My old guitar teacher's father grew up with Falk in Ossining. Had the glass eye even back then. The story goes that Falk was a good kid, and the teacher would ask him to keep an eye on the class. When the teacher returned, Falk's eye was on the teacher's desk.
Matt, you beat me to it on The In-Laws, one of my favorite movies of all time. Falk will probably be best remembered for Columbo, but his role as a spy/agent in The In-Laws just made that movie.
My favorite scene is when they're all sitting at the dinner table, and Falk is crying uncontrollably, then suddenly stops, looks at his wristwatch and says, "Is there a phone? Preferably the farthest phone. Sometimes on these long distance connections I have to scream like a banshee." For those who have seen the movie, that scene is just remarkable.
Falk was also chums with John Cassavetes and acted in a couple of his films. Hugely popular over here, I used to watch Colombo re-runs at 1pm after getting home from Japanese school. It was fun to flip back and forth between English and the dubbed version.
[6] He's brilliant in "A Woman Under the Influence." Cassavetes was from my home town and in his film "Husbands," the characters he, Falk and Ben Gazzarra play live there. The first time I saw "Husbands," it blew my mind to hear Falk refer to living in Port Washington.
I love the detective Genre, so needless to say I primarily associate Falk with Columbo. However, I agree that In-Laws might be his best work. I also really enjoy his role in the Murder by Death spoof.
Unfortunately, Falk was very ill before his passing, so instead of a sad occasion, his death is really more of a memorial to a great life.
[9] I never got the sense that Falk minded being thought of as Columbo, despite his long and varied career. He knew he'd gotten the part of a lifetime and he ran with it. Columbo really holds up well - it was consistently well-written and acted. Even when they revived it in the 80s and 90s, it was still good stuff.
[10] In several interviews he expressed as much. The Columbo role made him an icon. I am biased, but I consider it to be one of the best serial dramas in TV history. Not only is Falk excellent in the role, but the guest stars on the series were fantastic. That's one reason why a mystery show in which everyone knew the secret was still so popular.
Ah, just one more thing...
An Ossining kid who made real good. The street he was raised on is named after him. He'll be missed...
My old guitar teacher's father grew up with Falk in Ossining. Had the glass eye even back then. The story goes that Falk was a good kid, and the teacher would ask him to keep an eye on the class. When the teacher returned, Falk's eye was on the teacher's desk.
My family settled in Tarrytown and North Tarrytown in the forties. Uncle Woodrow says, "he was one of us." I honestly can't think of a finer tribute.
How many actors are as beloved as Peter Falk? I'm not talking about stardom, I mean being genuinely adored by the audience.
The In-Laws is one of the funniest movies ever made. I miss him already.
Matt, you beat me to it on The In-Laws, one of my favorite movies of all time. Falk will probably be best remembered for Columbo, but his role as a spy/agent in The In-Laws just made that movie.
My favorite scene is when they're all sitting at the dinner table, and Falk is crying uncontrollably, then suddenly stops, looks at his wristwatch and says, "Is there a phone? Preferably the farthest phone. Sometimes on these long distance connections I have to scream like a banshee." For those who have seen the movie, that scene is just remarkable.
Falk was also chums with John Cassavetes and acted in a couple of his films. Hugely popular over here, I used to watch Colombo re-runs at 1pm after getting home from Japanese school. It was fun to flip back and forth between English and the dubbed version.
[6] He's brilliant in "A Woman Under the Influence." Cassavetes was from my home town and in his film "Husbands," the characters he, Falk and Ben Gazzarra play live there. The first time I saw "Husbands," it blew my mind to hear Falk refer to living in Port Washington.
Wow. Shocker. I missed the news. A true original.
"Serpentine, serpentine."
Just one more thing...
I love the detective Genre, so needless to say I primarily associate Falk with Columbo. However, I agree that In-Laws might be his best work. I also really enjoy his role in the Murder by Death spoof.
Unfortunately, Falk was very ill before his passing, so instead of a sad occasion, his death is really more of a memorial to a great life.
[9] I never got the sense that Falk minded being thought of as Columbo, despite his long and varied career. He knew he'd gotten the part of a lifetime and he ran with it. Columbo really holds up well - it was consistently well-written and acted. Even when they revived it in the 80s and 90s, it was still good stuff.
[10] In several interviews he expressed as much. The Columbo role made him an icon. I am biased, but I consider it to be one of the best serial dramas in TV history. Not only is Falk excellent in the role, but the guest stars on the series were fantastic. That's one reason why a mystery show in which everyone knew the secret was still so popular.