COLUMBO was an American TV series starring Peter Falk, which had its premiere as a TV Movie of the Week on February 20, 1968 under the title PRESCRIPTION MURDER and also starring Gene Barry as Dr. Ray Flemming, a psychiatrist who murders his wife when she discovers he's having an affair with one of his patients. The movie pretty much establishes the character of Lt. Columbo of the LAPD. Here, Columbo establishes two of his most famous trademarks by needing to borrow a pencil and, just before leaving the psychiatrist's office, by saying, "There's one more thing . . . ".
With Gene Barry
Three years later, on March 1st, 1971, the second COLUMBO TV Movie was telecast, starring Lee Grant as attorney Leslie Williams, who is so bored with her husband, she decides to fake his kidnapping after killing him and then plans to keep the ransom.
Lee GrantFinally, COLUMBO became one of three rotating programs of The NBC MYSTERY MOVIE and the first episode titled MURDER BY THE BOOK with guest star Jack Cassidy premiered on September 15, 1971. The rest, as the cliché goes, is history.
Jack Cassidy
Robert Culp
Robert Vaughn Dick Van Dyke
John CassavetesKim Hunter, Don Ameche and Ross Martin
Susan Clark and Leslie NielsenRobert Vaughn
Martin LandauJackie Cooper
Patrick O'NealDonald Pleasence
Patrick McGoohanPatrick McGoohan
Patrick McGoohan
Sally Kellerman, Patrick McGoohan and Rue McClanahan
And eventually, after some 69 episodes, COLUMBO appeared solving his last case, exactly twenty years ago, on January 30, 2003 in the episode COLUMBO LIKES THE NIGHTLIFE.
Peter Falk passed away on June 23rd, 2011 at 83.
After so many years it is understandable that some episodes were not as good as others but for me, the first seven seasons, from 1971 to 1978, were all winners. Peter Falk had a long and distinguished career playing all sorts of roles, in comedy and drama but his ultimate legacy will always be as Lt. Columbo, the classic and unforgettable lieutenant who solved murders by sheer ingenuity, logic, lots of luck, and his uncanny powers of observation.
"Oh, there's one more thing!..."
