The Columbo Phile: A Casebook

by Mark Dawidziak

Overview

When Columbo hit the airwaves in 1971, in quickly became the hottest TV detective series of the decade. Series creators Richard Levinson and William Link received an Emmy Award for their work; Peter Falk received three. The Columbo Phile offers fascinating behind-the-scenes information about the creation of the character, the writing of the devious mystery plots, and the altercations between perfectionist Peter Falk and the bottom-line concerns of Universal Studios. Originally published in 1989 and long out-of-print, this 30th Anniversary Edition of the essential Columbo book features a new preface by author Mark Dawidziak, an overview of post-1989 Columbo developments, including the twenty-four new ABC mysteries, and a personal remembrance of Peter Falk. It remains today the definitive guide to the rumpled Lieutenant Columbo and his career.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948986120
Publisher:	Commonwealth Book Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/01/2019
Edition description:	30th Anniversary ed.
Pages:	410
Sales rank:	438,539
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.91(d)

About the Author

Mark Dawidziak has been a television, film, and theater critic for more than forty years. He has been the television critic at Cleveland's The Plain Dealer since 1999. He is the author or editor of about twenty-five books, including five about Mark Twain. He has written two histories of landmark TV series, "The Columbo Phile: A Casebook" and "The Night Stalker Companion: A 25th Anniversary Tribute." "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in The Twilight Zone," his lighthearted tribute to Rod Serling's classic anthology series, was published in 2017. His most recent book, "The Shawshank Redemption Revealed: How One Story Keeps Hope Alive," was published in 2019. Other books include the horror novel "Grave Secrets," "The Bedside, Bathtub and Armchair Companion to Dracula," and the literary biography he co-authored with Paul J. Bauer, "Jim Tully: American Writer, Irish Rover, Hollywood Brawler."

Editorial Reviews

“Mark Dawidziak has done a first-rate job dissecting the whole Columbo series, not only the lieutenant himself but every character, clue, guest star, you name it.” — Peter Falk

“In my opinion this is one of the most comprehensive and enjoyable of the many books written about classic telvesion series But, of course, I am somewhat prejudiced.” — William Link, Columbo co-creator

From the Publisher