For the legion of Columbo fans, this is the one that began it all, "Prescription: Murder," a play about a sloppy, fumbling, genius detective that was to star Thomas Mitchell on Broadway. We can thank, sadly, Mitchell's sudden death for the fact that they play never made it and was turned into a teleplay.
This particular episode sets up the formula for future Columbos: A powerful, wealthy, and/or privileged person commits a clever murder, can't believe their luck that this idiot is on the case, and goes down in flames. The powerful, wealthy, and/or privileged person is psychiatrist Gene Barry, who kills his wife (the always excellent Nina Foch) and sets himself up with an alibi with the help of his young patient, an actress. Brilliant though his scheme may be, Columbo is on to him immediately. And, as usual, 'twas ego killed the beast.
It took a while for Columbo to actually become a series, but it eventually did, rotating with other shows on the NBC Sunday Night Mystery Movie. But this is where it all began, with a surprisingly youthful but ever sloppy Columbo matching wits with a criminal. A classic.
This particular episode sets up the formula for future Columbos: A powerful, wealthy, and/or privileged person commits a clever murder, can't believe their luck that this idiot is on the case, and goes down in flames. The powerful, wealthy, and/or privileged person is psychiatrist Gene Barry, who kills his wife (the always excellent Nina Foch) and sets himself up with an alibi with the help of his young patient, an actress. Brilliant though his scheme may be, Columbo is on to him immediately. And, as usual, 'twas ego killed the beast.
It took a while for Columbo to actually become a series, but it eventually did, rotating with other shows on the NBC Sunday Night Mystery Movie. But this is where it all began, with a surprisingly youthful but ever sloppy Columbo matching wits with a criminal. A classic.