''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series ''Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he ...

Lieutenant Columbo Columbo or Lieutenant Columbo is the eponymous main character in the American detective crime drama television series '' Columbo'' created by Richard Levinson and William Link. The character is a shrewd but inelegant blue-collar homicide detect ...

, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of ''

The NBC Mystery Movie ''The NBC Mystery Movie'' is an American television anthology series produced by Universal Pictures, that NBC broadcast from 1971 to 1977. Devoted to a rotating series of mystery episodes, it was sometimes split into two subsets broadcast on diff ...

''. ''Columbo'' then aired less frequently on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

from 1989 to 2003. Columbo is a shrewd but inelegant blue-collar homicide detective whose trademarks include his rumpled beige raincoat, unassuming demeanor, cigar, old

Peugeot 403 The Peugeot 403 is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Peugeot between May 1955 and October 1966. A total of 1,214,121 of all types, including commercial models, were produced, making it the first Peugeot to exceed one million in sales. ...

car, love of chili con carne, and unseen wife (whom he mentions frequently). He often leaves a room only to return with the catchphrase "Just one more thing" to ask a critical question. The character and show, created by Richard Levinson and William Link, popularized the inverted detective story format (sometimes referred to as a "howcatchem"). This genre begins by showing the commission of the crime and its perpetrator; the plot therefore usually has no " whodunit" element of determining which of several suspects committed the crime. It instead revolves around how a perpetrator known to the audience will finally be caught and exposed. The series'

homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

suspects are often affluent members of high society; it has led some critics to see

class conflict Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The forms ...

as an element of each story. Suspects carefully cover their tracks and are initially dismissive of Columbo's

circumstantial speech Circumstantial speech, also referred to as circumstantiality, is the result of a so-called "non-linear thought pattern" and occurs when the focus of a conversation drifts, but often comes back to the point.''Problem-Based Psychiatry'' by Ben Green 2 ...

and apparent ineptitude. They become increasingly unsettled as his superficially pestering behavior teases out incriminating evidence. His relentless approach often leads to self-incrimination or outright confession. Episodes of ''Columbo'' are between 70 and 98 minutes long, and have been broadcast in 44 countries. The show has been described by the BBC as "timeless" and remains popular today.

Episodes

After two pilot episodes, the show originally aired on NBC from 1971 to 1978 as one of the rotating programs of ''

''. ''Columbo'' then aired less regularly on

beginning in 1989 under the umbrella of ''The ABC Mystery Movie''. The last episode was broadcast in 2003 as part of ''ABC Thursday Night at the Movies''. Peter Falk Richard Kiley Colombo 1974

In almost every episode, the audience sees the crime unfold at the beginning and knows the identity of the culprit, typically an affluent member of society. Once Columbo enters the story (he rarely appears in the first act), viewers watch him solve the case by sifting through the contradictions between the truth and the version presented to him by the killer(s). This style of mystery is sometimes referred to as a " howcatchem", in contrast to the traditional whodunit. In structural analysis terms, the majority of the narrative is therefore dénouement, a feature normally reserved for the very end of a story. Episodes tend to be driven by their characters, the audience observing the criminal's reactions to Columbo's increasingly intrusive presence. The explanation for the crime and its method having played out as part of the narrative, most of the stories simply end with the criminal's reaction at being found out. When Columbo first appears in an episode, his genius is hidden by his frumpy, friendly, and disarming demeanor, luring the killer into a false sense of security. In some cases, the killer's arrogance and dismissive attitude allow Columbo to manipulate his suspects into self-incrimination. While the details, and eventually the motivations, of the murderers' actions are shown to the viewer, Columbo's true thoughts and intentions are almost never revealed until close to the end of the episode (he occasionally begins to whistle the tune "

This Old Man "This Old Man" is an English language children's song, counting exercise and nursery rhyme with a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3550. Origins and history The origins of this song are obscure. The earliest extant record is a version noted ...

" as the pieces begin to fall into place). Columbo generally maintains a friendly relationship with the murderer until the end. The point at which the detective first begins to suspect the murderer is generally not revealed, although it is often fairly early on. There are two sides to Columbo's character: the disarming and unkempt detective, and the hidden genius sleuth. The genius sometimes starkly manifests itself through his eyes, as when Jack Cassidy's magician, The Great Santini, manages to escape from police handcuffs that Columbo coyly presents him during Santini's show ("Now You See Him..."). Such moments always bode bad tidings for the killer. In some instances, such as Ruth Gordon's avenging elderly mystery writer in "Try and Catch Me", Janet Leigh's terminally ill and deluded actress in "Forgotten Lady", Donald Pleasence's elegant vintner in "Any Old Port in a Storm", and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

's enserfed singer in "Swan Song", the killer is more sympathetic than the victim. Each case is generally concluded in a similar style, with Columbo dropping any pretense of uncertainty and sharing details of his conclusion of the killer's guilt. Following the killer's reaction, the episode generally ends with the killer confessing or quietly submitting to arrest. There are few attempts to deceive the viewer or provide a twist in the tale. One convoluted exception is "Last Salute to the Commodore", where Robert Vaughn is seen elaborately disposing of a body, but is proved later to have been covering for his alcoholic wife, whom he mistakenly thought to be the murderer. Sometimes, Columbo sets up the murderer with a trick designed to elicit a confession. An example occurs in "Dagger of the Mind", in which Columbo flips an evidentiary pearl into the victim's umbrella, bringing about incriminating activity from Richard Basehart and Honor Blackman. Oddly, the Hallmark Channel's replay of the episode (2020) edits out the revealing scene, thus completely altering the meaning of the ending of the episode.

Development and character profile

The character of Columbo was created by the writing team of Richard Levinson and William Link, who said that Columbo was partially inspired by

Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

's '' Crime and Punishment'' character Porfiry Petrovich, as well as

G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. He has been referred to as the "prince of paradox". Of his writing style, ''Time'' observed: "Wh ...

's humble cleric-detective

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuiti ...

. Other sources claim Columbo's character is also influenced by Inspector Fichet from the French suspense-thriller film '' Les Diaboliques'' (1955). The character first appeared in a 1960 episode of the television-anthology series ''The Chevy Mystery Show,'' titled "Enough Rope". This was adapted by Levinson and Link from their short story "May I Come In", which had been published as "Dear Corpus Delicti" in an issue of ''

Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine ''Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine'' (AHMM) is a bi-monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime and detective fiction. ''AHMM'' is named for Alfred Hitchcock, the famed director of suspense films and television. History ''AHMM'' ...

''. The short story featured a police lieutenant then named Fisher. The first actor to portray Columbo, character actor

Bert Freed Bert Freed (November 3, 1919 – August 2, 1994) was an American character actor, voice-over actor, and the first actor to portray Detective Columbo. Life and career Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Freed began acting while attending P ...

, was a stocky character actor with a thatch of gray hair. Freed's Columbo wore a rumpled suit and smoked a cigar; he otherwise had few of the other now-familiar Columbo mannerisms. The character is still recognizably Columbo and uses some of the same methods of misdirecting and distracting his suspects. During the course of the show, the increasingly frightened murderer brings pressure from the district attorney's office to have Columbo taken off the case, but the detective fights back with his own contacts. Although Freed received third billing, he wound up with almost as much screen time as the killer and appeared immediately after the first commercial. This delayed entry of the character into the narrative of the screen play became a defining characteristic of the structure of the Columbo series. This teleplay is available for viewing in the archives of the Paley Center for Media in New York City and Los Angeles. Levinson and Link then adapted the TV drama into the stage play ''Prescription: Murder.'' This was first performed at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on January 2, 1962, with Oscar-winning character actor Thomas Mitchell in the role of Columbo. Mitchell was 70 years old at the time. The stage production starred Joseph Cotten as the murderer and Agnes Moorehead as the victim. Mitchell died of cancer while the play was touring in out-of-town tryouts; Columbo was his last role. NBC Mystery Movie stars 1975 cropped

In 1968, the same play was made into a two-hour television movie that aired on NBC. The writers suggested

Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb (born Leo Jacoby; December 8, 1911February 11, 1976) was an American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage. He often played arrogant, intimidating and abrasive characters, but he also acted as respectabl ...

and

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

for the role of Columbo, but Cobb was unavailable and Crosby turned it down because he felt it would take too much time away from the golf links. Director Richard Irving convinced Levinson and Link that Falk, who excitedly said he "would kill to play that cop", could pull it off even though he was much younger than the writers had in mind. Originally a one-off TV-Movie-of-the-Week, ''Prescription: Murder'' has Falk's Columbo pitted against a psychiatrist (

Gene Barry Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass, June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films ''The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of The World ...

). In this movie, the psychiatrist gives the new audience a perfect description of Columbo's character. Due to the success of this film, NBC requested that a pilot for a potential series be made to see if the character could be sustained on a regular basis, leading to the 1971 90-minute television production, ''Ransom for a Dead Man'', with Lee Grant playing the killer. The popularity of the second film prompted the creation of a regular series on NBC, that premiered in September 1971 as part of ''

'' wheel series rotation: '' McCloud'', '' McMillan & Wife'', and other whodunits. According to ''TV Guide'', the original plan was that a new ''Columbo'' episode would air every week. However, Falk refused to commit to such a busy schedule given his steady work in motion pictures. The network arranged for the ''Columbo'' segments to air once a month on Wednesday nights. The high quality of ''Columbo'', ''McMillan & Wife'', and ''McCloud'' was due in large part to the extra time spent on each episode. The term ''

wheel show A wheel series, wheel show, wheel format or umbrella series is a television series in which two or more regular programs are rotated in the same time slot. Sometimes the wheel series is given its own umbrella title and promoted as a single unit ins ...

'' had been previously coined to describe this format, but no previous or subsequent wheel show achieved the longevity or success of ''The NBC Mystery Movie''. ''Columbo'' was an immediate hit in the

Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...

and Falk won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for his role in the show's first season. In its second year the ''Mystery Movie'' series was moved to Sunday nights, where it then remained during its seven-season run. The show became the anchor of NBC's Sunday night lineup. ''Columbo'' aired regularly from 1971 to 1978. After NBC canceled it in 1978, ''Columbo'' was revived on

between 1989 and 2003 in several new seasons and a few made-for-TV movie "specials". Columbo's wardrobe was provided by Falk; they were his clothes, including the high-topped shoes and the shabby raincoat, which made its first appearance in ''Prescription: Murder''. Falk often

ad lib In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation. The ...

bed his character's idiosyncrasies (fumbling through his pockets for a piece of evidence and discovering a grocery list, asking to borrow a pencil, becoming distracted by something irrelevant in the room at a dramatic point in a conversation with a suspect, etc.), inserting these into his performance as a way to keep his fellow actors off-balance. He felt it helped to make their confused and impatient reactions to Columbo's antics more genuine. According to Levinson, the catchphrase "one more thing" was conceived when he and Link were writing the play: "we had a scene that was too short, and we had already had Columbo make his exit. We were too lazy to retype the scene, so we had him come back and say, 'Oh, just one more thing.' It was never planned." The catchphrase became the basis for a well-known sales technique known as the "Columbo Close". In this, after the sales person has completed their sales pitch without success and the customer is about to walk away, the sales person uses Columbo's line to present the customer with the most enticing part of their offer. A few years before his death, Falk expressed interest in returning to the role. In 2007, he claimed he had chosen a script for one last Columbo episode, "Columbo: Hear No Evil". The script was renamed "Columbo's Last Case". ABC declined the project. In response, producers for the series announced that they were attempting to shop the project to foreign production companies. Falk was diagnosed with dementia in late 2007. During a 2009 trial over his care, physician Stephen Read stated that Falk's condition had deteriorated so badly that he could no longer remember playing a character named Columbo, nor could he identify Columbo. Falk died on June 23, 2011, aged 83.

Contributors

Guest stars

The series featured many guest stars as murderers and in other roles. Some actors appeared more than once, playing a different character each time; among those actors are Jack Cassidy, Robert Culp,

Tyne Daly Ellen Tyne Daly (; born February 21, 1946) is an American actress. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee. Daly began her career on stage in summer stock in New York, ...

, George Hamilton, Martin Landau,

Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television. Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and Engla ...

and William Shatner. Famous actors who appeared on the show included: * Eddie Albert as Maj. Gen. Martin Hollister (Episode: ''Dead Weight'') *

Don Ameche Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which l ...

as Frank Simpson (Episode: ''Suitable for Framing'') *

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film '' All Quiet on the Western Fr ...

as Dr. Howard Nicholson (Episode: ''Mind Over Mayhem'') *

as Dr. Ray Fleming (Episode: ''Prescription: Murder'') * Kristin Bauer van Straten as Suzie Endicott (Episode: ''Undercover'') *

Anne Baxter Anne Baxter (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 1985) was an American actress, star of Hollywood films, Broadway productions, and television series. She won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and was nominated for an Emmy. A granddaughter of Fra ...

as Nora Chandler (Episode: ''Requiem for a Falling Star'') *

Ed Begley Jr. Edward James Begley Jr. (born September 16, 1949) is an American actor and environmental activist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He played Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series ''St. E ...

as Officer Stein (Episode: ''How to Dial a Murder''), Irving Krutch (Episode: ''Undercover'') * Theodore Bikel as Oliver Brandt (Episode: ''The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case'') * Honor Blackman as Lillian Stanhope (Episode: ''Dagger of the Mind'') * Sorrell Booke as Bertie Hastings (Episode: ''The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case'') *

Roscoe Lee Browne Roscoe Lee Browne (May 2, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American actor and director. He resisted playing stereotypically black roles, instead performing in several productions with New York City's Shakespeare Festival Theater, Leland Hayward's ...

as Dr. Steadman (Episode: ''Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo'') *

as Tommy Brown (Episode: ''Swan Song'') * John Cassavetes as Alex Benedict (Episode: ''Étude in Black'') * Jack Cassidy as Ken Franklin (Episode: ''Murder by the Book''), Riley Greenleaf (Episode: ''Publish or Perish''), and The Great Santini (Episode: ''Now You See Him...'') * Kim Cattrall as Joanne Nicholls (Episode: ''How to Dial a Murder'') *

Ron Cey Ronald Charles Cey (; born February 15, 1948), nicknamed "Penguin", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from through , most notably as an integral member of the Los Angeles Do ...

as himself (Episode: ''Uneasy Lies the Crown'') * Susan Clark as Beth Chadwick (Episode: ''Lady in Waiting'') * Dabney Coleman as Sergeant Murray (Episode: ''Double Shock''), Hugh Creighton (Episode: ''Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star'') * Billy Connolly as Findlay Crawford (Episode: ''Murder With Too Many Notes'') *

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

as Nelson Hayward (Episode: ''Candidate for Crime'') * Robert Culp as Carl Brimmer (Episode: ''Death Lends a Hand''), Paul Hanlon (Episode: ''The Most Crucial Game''), Dr. Bart Keppel (Episode: ''Double Exposure''), and Jordan Rowe (Episode: ''Columbo Goes to College'') * Jamie Lee Curtis as an unnamed waitress (Episode: ''Bye-bye Sky High IQ'') *

as Dolores McCain (Episode: ''A Bird in the Hand...''), Dorothea McNally (Episode: ''Undercover'') * Shera Danese Peter Falk's 2nd wife featured in small and supporting roles in 6 episodes (Episode: ''Fade in to Murder'', ''Murder Under Glass'', ''Murder A Self Portrait'', ''Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star'', ''Undercover'' and ''A Trace of Murder'') *

Blythe Danner Blythe Katherine Danner (born February 3, 1943) is an American actress. Accolades she has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Izzy Huffstodt on '' Huff'' (2004–2006), and a ...

as Janice Benedict (Episode: ''Étude in Black'') * Faye Dunaway as Lauren Staton (Episode: ''It's All in the Game'') * Samantha Eggar as Vivian Brandt (Episode: ''The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case'') *

Héctor Elizondo Héctor Elizondo (born December 22, 1936) is an American character actor. He is known for playing Phillip Watters in the television series ''Chicago Hope'' (1994–2000) and Ed Alzate in the television series '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021) ...

as Hassan Salah (Episode: ''A Case of Immunity'') * Maurice Evans as Raymond (Episode: ''Forgotten Lady'') * José Ferrer as Dr. Marshall Cahill (Episode: ''Mind Over Mayhem'') *

Mel Ferrer Melchor Gastón Ferrer (August 25, 1917 – June 2, 2008) was an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with ''Scaramouche'', ''Lili'' and ''Knights of the Round ...

as Jerry Parks (Episode: ''Requiem for a Falling Star'') * Ruth Gordon as Abigail Mitchell (Episode: ''Try and Catch Me'') * Harold Gould as Agent Carlson (Episode: ''Ransom for a Dead Man'') * Lee Grant as Leslie Williams (Episode: ''Ransom for a Dead Man'') * James Gregory as David Buckner (Episode: ''Short Fuse''), Coach Rizzo (Episode: ''The Most Crucial Game'') * George Hamilton as Dr. Mark Collier (Episode: ''A Deadly State of Mind''), Wade Anders (Episode: ''Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health'') * Valerie Harper as Eve Babcock (Episode: ''The Most Crucial Game'') *

Laurence Harvey Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in th ...

as Emmett Clayton (Episode: ''The Most Dangerous Match'') * Edith Head as herself (Episode: ''Requiem for a Falling Star'') *

Kim Hunter Kim Hunter (born Janet Cole; November 11, 1922 – September 11, 2002) was an American theatre, film, and television actress. She achieved prominence for portraying Stella Kowalski in the original production of Tennessee Williams' ''A Streetcar N ...

as Edna Matthews (Episode: ''Suitable for Framing'') * Wilfrid Hyde-White as Tanner (Episode: ''Dagger of the Mind''), Jonathan Kittering (Episode: ''Last Salute to the Commodore'') * Dean Jagger as Walter Cunnell (Episode: ''The Most Crucial Game'') *

Louis Jourdan Louis Jourdan (born Louis Robert Gendre; 19 June 1921 – 14 February 2015) was a French film and television actor. He was known for his suave roles in several Hollywood films, including Alfred Hitchcock's ''The Paradine Case'' (1947), '' Lette ...

as Paul Gerard (Episode: ''Murder Under Glass'') * Sally Kellerman as Liz Houston (Episode: ''Ashes to Ashes'') *

Richard Kiley Richard Paul Kiley (March 31, 1922 – March 5, 1999) was an American stage, film and television actor and singer. He is best known for his distinguished theatrical career in which he twice won the Tony Award for Best Actor In A Musical. Kiley ...

as Deputy Commissioner Mark Halperin (Episode: ''A Friend in Deed'') * Walter Koenig as Sgt. Johnson (Episode: ''Fade in to Murder'') * Martin Landau as twins Dexter/Norman Paris (Episode: ''Double Shock'') * Janet Leigh as Grace Wheeler (Episode: ''Forgotten Lady'') * Robert Loggia as Harry Blandford (Episode: ''Now You See Him...'') * Myrna Loy as Lizzy Fielding (Episode: ''Étude in Black'') * Ida Lupino as Doris Buckner (Episode: ''Short Fuse''), Edna Brown (Episode: ''Swan Song'') * Rue McClanahan as Verity Chandler (Episode: ''Ashes to Ashes'') * Roddy McDowall as Roger Stanford (Episode: ''Short Fuse'') *

as Colonel Lyle C. Rumford (Episode: ''By Dawn's Early Light''), Nelson Brenner (Episode: ''Identity Crisis'', and directed), Oscar Finch (Episode: ''Agenda for Murder'', and directed), Eric Prince (Episode: ''Ashes to Ashes'', and directed) *

Patrick MacNee Daniel Patrick Macnee (6 February 1922 – 25 June 2015) was a British film and television actor. After serving in the Royal Navy during World War II, he began his acting career in Canada. Despite having some small film roles, Macnee spent much ...

as Captain Gibbon (Episode: ''Troubled Waters'') * Ian McShane as Leland St. John (Episode: ''Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo'') *

Ross Martin Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sout ...

as Dale Kingston (Episode: ''Suitable for Framing'') * Vera Miles as Viveca Scott (Episode: ''Lovely But Lethal'') *

Ray Milland Ray Milland (born Alfred Reginald Jones; 3 January 1907 – 10 March 1986) was a Welsh-American actor and film director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985. He is remembered for his Academy Award and Cannes Film Festival Award-winning ...

as Jarvis Goodland (Episode: ''The Greenhouse Jungle''), Arthur Kennicutt (Episode: ''Death Lends a Hand'') * Sal Mineo as Rachman Habib (Episode: ''A Case of Immunity'') * Ricardo Montalbán as Luís Montoya (Episode: ''A Matter of Honor'') * Pat Morita as The House Boy (Episode: ''Étude in Black'') * Julie Newmar as Lisa Chambers (Episode: ''Double Shock'') * Leslie Nielsen as Peter Hamilton (Episode: ''Lady in Waiting''), Geronimo (Episode: ''Identity Crisis'') * Leonard Nimoy as Dr. Barry Mayfield (Episode: ''A Stitch in Crime'') * Nehemiah Persoff as Jesse Jerome (Episode: ''Now You See Him...'') * Donald Pleasence as Adrian Carsini (Episode: ''Any Old Port in a Storm'') *

Suzanne Pleshette Suzanne Pleshette (January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008) was an American theatre, film, television, and voice actress. Pleshette started her career in the theatre and began appearing in films in the late 1950s and later appeared in prominent ...

as Helen Stewart (Episode: ''Dead Weight'') * Vincent Price as David Lang (Episode: ''Lovely but Lethal'') *

Clive Revill Clive Revill is a New Zealand actor, best known for his performances in musical theatre and the London stage. A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has also starred in numerous films and television programmes, often in character parts. ...

as Joe Devlin (Episode: ''The Conspirators'') * Matthew Rhys as Justin Price (Episode: ''Columbo Likes the Nightlife'') *

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

as himself (Episode: ''Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star'') *

Gena Rowlands Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands (born June 19, 1930) is an American retired actress, whose career in film, stage, and television has spanned seven decades. A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, she is known for her collaborations ...

as Elizabeth Van Wick (Episode: ''Playback'') * Katey Sagal as a secretary (Episode: ''Candidate for Crime'') * Dick Sargent as himself (Episode: ''Uneasy Lies the Crown'') * William Shatner as Ward Fowler (Episode: ''Fade in to Murder''), Fielding Chase (Episode: ''Butterfly in Shades of Grey'') * Martin Sheen as Karl Lessing (Episode: ''Lovely but Lethal'') * Mickey Spillane as Alan Mallory (Episode: ''Publish or Perish'') *

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

as Vincenzo Fortelli (Episode: ''Strange Bedfellows'') * Dean Stockwell as Eric Wagner (Episode: ''The Most Crucial Game''), Lloyd Harrington (Episode: ''Troubled Waters'') * Larry Storch as Mr. Weekly (Episode: ''Negative Reaction'') * Vic Tayback as Sam Franklin (Episode: ''Suitable for Framing'') *

Rip Torn Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned more than 60 years. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his part as Marsh Turner in '' Cross Creek'' ...

as Leon Lamarr (Episode: ''Death Hits the Jackpot'') * Forrest Tucker as Beau Williamson (Episode: ''Blueprint for Murder'') * Brenda Vaccaro as Jess McCurdy (Episode: ''Murder in Malibu'') *

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

as Paul Galesko (Episode: ''Negative Reaction'') * Robert Vaughn as Hayden Danziger (Episode: ''Troubled Waters''), Charles Clay (Episode: ''Last Salute to the Commodore'') * Nancy Walker as herself (Episode: ''Uneasy Lies the Crown'') * Jessica Walter as Margaret Nicholson (Episode: ''Mind Over Mayhem'') *

Leslie Ann Warren Lesley Ann Warren (born August 16, 1946) is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut in 1963, aged 17, in ''110 in the Shade''. In 1965 she received wide recognition for playing the title role in the television musical produ ...

as Nadia Donner (Episode: ''A Deadly State of Mind'') * George Wendt as Graham McVeigh (Episode: ''Strange Bedfellows'') * Oskar Werner as Harold Van Wick (Episode: ''Playback'') * Mary Wickes as a landlady (Episode: ''Suitable for Framing'') *

Nicol Williamson Thomas Nicol Williamson (14 September 1936 – 16 December 2011) was a Scottish actor, once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando". He was also described by Samuel Beckett as "touched by genius" and view ...

as Dr. Eric Mason (Episode: ''How To Dial A Murder'') * William Windom as Everett Logan (Episode: ''Short Fuse'') * Burt Young as Mo Weinberg (Episode: ''Undercover'')

Directors and writers

The first season première "Murder by the Book" was written by

Steven Bochco Steven Ronald Bochco Masterson (December 16, 1943 – April 1, 2018) was an American television writer and producer. He developed a number of television series, including ''Hill Street Blues'', ''L.A. Law'', ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'', ''Cop Rock'' ...

and directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film ''Caged Heat'', before ...

directed the seventh-season episode "Murder Under Glass".

Jonathan Latimer Jonathan Wyatt Latimer (October 23, 1906 – June 23, 1983) was an American crime writer known his novels and screenplays. Before becoming an author, Latimer was a journalist in Chicago. Early life and education Born in Chicago, Illinois, L ...

was also a writer. Actor Ben Gazzara, a friend of Falk's, directed the episodes "A Friend in Deed" (1974) and "Troubled Waters" (1975). Falk himself directed the last episode of the first season, "Blueprint for Murder," and wrote the episode entitled "It's All in the Game" in season 10. Actor Nicholas Colasanto, best known for playing Coach on ''

Cheers ''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...

'', directed two episodes, "Swan Song" with

, and "Étude in Black".

directed five episodes (including three of the four in which he played the murderer) and wrote and produced two. Vincent McEveety was a frequent director, and homage was paid to him by a humorous mention of a character with his surname in the episode "Undercover" (which he directed). Two episodes, "No Time to Die" and "Undercover", were based on the 87th Precinct novels by Ed McBain, and thus do not strictly follow the standard Columbo/inverted detective story format.

Score composers

''Columbo'' episodes contain a variety of music that contributes to the uniqueness of each. The score becomes of particular importance during turning points of the plots. "The Mystery Movie Theme" by Henry Mancini, written for ''

'' series, was used extensively in the whole of 38 episodes, from 1971 to 1977. Unlike the other elements of the ''Mystery Movie'' wheel, ''Columbo'' never had an official theme as such, although some composers, such as

Dick DeBenedictis Richard “Dick” DeBenedictis (born January 23, 1937) is an American composer noted for composing music for television shows including '' Perry Mason'' and its movies from 1985 until 1993, '' Police Story'', ''Columbo'', ''Father Dowling Mysterie ...

and Gil Mellé, did write their own signature pieces. Several composers created original music for the series, which was often used along with "The Mystery Movie Theme": *

(23 episodes, 1972–2003) * Patrick Williams (9 episodes, 1977–1992) *

Bernardo Segall Bernardo Segall (August 4, 1911 – November 26, 1993) was a Brazilian-born American composer and concert pianist. Life Bernardo Segall made his professional debut as a pianist at age 9 in his native Campinas, Brazil. At Age 16 he traveled to ...

(10 episodes, 1974–1976) * Billy Goldenberg (7 episodes, 1971–1974) * Gil Mellé (4 episodes, 1971–1972) * Jeff Alexander (1 episode, 1975) * Oliver Nelson (1 episode, 1972) * Dave Grusin (1 episode, 1968) * Robert Prince (1 episode, 1977) *

Jonathan Tunick Jonathan Tunick (born April 19, 1938, New York City) is an American orchestrator, musical director, and composer, and one of seventeen " EGOTs" - people to have won all four major American showbusiness awards: the Tony Awards, Academy Awards, Emmy A ...

(1 episode, 1978) *

John Cacavas John Harry Cacavas (August 13, 1930 – January 28, 2014) was an American composer and conductor probably best known for his television scores, such as ''Kojak'', and ''The Time Machine,'' for which he was the chief composer. He also composed '' ...

(3 episodes, 1989–1991) *

James Di Pasquale James Di Pasquale (born April 7, 1941) is an American musician and composer of contemporary classical music and music for television and films. Biography Pasquale was born on April 7, 1941 in Chicago to Hugo and Lucille (née Ciccone) Di Pasqua ...

(2 episodes, 1990) *

Steve Dorff Stephen Hartley Dorff (born April 21, 1949) is an American songwriter and composer whose work is mainly in the field of country music. Career Dorff has written several songs for other artists, including "Hypnotize the Moon" and " My Heart Wi ...

(2 episodes, 1991) *

Dennis Dreith Dennis Dreith (born June 15, 1948 in Glendale, California) is a musician, record producer and a television & motion picture composer, arranger, and conductor. He is also known as an influential advocate for performer's rights. Life Dreith sho ...

(1 episode, 1990) *

Richard Markowitz Richard Allen Markowitz (September 3, 1926 in Santa Monica, California – December 6, 1994 in Santa Monica, California) was an American film and television composer. He was the father of singer Kate Markowitz. Biography As a Santa Monica High Sch ...

(1 episode, 1990) *

David Michael Frank David Michael Frank (born 21 December 1948) is an American composer, music arranger, and conductor, who has written musical scores for over 80 films and hundreds of primetime TV episodes, with four Emmy award nominations. David Michael Frank was ...

(1 episode, 1990) * The Crystal Method (1 episode, 2003) Series Music department included: * Quincy Jones—composer: "Mystery Movie" theme / "Wednesday Mystery Movie" theme (8 episodes, 1972–1973) * Henry Mancini – composer: "Mystery Movie" theme / "Sunday Mystery Movie" theme (38 episodes, 1971–1977) *

Hal Mooney Hal Mooney, born Harold Mooney (February 4, 1911 – March 23, 1995), was an American composer and arranger. Early life and career Hal Mooney was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a young man, Mooney was a professional pianist. He attended Brookly ...

– music supervisor (27 episodes, 1972–1976) * Mike Post – composer: "Mystery Movie" theme (9 episodes, 1989–1990) Patrick Williams received two

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

s nominations for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series in 1978 (for "Try and Catch Me") and 1989 (for "Murder, Smoke and Shadows"). Billy Goldenberg was nominated in the same category in 1972 for "Lady in Waiting". ''Columbo'' also featured an unofficial signature tune, the children's song "

". It was introduced in the episode "Any Old Port in a Storm" in 1973 and the detective can be heard humming or whistling it often in subsequent films. Falk said it was a melody he personally enjoyed and one day it became a part of his character. The tune was also used in various score arrangements throughout the three decades of the series, including opening and closing credits. A version of it, titled "Columbo", was created by Patrick Williams. The 1971 episode "Murder by the Book", directed by

, was ranked No. 16 on ''

TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time (1997) and Top 100 Episodes of All Time (2009) are lists of the 100 "best" television show episodes on U.S. television as published by ''TV Guide''. The first list, published on June 28, 1997, was produced in co ...

'' and in 1999, the magazine ranked Lt. Columbo No. 7 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list. In 2012, the program was ranked the third-best cop or legal show on '' Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time''. In 2013, ''TV Guide'' included it in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time and ranked it 33rd on its list of the 60 Best Series. Also in 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it 57th on its list of 101 Best Written TV Series.

Awards and nominations

''Columbo'' received numerous awards and nominations from 1971 to 2005, including 13

s, two

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

s, two

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

s and a TV Land Award nomination in 2005 for

Home media

DVD

As of January 10, 2012, Universal Studios had released all 69 episodes of ''Columbo'' on DVD. The episodes are released in the same chronological order as they were originally broadcast. On October 16, 2012, Universal released ''Columbo—The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1. Because the ''Columbo'' episodes from 1989 to 2003 were aired very infrequently, different DVD sets have been released around the world. In many Region 2 and Region 4 countries, all episodes have now been released as 10 seasons, with the 10th comprising the last 14 episodes, from "Columbo Goes to College" (1990) to "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" (2003). In France and The Netherlands (also Region 2), the DVDs were grouped differently and released as 12 seasons. In Region 1, all episodes from seasons 8 on are grouped differently; the episodes that originally aired on ABC were released under the title ''COLUMBO: The Mystery Movie Collection''.

Blu-ray

The complete series was released on Blu-ray in Japan in 2011 as a ten-season set, taken from new HD masters and original 1.33:1 (4:3) aspect ratio (1989–2003 episodes are presented in 1.78:1 (16:9)). The set contains 35 discs and is presented in a faux-wooden cigar box. It features a brochure with episode details, and a script for the Japanese version of Prescription: Murder. Special features include the original 96-minute version of Étude In Black and the original NBC Mystery Movie title sequence. In addition, many episodes include isolated music and sound-effects tracks. Before this set's release, only the episodes up to Murder, a Self-Portrait were released on DVD in Japan.

Other appearances

Stage

The Columbo character first appeared on stage in 1962 in ''Prescription: Murder'' with Thomas Mitchell in the role of Columbo. In 2010, ''Prescription: Murder'' was revived for a tour of the United Kingdom with

Dirk Benedict Dirk Benedict (born Dirk Niewoehner; March 1, 1945) is an American film, television and stage actor, philosopher and author. He is best known for playing the characters Lieutenant Starbuck in the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' film and telev ...

and later John Guerrasio as Columbo.

Television

Falk appeared as Columbo in an ''

Alias Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym * Pen name * Nickname Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Alias'' (2013 film), a 2013 Canadian documentary film * ''Alias'' (TV series), an American action thriller series 2001–2006 * ''Alias the ...

'' sketch produced for a 2003 TV special celebrating the 50th anniversary of ABC. Falk appeared in character as Columbo in 1977 at '' The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast'' of

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Books

A ''Columbo'' series of books was published by MCA Publishing, written by authors Alfred Lawrence, Henry Clements and Lee Hays. This series of books, with the first title published in 1972, was mostly adapted from the TV series. Columbo was also used as the protagonist for a series of novels published between 1994 and 1999 by Forge Books, an imprint of Tor Books. All of these books were written by William Harrington. William Link, the co-creator of the series, wrote a collection of Columbo short stories, titled ''The Columbo Collection'', which was published in May 2010 by Crippen & Landru, the specialty mystery publisher.

Sculpture

A statue of Lieutenant Columbo and his dog was unveiled in 2014 on Miksa Falk Street in Budapest, Hungary. According to Antal Rogán, then-district mayor of the city, Peter Falk may have been related to Hungarian writer and politician

Miksa Falk Miksa Falk (or sometimes Maximilian Falk, 7 October 1828 – 10 September 1908) was a Hungarian politician, journalist, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the editor-in-chief of the German-language newspaper '' Pester Lloyd''. Ear ...

, although there is no evidence yet to prove it.

''Mrs. Columbo'' spin-off

''Mrs. Columbo'', a spin-off TV series starring Kate Mulgrew, aired in 1979 and was canceled after only thirteen episodes. Lt. Columbo was never seen on ''Mrs. Columbo''; each episode featured the resourceful Mrs. Columbo solving a murder mystery she encountered in her work as a newspaper reporter. Connections with the original ''Columbo'' series were made obvious: the glaring presence of Columbo's car in the driveway, the dog and Mrs. Columbo emptying ashtrays containing the famous green cigar butts—all featured in the show's opening sequence. References were also made to Kate's husband being a police lieutenant.

''The Trivia Encyclopedia'' lawsuit

Columbo's first name is notably never mentioned in the series, but "Frank Columbo" or "Lt. Frank Columbo" can occasionally be seen on his police ID. This ambiguity surrounding Columbo's first name led to the creator of ''

The Trivia Encyclopedia ''The Trivia Encyclopedia'' () was first released in the early 1970s. Written by Fred L. Worth, it was the author's own personal collection of trivia. It also contains "Worth's Law", his own personal creation, which states that something automatica ...

'', Fred L. Worth, to include a false entry that listed "Phillip Columbo" as Columbo's full name as a

copyright trap Fictitious or fake entries are deliberately incorrect entries in reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias (including Wikipedia), maps, and directories. There are more specific terms for particular kinds of fictitious entry, such as Moun ...

. When the board game '' Trivial Pursuit'' included "Phillip" as the answer to the question, "What was Columbo's first name?", Worth launched a 300 million dollar lawsuit against the creators of the game. The creators of the game argued that while they did use ''The Trivia Encyclopedia'' as one of their sources, facts are not copyrightable and there was nothing improper about using an encyclopedia in the production of a fact-based game. The district court judge agreed and the decision was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in September 1987. Worth petitoned the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

to review the case, but the Court declined, denying

certiorari In law, ''certiorari'' is a court process to seek judicial review of a decision of a lower court or government agency. ''Certiorari'' comes from the name of an English prerogative writ, issued by a superior court to direct that the record of ...

in March 1988.

References

External links

*
ColumbophileUltimate Columbo Site
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