I recently saw "Dead Weight", and episode of Columbo from its first season. A decorated veteran soldier and businessman (Eddie Albert post-Green Acres) kills an Army officer who could implicate him on bribery charges. An art teacher out sailing (Suzanne Pleshette pre-The Bob Newhart Show) sees him from the boat she rented. There's no evidence to back up her claim, though, and her confidence has been worn down over the years by her epically awful mother (Kate Reid.) Her certainty is even more shaken when the old codger takes an interest in her and moves his general onto her battlefield. So while Columbo comes to believe her story, he can't get her to cooperate.
It's not bad, impressive looking, fun to watch as most 70s Columbo is. One of the main flaws is that the evidence he uses to close the case isn't something he's been mulling over and pulling at the whole way through, in his usual style; but is rather a deus ex machina that turns up at the last minute. There's also a certain distance between him and the other main actors, and it turns out the story behind this is kind of interesting.
Peter Falk had signed onto the series with an understanding with Universal that he'd get to direct an episode. At some point he sensed they were reneging on him. Miffed, he stormed off and essentially went on a blue flu strike, doctor's note included. When he returned he found that wherever possible his scenes had been filmed with his photo double, and he wasn't allowed to reshoot.
What surprises me about this story is that Falk had only just started playing the role on any kind of regular basis, and the show was in its first season (small batch of TV movies, really,) Usually actors don't start playing hardball until they've been on the job for at least a couple of years. If they start earlier it's at risk to either the show or their own employment on it. (See David Caruso getting canned from NYPD Blue for an example of the latter.)
Falk didn't actually get what he wanted from his walk-off and pissed off several of the other people involved. Still, the show wound up lasting for seven years, then got revived later. Even fighting to a draw is rather significant.
2 comments:
I remember the episode but neither of us recalls any bits that seemed to show Falk had been replaced by a double. Next time we warch the show we'll have to keep our eyes open for how they managed that.
When I checked it looked to me that David Caruso's film and tv history was quite different from Peter Falk's. Since Falk was already a star by the time the role of Colombo came around he likely wasn't so concerned about damage to his career as he was about a broken promise. It's also true that he was known as a wild man - drank to excess, smoked, and was multiply unfaithful to his wife, more reasons for him to have given in to a fit of bad temper.
Peter Falk eventually did direct an episode called 'Blueprint for Murder'. It was actually a pretty cool installment of the series.
The other actors' frustration with Falk does show in subtle ways. But it's certainly not obvious that he wasn't always there. His photo double must have been a pretty close match.
Caruso was probably on thinner ice, it's true, although he must not have known that. Falk did pursue the role of the good Lieutenant, but I guess he wanted to do it on his own terms. The hard living might account for why there are so many episodes where he's got a cold/allergies/just got woken up in the middle of the night. He seems to have been a better husband to his second wife, who he met on the show.
I saw Blueprint for Murder on, I think, Dailymotion. Back before they went as crazy on the advertising as they are now. It was a good one.
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