Villainess Review: Leslie Williams (Columbo)

Before the actual Columbo series began in 1971, two pilot episodes aired: "Prescription: Murder" and "Ransom for a Dead Man." The first of the two featured a villainous female accomplice, but it was "Ransom for a Dead Man" (which aired on March 1, 1971) that featured the series' very first female killer, in the form of Leslie Williams.

The episode begins with Leslie devising ransom notes and playing a recording of her husband, Paul Williams, before clipping pieces of the tapes and tying together what was left to create a message of distress. Later on, Paul returns home and is shocked to see Leslie pointing a gun at him, which is followed by Leslie shooting her husband to death, after which Leslie placed Paul's body inside the trunk of her car and dumped it into the lake. We later see Leslie give an ominous glare before returning to the house and phoning her friend, asking her to remind her to mention "tennis," before hanging up. The friend calls back, and Leslie uses the call to claim that Paul had been abducted.

Columbo is on the case, and it includes a claim that the kidnappers demanded a $300,000 ransom. The drop was made, but taken by Leslie, who "learns" later on that her husband had been found deceased, leading to Leslie fainting over the news. However, Columbo is suspicious of Leslie, not only due to her mannerisms, but also due to what Leslie didn't do: ask about Paul's well being during the demand. Columbo went flying with Leslie to get more of a read on her, and he certainly got it; their conversation saw Leslie refer to Paul as "a bore."

It was Margaret, Paul's daughter from his first marriage, who revealed that Leslie was very controlling of Paul. Both halves of the couple were lawyers, but Leslie talked Paul out of turning down a high-level position to work with her in their firm. By some point, Paul voiced his regret over marrying Leslie to Margaret, and he had planned to divorce Leslie, even proposing a separation arrangement. This led Leslie to kill her husband, and Margaret had her suspicions--voicing them while discovering her father's car keys in Leslie's room. Columbo admonished Margaret for falsifying evidence, and it was followed by Margaret holding Leslie at gunpoint and firing her weapon, though it was full of blanks. Leslie offered to pay Margaret's trust fund in exchanged for her silence, and afterwards, the pair went to the airport, where Leslie had hidden the ransom she had obtained, after which both parties went separate ways.

As it turned out, this was a ruse by Columbo, as after approaching Leslie, he presented the actual case with the money inside, while admonishing Leslie for believing that her stepdaughter could be bought. Leslie was shocked that she had been taken, but praised Columbo for his intelligence prior to her arrest.

I remember watching this rerun on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries one Sunday morning and absolutely loving Leslie Williams, who was played by the legendary Lee Grant. Leslie was a very cunning and ruthless villainess obsessed with one thing: control. She had to be in control of her environment and those around her, especially her husband. When she doesn't have that control, or is in danger of losing it, all hell breaks loose. Leslie's evil death stare after getting rid of her husband's body is clear evidence: this was a viciously sinister villainess, without question. Grant portrayed Leslie's villainous demeanor very well; her entire performance, as a matter of fact, stole the entire episode--she was amazing. I hope I can find more villainous performances from Grant, because it seemed to just come natural for her in this Columbo episode.

While watching this episode, I did some homework on Lee Grant. As it turned out, Grant was one of many actors victimized by McCarthyism in the 1950s; false accusations of Communism. She was blacklisted for 12 years as a result, and once that blacklist period was up, Grant appeared in several projects, with Columbo being among them. Another fact I learned, Grant is the mother of actress Dinah Manoff, who is known for being part of the cast of the NBC sitcom, Empty Nest, but is (most likely) best known for playing Maggie Peterson, Chucky's very first victim, in the horror classic, Child's Play.

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Click here for Leslie Williams' profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!