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PLOT: The co-owner of an equestrian center (George Wendt) murders his gambling brother and frames his mob bookie, which he also kills. Columbo finds a number of anomalies that don't fit the puzzle and so teams-up with a mob boss (Rod Steiger) to break the murderer.

COMMENTARY: Cheers' Wendt makes for a notable villain, but the biggest flaw in his scheme was to murder the mob bookie and frame him. Whilst this might get rid of his incompetent brother and pacify the police, it would certainly provoke the Mafia to come looking for him. What good is it to own a horse farm when you're dead? And why would he assume the bookie would come to his abode alone (which he curiously does)?

Some people pan the episode on the grounds that Columbo has spoken Italian in a few previous segments (e.g. "Murder Under Glass" and "Death Hits the Jackpot") and yet he claims to not know the language here, which is inconsistent. A likely explanation is that Columbo makes up a new backstory depending on the people and situation with which he's dealing. In short, his immediate mission determines his backstory. Here he obviously wanted the mafia to think he couldn't speak Italian so that they might speak Italian around him, which he would understand.

Another criticism is that it's wrong for Columbo to align himself with organized crime and engage in entrapment. Yet this is indirectly addressed in the episode, although you might have to read between the lines a bit. Columbo KNOWS who the real murderer is; and apparently so does the Don. They both want justice and the Don grants Columbo the grace to acquire it legally, which he can't do without proper evidence and a confession. So they team-up to get it one way or another. In other words, justice is Columbo's prime objective, not being 100% legally correct.

As for entrapment, Columbo is known for resorting to these kinds of (unrealistic) shenanigans to break his opponent and obtain justice, as witnessed throughout the series (e.g. "Prescription: Murder," "Butterfly and Shades of Grey" and "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo").

The last five Columbo episodes (actually TV movies) were released over the course of nine years from 1995-2003 with "Strange Bedfellows" beginning this run. All of them are worthy installments for one reason or another.

GRADE: B

George Wendt stars as Graham McVeigh, a ranch/horse owner who is fed up with bailing out his gambling brother Teddy(played by Jeff Yagher) who is also in debt with a mob-related man named Bruno Romano(played by Jay Acovone) so devises a scheme to murder both of them by first killing Teddy, then laying suspicion on Bruno before he lures him into a trap to kill him too, claiming self-defense. Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) is investigating the crimes when he is approached by the mob leader Vincenzo Fortelli(played by Rod Steiger) who wants Graham to pay for what he did, but the two of them instead come up with a better plan to trap Graham... Slick, entertaining episode with Steiger and Falk a good match-up, and Wendt's character is so obtuse and unsympathetic that the potentially morally dubious alliance between them isn't an issue.

George Wendt who played beer swilling Norm Peterson on Cheers for years is our guest villain in this Columbo film. He is the owner with his brother of a thoroughbred horse breeding farm with big plans for the future. The problem is he's got a wastrel spendthrift brother in Jeff Yagher who owes some bookies really big bucks. Wendt's decided that the brother has to be eliminated as he can't carry his ever increasing debts.

But Wendt is not only a real slime ball he's a little bit crazy in his scheme. Not only does he kill the brother he kills Jay Acovone whom he lures to his house. Acovone is both a restaurant owner and a bookie and well connected to Mafia crime boss Rod Steiger who is a half owner in the place. You want to mess with those guys? He claims he killed Acovone as a matter of self defense.

I have to say that Wendt apparently had a well conceived plan, but those little details that Columbo spots are what does him in. Things that Wendt could not have foreseen just make Peter Falk zero in on him more and more.

Real Columbo fans could not miss the similarities between this story and one from the 70s where Hector Elizondo kills someone in the consulate of a Mideast kingdom. It was also a whole lot of little things that Falk suspect him, but he couldn't quite nail him. He uses the same gambit from that story to nail Wendt in this one.

You'll have to see the film to know what I am talking about.

A little over the top, and might not fly 100% in reality, but still one of the wildest, funniest and wackiest of all the 69 episodes. Columbo is not the doddering old fool that he portrays in some of the later movies. He is serious, with a tinge of humor throughout. Although he seemingly goes on and on with his stories, in actuality few of his lines are wasted at all. In every line he drops some subtle allusion that is part of his grand design to ensnare his suspect. George Wendt will never be mistaken for a great actor. But he actually is well cast in this particular role - a lying, not too bright criminal, who nonetheless designs a brilliant, extremely complex murder/frame-up plan that only Columbo can figure out. Consequently, he is convinced that he is smarter than he actually is. So naturally he looks down at Columbo and keeps saying unnecessary things w/o realizing that Columbo is setting him up. Rod Steiger, in a brilliant performance as a mafia godfather, is hilarious and delectable (although even someone like me, who can't speak any Italian, can easily detect that his Italian diction is laughable, spoken like a true American of French, Scottish, and German descent might speak it). As for those reviewers who say this film is bad because Columbo is out of character, I respectfully disagree. He often uses questionable means to get the proof of the murderer's guilt, once he is convinced that he surely has the actual murderer. Yeah, it's a little overboard here, but it works because it is done with a sly smile, rather than in a purely serious manner. The final wild roller coaster ride seems finally to have entered the realm of the inconceivable, until the truth is revealed about what just happened and it gives you a big laugh. Hang on!

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS is one of the more lively outings for the late-stage Columbo as it features a different kind of murder for the detective to get his (false) teeth into. While George Wendt's simplistic villain isn't one of the best the series has to offer, the sub-plot involving a disgruntled mob boss (played by the delightful Rod Steiger) more than makes up for the shortcomings elsewhere.

Wendt is a completely ruthless character, a horse breeder who bumps off his own brother in the early part of the story. A noticeably aged Columbo proceeds to investigate and gets involved with the usual minor clues involving ashes in an car ash tray and a mysterious phone call received by the victim just prior to his death.

At this point the Mafia sub-plot comes to light and things get more interesting, all leading to one of the finest and most intricate climaxes ever seen in a Columbo. The ending itself is enough to make the episode, it's that good. Watch out for RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD's Don Calfa in a minor role as a bartender, and Columbo series regular Bruno Kirby as a police sergeant.

Strange Bedfellows was one of those episodes that I wasn't sure what to make of at first. After further viewings, I think there are both good and bad things and that it is neither among the best or worst of the series. That said, if I were to rank the Columbo episodes Strange Bedfellows for me would be somewhere around the bottom, not because it's terrible but because there have been better episodes and so many good, often amazing, ones.

What were the good things? Well as is the case with all the Columbos, it is filmed and directed beautifully, and has a good score. I did admire that it attempted to stick to formula after some episodes that tried to be different but failed due to bad execution, it was mostly interesting and had some good scenes, with Columbo's triple bluff being the highlight of the episode. Of the support cast, Bruce Kirby was fun and Shani Wallis was a nice find but my favourite was Rod Steiger, not his best role but he is very good here.

Peter Falk does a fine job with what he had with the iconic character of Columbo. He has a lot of charisma and has some inspired line delivery. I wasn't taken with how Columbo was written in this episode though, Falk does make an effort to make him true to how he usually is but the material works against him. Columbo does seem out of character(note I said seem before somebody objects), and is not as likable as he often is. It is not as bad as him sending himself up in Last Salute to the Commodore or being almost completely sidelined in No Time to Die, but it didn't work for me.

My main problems though were the script and three performances that didn't work for me. There have been much cleverer, more arch, funnier and more tense writing before in Columbo, here the cat-and-mouse scenes between Falk and Wendt that are often highlights of Columbo seemed bland and lacking in tension and the script seemed very pedestrian in places. George Wendt I agree is too boorish and too unsubtle in his role, but he is at least better than the dull Jeff Yagher and the irritating Karen Mayo-Chandler.

All in all, a strange episode that at the end of the day I was very mixed on. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I wouldn't exactly call this movie an horrible one but compared to the usual Columbo movie standards, this is a rather weak entry in the long running successful series, starring Peter Falk.

Some very odd things are happening in this movie, that just don't feel 'Columbo-like'. I would call this movie a rather unrealistic one, even for usual Columbo movie standards. It also really isn't the most clever Columbo movie around and it's actually a quite poorly written one, that perhaps even becomes a bit ridicules at part. Also the way the murder itself is being planned out and committed is quite ridicules in my opinion.

Vincent McEveety always was a director who tried out some new things for his Columbo movies, often with success but there also are some movies that simply don't work out well enough, of which this is obviously one.

It's also often a real slow movie. Some of the sequences go on for far too long, which I blame to the dialog. Some of the dialog is absolutely dragging and its the type of dialog in which the same things get said 3 times over again. It makes some of the sequences within this movie annoying to watch as well.

The movie also isn't really helped by its cast. George Wendt isn't an horrible actor but yet he really doesn't act well in this movie, so you can say he got miscast. It's still interesting to see Rod Steiger in this Columbo movie and his role is actually quite bigger than he gets credited for. Hardly the best or most interesting role out of his career but it's nice watching him in this nevertheless. Peter Falk also does his very best but I wouldn't call it the best performance out of his career, which again, is mostly also due to the movie its dialog.

So really not the best Columbo movie around, although I also just wouldn't call this movie an horrible one.

6/10

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The most notable aspect for me was the familiar faces in this episode, which include fine performances by both George Wendt and Rod Steiger, and watch for regulars John Finnegan, and the final appearance of Bruce Kirby. Wendt is the real star here, as he's just a few years removed from a memorable run on "Cheers", and he's very convincing in a murderous role here. Steiger is also in fine form as a mob boss, as he warns Columbo that he'll give him time to arrest Graham(Wendt), but if that fails, then he'll take care of matters himself and that won't be pretty. Without giving too much away, this ending plot borrows heavily from "A Case of Immunity", which is a fine episode from 1975, and I could see this conclusion coming a mile away, especially them giving the same "thumbs-up" gestures, so that drops this episode down a few pegs. As someone else said, this isn't the best Columbo film in the stable(pun intended), but it's passable, and instead of Wendt raising a glass of beer, this time he's raising a gun.

In his memoir, Peter Fischer tells of how his idea of Graham McVeigh was someone like James Spader or Jude Law.

Casting George Wendt was either ABC's or Universal's idea; Fischer's response was to take his name off the credits - 'Lawrence Vail' was his "red-flag" pseudonym, used when he felt that his script was being fouled-up at the production stage.

What the hell - I liked it; Steiger saved it, in my view ...

Race horse owner Graham McVeigh (George Wendt) is partnered with his younger brother degenerate gambler Teddy McVeigh. He is tired of Teddy and drugs his own horse to sabotage Teddy and his bookie. It's his opening move to kill Teddy and pin it on the bookie and then kill the bookie. It's supposed to look like a mob hit. Little does Graham know, actual mob boss Vincenzo Fortelli (Rod Steiger) is connected and Columbo (Peter Falk) gets pulled in.

Norm! It's nice to have evil Norm. This is a good solid Columbo episode until the last section. That part can't be right. I don't know if it's legal. It's definitely not ethical. The thing about Columbo is that he's a good by-the-book guy. He would never cross that line like that. They may as well beat a confession out of him. I do like Rod Steiger in this. This could have been great, but the confession section is really problematic.

Even though not as good as the old ones but definitely one of the best in the new series. George "Norm" Wendt makes a great murderer. Great supporting cast (Jay Acovone, Jeff "V" Yagher, Rod "Fortelli" Steiger none the less ...), suspenseful definitely underrated. The confrontation is a pure pleasure for Columbo fans reminiscent of the early seventies ones. "For us!!!" "Hey youuu? Yes! Yoooou!!!" Enjoy.

A very underrated episode for some reason. Rod Steiger has a beautifully executed cameo.

A fun episode, if far fetched. We have a kind of cool cast with George Wendt and Rod Steiger. Wendt owns a horse farm with his brother, but the brother is a mess. He gets in over his head with a bunch of mafioso and is perpetually trying to get out from under their thumbs. George has had enough and kills his brother. He also kills one of the mafia guys in a set up. From there on the plot gets fun with our rumpled detective engaging in some fun subterfuge. It is a bit of a stretch when we see what transpires, but it is enjoyable. Steiger, one of our greatest actors, does a really good job as the mob boss.

I read through some reviews and noticed some folks loved this installment of "Columbo". Well, I am glad they enjoyed it...but I really didn't.

Graham (George Wendt) and his brother own a stable of race horses. However, the brother is a bit of an idiot....and is deeply in debt to gamblers. As for Graham, he apparently likes this situation and actually sabotages a horse race in order to make sure his brother loses. Then, later, after the brother is REALLY in debt to mobster, Graham murders him...making it seem like the mobsters killed him.

A short time later, Graham phones the mobster who is owed the money and asks him to come over so they can talk about the dead brother's debt. However, instead of paying him a debt he didn't really owe, Graham shoots the guy and plants the gun that killed his brother on the now dead gambler. The problem with all this is that the dead guy is related to a mob boss (Rod Steiger) and now this man and Columbo create a really transparent plan to scare Graham into admitting to the two killings.

Okay....well the episode, to me, was interesting to watch but also very poorly written. A few of these mistakes are minor. One example is that Columbo suddenly doesn't know Italian...even though he demonstrated his fluency in speaking and comprehending the language in previous episodes. The BIG problem is that Columbo is essentially a criminal in how he extracts the confession. There is absolutely no way in the world a 'good cop' would work with mobsters to scare a confession out of a guy. This IS what you might expect from the KGB or from a third world dictatorship...not from a cop who is supposed to be honest. Think about it.... Columbo could simply use mobsters and cops behaving as mobsters to scare confessions out of EVERY suspect!! I just don't understand this...it was so inconsistent with all previous episodes. And, should be we rooting for cops extracting confessions in this highly illegal manner?!

Tired of his brother's gambling losses and influence on his life, Graham McVeigh sets it out so that younger Teddy will get in way over his head with bookie Bruno Romano. Graham kills Teddy on a deserted road and then arranges for Romano to come to his house to collect payment – only to kill him and call the police claiming self-defence. His plan is that the police will put the murder on Romano and just close the case. However some cigarette ash in Teddy's car is enough of a problem for Lieutenant Columbo to keep poking his nose in long after Graham had hoped it would all just go away. Meanwhile Romano's mobster boss informs Columbo that it must have been Graham that did the crime and that, either way, he must be punished.

With the last two or three of the new Columbo's I watched the producers (including Falk himself) seemed to be busily trying to do something different from the usual formula – with mixed results it must be said. So with this entry in the series I welcomed the return to the basic cat'n'mouse games that are played between Columbo and his prey while he gradually closes in on them. The film sets up the usual "perfect plan" and then moves ahead from there; it was almost a relief to me to see the formula back in place. The story is a nice one and in some ways the addition of the mobster adds a bit of spice to it but did change the character of Columbo a little bit – would he really just sit and listen to a man threaten murder and just eat soup? Anyway, the story unfolds reasonably well and it does just enough to work as a formula and, although the conclusion lacks logic it is still enjoyably delivered - it is just a shame that the usual strength of the films is a weakness here – namely the performances Well, not performances plural maybe but certainly performance. Wendt is far too boorish and lacking subtlety to convince – it is very much an one-note man and it doesn't lend itself well to the twists and turns within the story. It is a shame because so few of the new Columbo films produce a really good cat n'mouse story and this should have been a good one if not for his very basic turn. Falk is good although I don't think he or the material coped well with the moral complexity that came with technically working with a mobster. Kirby makes a welcome return in a small role that honours his long term connection to the series. Steiger is a nice addition despite my reservations and he certainly stands above a poor Yagher and a terrible "apples & pears, gov'ner" performance from a laughable Mayo-Chandler (influence within the industry one suspects).

Overall this was a welcome return to the formula after one too many duff Columbo's trying something new. The story is fine but it is just a shame that the usual tense chemistry is blown by a roundly poor turn from Wendt. A solid enough formula piece for fans but it is hard not to feel like it has managed to dribble past three defenders just to put the ball wide of an open goal.

The worst Columbo ever was "No time to die." This was the second worst. Why? Because Columbo was completely out of character, and committed reprehensible and illegal acts in trapping his prey: he plainly assaulted the suspect (death threats and ramming his car), held him against his will, extorted evidence (the location of the gun), a confession, and under threat of death a an ongoing covenant to take the fall.

Columbo is supposed to be a sympathetic goody-goody character (albeit a slob), not a felon.