Just One More Thing: Short Fuse

Notes and screenshots for Short Fuse: Originally broadcast on January 19, 1972, starring Roddy MacDowall as kooky chemist killer Roger Stanford, James Gregory as his exploded uncle, Ida frickin' Lupino of all people and, of course, Peter Falk as Columbo.

"Pressured to give up his birthright, a chemical company heir enacts a clever plan to get rid of his blackmailing uncle and take over the family business. But Lt. Columbo suspects the man's death was not just a tragic accident."

-IMDB Summary

"Chris Sims and Matt Wilson (War Rocket Ajax and Movie Fighters) join Jon and RJ to discuss “Short Fuse,” in which Roddy McDowall plays a strange genius and heir to a chemical fortune who uses his know-how to murder his scheming uncle. In the process of unraveling the crime, Columbo has to face his fear of heights, silly string, extremely tight 1970s pants and, once again, Ida Lupino. Also, Viewer Mail and discussions for folks who may be new to Columbo."

-RJ's episode summary

Listen to the original podcast episode here:

Episode 4: Eighty Fellas Tied For First with our guests Chris Sims and Matt Wilson.

Short Fuse

Season 1, Episode 5

Director: Edward M.Abroms

Writers: Lester Pine, Tina Pine and Jackson Gillis

There's nothing quite like an episode with three writers. 

Roddy McDowall plays an heir to a chemical fortune who suffers the combination of a domineering uncle-by-marriage (James Gregory, better known - to me anyway - as Inspector Luger from Barny Miller) and a profligate lifestyle. With his uncle threatening to reveal the dirt he's got on the kid, Roddy's being forced out of the company his father founded. Bum deal!

Interesting thing about this episode is that at the beginning, you'd be forgiven for thinking that McDowall's the injured party; his uncle hired a creep to spy on him, is forcing him out of the biz, is a dick ... but as the episode plays on, Roddy's fun-time, anything-for-a-laff veneer peels away and you're treated to the heightened awareness that all the characteristics which seemed endearing about him at first are actually pretty demeaning, insincere and even abusive. Dang. 

A number of scenes end up on the Palm Springs Aerial Tram, a thing which terrified me as a kid and my parents hauled me on it when I was, I dunno, four years old. For the record, you used to be able to smoke on that thing and, brother, everybody was. It was like a slow-moving space capsule from planet cancer.