Shatner & Koenig in "Columbo"

[Steve67]

re: Fade in to Murder (season six; 1976)

Did William Shatner--who played murderer Ward Fowler in this sixth season COLUMBO episode--use his 1975 BARBARY COAST-era "pull" to get Walter Koenig that walk on with Columbo at the murder scene? That must've been some achievement, considering that The Shat wasn't exactly at the top of his game in 1976, so to do a favor(?) for ol' "Chekov" must've been a bit of largesse on Shatner's part! Bill and Walter don't share the screen but the Star Trek connection at that particular time must've been a nice nod during the downtime between the late, lamented series and TMP.

Anyone remember the reaction among fandom at the time? Was there any "buzz"?

 

[Christopher]

He may not have been "at the top of his game" career-wise, but performance-wise, I felt he did a top-notch job in "Fade In to Murder."

 

[Danny99]

Some nostalgia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iDnaNTi_LE

 

[Ward Fowler]

Needless to day, I'm a big fan of that Columbo episode. Shatner was perfect for that part.

 

[Esteban]

I seriously doubt it. More likely, Joseph D'Agosta, who was the casting director for that episode and most of ST TOS, tossed Walter that bone.

 

[Tan Ru]

Some nostalgia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iDnaNTi_LE

Wow! That machine was huge!

Was that VHS or Beta? Or perhaps some other format?

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Some nostalgia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iDnaNTi_LE

Ah yes, I remember that scene now. Even as a kid I knew that $3k was a lot for a VCR

Was that the one where Shatner wiped down the gun he used to kill someone but forgot to wipe the spent cartridges?

 

[ToddPence]

Back then, the only people who owned VCRs were Elvis and Bob Crane.

 

[Amaris]

That was terrific! I had never seen that episode of "Columbo".

 

[EnsignHarper]

I was in like the 5th grade in 1969 (yeah - an old fogey ), when our school got SOA Sony reel to reel (!) video recorders, and I remember wanting one even then! Right now the house has ZERO primary VHS machines, and all three TV rooms (living room, and two bedrooms) have 160 MB Philips Hard Disc Drive recorders - with DVD burners....

This episode also whetted the appetite - BIG time!

 

[M'Sharak]

Some nostalgia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iDnaNTi_LE

Wow! That machine was huge!

Was that VHS or Beta? Or perhaps some other format?

The VHS decks back then really were that big, with Beta maybe a bit smaller. There were also still open-reel video decks around then, too, (though not typically found at consumer outlets) which might fit better with the price tag quoted and the camera rig.

 

[Saxman1]

Our DVR died back in December. This is the first time I've been without a video recording device since 1985! How strange, but most of the stuff I'd record we'd watch once and toss. We haven't upgraded to the cable package that has Tevo and the wife has no interest in doing so...EVER.

 

[Nardpuncher]

We had a gas powered VCR that cost 18 grand when I was a kid. You had to start it just like a lawn mower. We could only watch Hong Kong action flicks and learned to read Chinese because the sound of it drowned out the audio.

 

[RookieBatman]

But hey, Hong Kong action flicks is all you really need!

I never was much into Columbo (although I have enjoyed Peter Falk in other places I've seen him... maybe I should finally check it out), but I do remember an episode of Hawaii Five-0 with Shatner in it (as the bad guy again). About the same era, I think he had a perm, though, not sure.

 

[USS Kongo]

Some nostalgia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iDnaNTi_LE

Thanks for this. I never saw this episode. Great seeing Shatner and Falk together--as well as the $3000 VCR!

Sean