Hey everyone, PushingUpRoses here and welcome back to my channel. Today I am going to be discussing
what of the most respected detective shows of all time, the dramatic, charming, and hilarious
Columbo starring Peter Falk. I want to focus on where this show falls in the genre of mystery,
which is made up of many sub categories, how the show was conceived, and why it’s so well
liked even 50 years after it initially aired. It’s certainly one of my favorite shows, up there with
polar opposite Murder, She Wrote, and it features of my favorite detectives among an array of quirky
white male characters who dominated the noir and crime families of murder mystery. Without
further adieu, let’s talk about Columbo. Man: “Who are you?” Columbo: “Lt. Columbo, police.”
This show is considered an inverted detective story, or sometimes called a howcatchem.
All one word, howcatchem. This is a very serious video about very serious mystery thingies but when
I say howcatchem my mind goes to Columbo catching a Pokemon. This structure shows the crime being
committed at the beginning of the story, so the viewer knows who the murderer is and will
now be able to watch the detective piece things together. One of the first stories to use this
style was called The Case of Oskar Brodski, which was published in Pearson’s Magazine in 1912. The
most well known example of this formula is Dial M For Murder, which was originally a television
play written by Frederick Knott, then adapted just two years later for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film
of the same name. Contrasting the howcatchem is the Whodunnit; In general this format follows a
more classic detective story that allows audience engagement - you are trying to solve the mystery
with the detective. I have a softer spot for Whodunnits, as one of my favorite writers is
Agatha Christie. I always viewed these stories as undeniably more… mysterious, for lack of better
explanation. I thought, “what’s the point of calling something a mystery if you can’t go
along with the detective”, but then I saw Dial M for Murder, and subsequently Columbo, and changed
my mind about the inverted detective format. It allows the story to be more tense, thrilling,
and even sympathetic as you watch these murderers fumble around, attempting to dodge suspicion.
Dial M For Murder took the cake for me in terms of frustration, suspense, and thrills as I watched
this killer try to frame his wife for murder. It doesn’t have any humor to it, just some absurd
scenes where you are certain he won’t be caught due to his cunning, but I prefer watching Columbo
because it does have some quirkiness, and it never feels like I am metaphorically suffocating
from the intensity of the situation. You see, the murderer in previous howcatchems were just…
so unlikeable. But Columbo breaks the mold just a little bit by having the
titular character become fond of some of his suspects. We’ll talk more about that later.
Columbo as a character was conceived by Richard Levinson and William Link; they have claimed that
he was inspired by Porfiry Petrovich from Crime and Punishment, and G.K. Chesterton’s character,
Father Brown. Please forgive me for my terrible pronunciation of the Russian name.
The character was originally played by Bert Freed, and was seen in an episode of a television series
called The Chevy Mystery Show in 1960. The episode was titled Enough Rope. It was then adapted for
stage and called “Prescription Murder”, with another actor named Thomas Mitchell as Columbo.
Finally, in 1968, the play was made into a 2 hour made for TV movie. There were a couple
actors Levinson and Link were considering for the role, one of which being BING CROSBY. Yes,
Bing Crosby, the crooning White Christmas guy. I mean, he was pretty likeable, but I just can’t
imagine him as a detective. Falk was a little younger than what the creators had in mind,
but he showed a level of excitement to play the character that won him the role.
Prescription: Murder was very successful, and it’s also a really great introduction
to the Columbo character. Because it did so well, a second movie was made;
NBC wanted to see if the character would have the potential for a regular series,
which it did of course. The first episode of Columbo debuted in 1971 as part of The NBC
Murder Mystery series, which rotated shows in and out of the same time slot week after week.
The other two shows alongside Columbo were McMillan and Wife and McCloud, but let’s be real;
Columbo was clearly the best program in this list. Also, why are there two shows with Mcs
in the name? Columbo stands out like a sore thumb. McMilan and Wife, McCloud, and MCCOLUMBO.
The plan was to have weekly episodes, but Falk wasn’t into the idea of such a strenuous schedule,
so it was changed to one episode a month. This is why the show is of such high quality - the
run time, editing, and storytelling are more akin to a short film versus a weekly show.
Each episode runs between an hour and ten to an hour and thirty minutes long.
The first official episode, titled Murder by the Book, was a cinematic experience, co-starring
Jack Cassidy, and Rosemary Forsyth, and was directed by Steven Spielberg.
Yes, THAT Steven Spielberg. Some shows take awhile to warm up to; their initial few
episodes can leave something to be desired, but NOT Columbo - viewers loved this show instantly.
Falk even won an Emmy within the show’s first season, and in my opinion it was well deserved
because he is who really brought the character to life. The show ran from 1971 to 1978,
and was brought back in 1989 to 2003 for a couple new series and some made-for-tv specials.
Now that I’ve discussed the show’s early development, let’s talk about
why viewers adored it, and also why it’s still loved today by people of all ages.
The Character
I give a lot of the credit to Peter Falk’s portrayal of Columbo - though the character
was not his original creation, his ad-libbed mannerisms and dialogue is what made him
sustainable. The genre of Murder Mystery has always been rather dominated by a very specific
archetype, one I like to refer to as the quirky male detective that may or may not have a drug
problem, vice, or an obsessive compulsive behavior. We can trace this back to one of
the most well known Detectives in History, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock holmes. He’s a
weird type who sometimes uses addictive, mostly stimulating drugs like cocaine. His assistant
Watson describes him in the books as having a bohemian way of living, and also as an eccentric,
and most adaptations portray Holmes similar to this way. There are also detectives like Monk
and Poirot. Poirot, created by Agatha Christie, isn’t explicitly said to be obsessive-compulsive,
but is described as such by people who’ve adapted him and reviewers alike, and Monk, as you know,
has the worst marketing ever. The obsessive compulsive detective, kill me now- I have
obsessive compulsive disorder so I feel like I can way in on characters who exhibit this behavior;
I don’t necessarily mind writing a character with this disorder - there are times where I
truly enjoyed Monk as an example, because when you have something hindering you,
you want to get through it and you want to see others get through it and come out on top,
even channeling your illness into doing great things. Monk: “I’m almost afraid to say it, but
I think I’m getting better…” Monk does treat this seriously sometimes, but I do
find issue with using obsessive compulsive disorder as a quirky personality trait,
and when it comes to detectives, that IS how it’s used and it gets tiresome and inspiring. I am not
even including the MANY male Noir detectives and their vices, because there’d be too many.
That isn’t to say I don’t appreciate these characters, I definitely do. But I often
crave something different, something lighter, something less...vexing. Are you serious though.
You may look at Columbo and categorize him as this particular type of character - he’s quirky,
he has amazing deductive skills, and he does have a small vice in the form of cigar smoking,
something his doctor urges him to quit. But Columbo doesn’t share those same behaviors
from detectives past - he doesn’t have a flare for the dramatic, or a vice that is “needed” in
order to do his job; in fact, he is perpetually nice and polite, even to murder suspects. His
interaction and methods sometimes remind me of Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote - she
will sometimes lul her suspects into a false sense of security using her kind hearted nature - she’s
just a sweet lady, what does SHE know about murders and executions…(Jess laughs suspiciously)
Columbo is a little more clever - he is incredibly observant with impressive memory skills, and his
perception stat is VERY high. He can pinpoint the murderer almost immediately, and once he does he
charms the PANTS off of them, which usually gets them to leak information that didn’t mean to.
Most of the people around Columbo view him as a bumbling fool who can’t stop babbling about
random things. Columbo: “Can I borrow a pencil?” “Do you have a watch?” “I thought they only
hung up those things in museums!” And let us not forget about his incessant FLATTERY. Columbo: “I
wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed them, I think they are just terrific, boy I wanna...listen
I’ll come back I’ll make a second trip for this. Sorry what happened out there and I sure hope you
guitar is okay, it’s a beauty. What a nice place you have here, it’s roomy and homey.
Well, your work is very very interesting.” Columbo’s clothes were provided by Falk, as were
these mannerisms - he would often adlib behaviors, like shuffling through his pockets and finding
something unrelated, asking to borrow something, or saying something sweet to throw the actors and
actresses off - this led to more genuine reactions and a believable report between characters.
Something you may or may not like about this character is that he will sometimes sympathize,
even come to like the murders he puts behind bars. Most detectives have a special kind of disgust
towards the suspects, even Jessica Fletcher didn’t hide her disappointment and disapproval at the
people she exposes. In turn, the murders sometimes appreciate Columbo’s quick mind, intuition,
and cute anecdotes about his wife, who is only mentioned by him and never actually
seen on screen. Columbo: “Mrs. Columbo, she was a remarkable woman, she has LOTS of interests.”
As an aside, after Columbo completed its first run in 1978, a show named Mrs. Columbo was released,
despite objections from creators Levinson and Link. It followed Columbo’s wife as she
began her own murder mystery adventures after an off-screen divorce, though it did very poorly and
isn’t considered canon,. I’m not exactly keen on the premise either, as much as I
LOVE Kate Mulgrew. You get the impression from his stories that Columbo loves his wife, and he
often keeps her apprised on how his investigations are progressing, even crediting her on helping him
figure things out during their talks and time together. It’s one of the charming things about
this character - his dedication and loyalty to his wife, so I couldn’t imagine where a divorce
fits into the narrative. Just one more thing, I get the kids. I do think Kate Mulgrew deserved
her own detective show, I mean, have you seen her performance in Murder, She Wrote? It’s glorious.
Though I’d be more keen on a non-derivative series for her with an original character.
Watching Columbo manipulate these characters with kindness and quirkiness is so satisfying;
he is never cruel to those he interrogates, and he’s not so eccentric that it’s hokey or tiring
to keep watching. The most memorable, recurring line that people remember him saying is “Just one
more thing”, and that one more thing is usually a clincher, something that makes the murderer
realize that they are suspicious, or even figured out. (Compilation of Columbo saying “One more
thing.) This line was not planned, it was thought up by Levinson and Link while they were writing
the play. They had a scene that was a little too short, and had already written Columbo exiting.
Instead of writing the scene, they simply had him walk back on stage and say “Just one more thing.”
In 2007, Falk expressed some interest in bringing back the character,
but sadly he was diagnosed with dementia soon after. It was reported that by 2009,
it had become so bad that Falk could not identify his own loveable and iconic character. He passed
away in 2011. Prior to this, in 2006, he wrote an autobiography called Just One More Thing:
Stories from My Life, and I just wanted to include a short except he wrote about Columbo:
“There have been many descriptions of Columbo. My favorite is an ass-backward
Sherlock Holmes. The above is operect as it is. But I’m a hog and can’t help adding to it.
Holmes has a long thin neck - Columbo has no neck.
Holmes speaks the King’s English. Columbo is still working on his.
Holmes wears tailor-made British tweeds - Columbo's coat should be cleaned and burned.
Oh, and another good description - Being chased by Columbo is like being nibbled to death by a duck.”
This book is an easy read with a lot of great stories,
so if you want to know more about the actor I recommend picking it up.
The Structure
I think I’ve made my case that the character of Columbo, with his comical interactions and
methods of solving the crimes, is one of the most enjoyable things about the show, but I’d be remiss
if I didn’t touch on its innovative plot structure and cinematic direction. I think following the
howcatchem formula is brilliant for this series, because it gives each episode a true villain,
someone you see right away as deceptive and sometimes evil, depending on the character.
And by contrast, you also get the good guy, who you root for and relate to. Even though there
had been stories like this in literature prior to this, Columbo is what really popularized the
inverted detective mystery and put it out into the mainstream.. Whodunnits are great, I adore
picking apart the mystery myself, but sometimes you don’t get any of the villain and good guy
dynamic because the entire point of a whodunnit is focus on multiple suspects and evidence,
which can lead to shallow characters that we don’t know much about until the conclusion. Take Murder,
She Wrote for an example; We don’t really get any hero to villain connection, nor do we get
many insights on each suspect because there are usually several in question; sometimes when the
murderer is revealed, I don’t really give a shit to put it in layman’s terms. But in Columbo,
this odd connection is cultivated between him and the murderer, and it adds all these layers to the
mystery. It gives us insight on the villain’s methods, intentions, and the people in his life,
so there is so much potential for character development and relationships.
I particularly enjoy Columbo’s interactions with witnesses or people he needs to interrogate,
because it feels like he truly wants to help them, or at least wants justice for them.
And I love when his kindness just gets so irritating to the murderer,
I love watching them squirm and coming to the realization that Columbo is not going to let up.
As I mentioned earlier, these episodes are more like short movies than weekly episodes. Because
there was more time to dedicate to the writing, editing, and music, they are extremely high
quality, the murders specifically are depicted in a more experimental style. For example,
in this episode, we see the crime happen in two lenses of the murderers glasses - he looks onward,
stoic and silent, while two scenes play out how he did it and disposed of the body, without any
verbal explanation. I think it’s really unique to have this unkempt, quirky character in a series
that is so creative, and at times I would call it avant garde. I’m not sure if I am stretching with
that description or not but I can tell you that I view it as artistic in regards to how the stories
are being told. The score is also fantastic and adds to the dramatic tone, but more importantly
it gives feeling to pivotal scenes. Columbo didn’t have its own theme, but original pieces were
contributed by several composers. Harry Mancini contributed a piece called The Mystery Movie
theme which recurs in Columbo and the other shows that were a part of the NBC Mystery Movies series.
Because Columbo had so many different writers, directors, and actors working on it,
it really retained this high quality. Prior to becoming big names in the industry, people
like aforementioned Steven Spielberg, Jonathan Demme, and actor Nicholas Colasanto directed,
and there are also some familiar names in the writers list. One that stuck out to me right
away was Peter S. Fischer, who created Murder, She Wrote alongside… well well,
Richard Levinson and William Link. Of course, all these mystery writers dip their
hands in the same pot… or...something. Pretty sure that’s a solid metaphor.
And don’t even get me started on the guest stars.
I am not going to sit here and list them all, but trust me when I say
there is a lot, some that surprised me with their appearance, and some that fit right in.
Oh and...Just one more thing. If you enjoy watching rich assholes get crucified,
then this is the show for you. The concept was to have Columbo as an unassuming, discombobulated
character that worked in wealthy areas in Los Angeles, and it’s beautiful watching him slay
the snobby and privileged. The creators were not certain if people would go for Columbo’s scruffy
look and bizarre mannerisms, that is actually why they considered Bing Crosby first - the detective
was also going to be polished and more of a high society type, but I am glad they changed
it because I love seeing the villains get totally blindsided by this dude in a shabby trench coat.
I could go on and on about murder mystery and Columbo itself, but I don’t want to give too
much away, I want this video to inspire you to give it a watch, or check out other howcatchems
if this has sparked your interest. I don’t think you will be disappointed in this series,
and if you have a favorite episode, please tell me about it in the comments,
I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions. Until next time, happy sleuthing.
Hey everyone, thanks for watching my video on Columbo - if you enjoyed this I have MANY more
videos about mystery, but first I want to thank my patrons for being so generous, so patient,
and so willing to make it rain. If you would like to support my channel so I can keep
making videos about murder mystery, consider throwing a few bucks at me.
And if, likes, shares, and comments are always FREE, and very helpful.
If you want to see more videos first before deciding, I have a couple recommendations.
On the left we have a a video about Murder, She Wrote, one of my favorite cozy mystery
series of all time. Jessica Fletcher forever and always. And on the right I have a video
about The X-Files for those who like their mystery with a dash of sci-fi.
Thanks again, and I’ll see you in the next one.