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Can you tell the difference between Columbo’s very first TV appearance in 1960 and Peter Falk’s first time as Columbo in 1968?
Lt. Columbo appeared on TV years before Peter Falk made him into a household name.
Thanks to MeTV fan Jeremy Price from Saginaw, Michigan, for submitting this quiz idea. Do you have a great idea for a quiz? Share it with us!
Detectives with a few strange quirks but unquestionable skill have always been a popular part of entertainment since the first Sherlock Holmes stories were published in the 1800s. Detective Columbo is an iconic piece of that legacy continued by idiosyncratic investigators like Adrian Monk.
Though Peter Falk is the only Columbo many fans know, he wasn’t the first — or even second — person to play the role. Character actor Bert Freed played the disheveled detective in his first onscreen appearance in 1960. Written by Richard Levinson and William Link, the eventual creators of Columbo, the story “Enough Rope” was broadcast live and in color — if you were one of the lucky few to own a color TV.
Levinson and Link actually wrote for this particular program because a writer’s strike at the time forbid them from creating for anything except live television. The nature of the broadcast allowed them to easily adapt the script into a stage play called Prescription: Murder starring Thomas Mitchell (Uncle Billy from It’s a Wonderful Life) as Columbo. Levinson and Link then used that script and title as the basis for a 1968 TV movie starring Peter Falk and the rest is history!
Though the 1968 “Prescription: Murder” and “Enough Rope” share many plot points and names, there are also key differences. We’ve compiled a list of statements about each version of Lt. Columbo. Can you guess which one each clue describes?
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This version is an hour long.
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The killer, named Dr. Fleming in both, is played by Gene Barry in this version.
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In this version, Dr. Fleming is a psychologist – not a psychiatrist.
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In this version, Dr. Fleming psychoanalyzes Columbo while they both drink bourbon.
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Dr. Fleming is having an affair with a woman named Susan in this version.
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Dr. Fleming and his girlfriend stage a fight on an airplane to create an alibi. In this version, they are not only seen by strangers but also a friend.
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Columbo pretends Dr. Fleming’s girlfriend drowned at the end of this version.
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The actress who played the murdered Mrs. Fleming in this version was also Sgt. Carter’s girlfriend, Bunny, in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
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Because of the unique focus on the person perpetrating the crime as much if not more than the person solving it, the actor who played Lt. Columbo in this version received second-to-last billing in the credits.
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This version was not originally part of any series and was produced as a standalone television movie.
Can you tell the difference between Columbo’s very first TV appearance in 1960 and Peter Falk’s first time as Columbo in 1968?
Your Result...
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53 Comments
Were you able to solve all the mysteries in this quiz?
Missed #6 and I'm not sure it's correct.
Also, the Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode Dear Uncle George (1963) is very similar to Prescription Murder...Gene Barry is the murderer, the apartment appears to be the same, his wife is named Louise, etc... Levinson and Link wrote both them. This has been commented on before.
I haven't been able to find any online video of Enough Rope...anyone else know where it may be...?
