Just One More Thing: Reqiuem For A Falling Star

Notes and screenshots for Reqiuem For A Falling Star: Originally broadcast on January 21, 1973, starring Anne Baxter as iconic actress/arsonist Nora Chandler, Kevin McCarthy doing Kevin mcCarthy things, a cameo from costume designer Edith Head, and, of course, Peter Falk as Columbo.

"An aging movie actress commits murder. Lt. Columbo, one of her biggest fans, is on the case."

-IMDB Summary

In “Requiem for a Falling Star,” Anne Baxter is actress Nora Chandler, whose career is fading into obscurity. When gossip columnist Mel Ferrer tries to blackmail her, she decides to blow him up in one of the sloppiest murders in the show’s history. But whoops! Didn’t look closely enough- turns out she instead torches her longtime assistant, who’d been dating the dirt peddler. It’s up to Columbo to connect the dots and maybe also solve an earlier murder, in the process. Returning guest Nate Patrin (Vice sports, Stereogum) joins Jon and RJ to talk about Hollywood Trout Ponds, the Jaguar XKE, Edith Head, and Big Al Ledbetter.

-RJ's episode summary

Listen to the original podcast episode here:

Episode 35: I Would Never Typecast You as a Detective with our guest Nate Patrin. 

Reqiuem For A Falling Star

Season 2, Episode 5

Director: Richard Quine

Writers: Jackson Gillis

I’m apparently out of step with mainstream Columbo fandom – which is a thing I’d never have believed existed before RJ and I started this podcast. Requiem is an episode held in high esteem among the fandom but, like Suitable for Framing before it, I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Ah me.

There are some interesting elements to it – it’s discreetly established early on that Columbo isn’t really trying to solve the murder depicted in the episode but rather the earlier murder committed by the same culprit, years prior to and only ever mentioned in passing during the course of the episode. That’s fairly unique in the body of Columbo’s oeuvre, and it explains why the detective manages to drag out what seems like an inordinately clear-cut arson/homicide. I imagine the arson boys were just twiddling their thumbs the whole time.

For fun, don’t forget to play “Hollywood Studio Backlot Extras-In-Costume Bingo.” Whenever a film or tv show depicts goings-on in the studio backlot, there are always a load of folks walking around in costume in the background. Score points if you find: A bunch of girls in harem costumes, a crazy looking monster, a Roman soldier, and somebody riding a bike. Extra points if you find a Roman soldier riding a bike.

Next episode: A Stitch in Crime