And how many cops does it take to read a watch? 

 

 

They need a magnifying glass. Speaking of magnifying glasses, what the actual fuck is this shot

Hello, Mr. Kittering, esq. 

At some point in a psychedelic trip, everyone experiences this: 

There is a nice sunshiny scene when Columbo and Mac are filled with joy and dreaming

Mac has never been so happy

We're the best of friends

Columbo got it, the Molly J! Love the Spirit of 76 flag back there. Bicentennial madness.

Columbo is physically zany to the very end when he leaps into a rowboat and paddles off into the sunset to meet Mrs. Columbo at the yacht club

So delightful. 

Bonus points for decor go out to Kittering's orange velour living room: 

And the half naked mermaid in the Commodore's office

This episode is the hero's journey, it's Siddhartha, it's a drunken acid washed festival of fun and crime. 10 stars.