Columbo: Season Three

Six stars if possible...
Each and every one of Columbo seasons are great and have something special but this third one stands as on of my personal favorites because of the plots and guests actors that are featured. LOVELY BUT LETHAL features the great Vera Miles, Martin Sheen and the one and only Vincent Price; ANY OLD PORT IN A STORM features the great Donald Pleasence in an outstanding performance as a wine industry man; CANDIDATE FOR CRIME features Jackie Cooper; DOUBLE EXPOSURE features Robert Culp; PUBLISH OR PERISH features Jack Cassidy and John Chandler; MIND OVER MAYHEM features Jose Ferrer; SWAN SONG, my personal favorite that features the great country legend Johnny Cash and actress Ida Lupino; A FRIEND IN DEED closes this extraordinary third season with the help of actor Richard Kiley.
Amazing
What can be said of Season 3? Let's break it down, shall we?

3.1 Lovely But Lethal

Not my favorite episode, but still features some great moments. And who can deny Vera Miles her beauty, charm, and sophistication? Did you know that Miles was Alfred Hitchcock's first choice to play Madeline in Vertigo?

3.2 Any Old Port In A Storm

This is held by many Columbo fans - including those who frequent the Ultimate Columbo Site - as the all time best Columbo episode ever. While its not my personal favorite, it is within my top 3 and I can easily see why this would get top ranking by some. It is a masterpiece. Falk is absolutely amazing, Donald Pleasence is just as good. And the story makes you want to go out and pick up a bottle of port!

3.3 Candidate For Crime

Ah, Nelson Hayward and his camel hair sports coat. Jackie Cooper makes an excellent Columbo killer, as well as a great politician! He schmoozes everyone, including his...
5 Stars for Content - 1 Star for Quality
The season is great. If you're a Columbo fan or even just a 'mystery' fan I recommend it. The content (Columbo) is fine. It is the quality of the product that is poor.

First off - the packaging. The S1 Columbo episode used a higher gauge cardboard with higher gloss. The S3 set's outer package feels thin and flimsy. It is very obvious that they have cut back in quality. This extends to the plastic hardshell cases that the discs are in. They feel thinner and cheaper. The paper insert is also sort of plain and uninteresting. It really does seem like some super-cheap set that some guy pressed in his basement with generic plastic cases and printouts from Photoshop on an Inkjet.

Sadly, this lack of quality spills over into the actual DVDs. Firstly, these are double sided discs. I'm no fan of this kind of disc. It always seems that the quality of a double sided disc is iffy at best. For this production it definitely hurt because I have had 3 different DVD...
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