Prescription: Murder (1968) (TV)

Director:

Richard Irving

Writers:

Richard Levinson (teleplay) &
William Link (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

20 February 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

A psychiatrist uses a patient he is having an affair with to help him kill his wife, but his perfect alibi may come apart at the hands of a seemingly befuddled LAPD lieutenant.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Psychiatrist | Alibi | Investigation | Detective

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Columbo
Gene Barry	...	Dr. Ray Flemming
Katherine Justice	...	Joan Hudson
William Windom	...	Burt Gordon
Nina Foch	...	Carol Flemming
Virginia Gregg	...	Miss Petrie
Andrea King	...	Cynthia Gordon
Susanne Benton	...	The Blonde
Ena Hartman	...	Nurse
Sherry Boucher	...	Air Hostess
Anthony James	...	Tommy

Also Known As:

Columbo: Prescription Murder

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-7 (2004) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills Police Department - 464 N Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

Several different sources have different first names for Columbo. By focusing in on his badge he occasionally flashed, some say it was Frank some say it was Joseph. Trivial Persuit has it as Philip, which they got from a trivia book that purposely made it up to see if anyone was paying attention. The writers say he definitely was not given a first name.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Dr. Flemming smashes the balcony window, his shadow can be seen on the background, revealing it to be a simple backdrop.

Quotes:

Carol Flemming: [moments before she is strangled by her husband] Our second honeymoon may be better than our first.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Daria: Murder, She Snored (#4.4)" (2000)

Very fine television murder mystery which introduced Falk's Lt. Columbo

A successful California psychiatrist plots the murder of his wife of ten years using his actress-girlfriend as a ruse; Lt. Columbo gets the case. Near-terrific yarn provided the introduction of Peter Falk in a role which soon became part of television legend. Writers William Link and Richard Levinson based their teleplay on an off-Broadway show of theirs, and they do not disappoint in this earliest incarnation of the wily, cigar-chomping lieutenant (Falk even says his famous line, "Oh, and just one more thing..."). The Universal production is smooth and spotless, the music score amusingly intense, and the performances couldn't be improved upon--particularly Gene Barry's as the too-cool, not-rumpled doctor. The only problems with Link and Levinson's script come late in the game, after Columbo gets uncharacteristically tough and mean with Barry's girlfriend and then plays a little dirty pool. The denouement is tricky and fun, if a bit unfair to the audience.