Recently, I saw a dinner theater performance of Prescription for Murder: Columbo (you can read my review here). After enjoying the play, I remembered I had a copy of the Crippen & Landru’s The Columbo Collection by William Link. A quick search of my shelves produced the volume and I immediately read it. If you’re a fan of Columbo, you’ll enjoy these stories that provide plenty of puzzles for Columbo to solve in his unique style. William Link’s “Foreword” provides plenty of detail on how Link and Richard Levinson conjured up Columbo. Link’s relationship with Peter Falk adds more insight into the series and its sustained popularity with viewers. All in all, The Columbo Collection delivers entertainment and humor. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Foreword 9
The criminal criminal attorney — 23
Grief — 64
A dish best served cold — 93
Ricochet — 122
Scout’s honor — 160
Sucker punch — 200
The blackest mail — 231
The gun that wasn’t — 278
Requiem for a hitman — 307
Trance — 349
Murder allegro — 389
Photo finish — 427
Sounds like fun. I think you have his voice and look enough in your head to make it a real success.
Patti, you’re right. I saw Peter Falk in my mind when I read THE COLUMBO COLLECTION.
I totally agree. I was not a huge Columbo fan, but I loved the book and thought they did a great job with the character.
Jeff, I agree. I’m a big fan of Crippen & Landru books.
Me, too. Good one.
Rick, I’m glad I finally got around to reading THE COLUMBO COLLECTION. Seeing the play motivated me to find and read this book.
I loved “Columbo” and am pretty sure I saw every episode, but haven’t seen the series since its original appearance. If I found it streaming somewhere I’d watch it all again. And even though the show itself wasn’t nearly as good, I also watched “McMillan and Wife”, primarily because I loved Susan Saint James.
Michael, I had a crush on Susan Saint James back then. Loved MCMILLAN AND WIFE as well as COLUMBO. I wasn’t so keen about MCCLOUD.
I liked all three, though I didn’t watch them often.
Rick, they’re all available on DVD.
Michael Padgett–the original series is currently being broadcast on the NBC/Universal network Cozi TV, and cablecast on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries (MeTV s broadcasting the lesser revival series, which has some good episodes) .
Meanwhile, there are authorized pro-quality uploads of full episodes of COLUMBO the original series on YouTube, for free. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzXwq43cFscWT4ZX9QbWwZw
Also. IMDb also is streaming COLUMBO first series episodes, with some unskippable ads in. I see a lot of good-quality fan uploads of episodes have recently been taken down from YouTube, hence my watching “Identity Crisis” with Patrick McGoohan and Barbara Rhoades on IMDb for a few minutes at least…
For the IMDb TV access to COLUMBO: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1466074/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Of course, you Can trigger all the ads at once on IMDb, while, say, commenting on blog, and then watch the COLUMBO or other video uninterrupted…
Ah. COLUMBO and THE ROCKFORD FILES are both streaming on Amazon, as well, w/o commercials.
Todd, I have COLUMBO and THE ROCKFORD FILES on DVD.
But Michael apparently doesn’t…I had forgotten, and reminded myself on your post (sorry to waste so much space) about IMDb’s streaming project.
Illness, then a 3am Sat morn power outage (had to go to the police station, also dark, to report it, as all the phones I use are AC, then went to a Wawa )local competition to 7/11 only better) to call the power company to make weight, as the outage was highly localized and relatively inexplicable in the face of low 30s) then a Sat afternoon furnace failure (quickly fixed, but also difficult to explain beyond [Excrement} Happens…have all piled on to slow Sunday’s Forgotten Books, again.
Todd, sometimes Life intrudes. I admire your FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOKS lists whether they show up on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or whenever!
A gentleman as always, Geroge!