The famous TV detective of whom we never learned the first name of makes his debut in this television movie. It was clear however that they were experimenting with the character although the formula about the dogged detective who always gets these well to do and noted perpetrators was in place.
For one thing though Peter Falk had his familiar raincoat he was quite a bit more kempt than we remember him. That was a touch to give him a bit of folksiness and more identifiable with the middle class audience that would identify with him. His hair was shorter and neatly combed, nothing rumpled about his character.
But when he got his suspicions aroused nothing deters him. In this case Gene Barry has worked out a really good scheme to murder his wife Nina Foch and he enlists the aid of mistress Katharine Justice to do it. That was also something not normally seen. Usually accomplices if there were any in the future were always dispatched by the main villain, the better to not be turned. In fact that proves to be Barry's flaw because in the case of Justice she does turn out to be an Achilles heel. Columbo also rather brutally grills her and that was unusual, he usually tricked admissions out of suspects with his folksy manner which was always dumbed down.
Another episode or two and Peter Falk got the character down pat, a character I enjoyed very much.
For one thing though Peter Falk had his familiar raincoat he was quite a bit more kempt than we remember him. That was a touch to give him a bit of folksiness and more identifiable with the middle class audience that would identify with him. His hair was shorter and neatly combed, nothing rumpled about his character.
But when he got his suspicions aroused nothing deters him. In this case Gene Barry has worked out a really good scheme to murder his wife Nina Foch and he enlists the aid of mistress Katharine Justice to do it. That was also something not normally seen. Usually accomplices if there were any in the future were always dispatched by the main villain, the better to not be turned. In fact that proves to be Barry's flaw because in the case of Justice she does turn out to be an Achilles heel. Columbo also rather brutally grills her and that was unusual, he usually tricked admissions out of suspects with his folksy manner which was always dumbed down.
Another episode or two and Peter Falk got the character down pat, a character I enjoyed very much.