![]() The main hook is that people think Columbo is dumb, while he's actually brilliant. Then it is just a matter of time until Columbo discovers his final clue, the one that proves that the murderer did it (often this comes from Columbo tricking the murderer somehow, like claiming that a victim's contact lens was left at the scene of the crime, causing the killer to then go back and get it, where Columbo and the police are waiting for him). That is, until he casually drops his iconic catchphrase, "just one more thing." He'll be seemingly out the door, with the murderer secure that they've gotten away with the crime when Columbo will ask them "just one more thing" and his question will invariably lead the murderer to realize that Columbo is on to them. Columbo's bumbling appearance allows the murderer to think that they have the detective fooled. First, Columbo discovers a clue that leads him to realize that the death was, in fact, a murder (and not a suicide or accident, as the murderer often tries to disguise it as). There are then three regular moments in nearly every episode (probably EVERY episode, but I don't want to overpromise). After running for seven seasons, Columbo returned after a decade off the air for two more seasons (now as part of The ABC Mystery Movie) before then appearing sporadically in ten more TV movies between 19. James as a crime fighting married couple). Eventually the stage play was adapted again into a TV movie in 1968, starring Falk (with Gene Barry as the doctor/murderer), and that was then adapted into a long-running TV series (done as part of NBC's Wednesday Mystery Movie series, so that there would be one movie-length Columbo episode a month, with the other weeks featuring movie-length episodes of McCloud, starring Dennis Weaver as a rural cop who moved to New York City, and McMillan and Wife, starring Rock Hudson and Susan St. ![]() Interestingly, while the role will forever be identified with Falk, to the point where it is hard to imagine a Columbo reboot (as who could ever play him quite like Falk?), the role actually originated in a TV movie by actor Bert Freed in 1960 before the writers of the episode (Richard Levinson and William Link) then adapted the character in 1962 into a stage play, "Prescription: Murder," which toured the country starring Thomas Mitchell as Columbo and Joseph Cotten as the doctor/murderer. Columbo, who was played by the late, great Peter Falk from 1968 through 2003 (sadly, the ratings were not great for the last Columbo TV movie, so Falk never got a chance to do a "farewell" Columbo TV movie before he passed away). One of the all-time great TV characters is Lt. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |