Profiling can be hazardous to one's own self. Judging someone by their appearance or speech without really knowing that person can end up biting you in the blank. One night back in my teen years I was involved with some mischief with my two friends who decided to shoot bottle rockets at a neighbor's front door. We fired the missiles. The rockets exploded on the front porch as we ran for safety in my friend's home a few doors down. We entered his home from the rear entrance. Meanwhile, at the front entrance, which opened to the huge living room, my friend's parents were simultaneously throwing a party. We settled in my friend's bedroom for cover. A few minutes passed and to our surprise, my friend's father opened his door. He asked his son if we shot fireworks at the neighbor's front porch and my friend quickly confessed. My personal contact or experience with my friend's father was basically that he seemed affable, laid back basically mild-mannered. He told us that the neighbors rang the bell and knocked on the front door in anger. They began to yell and complained that they saw three teens running toward our home after they fired fireworks on their front porch. The father's response started as usual, where he actually started to laugh about the prank when actually he was baiting us. We laughed along with him and then his demeanor changed one hundred and eighty degrees to anger as he personally degraded each of us for our stupid act. The detective series Columbo starring Peter Falk is about a disheveled wrinkly Los Angeles Police lieutenant who solves murders without the use of guns or brut force. Instead, he uses relentless questioning and cerebral methods to solve his cases. Each episode shows how the murder was performed in detail. Most of these murders are elaborately done using electronic devices. Columbo, situated in the Los Angeles area has our slovenly looking detective involved in solving murders. At first impression, you would assume he would be hunting criminals in Skid row or East L. A., but instead, he deals mostly with the elites in showbusiness, wine connoisseur, architects, college professors, and even iconic movie stars. Because of his non-threatening appearance, his suspects do not take him seriously This episode which in my opinion is very unique. As he is trying to solve a double murder in the posh Bel-Aire section. The problem Columbo has is that he's up against his boss. As the episode moves along, all the leads point to his boss the Deputy Police commissioner Mark Halperin played by Richard Kiley. Even in the early stages, our ruffled detective is Stymied as he questions his boss about the irregularities in how these murders were performed. Columbo asked his boss how soap and lather were found in his dead wife's lungs when she supposedly drowned in their swimming pool? During the entire episode, the arrogant Commissioner would berate Columbo threatening his job, but our detective also has one more trick up his wrinkled sleeve. This personally is my favorite ending in the entire Columbo series but you have to watch this unfold in its entirety. Fine script by Paul Fischler and a fine performance by Val Avery. I was also surprised that the episode was directed by Ben Gazzara. The point I was making earlier was that I never took my Friend's father seriously figuring he was a softy. His reaction was pretty hard.
Review of A Friend in Deed
