HUZZAH and HURRAH! The most significant Columbo book in decades is now available to purchase and is a title that every serious fan of the Lieutenant will want to own.
Due for official general release on 15 September to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first airing of Columbo Season 1 opener Murder by the Book, advance copies of Shooting Columbo are available now, and the book becomes the first to truly dig in to the show’s archives and reveal the real secrets behind its production.
A project more than 10 years in the making, Shooting Columbo author David Koenig was given unprecedented access to original production notes and studio materials to gain a glimpse of the show never previously revealed to the public. On top of that, David was able to secure several interviews with high-ranking cast and crew members, including producers, directors, writers and actors, who shared their own Columbo recollections.
I was lucky enough to read an excerpt of David’s book some moons ago regarding the production of Now You See Him and that brief taster was enough to have me utterly intrigued and trembling with anticipation for the final product to be slotted in to my Columbo book shelf. David was even pivotal in providing information that confirmed the identity of the mystery nude model from Suitable for Framing late last year (read more about that here).
California-based David Koenig is the Editorial Director of 526 Media Group and the author of eight books, including the best-selling Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland and Danny Kaye: King of Jesters. David was kind enough to take some time from his schedule to answer a few of his questions about his research and the book itself, which I feel certain will be of interest to my dear readers…
David, the book sounds BRILLIANT. Can you tell us a little bit about your own history of Columbo appreciation?
When I was growing up in the 1970s, Columbo was my mom’s favorite TV program and, since we had just one television set in the house, my whole family became Columbo watchers. Even though the show was targeted for an older audience, I soon came to love it for both the mystery aspect and Peter Falk’s lovable character. And it remained one of my favorite shows in reruns.
How did the book come about in the first place?
As with every book I’ve written, the idea for Shooting Columbo started simply with my desire to read such a book, only to discover the one I was hoping for did not yet exist. I certainly devoured and enjoyed The Columbo Phile book, but I was left with the impression that there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than author Mark Dawidziak let on. So about 10 years ago, I did a little preliminary research. I soon moved on to another project after learning that a university professor, with a close relationship to Bill Link, was about to publish a book on Columbo. In 2015, I resumed my Columbo research, until once again I learned that the professor’s book was just about to be released. After a couple of years with still no new Columbo book, I figured I would have to do it myself.
Accessing the production notes must have been like the Holy Grail for a Columbo fan. What was it like to be able to dig into the background info like no one has done before?
Yes, poring over the original studio materials was the highlight of the adventure. I also received a tremendous amount of invaluable insight from interviews, but my subjects could share only their side of the story, looking back up to 50 years later. The production reports, on the other hand, were not dimmed by memory or colored by bias. They just reported the facts of exactly what happened on the set or at the story conference.
What are the most memorable unanswered questions the research was able to satisfy for you?
I certainly entered this project with dozens upon dozens of mysteries I hoped to solve. I can’t say my research answered every single question, but certainly all of my major ones. Like, was Columbo’s careening down the hill in The Greenhouse Jungle pre-planned? Whatever happened to Tanya Baker in Double Exposure, who received billing but no screen-time? Who was the mysterious double for Peter Falk in Dead Weight and Lady in Waiting when he was off set in dispute with the network? Why does Shera Danese’s character suddenly disappear midway through the finale of Murder of a Rock Star? What was the unproduced Columbo’s Last Case supposed to be about? And, most famously, my research was able to confirm the identity of the nude model in Suitable for Framing.
What were the most jaw-dropping revelations?
For me, it was just the sheer amount of each episode that Peter Falk himself wrote. Now, in a sense, he “wrote,” or at least rewrote, almost every line he delivered in every episode for 35 years. He would learn each scene on the fly, put the dialogue into his own words, rehearse it every which way, and then shoot dozens of takes until he found the exact phrasing that he thought was most natural for the character. As time went on and his trust in his writers waned, he would rewrite entire scenes himself. A lot of great character scenes that don’t offer much in the way of plot — the visit to the Maestro’s mansion in Etude for Black, the visit to the art gallery in Playback — those are from the mind of Peter.
What interviews were you able to conduct for the book, and what sort of sense did you get from those involved that Columbo was a truly special project to be involved in?
I was blessed in that almost everyone I asked for an interview consented, including producers, writers and directors from every episode, such as Dean Hargrove, Peter S. Fischer, and Everett Chambers. The pandemic even helped in the sense that not only did I have more time to commit to the project, but so did working directors and others in the industry whose lives were on pause. Every single one of them stressed how fortunate they felt to have been part of the show and especially to work alongside Peter Falk. They all loved him, even if he drove them a little crazy. I must say the biggest thrill was interviewing Mrs. Falk herself, Shera Danese. It’s not a coincidence so many of her witty, sharp-tongued characters on Columbo sound similar — that’s really her!
How to get your copy of the book
Although the general publication date of Shooting Columbo is September 15, keen fans can get their hands on an advance copy from publisher Bonaventure Press right here. The cost is US$25, plus shipping (rates vary). These first editions will come signed by the author and anyone who orders in advance will be sent an exclusive, in-depth downloadable article on the magnificent locations used in the series.
Shooting Columbo comes in hardcover and features 248 riveting pages, so get amongst it, because this seems certain to be the best Christmas and/or birthday present available in years for those seeking a fresh perspective on the greatest show of them all.
You can also order the book via Amazon in the US (will ship globally).
Contribute to this site’s upkeep from just $3
David, I stumbled upon something that I was very surprised didn’t make it into your terrific book. Falk writes in his autobiography that a college student, Richard Carradine, was hired “to come up with clues, read everything in sight — short stories, novels, magazine pieces, court trials, forensic materials.” Carradine is the son of Christopher Carradine and the grandson of acting legend John Carradine. His mother, Carolyn Carradine, was a friend of Shera Danese, and had bit parts in three Columbo episodes: “Grand Deceptions,” “Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star,” and “Butterfly in Shades of Grey.” Richard’s Facebook résumé states that he worked for Universal in 1991 as a “Researcher” who: “Specialized in the research, invention, and implementing of ‘clues’ for the TV mystery program ‘Columbo’ starring Peter Falk and produced for ABC.” This was also the year he graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts (having transferred there from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he spent his first two years of college).
According to Falk’s autobiography, Carradine was the person who found the coins-in-the-parking meter clue used in “Undercover” — although it initially concerned how coins are emptied from a candy machine. He also came up with a clue concerning how men put their trousers on, depending on whether they are right or left-handed. But Falk tested this clue with a number of subjects and found it unreliable. (I wonder if he similarly tested shoe-tying patterns for “An Exercise in Fatality.”)
I’m sure Richard Carradine did his short-term job at Universal most diligently. He must have made a very positive impression if his story made it into Falk’s autobiography. Why I was surprised not to see this account reported in “Shooting Columbo” is that it so aptly capsulizes the downward slide of Columbo in the 1990’s. Hiring a friend’s son, a college kid, to scour previous sources, including mystery novels and short stories, for their best clues — presumably for wholesale recycling? What could be less original?
Having written a published mystery novel, a produced stage thriller, and four Columbo prequel scripts that I still hope may have an afterlife, I think I can say this with a modicum of authority: Clever clues emerge from the characters and setting, from the situation and story. What makes them especially clever is their inevitability — that they are so inherent in the characters and events that they go unnoticed (until our hero notices them).
Is it any wonder that a philosophy of “find clues used elsewhere and we’ll shoehorn them in here” failed to produce quality Columbos?
When I posted this comment a few months back, I didn’t realize the one connection that makes David’s omission of the Richard Carradine story especially surprising. More even than Columbo, David Koenig is an expert on all things Disney. And who was Richard Carradine’s father, Chris Carradine? A Disney Imagineer. Indeed, Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering.
David’s identification of Jackson Gillis’ trademark — the “Act Two Switcheroo” — got me thinking. Do other frequent Columbo writers have trademarks of their own? Peter S. Fischer, the second most frequent after Gillis, was a logical starting point. When looking down his list of Columbo credits, I saw three of Columbo’s best gotchas: “A Friend in Deed,” “Negative Reaction,” and “A Deadly State of Mind.” And all three have something in common. In each, Columbo makes a specific representation to the murderer that prompts the murderer to do or say the thing that trips him up. In “A Friend in Deed,” it’s showing Commissioner Halperin a doctored police file. In “Negative Reaction,” it’s reversing the negative and claiming the original was destroyed. In “A Deadly State of Mind,” it’s introducing the sighted Morris brother as the eyewitness.
Certainly, Columbo plays tricks on other suspects — but in the entire series, one could argue that these three are the best. At least they’re all in the running for the best Columbo tricks played. Does Fischer deserve credit as the master Columbo trickster?
But then I went back to David’s book and found that the gotcha in “A Deadly State of Mind” wasn’t Peter Fischer’s idea but Dick Levinson’s. (Notably, the only two Columbos Levinson co-authored entirely with Link, “Prescription: Murder” and “Death Lends a Hand,” end with Columbo tricks of their own.) So thanks, David, for ruining a perfectly good theory. Next time, don’t be so insistent on getting all your facts straight.
The dancer in the bar in Identity Crisis? Her work was exceptional and one of those non- plot moments that were so memorable. Who was she?
Dear fellow writer and fellow David (and Columbophile and everyone here), I finished your book two weeks ago and was about to post about it here, when suddenly my daughter decided to be born. This was meant a brief delay from telling you that I absolutely loved Shooting Columbo. I can tell you had tons of material to draw from, what a joy it must have been to do all the research. You have written the book we Columbo fans had been waiting for for years.
So thank you ever so much! I hope to be able to talk about it more in the (near) future but nights have been short and energy lacks – all in a good way.
Speaking of daughters: Columbophile, my thoughts have been been with you and yours for many a moment for the past weeks, I hope her recovery is still going as well as can be expected.
All the best regards from The Netherlands,
David van den Bosch (Columbo panelist and now a father too)
Congratulations! 🙂
I agree, the book is great!
I Haven’t finished reading yet because my little daughter is keeping me busy as well…
All the best from Austria to you and your family.
Thank you Adrian, much appreciated!
Thank you, David! The only thing that has been as exciting as discovering all of these secrets is enjoying the reactions of readers who are experiencing the same discovery through the book.
Hello David!
Many Columbo fans love comparing episodes – and ranking them!
As your book proofs, you know much more about our favourite series than the average fan. Therefore, I supose many of us would be interested in your top 10-list of Columbo episodes.
Would you share your list with us?
Hi, Carsini. This is my current-yet-ever-evolving list of FAVORITE episodes. I realize these aren’t necessarily the best episodes (A Friend in Deed is objectively better constructed than, say, Most Dangerous Match), but these are the ones I enjoy the most… at least today.
1. Any Old Port in a Storm
2. A Stitch in Crime
3. Now You See Him
4. Most Dangerous Match
5. Prescription: Murder
6. Double Shock
7. Murder by the Book
8. Try and Catch Me
9. Suitable for Framing
10. Negative Reaction
My 10 Worst List, I suspect, would have even greater overlap with everyone else’s.
Thanks for sharing, DK. I’m still finalizing my own top 10 after recently revisiting the series, but certainly no shame in loving any of these (or, for that matter, ANY Columbo episode!).
Well, I take that back. For shame, Murder in Malibu lovers, for shame. 🙂
Thank you – great choices!
Seven of your choices are in my list as well.
Do tell your 10 non favorites….
69. No Time to Die
68. Last Salute to the Commodore
67. Murder in Malibu
66. Undercover
65. Old Fashioned Murder
64. A Trace of Murder
63. Strange Bedfellows
62. A Matter of Honor
61. Grand Deceptions
60. Sex and the Married Detective
What’s interesting is it just occurred to me that, despite being IMHO the worst Columbos ever made, in their original airings most of these episodes generated stronger ratings than the episodes they followed and preceded.
That must be very satisfying indeed, David, a great reward for a job well done.
I’ve now finished David’s book. It’s a fascinating account. As the title suggests, it’s focus primarily is on the clashes that affected the production of Columbo episodes, virtually from the beginning. But there is plenty here about my favorite subject: the evolution of the episodes’ stories and scripts — for better or for worse — including the many stories that never made it to the screen, often for reasons unrelated to their quality. David has piqued my curiosity even more than before. I’d love to read the original scripts of “The Last Salute to the Commodore” and “Murder with Too Many Notes” to see what those episodes might have been like without Patrick McGoohan’s radical rewriting. The same with Peter S. Fischer’s original “Strange Bedfellows,” rewritten by Falk and the episode’s director. I’d love to read “Shooting Script” (not made because Falk considered the villain too charismatic) and “Hear No Evil” (nixed over a casting dispute). And what about Fischer’s first spec script, which so impressed Falk but went nowhere?
I was also intrigued by William Link’s analysis of the show’s lackluster first season on ABC: how Richard Alan Simmons’ emphasis on making the villains more fully formed, while paying less attention to the crime and its solution, upset the delicate balance that had made the formula so successful. Link was absolutely right. Those initial ABC episodes were all about the villain; the mystery — the perfect crime, the clues, the gotcha — took a back seat.
Great job, David.
I just received David’s book and can’t put it down. As David frequents this site and responds to posts, I thought I’d pose a question to him:
Every account I’ve seen of the “gotcha” in “Suitable for Framing,” including in a lengthy Television Academy interview of William Link, describes it as: the detective’s fingerprints, not the murderer’s, solves the crime. David’s book does the same: Jackson Gillis’ brilliant final clue is that “the murderer was identified not by his own fingerprints, but the fingerprints of the detective”; “the pilfered paintings … bear Columbo’s” fingerprints.
But this is not what makes the ending of “Suitable for Framing” so great. If the final scene had ended with the identification of Columbo’s prints on the Degas pastels, and Columbo asking Kingston, “If Mrs. Matthews is guilty, how could my fingerprints get on paintings that she stole?” — but with Kingston then simply dropping his head in defeat — we wouldn’t have the great ending we got.
It’s what happens next that we remember: Kingston fighting back, accusing Columbo of adding his fingerprints just then, and his reaction when Columbo takes his gloved hands from his raincoat pockets. That additional moment is what makes the scene.
So my question is this: If you know, was the gloved-hands coup de grâce always in the “Suitable for Framing” script? Was it part of the “fingerprints of the detective” final clue from the initial draft? Or was it added later, as icing on the final clue’s cake? And if so, by Gillis? By Levinson and Link?
It’s such an iconic moment, but not one I’ve ever seen explicitly credited to Gillis when the writing of this episode is discussed. Just curious.
Thanks.
Hi, Richard. I’m glad you’re enjoying the book.
You’re absolutely right. The coda is what transforms a superb clue into the best ever.
I have to think this was Gillis’ intention from the beginning, although the definite answers lies at the Writers Guild Foundation, which holds his papers and unfortunately has been in lockdown far too long! Among the collection is his first draft, called The Crimson Frame.
Thank you, David. Perhaps some day, I’ll get to read it.
By the way, let me add my compliments on how well you branded Gillis’ trademark: the “Act Two Switcheroo.” Great phrase. I was much less poetic, calling him “the master of the mid-episode twist” (see my 11/8/20 comment on “Murder in Malibu”). It took me a while to realize the pattern — that all of these additional twists were Gillis’: Rudy’s will in “Suitable for Framing”; the intended victim mystery in “Requiem for a Falling Star”; the appearance of Norman Paris in “Double Shock”; the murder of Charles Clay in “Last Salute to the Commodore”; shooting the corpse in “Murder in Malibu”; the hit-and-run death of Big Fred in “A Bird in the Hand …” Even his subpar scripts had something to admire.
And there’s some of Gillis’ Perry Masons, too. In his “Case of the Singing Skirt”, the victim was shot in the heart by two bullets from two different guns, and neither could be positively identified as being the murder bullet. In “The Case of the Flighty Father”, there are two people claiming to be the defendant’s dad, and they each hire Perry to defend her. In “The Case of the Dead Ringer”, Raymond Burr has a dual role, as he also plays a British sailor doppelganger of Perry’s who is hired to impersonate and discredit him (Yikes, that sounds terrible!)
In his “Man From UNCLE” episode “The Galatea Affair”, Joan Collins plays 2 parts. In his Superman episode “The Face and the Voice”, George Reeves has a dual role. He wrote a 1973 movie called – wait for it – “The Man Who Died Twice”.
And there’s the unproduced Gillis “evil twin” Columbo script that David writes of, in which a woman murders her sister and takes her place. Bette Davis’ 1964 “Dead Ringer”, for one, got there first (and is pretty decent itself), but I’m sure Gillis would’ve put his own spin on the trope.
I have a side hobby of tracking down online articles about Columbo’s popularity during the pandemic, and here’s the newest (9/9), this one with a British spin from BBC Culture (https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210909-why-the-world-still-loves-1970s-detective-show-columbo).
I’ve now found 10 such writings across the interwebs since March 2020, and while this one doesn’t have any particularly groundbreaking insights, it does feature David Koenig, with a high-profile plug for “Shooting Columbo”, and British entertainer Stephen Fry (who I confess to only have passing knowledge of, but I understand that over in Britain, he’s a ubiquitous BFD).
And……here’s a 50th Anniversary tribute from this morning’s (9/11) Irish Times: (https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/donald-clarke-the-enduring-appeal-of-the-greatest-tv-show-ever-made-1.4669290)
“The character returned for a reprise in 1989 that, infuriatingly, was neither bad enough to wholly dismiss nor good enough to include in the classic canon.” That’s a good description to bridge the gap between those of us who bemoan the 90s eps and those who enjoy them.
Thanks for the heads up. Very nice article.
Being born and bred British, I can share that Stephen Fry is a true legend in UK culture and this YouTube clip of him talking about Columbo makes me smile “greatest ever detective” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNOwsDvibcg
Ordered the book….was delivered in 5 days….and the inscription by Mr. Koenig is absolutely Columbo-worthy. Thanks for giving the information on the book, this site (which I have placed on my FB page), and all things Columbo. Wishing you and your family all the best, Columbophile!
After a Kafkaesque 2-week journey bouncing back-and-forth between 2 Post Office Distribution Centers, my copy of “Shooting Columbo” finally arrived last weekend. It’s terrific!
This is one for the hard-core Columbophile readers, with plenty of behind-the-curtain details and drama, which David recounts quite well. Note: Do not be expecting an opinion-based flurry of witty commentary on which Gotcha did or didn’t work, or how the episodes rank. That’s for Mark Dawidziak’s “Columbo Phile” and CP’s ep reviews. David does offer some opinions, and you can hear others echoing between the lines as you read. But what struck me were the many might-have-beens scattered through the history of the show, and Peter Falk’s increasingly stifling influence on the final product. Falk’s control of his character and some of the show elements is of course not new news. However, David paints a much more complete picture of how Falk came to overwhelm the final product. In the early years, I think we can agree that this was often to Columbo’s benefit. As the years passed, not so much, as Falk also began to entrust key decisions to people who had their own visions (not really a spoiler to call out Patrick McGoohan on that, but there are others).
If you’d like, you can read the book skipping through episodes to cherry-pick the ones you want some inside poop on. But that would be doing a disservice, as this is really an episode-by-episode narrative that weaves in the backstage dramas and Falk’s role in the output through the years. For me, it was with a sense of regret that I realized that Falk was his own worst enemy, firmly in control of his character but not of his insecurities. He seems to have sabotaged himself with increasingly questionable demands, judgements, and personnel choices that served his own self-interest, but – perhaps – not the greater good of the show. As with the best Columbo villains, the very qualities that make them popular, powerful and prosperous can also trip them up.
I don’t want to ruin the Tuba story for you, but…..yeah, go ahead and have a look. As outstanding as Columbo was in the 70s, as the book progresses, I can only see the missed opportunities for continued and sustained greatness.
Thanks for your efforts on this David! I do fear that the casual Columbo fan won’t be as fascinated by the inner workings of the show as I am, but the Columbophile regulars should find it all very interesting.
Thank you, Glenn! I am thankful that, considering all of the backstage drama, such a huge percentage of episodes turned out so wonderfully!
This may seem un related but me and my dad love johnny cash , swan song and its a good episode and ida lupinob and its a very good aviated themed episode
Hi i would like columbophile to know
That every sunday my dad who has arthirutis watches 5usa columbo from 9 am till 12 , very good episodez such as swan song , try and catch me ,etude in black , troubled waters , agenda for muder is often thrown in
,etc however im very dissapointed regardless of all this brilliance that cp has only dine 2 reviews this year
Hi , while theres nothing happening on columbophile lately but loads of good episodes on 5 usa ,very relianlyunderstandebly and while reviews are non existent and murder of a rock star which is actually quite good and far in the distance and never going to be reviewedi think its better than that butterfly rubbish with an older shatner ,we never choose to wTch
Just finished “Shooting Columbo” book. I found it to be enjoyable & informative. You don’t realize how much is involved in television & how everything is all about money.
Thanks CP for the head’s up on the book. Continued prayers going out to you and your daughter.
My copy arrived! I ordered it on the 9th of this month and it turned up on my doorstep on Thursday. And I’m in Australia, so I’m very impressed with the mail services that got it here.
I’m curious about the story of Billy Connolly getting told off my Patrick McGoohan for being drunk on the set of Murder with Too Many Notes, I’m doubting it’s true as Connolly has been teetotal since 1985 and I’ve not read anything else about him to the contrary.
Delighted to have another excellent Columbook! Ordered and saving a space on my shelf next to my 1989 edition of Dawidziak’s The Columbo Phile. Thank you for cluing us in and all that you do for the fans. And sincere hopes that your daughter is growing stronger and happier each day.
This is as good a place as any to butt in with an update on “Enough Rope”, the first iteration of Columbo on television. It was recently uploaded in CP’s “Columbo: An Origin Story” comments section (https://columbophile.com/2018/02/17/columbo-an-origin-story/comment-page-1/#comment-53578) by a reader who embedded it from youtube, unaware that the show was a protected property that is not available for public viewing. As I thought might happen, the youtube video has since been flagged and taken down, so the embed is also now gone.
Chris, you expressed some reservations about viewing, but I hope you (and CP) and other CP readers who were following the thread were able to get a look at the program before it was yanked. It’s a piece of pre-“Shooting Columbo” history!
In advance of getting the book, does anyone know if “By Dawn’s Early Light” gets any coverage?
Specifically, I’m always baffled by Columbo’s/Peter Falk’s reaction at the end of the companionable chat, in which he looks possibly confused/incredulous/baffled/bewildered, then mentions the cigar and leaves.
What was that all about?
Star Trek had a few of these moments which made no sense. Over the years, with the archives having been made available, and countless interviews, some of the answers were as follows for the strange and confusing moments e.g.
– A mistake which wasn’t spotted in time
– An episode timing overran and had to be edited
– actor’s ego i.e. line counting. During the line count, lines were removed.
For “By Dawn’s…”, are previous drafts of the script available which shed light on this scene, or something in the production notes showing what guided Peter Falk’s performance?
Does this new book help?
Thanks
Here is my take on that moment: Rumford’s statement about when he’d be willing to hang up his uniform and retire — not yet, but perhaps one day — makes Columbo think of the blueprint (which, he’s figured out, is for a non-military, co-ed facility). He doesn’t want to raise the issue until he has the blueprint in hand, so he lets the line of questioning peter out and leaves, telling Rumford that he has something he wants to show him.
Of course, I too would love to see the drafting history of any Columbo episode. My first choice would be “Forgotten Lady.” As I said in my comments to the review of that episode, I strongly suspect that Grace’s medical condition was a late addition — something to make her character more sympathetic and allow for a bittersweet conclusion. Because the meticulous planning and carefully timed execution of the murder of Henry Willis was quite inconsistent with a murderer who cannot remember recent events.
Happy Thursday! Anyone knows if “Ransom for a Dead Man” – the 2nd pilot, is properly covered? Looking forward to receiving this interesting book…. Thank you, 👍
My take is it becomes obvious that he is not married… and, well, some things are best left unsaid/ you can fill in the rest/ we don’t have to know all the details — with the blueprint for the restrooms being a well-placed follow-up.
Looks good, but I think I’ll wait for the ebook before I consider purchasing it…
Glad to see something positive and a new post from cp there were a few good episodes yedterday on 5usa , Agenda for murder , caution , try and catch me , and death lends a hand all very good episodes and i do know sydney is in lockdown but britain is very much not so i hope i or the british public dont sound rude to the great cp
I just purchased my copy. Thanks. I hope your wee lamb is doing as well as can be expected too.
Hoping for great information and cool pictures from the NBC years….
Ok- just placed my order…. Hoping for decent mentions of pilot # 2… 👍
Placed my order just now. Even though the shipping to the UK costs more than the book! I only recently picked up the Columbo Phile book and I read the whole thing in two sittings, I could NOT put it down. Looking forward to more behind-the-scenes info! Love the site CP, hope you are yours are well.
This book looks amazing. I just sent my wife the link hinting at my birthday coming up… Hopefully shipping costs to Europe won’t be 45 dollars, that seems a bit much and unnecessary.
Also, CP, great to see you posting an article again. I hope your daughter is being as well as can be expected.
Just ordered mine and shipping was $26 to the UK.
Thank you for your reply, that seems reasonable. I’ve been discreetly given to understand that a copy has already, and immediately, been ordered for me…
Would love to get it, and will figure out a way, but $45 for shipping seems slightly insane…
There’ll be cheaper shipping options once it’s on general release from 15 September no doubt.
Yes, I’ll get it but I’ll wait a little while. Shipping a fair bit to Australia.
Looks like a great read and best to your daughter Columbophile.
I never mean to be rude but you should give an an idication to when next epusode is reviewed next year , 2 yeRs ,, years pandemic is over
Sadly, the pandemic isn’t over in this country. It’s only getting worse.
I just placed my order, 28,25$ to Europe…
45$! is a lot, seems like you are living on the moon!
😉
I already downloaded the map – it’s great!
Just bought it, thanks for the heads up! I can’t wait to get it. The PDF was also really cool. Hope your daughter is doing better and keep up the fantastic work on the site!
Looks interesting! Presume it covers the most awesome of episodes- Ransom for a Dead Man….. a certain acquisition…thanks for the heads up. Hope your daughter gets better soon…. 🙏
A new Columbo book is certainly good news. I have a copy of Columbo Phile, and I’m happy to have it, but one disappointment is that there isn’t much in it about the 1989-2003 episodes. Maybe now we’ll find out exactly who is to blame for that tuba scene. 😊
Claude, you will indeed…
David, I just received my (signed, and seriously well-packaged) copy of your book here in England – a mere 10 days or so after ordering, very impressed! The book looks fantastic and I can’t wait to get stuck in!
Thank you, Rob. I hope you enjoy it.
Hi David, just one more thing, I finished your book last week and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was obviously meticulously researched and I am very grateful for your efforts.
David, you now have my money and I look forward to delivery. I know it’s a going to be a good read because of the creative choice to go with the Classic Columbo font on the cover!
It was back in the “Murder Can Be Hazardous” thread that David confirmed my suspicions that Peter Falk had a lot to do with creating that episode, credited to three totally green writers who had no credits before or since. That’s one of the first chapters I’ll go to, to get David’s intel on that story.
Hoping this comment finds you and your daughter well. xoxo
Thanks for the tip here. Just ordered.
Mine arrived Saturday. Really liknig it so far.
Soooo excited about this, have ordered the book – whoopee!!!!
I always had the feeling that a lot of the fantastic Falk/Cassavetes dialogue in the Etude in Black “mansion scene” was ad-libbed – it has an almost musical quality of two great virtuosos. Of course, it also turns out to be the very heart of the episode, since Columbo is in effect saying – I know you did it, and the enormous cost of this mansion and lifestyle is your motive !
Hardly surprising to learn Falk was difficult to work with – although nevertheless popular with the production staff. A certain amount of creative conflict seems to be a recurring theme in the production of outstanding popular art.
Hello from the United States!
I hope your daughter is feeling better.
Best wishes! 🌞
Ordered it !!! … just one more thing…Columbophile is my top 5 favorite follows.
I bought the book. It sounds like an amazing read. I’ve never commented on your blog before, incidentally, but it’s wonderful. Thanks for sharing the news on this book, and most importantly, I hope your daughter is feeling better.