Continuity mistake: In the living room of their home, Lesley Williams shoots her husband in the chest. As he falls, he knocks a lamp off a small table. Lesley puts the lamp back on the table, but in all the following scenes in the living room the lamp is gone. (01:00:00)
Continuity mistake: When Columbo is eating his chili in the booth at the diner, whilst talking to the daughter of the murderer, his bowl of chili moves. It is right in front of him at one point but is then away from him. And it now contains less food.
Continuity mistake: When Columbo and the woman have finished flying in the light aircraft, she taxis the aircraft back and shuts down the engine. There isn't much to see behind the aircraft at this point, but when Columbo and the woman get out (in the immediate next shot) there are two rather large buildings/hangars which have magically appeared right behind the aircraft. Plus the aircraft propeller has changed to a more horizontal position.
Continuity mistake: The insurance agent has a complete hot dog in his hand while Columbo talks. When we cut to a view over his shoulder, Columbo's sentence continues but the agent is suddenly chewing. When did he take that bite? (00:36:20)
Continuity mistake: The witness dunks the strawberry in the white sauce while talking. We cut to a view in front of her, and the dialog continues but suddenly the strawberry is half-eaten. When did she take that bite? (00:41:40)
Continuity mistake: During his lunch with Brimmer, Columbo's wine and water glasses switch places several times. (00:00:50)
Dead Weight - S1-E4
Continuity mistake: Helen Stewart and her mother are boating in the harbor and are about to pass a small island. A Marine colonel goes to the nearby home of a retired general to inform him that he is under investigation for cost overruns on a government contract, Fearing that the colonel will implicate him, the general shoots and kills him near a window. Helen is looking toward the home and witnesses the shooting. She tells her mother, "We have to go back." The boat is in the same position it was in five minutes earlier.
Continuity mistake: Colombo is talking to Mr. Kingston in the building entry after the reading of the will. A girl with red and white striped sleeves walks out of the building. A minute later she walks out of the building again. (01:15:50)
Short Fuse - S1-E7
Continuity mistake: When Buckner's car leaves the chemical plant, it's a stretch limo with three bench seats. When it explodes on the mountain road a few scenes later, it's only a two-seat limo. (Buckner, who was initially in the distant rear seat, is suddenly close enough to reach up and take the cigar box the chauffeur hands him from the front seat. The entire middle section of the limo has disappeared.) (00:13:40 - 00:15:30)
Short Fuse - S1-E7
Continuity mistake: As Roger helps Columbo remove the pink Silly-String from his hair, the amount and configuration of the string differs radically with each change of camera angle. (00:37:30)
Short Fuse - S1-E7
Continuity mistake: While riding in a chauffeur-driven car, Mr. Buckner wants to smoke a cigar. He picks up a wooden cigar box. The lid is secured by two pieces of black tape. He peels up one piece of tape. After a close-up of his face is shown, he peels up the second piece of tape and the first piece is now back in its original position across the lid.
Short Fuse - S1-E7
Continuity mistake: In the cable car climax, Roger opens the cable car door to throw out the cigars. Then while he is scrabbling on the floor, and there is dialogue, the doors are shut. Then, at the end, the doors are open again.
Short Fuse - S1-E7
Continuity mistake: A chauffeur is driving Mr. Buckner to a mountain cabin. It is 7:30 pm and a very heavy rain is falling. The car explodes, killing both men. When their bodies are located the following morning, the road and the surrounding hills are completely dry. There are not even any puddles.
Continuity mistake: When Columbo confronts Markham in the lecture hall and helps him erase the chalk board, most of the word "architecture" remains, visible over Columbo's shoulder. In the next shot, it disappears. (00:31:00)
Continuity mistake: When Columbo meets Goldie for the first time she is having a massage. She then proceeds to dress by tying a dressing gown with a bow at the front. In the next shot the dressing gown is open with the tie at the back.
Continuity mistake: When Columbo questions her about the carnations, Janice Benedict's sweater is either off her shoulders or covering them completely, depending on the shot. (01:11:00)
Continuity mistake: Towards the end of the episode when Columbo is about to expose the killer he asks the conductor and his wife to adjourn to the recording studio from the stage. When his wife walks off the stage she has one hairstyle, but when she enters the recording studio she has a completely different hairstyle.
Continuity mistake: There are several views of Uncle Jarvis in his (beautiful) Bentley S2 Continental from the front. We see the inside rear-view mirror, and it is correct. When we see him spot the police behind him through the mirror, it is a different mirror and not the correct one for that car.
Continuity mistake: When Columbo takes the whiskey decanter out of the murdered man's liquor cabinet, he puts his cigar in his mouth with his right hand and opens the bottle with the same hand. A second later, the shot changes to a closeup of him sniffing the contents and the cigar is back in his hand. (00:28:55)
Double Shock - S2-E8
Continuity mistake: Columbo stands in the doorway of Lisa's balcony while he questions her, and her gold drapery catches and hangs over his right shoulder, where it remains in all the close-ups. When the shot cuts, the drapery is no longer caught on his shoulder, but is safely folded against the wall behind him. (00:32:00)
Answer: Columbo deduces that the first blow must have been to the front of the head, the force causing the victim to fall backwards and hitting the back of his head hard on the ground.
raywest ★