When ‘Columbo’ Starred with Two Movie Divas

Anne Baxter’s star sports activities some main shades, whereas she & Mel Ferrer’s gossip hound  give one another shade in Columbo’s “Requiem for a Falling Star.”

Anne Baxter is youngster star turned main woman Nora Chandler,
who’s being blackmailed by gossip author Jerry Parks, performed by Mel Ferrer,
who does smarmy so effectively. Pippa Scott is Jean, Nora’s long-time/long-suffering
secretary/assistant. Regardless of protestations in any other case, Jean has been providing
Nora gossip nuggets as pillow discuss to Jerry. Nora stalks Jean to Jerry’s birthday
occasion and slashes the tire of her automobile. Jean borrows Jerry’s automobile, with
Nora ready at Jerry’s. When the automobile arrives, Nora has poured gasoline all
over the drive manner and lights it up. Does Nora truly know who the driving force is?

Movie star Grace Wheeler contemplates her future, which does not embrace her  disapproving husband, in Columbo’s “Forgotten Woman.” Starring Janet Leigh.

Janet Leigh is Grace Wheeler, former tune and dance film
star, who leaves a That’s Leisure!-style
film occasion, giddy with plans to revive her musical profession, however on Broadway. Shades
of Debbie Reynolds in Irene! She
enlists former co-star and pal Ned Diamond to direct and produce. Grace should
know her older, rich physician partner received’t approve, as a result of she already has a
usually convoluted Columbo plot to off
him. The star swans upstairs with some further sleeping treatment and her
comeback plans get doused, as anticipated. After her hubby takes his tablet, plus
one by his spouse, Grace steals again upstairs later with a gun. She shoots him
and places the gun in his hand, to make it seem like a suicide.

Anne Baxter’s Nora Chandler is the gracious star to Peter Falk’s fawning Columbo.

Enter Lt. Columbo: In Requiem for a Falling Star, Peter Falk’s wiley Lt. Columbo comes on
the scene, feigning shock and fawns over dwelling legend Nora Chandler. Anne
Baxter’s winking grande dame demeanor makes Columbo’s professed shock and awe
fairly plausible. From then on, there’s a mutual admiration society between the
two worthy adversaries. In Forgotten Woman,
the dynamic is kind of completely different. Although Lt. Columbo appears shocked that he’s
investigating on the dwelling of one in all his and Mrs. Columbo’s favourite stars,
Janet Leigh’s Grace Wheeler is extra genteel and more and more fragile. And
Falk’s Columbo, whereas dogged as ever, is extra delicate to the star’s story.

The Main Girls: Anne Baxter gives a charismatic
star efficiency whose character Nora Chandler could be proper at dwelling with All About Eve’s Margo Channing and Eve
Harrington. Nora has Margo’s bigger than life persona and Eve’s crafty attraction.
She does appear genuinely taken with Lt. Columbo and Baxter and Falk play off
one another splendidly. The scene within the finale the place Nora is caught by Columbo
seems like a nod to Margo Channing, who catches Eve taking imaginary bows in
Margo’s costume. Curiously, Baxter had simply carried out in Applause, the musical model of All About Eve, as Margo Channing!

Anne Baxter as Nora Chandler, stunned to seek out Columbo on her tail on the finale!

Anne Baxter within the title position of “All About Eve” is equally stunned!

Janet Leigh is likely one of the most empathetic golden period movie actresses,
so regardless of being the villain of the piece, it is not laborious to sympathize together with her
determined actions. Some plot twists alongside the way in which make you much more on her
aspect, when you do not give it some thought an excessive amount of! Whereas Leigh’s Grace has a secure
harbor marriage to the rich retired doc, she longs to be again within the
highlight. This appears to have been Leigh’s story off-camera, too. Although she
had a loving marriage to a rich businessman, Leigh by no means fairly made the highest
tier in Hollywood, then aged out by the tip of the ‘60s, all of which appeared to
eat at her. And although Janet was nonetheless lovely, she seems reed skinny and
pinched, with each line exhibiting on her 50-ish face. A lot, a lot later, daughter
Jamie Lee Curtis alluded to her mom having an consuming dysfunction. This offers
her efficiency as determined Grace much more poignancy. Although I didn’t fairly purchase
the finale’s revelation, it’s nonetheless touching.

Janet Leigh’s star with a concern of fading away was not too removed from her personal life. With Peter Falk as Columbo, in “Forgotten Woman.”

Star
Model: Anne
Baxter sports activities a enjoyable ‘70s type wardrobe—not by Edith Head—and in a single scene
sports activities a slinky magenta high that reveals off her trim determine. All that’s capped
with a Lauren Bacall-style mane of hair! Because the veteran star, Anne performs with
her typical depth, but in addition with nice humor.

Anne Baxter has a wow second, earlier than placing on her jacket, because the star on the run! Within the Columbo episode, “Requiem for a Falling Star.”

Janet Leigh additionally seems
trendy, although undercut by her wraith-like determine. Leigh had aged drastically
in simply six years after sporting a trim however curvy determine within the attractive Home on Inexperienced Apple Highway. Janet would
age very like fellow MGM star Lana Turner: bleached helmet hair, tan, and really
skinny. Nonetheless, Janet wore some glam robes and retained her heat attraction. Because the
troubled star, Forgotten Woman is one
of Janet’s finest latter day performances.

As movie star Grace Wheeler, Janet Leigh seems pretty, however a lot older than 48, within the Columbo episode “Forgotten Woman.”

Janet Leigh going through 50 jogged my memory of 60-ish Lana Turner.

Falk
as Columbo:
Peter Falk is in high quality type in these basic Columbo
episodes. Falk, together with Carroll O’ Connor, have been each
two middle-aged character actors who hit it massive within the ’70s by creating their
iconic characters Lt. Columbo and Archie Bunker. Each actors loved their
belated superstardom and have been remembered for these roles over 50 years now.
Whereas I like Falk’s performing, I typically really feel the identical towards his character as
Kevin McCarthy’s studio head does in Requiem
for a Falling Star, who resents Columbo’s dogging Nora: “Lieutenant,
you might have an obtuse method which some folks discover ingratiating. I don’t. Do you
observe me?”

Columbo meets legendary designer Edith Head, courtesy of Anne Baxter’s Nora Chandler, in “Requiem for a Falling Star.”

Edith Head’s cameo is
enjoyable, as she was then Common’s head movie costume designer. Peter Falk would
hand Head her eighth Oscar for The Sting
in 1974. 

Falk would borrow a
few parts from Requiem for a Falling
Star in a a lot later Columbo
episode he directed, It is All within the Sport.
Faye Dunaway starred as an much more charming and throaty-voiced femme
fatale, who additionally tries to get him to put on a brand new tie!

It’s so enjoyable to revisit these ’70s Thriller Motion pictures, as they maintain up fairly
effectively with sturdy writing, emphasis on characterizations, and
terrific performing by star Peter Falk and his mixture of younger and veteran visitor
stars.

Peter Falk’s Columbo, this time wowed by the presence of Janet Leigh’s Grace Wheeler, within the episode “Forgotten Woman.”

Right here’s my take a look at Anne Baxter within the title position of All About Eve: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/04/mankiewicz-masterpiece-all-about-eve.html

And right here’s Janet Leigh in one other near the bone
efficiency as an sad housewife, in 1970’s Home on Greenapple Highway: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2022/10/janet-leigh-haunting-in-house-on.html

Anne Baxter’s bigger than life Nora Chandler was giving me a critical Charles Busch  vibe from “Die, Mommie, Die!”