C: Peter Falk

Aw, RIP.

You are absolutely right sir, but suppose this was the killers other umbrella. Oh, I forgot to tell you, sir. Last night when I was at your house, I took the wrong umbrella. Excuse me, sir. Just one moment. I took yours. It was an honest mistake, sir, and we’re not allowed to get evidence that way. But as long as I had it, the lab found burns from the squibbs. And lots of soot, sir.

knew him as Columbo as a child, obv, but Mikey & Nicky and The In-Laws are two of my fave '70s films. He's also hilariously filthy in Undisputed. Still have never seen Murder Inc.

SERPENTINE!!!

weird that he was 'only' 83. dude was born grizzled.

RIP

None of his other roles seem to have made any impact on the belgian news sites, they ALL have "Columbo" in their headlines.

He was just Columbo to me, aside from the Princess Bride, but what a role. #1 screen detective. RIP.

Yeah, much as I love Wings of Desire, etc, Columbo was, and still is, a great way to spend a some time. He was just perfect in it. I miss those kind of detectives, is there anything comparable now? RIP.

Monk?

I don't watch that show myself, but I know some do.

Not dissimilar, yeah, but much more lightweight and played for laffs.

Yeah, Monk is the only one I could think of. I like it and Tony Shalhoub is very watchable but it's no Columbo.

Just rent Mikey and Nicky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE3eiZ_kbVE

Falk is brilliant, how sad.

There's little in life more pleasant than a sunday afternoon reading the papers, with one eye on an early Columbo repeat and drinking many cups of tea. I always really liked Falk's cameo in Made as well, his withering contempt for Vince Vaughn's character is A+. Truly, RIP.

There a Columbo on ITV3 right now, British people. It's only just started, so if you switch on then you'll miss the boring non-Falk setup bit.

Thought he was dead already. RIP Peter.

There's little in life more pleasant than a sunday afternoon reading the papers, with one eye on an early Columbo repeat and drinking many cups of tea.

^ this

I preferred his stuff you had to watch with both eyes.

(no offense intended, one-eyed Peter)

This is kind of a sad anecdote, from Wells, of all people:

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2011/06/falk.php

and he played Shelley Levene on the stage in LA!?

That earlier Columbo on ITV3 was one iffy 90s ones, innit? But all of those from 71-76 or so are all mostly awesome, can watch over again and again with several cups of tea. They should've repeated the one w/Donald Pleasance, probably my all time favourite.

Monk sorta riffs on it -- but you never believe Columbo ever has a fear of heights or the like. Its all acted, for us as well as the soon to be caught killer.

And obviously it isn't even that much of a cop show. Even before the 'you know who the killer is from the start' thing, you also see him working w/out a partner, the LA setting is hardly ever made use of, no conflicts over his methods, no home life (Ms. Columbo is a good ol' joke on that)...guy doesn't even eat (ok, he takes a bite out of a bowl of chilli a couple of times)!

Which leaves us with all that acting. More than enough.

the 89-2002 ones are just all terrible iirc. seem to remember billy connolly being in one.

my favourite is the final episode of the first run, "the conspirators". the murderer in this one is a brendan behan inspired irish poet involved in running guns to the provos with money that he raises at charity nights claiming to be in aid of the victims of the troubles. its one downside, from my point of view, is that the murder isn't complicated. he just shoots a guy who tries to double-cross him, although columbo does also foil the smuggling of a shipment of arms. in general tho i love the "perfect crimes" hatched by geniuses that bumbling old blue-collar columbo manages to untangle, much to the smug cunts' astonishment.

^^^ The one with the chairman of the high IQ society is pretty good, particularly the ending ("The bye Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case"). Also the one with the rival chessmasters ("The Most Dangerous Match") - I saw that on holiday once where it was pouring with rain the whole time and there was nothing to do in the evenings.

Haha yeah when he untangled the crime at that mensa like place. 'Are you sure you don't have a high IQ?' 'Oh no!' xp! also the one with the lawyer lady 'Ah you were v lucky...no, you are very smart'

the mensa place the one with the record player?

Yeah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnWScg95paA

The 'oh fuck' look of realisation on the other guy's face is priceless.

There's an excellent 45-minute radio interview from 1976 on the Mikey & Nicky Criterion set, which I probably heard then because it was on a NYC show called "Movie Talk" which I listened to habitually. He reminisces about all the classical roles he played off-Broadway in the '50s. Also delves into the psychology of "middle-class gangsters" like M&N.