Peter Falk, TV's 'Columbo,' dies at 83
Actor Peter Falk died Thursday at the age of 83 at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. He had been battling Alzheimer's since he was diagnosed with the disease in 2008.
Falk's career started in the golden age of television drama in the 1950s and continued through "Next" in 2007 - his last major Hollywood film.
But he will forever be remembered as the deceptively absent-minded police detective "Columbo," a role he played off and on for more than 30 years and for which he won four Emmy awards.
"Columbo" hid his cunning beneath a ratty raincoat and self-deprecating manner.
He was always searching for a pencil and sucking on a cigar stub. He drove a beat-up car he called a classic.
And when he surveyed a crime scene or a suspect, it was always with a jaundiced eye. The other eye was made of glass, which added to his disheveled demeanor.
The plots of the episodes were pretty basic, even when the crime involved the height of emerging technologies like telephone answering machines. The guest stars who played the murderers were the equivalent of television royalty of the era and included Robert Culp, Leonard Nimoy, Jack Cassidy, Patrick McGoohan, Martin Landau, Robert Conrad and Johnny Cash, who in a memorable episode played a gospel singer who kills a woman (played by Ida Lupino) who had been blackmailing him by crashing his private plane.
Falk's performance and personality trumped the often formulaic scripts, in which the killer's identity was always known by the viewer. The thrill was in watching Columbo work.
The character is the prototype for most of the quirky detectives on TV today - including on "Psych," "The Closer," "The Mentalist" and especially the obsessive-compulsive "Monk."
But Falk also was a skilled and versatile film artist.
He appeared film favorites such as "The Princess Bride," but also in intense, character-driven dramas by his friend, independent filmmaker John Cassavetes - "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence" - as well as "Mikey and Nicky."
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Monk Tv Episodes - News
The character is the prototype for most of the quirky detectives on TV today - including on "Psych," "The Closer," "The Mentalist" and especially the obsessive-compulsive "Monk." But Falk also was a skilled and versatile film artist.
Back-to-back episodes of "Monk" are on the lineup on My Network Television this evening. The Antenna Network airs a "Three Stooges" marathon this evening. In the mood for comedy? TBS is airing "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" starring Will
Sisters visit on the second-season premiere of “Louie” (10:30 pm, FX, TV-MA). – First seen on Fox in 1999, “Futurama” (10 pm, Comedy Central) returns with 13 new episodes. – A boy way too old for a baby sitter discovers her dark side in the 2010 comedy
Then, on another episode of "Supernatural," Dean and Sam realize that vampires are in town. Back-to-back episodes of "Monk" are on My Network Television tonight. Tune in for the movie that made "Noonan, miss it!" a catch phrase.
It has the best qualities from several USA shows, yet it is unique. It has the deceitfulness of Psych and the partnership of White Collar mixed with the dramatic feel from Monk. However, it has storylines that make it stand out and be it's own show.
Monk Tv Series | TV SERIES
Monk – Season Seven dvd reviewI love the character of Monk and virtually everyone who watches it is also hooked on HIM. Monk is a former San Francisco police department detective who had to go onto disability from the force because his OCD psychiatric disorder incredibly worsened after his wife was murdered by a fire bomb in her car. On its face, this sounds like it could be offensive as it satirizes a mental disorder. However, Monk is so lovable yet so aggravating with his OCD disorder that it works. Monk now consults with the police department. The reason he is such a good detective is because of his OCD. He notices everything. He is a fountain of information, including esoteric trivia, which he gravitates towards due to his illness. Put it all together and he can reach amazing deductions although he drives everyone around him completely bats.
Some viewers feared the series would suffer when the gal friday was replaced (from Sharona to Natalie) but there were no repercussions. Monk is so totally the show, which everyone else revolves around, that the change caused barely a ripple. As the series has gone on, it has evolved into more of a comedy and a character study which is also a mystery. Monk always solves a murder but that is secondary to everything else going on. Two characters I would miss are Leland Stotelmeyer, the Captain, and his sidekick Randy. They have grown very funny in their own right and are the next strongest characters to Monk himself. A month ago I rewatched every single episode of Monk and found myself every bit as fascinated with the episodes as I’d been the first time through. If anything, I was even fonder of Monk this second viewing through. Some excellent guest stars have also been on the series. Gena Rowlands was on one episode in season 7 and she was magnificent with Monk. I’ve read she’s up for an Emmy for it. John Turturro has also guest starred as Monk’s brother and he was also wonderful.
One loss to the show is that Monk’s psychiatrist died (the actor in real life and thus the character on the show too). This relationship had been building with every season and the two, Monk and shrink, were very good together. Those pairings had been growing so it was a regular for them to have a session. There were some great sessions between them with both insightful and comedic moments. However, that is being soft pedaled now that a new shrink for Monk had to brought in. This new shrink is ok but it is not the same.
Monk Tv Episodes - Bookshelf
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