Murder by the Book

Peter Falk's third appearance as Columbo (after a pair of two-hour NBC World Premiere Movies) officially kicked off the "Columbo" series, as well as the "NBC Mystery Movie" in September 1971.

Filmed after the superior "Death Lends a Hand," but aired first, it has the distinction of having been directed by Steven Spielberg in those days before "Jaws" when he was still cranking out episodic television on the backlot of Universal. There are some smart directorial touches, particularly in the opening scenes where the sound of Martin Milner's typewriter serves as the sole soundtrack, but this a disappointing episode overall.

As the less talented half of a famous mystery writing team (not unlike Richard Levinson and William Link, "Columbo"'s creators), Jack Cassidy makes a classy villain, one who would be invited to square off against Peter Falk on two more occasions (including season three's "Publish or Perish" which was also set against a publishing background). Unfortunately, Steven Bochco's script drags along, making this a frequently dull episode. Worse, the denouement finds Columbo wrapping things up based on flimsier than usual evidence. Had the killer not confessed, he could have walked away from his crime.

Still, Peter Falk is terrific, and makes it worth watching.

Brian W. Fairbanks

In the Columbo series, one of the better elements is the underestimating of the Lieutenant. The smarter the crook, the more likely he or she is to see Columbo as a boob. This is a fatal mistake for these people because all they see is that awful Peugeot and that ragged topcoat and twisted tie. Another thing they like to do is go into a detailed explanation of things Columbo didn't notice. Columbo's response is routinely a self deprecating "I never thought of that." Of course, at that point he files that away as a part of his barrel of possible inconsistencies. He will eventually throw some of these things in the face of his prime suspect. Jack Cassidy, the handsome man with the great dimples, and the husband of Shirley Jones, sees himself as so clever and so on top of things, that he drops right into the trap. The two things I enjoyed the most in this series was the construction of the crime and Columbo's unraveling of it. A third would be his relentlessness after he was convinced of the perpetrator: "Oh, there's one thing more." Good early episode.

"Murder by the Book" from 1971 is the first episode of Columbo with guest stars Jack Cassidy, Martin Milner, Barbara Colby, and Rosemary Forsyth.

When this episode debuted, the next day, everyone was talking about the IBM Selectric with the type ball. Yes, I saw it when it was first on television.

Jack Cassidy and Martin Milner play Ken Franklin and Jim Ferris, a writing team responsible for the Mrs. Merivale mystery series. Milner plays the partner who actually writes the books, and Cassidy does the publicity, including talk shows, interviews, etc.

When Jim decides to break up the team and go off on his own, Ken has a fit -- that happens before the episode begins. Here, he is trying to apologize and lures Jim to his cabin in San Diego, where he kills him.

He's very clever with the arrangements, but then he meets Columbo. Columbo always notices the little things that add up to one word: murder.

Jack Cassidy always made a great sleaze, and here he plays an arrogant monster well. Milner, the victim, has a smaller role.

This was an excellent episode, though sad to realize that Falk, Cassidy, Milner, and Colby are all dead now, Colby at the age of 36. She does a wonderful job here as a flirtatious woman who owns a store near Ken's cabin.

Columbo is my favorite series of all time, and I was so privileged to interview Peter Falk in the late '90s. He was an incredible man. I love what he did with this role.

For those who may not know this, Columbo: Prescription Murder (the first pilot) was based on a play starring Thomas Mitchell as Columbo. It was playing out of town prior to coming into New York when Mitchell suddenly died.

Directed by Steven Spielberg,"Murder by the Book" holds up beautifully today.

A terrific start to the series, and I'm not just saying this because of its director: he'd have done a great job on this even if his name was Joe Nobody. Spielberg's cool, clipped way of creating an air of menace, through constant anticipations (not for nothing does the opening panning shot include a skull on Ferris' table) in the opening sequences should be required viewing at film schools. He still permits the classic character conflict to evolve in the later, less firmly paced stages: even inserting a signature (reflected in E.T. and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS) of officials loudly creating fuss and sidelining the vulnerable, in the scene at the Ferris home just before Columbo appears. Jack Cassidy, unfairly only really remembered today as the father of teen idol David, is on splendid, autocratically smarmy form here, as a mystery writer who can't write, but knows how to play the media. His staring eyes and coldly composed face as he points the gun at the camera, for the second time, are unforgettable. As ever, Falk charms in his down-to-earth manner, complaining of the cold - "there's no lining on this coat" - and helping out the distressed Mrs. Ferris in the kitchen. (A shame that Rosemary Forsyth is saddled with a line like, "I know Ken, he's not a murderer", though.) The music, more than slightly reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann's score for PSYCHO, is another eerie advantage. All in all, a shame that Falk's plan to get Spielberg to direct COLUMBO's return to TV, in 1989, came to nothing........

PLOT: One member of a popular mystery writing team (Jack Cassidy) murders his partner (Martin Milner) after he threatens to go off on his own. He claims he was 2 hours away at his cabin-on-the-lake while his partner was shot at the office in Los Angeles. Rosemary Forsyth plays the victim's wife while Barbara Colby is on hand as a flirtatious neighbor at the cabin.

COMMENTARY: This was the first episode of the series after the two pilot movies and therefore has a shorter runtime of 75 minutes. It was directed & co-written by Steven Spielberg when he only 24 years-old, just a few years before his great success with "Jaws" (1975).

This is one of my favorite episodes of the series, highlighted by the conniving Cassidy, who would reappear in two future installments, the problematic "Publish or Perish" (1974) and the excellent "Now You See Him" (1976). He made for such a sly antagonist, but perished prematurely at the age of 49 in late 1976 from a house fire.

GRADE: A-