Lieutenant Columbo first appeared in
Enough Rope, an episode of a
NBC anthology called
The Chevy Mystery Show (1960), written by
Richard Levinson & William Link. He was a secondary character, played by
Bert Freed (1). The duo then adapted their script as a stage play titled
Prescription: Murder, produced in 1962 with
Joseph Cotten as
Dr. Roy Flemming,
Agnes Moorehead as his wife
Claire,
Patricia Medina (
Susan Hudson, his mistress) and
Thomas Mitchell as
Columbo. Later, Levinson & Link turned their play into the scenario of a film for television directed by
Richard Irving. Produced by
Universal and aired on NBC in February 1968,
Prescription: Murder starred
Peter Falk as the lieutenant, opposite
Gene Barry as
Dr. Ray Flemming and
Katherine Justice (
Joanne Hudson).
Irving directed again Falk as Columbo in
Ransom for a Dead Man (1971), a pilot movie penned by
Dean Hargrove, Richard Levinson & William Link. Following its success, the actor played the character from 1971 to 1978, achieving worldwide fame.
Columbo also popularized the inverted detective story
(2). Peter Falk returned to his signature role from 1989 to 2003. In all, 69 TV movies were made. In 2004, French impersonator and TV host
Pascal Brunner became the detective on stage in
Une femme de trop, adapted from the 1962 play by
Pierre Sauvil. In the UK,
Dirk Benedict (
The A-Team,
Battlestar Galactica) toured in a 2010 production of
Prescription:Murder.
John Guerrasio succeeded him the next year.
Alexandre Brasseur wore the raincoat in
Crime sans ordonnance (2013), another gaullic adaptation, directed by
Didier Caron with
Delphine Piard and written by Pierre Sauvil.
Created at the
Théâtre Michel in September 2016,
Columbo: Meurtre sous prescription is a new adaptation set in 1971's Los Angeles. It is written by Didier Caron (who directs with Delphine Piard) and
Laurence de Villeneuve. Renowned psychatrist Roy Flemming thinks he has committed the perfect crime with the complicity of his patient and mistress Joanne Hudson: the murder of his wife. Unfortunately for him, Lieutenant Columbo investigates. Flemming doesn't pay attention to this disheveled, faux naïf homicide detective who smokes cigars and wears a creased raincoat. Same for
Deputy DA Dave Gordon, Roy's good friend. Except that Columbo rapidly notices some inconsistencies in Flemming's story.
Columbo: Meurtre sous prescription brings back the legendary lieutenant in a bona fide murder mystery play (with a fine humour) but the elements so appreciated by the fans are there.
Columbo never has a pen. He always talks about his wife and family. The dog and the
Peugeot are mentioned. Many lines sound familiar to those who know well the 1968
Prescription: Murder. The play even opens with a title sequence modeled on the one from the TV movie, including the jazzy theme composed by
Dave Grusin.
Martin Lamotte marvelously captures the spirit of the lieutenant without trying to imitate Peter Falk or Falk's French dubbing voice
Serge Sauvion (3). The talented
Pierre Azéma plays the quintessential
Columbo murderer.
Karine Belly is excellent as Joanne.
Stéphane Boutet is a pleasant surprise as the pious Gordon, quite different from the
Burt Gordon played by
William Windom in 1968. Dr. Flemming's wife
Carol, played by
Nina Foch in the TV movie, isn't seen in this version.
Recording of the play for television directed by
Antoine Galey and produced by
Le Théâtre Michel and
La Compagnie des Indes, with
Paris Première and
France Télévisions. Sets designed by
Sophie Jacob. Costumes by
Virginie Houdinière. Stage lighting by
Sebastien Lanoue. Titles by
Stéphane Pinot. Play produced by Le Théâtre Michel.
(1) The script took some of its elements from their short story
Dear Corpus Delicti, published the same year in
The Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.
(2) Where the crime is described and the criminal (usually) shown right from the start.
(3) Serge Sauvion definitely contributed to the popularity of
Columbo in France.
http://www.theatre-michel.fr/Spectacles/columbo/
http://blog.ticketac.com/2016/07/interview-martin-lamotte-columbo-theatre-michel/
