The deceptively unassuming figure of Los Angeles homicide detective Lieutenant Columbo (Peter Falk), with his rumpled raincoat, cheap cigars, and seeming absentmindedness, might not call to mind the sprawling existentialist novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky. But Columbo’s ancestry can be traced all the way back to Porfiry Petrovich, the pesky, psychologically attuned investigator in Crime and Punishment.
Like that literary classic, the show that shares Columbo’s name functions as an inverted detective story, not so much a whodunit as a howcatchem. In each episode, we spend time with the murderer, soak up their milieu, and witness the commission of the crime. Only then does Columbo make his entrance onto the scene. From there, it’s an escalating battle of nerves between the dogged detective and the initially arrogant murderer.
While Rodion Raskolnikov, the tortured protagonist of Crime and Punishment, is an impoverished student who kills out of economic necessity...
Like that literary classic, the show that shares Columbo’s name functions as an inverted detective story, not so much a whodunit as a howcatchem. In each episode, we spend time with the murderer, soak up their milieu, and witness the commission of the crime. Only then does Columbo make his entrance onto the scene. From there, it’s an escalating battle of nerves between the dogged detective and the initially arrogant murderer.
While Rodion Raskolnikov, the tortured protagonist of Crime and Punishment, is an impoverished student who kills out of economic necessity...
- 12/7/2023
- by Budd Wilkins
- Slant Magazine
Don't let the cancellation of Hulu's "Reboot" fool you — resurrecting old TV series from the dead is still all the rage. "That '70s Show," "The Wonder Years," "Perry Mason," and "DuckTales," among others, have all found their way back to our screens. So I guess it was only a matter of time before someone had the grand idea to call upon everyone's small-town, folksy lawyer. CBS has ordered a return to the courtroom in the form of a "Matlock" robot. Variety reports that a pilot from writer and executive producer Jennie Snyder Urman ("Jane The Virgin" creator) is in the works.
The original "Matlock," created by Dean Hargrove, aired from 1986 to 1992 with Andy Griffith playing the titular lawyer for the show's nine-season run. The series follows Ben Matlock, a very expensive criminal defense attorney with a penchant for solving murders. But unlike the gruff, crime-solving individual who usually leads these weekly murder stories,...
The original "Matlock," created by Dean Hargrove, aired from 1986 to 1992 with Andy Griffith playing the titular lawyer for the show's nine-season run. The series follows Ben Matlock, a very expensive criminal defense attorney with a penchant for solving murders. But unlike the gruff, crime-solving individual who usually leads these weekly murder stories,...
- 2/1/2023
- by Shania Russell
- Slash Film
Few composers have such a long past in network television music as Dick DeBenedictis. A native of New Milford, New Jersey, DeBenedictis never saw himself as a film composer right up until his first commission! He was thrown into the deep end so to speak... Over four decades he provided music for classic episodes of Columbo, Matlock, Father Dowling, Diagnosis Murder and tons of other series' which may not be as well known today. This was all written in addition to a rich background in writing for musical theatre, another major forte of the composer. In my interview with Dick DeBenedictis, we revisit all these shows with a special focus on select episodes of Columbo where Dick had to write music for murderous musicians!
How did your fascination with music begin?
I began piano lessons at the age of ten or eleven, then I attended Ithaca College. I got a...
How did your fascination with music begin?
I began piano lessons at the age of ten or eleven, then I attended Ithaca College. I got a...
- 5/21/2009
- Daily Film Music Blog
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.