Just One More Thing: Fade in to Murder

Notes and screenshots for Fade in to Murder: Originally broadcast on October 10, 1976, starring "Big Bill" Shatner as TV detective Ward Fowler, even bigger Tim Carey as a deli owner who doesn't see it coming, Lola Albright as the woman who loves Silver Certificates, yeoman Walter Koenig in a surprising supporting cameo, character actors John Finnegan, Fred Draper and Shera Danese and, of course, Peter Falk as Columbo.

"An egotistical but successful star of a TV detective show murders his blackmailing producer, and makes it look like a stickup robbery. Lt. Columbo dismantles his seemingly solid alibi."

-IMDB Summary

"In 'Fade In To Murder,' William Shatner is Ward Fowler, TV’s popular Detective Lucerne. When he murders his blackmailing agent/producer, can Columbo prove it? RJ, Jon and Maggie Serota find out. Also- would Mark Ruffalo make a decent Columbo?"

-RJ's episode summary

Listen to the original podcast episode here:

Episode 1: That Leaves Us With Sid Daley with our guest Maggie Serota.

Fade in to Murder

Season 6, Episode #1

Director: Bernard L. Kowalski

Writers: Henry Garson, Peter Feibleman and Lou Shaw

I could spend hours talking about two things in this episode - the incredibly shitty shark puppet who menaces Columbo at a pier and SURPRISE WALTER KOENING out of nowhere in one scene (as “Sgt.Johnson” Sure, “My femmly is from Visconsin,” I bet). Seriously though, the shark scene contains a major continuity error, they could have chucked it with out losing anything from the story but they must’ve paid a good fourteen-fifty, maybe even fifteen bucks for that shark effect. GodDAMN, they’re gonna use it!

The Great Bard himself, Wm. Shatspeare, plays Ward Kimball, star of the popular Detective Lucerne television series and a ding-dang murderer (spoiler alert)! He also owns the world’s largest VCR, television, and clock radio. 

Shatner was on two Columbo episodes, and this is definitely the stronger of the two. His chummy rapport with Columbo is actually pretty workable,particularly with Lucerne representing precisely the kind of televison detective to whom Columbo was a response…

Next episode: Old Fashioned Murder