Prescription: Murder

Finally managed to catch the very first appearance of Colombo today and I must say my respect for the character and Peter Falk is not only supported but strengthened.

Looking back 35 years it's hard to think that this is in fact the first appearance. With most characters and shows there's some level of evolution, working out the flaws and building up the depth. But this is the first time I've seen a genesis of a character so purely defined from the very beginning.

Although the dirty long coat barely has a wrinkle, along with Falk's face, the man looks like he was born for the part. It's as if the character was thrust up from the earth already carved in granite.

Most of the time when an actor is so deeply associated with a role it is a pity he was not able to explore other characters and develop a broader identity as an actor. Most notably William Shatner, a great actor in the 60s who created a defining character for the next few decades but was never able to break from that limited role and instead largely wasted his given talents in the part. However Falk in his defining role cannot be considered to have wasted his skills. Instead redefining and refining the character to the point where it becomes as much as a living breathing person as fiction could be.

It is very fact that in this first appearance Falk is so suited to the role that you realise that the actor could not be wasting his time pursuing a role he was obviously born to play.

Everything is here for an excellent murder mystery, the perfect plan, the cunning criminal and the dogged detective. Very close to perfection.