The Standard
This was Columbo at his best. Long trenchcoat in LA, broken down car, can't remember his pencil, scratches his head, almost out the door before coming back to ask "Oh yeah, and one more thing"...

These are just a few of the things this iconic character does to lead his prey right into the trap. Columbo always gets his man and you should buy this premier episode.

1967 Columbo!
[MCA Universal videocassette, 1992]

Just before movies and TV got into "realism" - characters who loosen their ties, wear jeans, need a haircut, don't enunciate - movies like "Midnight Cowboy" changed the entire film industry - made for TV movies like "Prescription: Murder" were presented, very slick, somewhat stilted, more driven by dialogue.

Peter Falk's character is a bit boxed in by the staginess, but that can be expected for a "rookie" TV character. Gene Barry does his genteel thing, quite mannered, but well in his scope. Katherine Justice, as the wide-eyed, actress girlfriend of the unhappily married Psychiatrist (Barry) is excellent, though perhaps a tad too studied in the Marilyn Monroe style for this late '60s entry, though that can be a boon to proceedings: she's very sensuous indeed in her form-hugging green dress, as she finally gives completely in to the plan, at a last minute review at the Barrys' office; in a way, her captivating beauty creates a incongruous frame for the darkly sinister switched-identity canvas conjured up by the Doctor. While he is planning ahead, she is in the moment - with dreams of a personal and professional leap forward.

Yes, it's Columbo in a tailored suit, with an Oxford education; it's fun to watch over and over again, with the realization that a true, unique television icon would soon emerge.

Opening credits are very effective with "ink-blot" graphics and surging Dave Gruisin music.

PILOT NUMBER ONE
The first TV pilot of COLUMBO, PRESCRIPTION: MURDER, was broadcasted on Feb. 20th, 1968, more than three years before the broadcasting of the first episode. It's also possible to see this pilot in the DVD standard by purchasing Columbo - The Complete First Season. Gene Barry, the first mean guy who ever confronted Columbo, is mostly appreciated by movie buffs because he starred in two Samuel Fuller films : Forty Guns and China Gate.

We have to accept it: there is a huge difference between this pilot and the Columbo episodes of the first season. For example, PRESCRIPTION: MURDER looks a lot more like a stage play and still belongs to the TV world of the sixties. But there are also in it a few sparkles that announce the grandness of the first episodes. I'm specially thinking here about the scene when Dr. Ray Flemming, a psychiatrist, dissects the way and the recipes Columbo uses with the suspects. This scene alone is worth the 99 minutes of this TV movie.

A VHS for the Columbo buffs.

"Uhhh, Just One More Question......"
When Peter Falk as Columbo utters the words, "Uhhh, just one more question...", we know he is on to his prime suspect. And what's more, the suspect knows it too!

"Prescription Murder" aired in 1968, was the pilot movie for the enduring and fun "Columbo" series. The audience, always knowing, right from the beginning who the murderer was of each episode, had the fun and pleasure of watching Columbo unraveling the mystery, as he made squirming paranoids out of the main suspects, who usually started out as cool and collected, with intricate plans and never thinking they left a trail.

In each episode, there was always great guest stars. The biggest star usually being the perp. In "Prescription Murder", it is Gene Barry,(who had his own hit series in the 60's, on which he was the cop, in "Burke's Law"), a prominent psychiatrist who devises and carries out what he thinks is a fool proof plan to murder his wife(she had all the money, of course). Columbo dogs him from the get go, and you begin to wonder just who is analyzing who in the Dr. Vs. Detective dialogue! At one point after being gnawed away at by Columbo's innocent little questions, Barry tells him, "You know, you are like a sly little elf, who should be sitting under a toad stool somewhere!"

It's always a wonderful cat and mouse game, and this pilot episode should get you rehooked on this fabulous series. William Windom also stars as Barry's buddy, and happens to be a D.A, that makes things just a little tougher(but of course, not impossible) for our guy Columbo.

Here is a link to another edition, so you can check for best deals and availabilityColumbo Collector's Edition (Prescription: Murder).If you really love this fabulous series, this vintage episode along with the 8 other greats of the first season, including "Murder By The Book", directed by Steven Spielberg, is sold in a beautiful DVD set, and is probably the best way to go for fans. Seasons 2 - 7 are also out now.

Get a clue...with Columbo!...enjoy...Laurie

The First Columbo Episode - Original Airdate Feb 20, 1968
This pilot episode is terrific. This original episode was the beginning of one of the best TV series of all time with great writing, excellent acting and a all-around quality production.

In this episode, Dr. Ray Flemming, a rich and highly intelligent psychiatrist, who seems to have it all, attempts the perfect crime. It is Columbo against Dr. Flemming in a battle of wits which is just terrific television.