When you think about it, the idea that the worlds of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct and Columbo ever intersected is a strange thing. Of course, the detectives of the 87th Precinct and Columbo are both dealing with violent crime, murder usually, and of course they exist as part of the police force - not independent agents, detectives or amateurs. Other than this though, the differences seem more pronounced than their similarities. The cops of the 87th Precinct act as a force, the various personalities well-drawn, but ultimately acting as part of the machinery of detection. Columbo is an individual and, for all his scruffiness and supposed absent-mindedness, he is a maverick. The 87th Precinct is set on the East Coast, in a New York-a-like city with urban decay, deprivation and the problems associated with that, whilst Columbo's beat is the mansions and playgrounds of the L.A. rich - industrialist playboys, businessmen and women, stars of the silver screen and so on.
It might have been these differences that meant that when two 87th Precinct stories were adapted for the later seasons of Columbo (So Long As You Both Shall Live became No Time To Die in 1992 and Jigsaw became Undercover in 1994) they generally didn't work to serve either the source material or the show well - although Undercover does give us a chance to see Detective Arthur Brown leap off the pages of the book and onto screen (played by Harrison Page).
The first season of Columbo has now been released on Blu-Ray and Paul got the chance to review it for the website We Are Cult, so please go along and have a read of the article, here.
As an aside, below is a list of the various relationships between Columbo (Season One ONLY) and the 87th Precinct. Obviously for the most part this means the 87th Precinct TV series, but there are some other relationships in there as well. If you can think of any more, let us know!
Name
|
Columbo reference
|
McBain/Hunter reference
|
Peter Falk
|
Columbo
|
87th Precinct ep.19
“Greg Brovane”
The Pigeon 29/01/62
|
Robert Culp
|
Columbo ep.2
“Carl Brimmer” (murderer)
Death Lends A Hand
|
87th Precinct ep. 1
“Curt Donaldson” (murderer)
The Floater 25/09/61
(Based on The Con Man)
|
Suzanne Pleshette
|
Columbo ep.3
“Helen Stewart”
Dead Weight
|
The Birds 1963
“Annie Hayworth” (adapted by E.H.)
Mister Buddwing 1966
“Fiddle” (based on E.H. novel)
|
John Fiedler
|
Columbo ep.7
“Doctor”
Blueprint For Murder
|
87th Precinct ep.20
“Cole”
A Bullet For Katie 12/02/62
|
Ross Martin
|
Columbo ep.4
“Dale Kingston” (murderer)
Suitable For Framing
|
87th Precinct ep.6
“Joe Czepreghi”
Occupation, Citizen 30/10/61
|
Pat Crowley
|
Columbo ep.2
“Lenore Kennicutt” (victim)
Death Lends A Hand
|
87th Precinct ep.9
“Josie Thompson”
Empty Hours 20/11/61
|
Janis Paige
|
Columbo ep.7
“Goldie Williamson”
Blueprint For Murder
|
87th Precinct ep.30
“Cheryl Anderson”
Girl In The Case 30/04/62
|
Harlan Warde
|
Columbo (2nd Pilot)
“Paul Williams” (victim)
Ransom For A Dead Man=
|
87th Precinct
“Dr Ben Daniels” (psychiatrist)
The Pigeon
My Friend, My Enemy
Lady Killer
|
Sandra Gould
|
Columbo ep.4
“Matron”
Suitable For Framing
|
87th Precinct ep.8
“Mrs Stradling”
The Guilt 13/11/61
|
Eddie Quillan
|
Columbo ep.6
“Ferguson”
Short Fuse
|
87th Precinct ep.4
“Blinky Smith”
The Modus Man 16/10/61
|
Hank Brandt
|
Columbo (2nd Pilot)
“Attorney”
Ransom For A Dead Man
|
87th Precinct
“Vic” (ep.25)
Step Forward 26/3/62
“George” (ep.9)
Empty Hours 20/11/61
|
Charles Macaulay
|
Columbo (2nd Pilot)
“Richard”
Ransom For A Dead Man
|
87th Precinct ep.14
“Brother Jeffrey”
Run, Rabbit, Run 25/12/61
|
Jerry Hausner
|
Columbo ep.4
“Coroner” (uncredited)
Suitable For Framing
|
87th Precinct ep.22
“Nathan Kosoff”
Feel Of The Trigger 26/2/62
|
Lionel Lindon
|
Director of Photography
|
David H Moriarty
|
Sound
|
Henry Kline
|
Unit Production Manager/Assistant Director
|
Edward K Dodds
|
Unit Manager/Assistant Director
|
Lou Watt
|
Assistant Director
|
George Bisk
|
Assistant Director
|
Robert R Bertrand
|
Sound
|
Albert Whitlock
|
Columbo ep.6
Special Photographic Effects
Short Fuse
|
The Birds 1963
Pictorial Effects
|
Joel Fluellen
|
Columbo ep.5
“Charles”
Lady In Waiting
|
The Young Savages 1962
“Court Clerk” (Uncredited)
|
