Columbo - Murder by the Book (1971) - Episode 140

My wife loves ya! The Rewind Movie Podcast goes small screen as we continue our meandering tour around the career of Steven Spielberg with his feature-length episode of the legendary mystery show Columbo - Murder by the Book.

In 1971, Spielberg - the golden boy of Universal, and still a few months out from his seminal TV movie Duel - was hired to direct the first true episode of the series, after three early outings for the character, the latter two starring New York theatre actor-turned-Hollywood transplant Peter Falk. This tale of a mystery novelist slaying his soon-to-be-ex writing partner simultaneously acts as the blueprint for the beloved programme, and a forum for the prodigious director’s mastery of camerawork and scene construction.

Gali and Devlin’s shared history with the series goes back more than 20 years, with many a lazy Sunday spent in the company of the disheveled detective. Join us as we discuss the character’s origins, the development of the show’s tropes, pick our favourite murder styles, and revel in a cinematic legend’s earliest evidence of their technical prowess.

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If you have a film you’d like the gang to tackle, send us an email at [email protected]. For introductions, essays, playlists, and the full back catalogue of episodes and specials, find us at rewindmoviecast.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.