Genuinely saddened at last nights news of Peter Falk's passing. Not that he made many Straight-To-DVD movies in his illustrious career (although Walter Hill's underrated UNDISPUTED was granted such treatment in the UK)Born in 1927, Falk lost an eye (to cancer) at three years old. Not the best start to any young life (let alone, someone who would go onto achieve the worldwide accolade and fame that Falk did) But (as Sammy Davis Jr, before him) true talent shines through any disability.
Falk made a name for hmself on stage, before slowly working his way up the hollywood ladder. He clocked up some memorable supporting performances in movies like Murder Inc, Pretty Boy Floyd, It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Castle Keep and Anzio. In 1968 he signed up for a NBC MYSTERY MOVIE called Prescription Murder, playing a rumpled detective named Columbo. Although not a huge hit with audiences, the character of Columbo was recommissioned 3 years later (with another one-off episode, Ransom For A Dead Man) leading (later that year) to a seven episode season....the rest as they say is history, and the character made Falk instantly recognizable around the world.And the movie roles didn't stop there. Now a huge 'name' actor, Falk starred in many classic movies (during his 32 tenure as Lt Columbo) including, Husbands, A Woman Under The Influence, Murder By Death, Mikey And Nicky, The Cheap Detective, The In-Laws, The California Dolls, Wings of Desire, The Princess Bride and (David Mamet's enjoyable) Lakeboat.
Although he'll be forever associated (and rightfully so) with Columbo, Pater Falk not only leaves a eclectic back-catalogue of movies, he also leaves millions of fans mourning at the passing of one the few greats. R.I.P Peter Falk
Got the full set of Columbo DVD's...time for a complete re-watch, methinks?
I grew up with Falk's movies and Columbo, so this is a sad day. He had a great, long career, worthy of celebration. Great post.
ReplyDeleteNice write-up! Columbo was such a great show. He will be missed.
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