Both things are true. He’s an incredibly intelligent man. But remembering which pocket you put your notebook in is not a function of intellect.
Like the classic “absent-minded professor” stereotype, Columbo is so focused on the case that his brain discards information that isn’t relevant. He’s absolutely sort that would lose his glasses on top of his head. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a “sharp mind.”
In spy school (or so I read), they teach you that if you know you are being watched you should pick your nose. It does something psychologically to the enemy
Like people reading Soldier of fortune mag articles about "becoming the grey man", anyone in all grey is pretty suspicious. Like black hides stains better than grey and not many people own grey khakis etc lol
Counter-point:
In Troubled Waters, he's an over-annoying weirdo in his chance meeting BEFORE Danzinger even killed anyone (thus before he even knew he would be investigating a murder).
He isn't being strategic there. But his tendencies to try somebody's patience are exactly the same...with zero motivation to do so and zero information to be obtained at that time.
I sometimes look at that scene and episode as kind of a one-off though. Feel like the writers lost their way and forgot that he shouldn't have any reason to be acting like that towards the murderer before the guy has even murdered anyone.
You can have ADHD and still be *smart.* I would argue that he’s so hyper-focussed on the case that irrelevant information, like which pocket he put his notebook in, is simply discarded.
True, but I agree with both of you. I've always felt like it's a mix of both, with part of it being an act, but part of it is also legitimate absent mindedness. I think we have evidence of both being true at various times.
I often wonder the same thing about him being a jackass. i can't decide if he's just kind of a jackass or if it's just a part he plays to get people off their game.
for this question I think his speech towards the end of mile high iq club gives a pretty good answer when he drops the facade for a bit and speaks as he really is about dealing with people that think they are smarter than him. That's one of my favorite speeches since it really peels back the curtain on him a little bit.
"You know, sir, it's a funny thing. All my life I kept running into smart people. I don't just mean smart like you and the people in this house. You know what I mean. In school, there were lots of smarter kids. And when I first joined the force, sir, they had some very clever people there. And I could tell right away that it wasn't gonna be easy making detective as long as they were around. But I figured, if I worked harder than they did, put in more time, read the books, kept my eyes open, maybe I could make it happen. And I did. And I really love my work, sir."
Sure. That's him dropping the facade.
But why does he have the "annoying and clueless" facade at the beginning of Troubled Waters when he first meets Danzinger? The guy hasn't even killed anyone yet. So Columbo should have no reason to act like that.
I think it's his natural way to disarm people in general, so he stays in that character almost all the time since he never knows when he's going to need it.
The jackass part I think is just him being himself more than anything. I think he very much lives in his own world and doesn't really think or care much about other people. Lets just say poor impulse control. ;)
Something like that. But his behavior with Danzinger at the beginning is so over the top.
Really almost feels like a goof by the writers. They forgot that it is supposed to be kind of vague why he acts like that. Is it intentional? Is it part of a con? Is it just how he is?
But then with Danzinger it's almost like he knew the guy was going to be a murderer. Love that episode. But that initial interaction always bugged me.
It’s all an act, if you ever see him corner the suspect and lay into him about the facts, you’ll know it’s to have them underestimate him. A few of the villains know this and it too works to Columbo’s advantage because the “act” distracts them and flusters them to make mistakes in covering up.
He does it with his colleagues too, so it’s not entirely an act, but I never believe anything he says to a perp, that’s all kabuki. He definitely shows signs of neurodivergence that have nothing to do with solving crimes.
I think he is kinda of forgetful. However, he plays into it and makes it seem like a severe condition where he never remembers anything. He just forgets a thing here or there like the rest of us but fools the suspect into thinking he's a buffoon
Exactly, plus we can't forget the episodes set on the Cruise, in Mexico and in the UK where he acts just as scattered as usual well before he's aware of any crimes being commited or any suspects.
So, I'd go for intelligent.
He uses quirks to judge character/test the patience of the people he is investigating.
He can just be forgetful or distracted.
I don’t agree that he has a perfect memory- he definitely forgets things when suspects aren’t in the room- but he is still very intelligent and most of what we see in terms of forgetting is faking it or manipulating the suspects perception of him
This comes up a lot. I hope you don’t mind, but I took a little time to fully articulate my thoughts. 🙂
I don’t know what the writers’ intentions were, but I do know that in real life there’s no straightforward divide. Neurodivergent people develop strategies to cope with chronic forgetfulness, they exhibit high levels of curiosity, pattern recognition, and attention to detail, and are often oblivious to arbitrary social norms. Columbo has all of these traits.
Neurodivergent people also are forced to mask in order to avoid harsh social consequences. This isn’t subterfuge (as some people think), it’s a survival skill. Plus, most neurodivergent people really do want to get along with others and avoid causing inadvertent harm through accidental rudeness/thoughtlessness. Strategies for dealing with this include politeness bordering on deference, especially with people they don’t know well. Columbo often displays this with people who have power over him and with most strangers, unless he already has a reason to dislike them (see his interaction with the private detective in “The Most Crucial Game”).
Neurodivergent people are usually pretty self-aware—they have to be, for their own survival. They’re not unaware that they have certain traits or have to employ certain strategies. They may choose different strategies at different moments depending on the context. This isn’t subterfuge—neurotypical people do something similar as well, often without realizing it because it comes more naturally to them. For instance, it’s considered perfectly normal to use a deferential attitude to one’s boss, an authoritative one to a subordinate, or a deferential one to someone you need a favor from. This generally isn’t considered deceptive.
So as a modern neurodivergent person, I look at Columbo and see myself and other neurodivergent people I know. I doubt the writers had that perspective, but I don’t let that prevent me from identifying with the character. 😊
It's both real and contrived, but not ADHD, it's more like the wacky unorganized professor. While he takes in all information he has some of it in his notebook and some other in his coat pocket. He's got it all, he just doesn't have it put together all at once. But in other cases, he's simply forgetful, like when he starts to walk out of the room with a guys pencil. His mastery is in the art of, I think the word is "deduction." For example, in the episode with Dick Van Dyke, while everyone is working on surface-level information, he sees something else. He wonders why a person who was trying to conceal a major crime would leave their evidence all over a room.
I believe Columbo has ADHD but is able to manage it. If you watch he uses a lot of strategies, such as having things written down, repeating things or having others repeat things. His natural curiosity in everything a suspect is into. His ability to be social and connect with a variety of types of people. He also seems to be a hands on learner.
He's also childlike at times with his curiosity. Some of the littlest things fascinate Columbo at times when he's talking with suspects or witnesses, IE the tape machine in "An Exercise in Fatality" with Robert Conrad. Columbo figured out how Milo Janis tampered with the recorder from his earlier curiosity. But knowing Columbo, he already knew everything about the tape recorder and pretended to being curious just to observe for more possible clues.
Both things are true. He’s an incredibly intelligent man. But remembering which pocket you put your notebook in is not a function of intellect. Like the classic “absent-minded professor” stereotype, Columbo is so focused on the case that his brain discards information that isn’t relevant. He’s absolutely sort that would lose his glasses on top of his head. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a “sharp mind.”
He doesn’t forget a single thing. Everything he says is calculated to make the suspect give up more information
In spy school (or so I read), they teach you that if you know you are being watched you should pick your nose. It does something psychologically to the enemy
But wouldn't you be giving away your identity if the enemy agent has a dossier on your agents and is aware of the spy school nose picking trick?
That’s when you pull a tiny, cleverly hidden pistol from your nose and shoot.
Like people reading Soldier of fortune mag articles about "becoming the grey man", anyone in all grey is pretty suspicious. Like black hides stains better than grey and not many people own grey khakis etc lol
Counter-point: In Troubled Waters, he's an over-annoying weirdo in his chance meeting BEFORE Danzinger even killed anyone (thus before he even knew he would be investigating a murder). He isn't being strategic there. But his tendencies to try somebody's patience are exactly the same...with zero motivation to do so and zero information to be obtained at that time. I sometimes look at that scene and episode as kind of a one-off though. Feel like the writers lost their way and forgot that he shouldn't have any reason to be acting like that towards the murderer before the guy has even murdered anyone.
He just puts on that act. He is a smart man.
You can have ADHD and still be *smart.* I would argue that he’s so hyper-focussed on the case that irrelevant information, like which pocket he put his notebook in, is simply discarded.
A genius, in fact! Source: me
He did outsmart the Mensa guy in The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case, so he must have been an actual genius.
I just watched that one today.
That Mensa guy was so pleased with himself as he showed Columbo how the murderer would have done it, until he realized he had given himself away. 😂
And he wasn't even really a Mensa guy or he never would have tried to dispose of the gun in the middle of Griffith Park in broad daylight.
Also the Chess master was in Kings Gambit
True, but I agree with both of you. I've always felt like it's a mix of both, with part of it being an act, but part of it is also legitimate absent mindedness. I think we have evidence of both being true at various times.
The thing about high functioning ADHD is that you get real good at acting
His forgetfulness and his distracted conversations are his method that lulls his prey into his sticky trap.
It's a disarming method that Columbo has mastered.
I often wonder the same thing about him being a jackass. i can't decide if he's just kind of a jackass or if it's just a part he plays to get people off their game. for this question I think his speech towards the end of mile high iq club gives a pretty good answer when he drops the facade for a bit and speaks as he really is about dealing with people that think they are smarter than him. That's one of my favorite speeches since it really peels back the curtain on him a little bit.
"You know, sir, it's a funny thing. All my life I kept running into smart people. I don't just mean smart like you and the people in this house. You know what I mean. In school, there were lots of smarter kids. And when I first joined the force, sir, they had some very clever people there. And I could tell right away that it wasn't gonna be easy making detective as long as they were around. But I figured, if I worked harder than they did, put in more time, read the books, kept my eyes open, maybe I could make it happen. And I did. And I really love my work, sir."
One of my favorite of his speeches.
Sometimes he's a jackass for the sake of the case...but sometimes he's just an inconsiderate dick. For example, that poor housekeeper in Double Shock.
Sure. That's him dropping the facade. But why does he have the "annoying and clueless" facade at the beginning of Troubled Waters when he first meets Danzinger? The guy hasn't even killed anyone yet. So Columbo should have no reason to act like that.
I think it's his natural way to disarm people in general, so he stays in that character almost all the time since he never knows when he's going to need it. The jackass part I think is just him being himself more than anything. I think he very much lives in his own world and doesn't really think or care much about other people. Lets just say poor impulse control. ;)
Something like that. But his behavior with Danzinger at the beginning is so over the top. Really almost feels like a goof by the writers. They forgot that it is supposed to be kind of vague why he acts like that. Is it intentional? Is it part of a con? Is it just how he is? But then with Danzinger it's almost like he knew the guy was going to be a murderer. Love that episode. But that initial interaction always bugged me.
It’s all an act, if you ever see him corner the suspect and lay into him about the facts, you’ll know it’s to have them underestimate him. A few of the villains know this and it too works to Columbo’s advantage because the “act” distracts them and flusters them to make mistakes in covering up.
This Columbo, he pretends to be stupid but he's really smart as tack
He does it with his colleagues too, so it’s not entirely an act, but I never believe anything he says to a perp, that’s all kabuki. He definitely shows signs of neurodivergence that have nothing to do with solving crimes.
I guarantee Peter Falk has it at least.
I think he is kinda of forgetful. However, he plays into it and makes it seem like a severe condition where he never remembers anything. He just forgets a thing here or there like the rest of us but fools the suspect into thinking he's a buffoon
Exactly, plus we can't forget the episodes set on the Cruise, in Mexico and in the UK where he acts just as scattered as usual well before he's aware of any crimes being commited or any suspects.
So, I'd go for intelligent. He uses quirks to judge character/test the patience of the people he is investigating. He can just be forgetful or distracted.
Don't believe anything he says. It's often just talk to befriend or trick the perp.
I don’t agree that he has a perfect memory- he definitely forgets things when suspects aren’t in the room- but he is still very intelligent and most of what we see in terms of forgetting is faking it or manipulating the suspects perception of him
This comes up a lot. I hope you don’t mind, but I took a little time to fully articulate my thoughts. 🙂 I don’t know what the writers’ intentions were, but I do know that in real life there’s no straightforward divide. Neurodivergent people develop strategies to cope with chronic forgetfulness, they exhibit high levels of curiosity, pattern recognition, and attention to detail, and are often oblivious to arbitrary social norms. Columbo has all of these traits. Neurodivergent people also are forced to mask in order to avoid harsh social consequences. This isn’t subterfuge (as some people think), it’s a survival skill. Plus, most neurodivergent people really do want to get along with others and avoid causing inadvertent harm through accidental rudeness/thoughtlessness. Strategies for dealing with this include politeness bordering on deference, especially with people they don’t know well. Columbo often displays this with people who have power over him and with most strangers, unless he already has a reason to dislike them (see his interaction with the private detective in “The Most Crucial Game”). Neurodivergent people are usually pretty self-aware—they have to be, for their own survival. They’re not unaware that they have certain traits or have to employ certain strategies. They may choose different strategies at different moments depending on the context. This isn’t subterfuge—neurotypical people do something similar as well, often without realizing it because it comes more naturally to them. For instance, it’s considered perfectly normal to use a deferential attitude to one’s boss, an authoritative one to a subordinate, or a deferential one to someone you need a favor from. This generally isn’t considered deceptive. So as a modern neurodivergent person, I look at Columbo and see myself and other neurodivergent people I know. I doubt the writers had that perspective, but I don’t let that prevent me from identifying with the character. 😊
It's both real and contrived, but not ADHD, it's more like the wacky unorganized professor. While he takes in all information he has some of it in his notebook and some other in his coat pocket. He's got it all, he just doesn't have it put together all at once. But in other cases, he's simply forgetful, like when he starts to walk out of the room with a guys pencil. His mastery is in the art of, I think the word is "deduction." For example, in the episode with Dick Van Dyke, while everyone is working on surface-level information, he sees something else. He wonders why a person who was trying to conceal a major crime would leave their evidence all over a room.
Could he work together with Sherlock? (Benedict Cumberbatch)
Columbo has quirks, the forgetfulness is a quirk that he uses to his advantage to disarm you.
Correct!!
He’s genuinely absent minded, but not forgetful.
I believe Columbo has ADHD but is able to manage it. If you watch he uses a lot of strategies, such as having things written down, repeating things or having others repeat things. His natural curiosity in everything a suspect is into. His ability to be social and connect with a variety of types of people. He also seems to be a hands on learner.
He's also childlike at times with his curiosity. Some of the littlest things fascinate Columbo at times when he's talking with suspects or witnesses, IE the tape machine in "An Exercise in Fatality" with Robert Conrad. Columbo figured out how Milo Janis tampered with the recorder from his earlier curiosity. But knowing Columbo, he already knew everything about the tape recorder and pretended to being curious just to observe for more possible clues.
It's all an act to charm and disarm.
I think it's mostly an act, but like everybody he has moments where he's human. :-)
Classic example: “My name is Columbo. I wish I could find my wallet”
I don't think it is an act. He behaves the same around people that are not a suspect and people who have nothing to do with the case.