I adored him in Columbo. As a kid, I loved mystery shows, the old reruns of things like Rockford and Columbo and M.A.S.H. Seriously, Dick Cheney is just standing around and you have to take Peter Falk?
Not just Columbo, but all of those NBC Mystery Movies–McCloud, McMillan–were pretty good. But mainly the Times obit reminds me about Wings Of Desire, a truly wonderful film which all of you who haven’t already seen it should add to your Netflix queues right this very minute.
/james lipton
14.
Cat Lady
Husbands with John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, and Falk. My kind of men – dark and handsome, the Don Draper type.
Which leads me to sort of OT – who would play Whitey in the Whitey Bulger story? I say Ed Harris, and Virginia Madsen as the moll.
15.
Linnaeus
My mom loved those late 60s through 1970s mystery shows, so when they went into syndication, I watched a lot of the reruns with her. Columbo was one of her favorites.
16.
Joseph Nobles
Dick Cheney doesn’t have an actual heartbeat anymore. Give God some credit for trying.
17.
sweaver
Man. Sad to see Peter go. Though he’s been suffering for some time with dementia, so it’s a death you can sort of be glad about for his family’s sake. I re-watched all of the Columbo episodes with my teen daughter several months ago, he was really great. RIP.
18.
General Stuck
loved Columbo, and watched it when I was able to sit still for more than 5 minutes at the time. Columbo was a space cadet cop, and since I was a space cadet hippy, we were broadcasting and receiving on the same frequency. I loved when he scratched his head in apparent bewilderment, followed by a Perry Mason Moment question that destroyed his adversary. RIP MR. Falk.
19.
dollared
In-Laws: I loved the picture of him and Jack Kennedy: “Well, at least we tried.”
And young Peter Falk with the Rat Pack in Robin and the 7 Hoods.
20.
UncertaintyVicePrincipal
Don’t worry, he’ll be back in a minute saying “Oh, there’s one thing I forgot….” before leaving again for real, I’m pretty sure.
And let me just say that I’m glad he didn’t wind up hanging around with aging golddiggers and then accidentally shooting one to death like Baretta did.
22.
mark f
From Made:
Vince Vaughn: I don’t understand why you’re always picking on me, Max . . .
Peter Falk: Because you LOST my FUCKIN’ CARPET CLEANING VAN, and I don’t like you. You cock sucker!
23.
WaterGirl
I used to watch Columbo with my dad, so there are fond memories there. Definitely count me in the McCloud, McMillan, etc crowd.
Peter Falk, as you make your way to heaven, remember the serpentine approach. You don’t want the devil to be able to catch you on your way to heaven.
OT, my day started with my usual early morning swim, and I saw this message in front of a church as I was driving home:
Free to love.
Free to serve.
That’s all it said. My first though was “huh?” and then I caught the reerence. And this was not one of the well-known liberal churches, either. I took that as a very good sign!
He also won an Emmy for the Price of Tomatoes. Check out the price of this VHS!
25.
Boudica
omg, I can still remember my mother in tears of laughter over that Serpentine scene. Thanks!
26.
PurpleGirl
Falk as the grandfather in The Princess Bride was so perfect… He was such a good actor.
27.
Davis X. Machina
Falk as the grandfather in The Princess Bride was so perfect… He was such a good actor.
Something tells me there, at least, he wasn’t acting at all.
28.
aliasofwestgate
Yes, i remember his narration so vividly in The Princess Bride. I vaguely remember Columbo reruns but i wasn’t all that big on it. The Princess Bride though? Most Quotable film of my generation and then some. *grin* Also a favorite.
29.
mellowjohn
he was great in blake edwards’ “the great race” too.
30.
bjacques
The Columbo episode with Leonard Nimoy as a doctor who pushed his wife down the stairs.
“What reason would I have for killing my wife?”
Totally illogical.
31.
Xenos
Between ‘Princess Bride’ and ‘Wings of Desire’ there is not much to add here. Wonderful, wonderful. Columbo is still in syndication, both with in French and German, and as fresh as when it first came out.
What a fallen world, now we no longer have Falk here with us…
Xenos +5, soon to be 10
32.
Svensker
I loved the picture of him and Jack Kennedy: “Well, at least we tried.”
Such a great movie. “The ocean? It’s over the ocean to Scranton?”
“Serpentine, Shel, serpentine!”
33.
tworivers
I always found Columbo kind of stressful viewing – all the squirming the villains had to do once Columbo started putting the screws to them.
That being said, Falk was great in it, and there are definitely some great episodes
My two favorites are “Murder by the Book” (directed by a very young Steven Spielberg) and “The Most Crucial Game” (which stars Dean Stockwell when he was still cool).
He’s also great in Princess Bride (I can’t imagine that movie with any other actor in that part) and Wings of Desire.
34.
Cheryl from Maryland
Such a lovely man. We’ll miss you Mr. Falk.
35.
handsmile
I’m proud and pleased to be among a group of mourners for whom Mr. Falk’s work with Wim Wenders and John Cassevetes represents the hallmark of this superbly gifted actor.
Culturally indelible as Detective Columbo, his talent could summon as well his tender portrayal in “The Princess Bride.”
Many thanks for the citations from fellow commenters here.
36.
CaseyL
I teared up when I heard. There goes yet another icon of my life.
Anywaym, here’s a line from very early in his career:
“Leslie ran off with a small chicken??!!”
Know where that one’s from?
37.
DonkeyKong
It was. I saw things… They have tsetse flies down there the size of eagles.
38.
Rihilism
What is/was always wonderful about yelling “Serpentine!” in all manner of difficult situations was having someone recognize the reference and laugh along.
You were a brilliant and entertaining actor, Mr. Falk. RIP.
39.
michael hall
“Mosquitos so big they would fly away with the village children clutched in their beaks.”
40.
James E. Powell
@ cat lady
I say Ed Harris, and Virginia Madsen as the moll.
Hard as I try I cannot top those two choices.
41.
mellowjohn
CaseyL:
see my post at #29. it was blake edwards’ “the great race.” also starred jack lemmon, tony curtis, and natalie wood. one of the best pie fights ever put on film!
42.
stuckinred
Just watched Murder Inc. Now I know why I have always had a little different feeling about Falk than Columbo fans. Fucker taught Keitel how to be crazy!
43.
fourmorewars
His driving in reverse down the freeway, calmly looking back and waving at the other cars to go around, was where I lost it in The In-Laws. Chase scene, very close if I remember to the ‘serpentine’ scene…what made it extra hilarious was, just before he decides to back up down the freeway, while Arkin is freaking (or catatonic, he did eventually just go limp), Falk sizes things up and says ‘ooooookay,’ like everything’s under control.
44.
Bobby Thomson
Murder by Death FTW. The In Laws was good (though Gene Siskel gave it a half a star, RIP. I still remember Roger trying to coax him into a thumbs up – that was back when they were on Sneak Previews on PBS.).
The reason Columbo did the shtick with holding his head was to give Falk an excuse to look at the floor and see where his mark was. (One eye.)
45.
Linda
Wings of Desire–what a wonderful performance. I love movies that surprise me, and Peter Falk as himself (and a fallen angel) was one of the nicest surprises I ever saw.
RIP, Peter.
And, ruemara, I heartily agree.
46.
J
I loved the In Laws, as did my dad and the rest of the family (I notice a lot of fathers mentioned above). Someone mentions the Cassavetes’ film Husbands. It was terrific, with a terrific Peter Falk performance. But ‘A woman under the influence (with Gena Rowlands) shouldn’t be overlooked. I don’t think anyone who’s seen it is likely to forget the scene in which the Peter Falk character gives the children too much to drink.
47.
Origuy
I can’t think about Falk without thinking about Kevin Pollak’s impersonation of him. He explained to Johnny Carson how he moves only one eye when he did it, switching between crossing his eyes and looking to one side.
A great loss.
We also watched a Columbo episode tonight, me and my boys. They really love the clever writing. We watched one of the Jack Cassidy ones, where he’s the magician.
Our other favorite Peter Falk role was as Joyboy in Pocketful of Miracles, directed by Frank Capra, based on Damon Runyon stories. (His other Oscar nomination).
49.
(another) Josh
Any other fans of his performance in Tune in Tomorrow (movie of Vargas Llosa’s Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter)? “Life is a shitstorm. And when it’s raining shit, your best umbrella is art.”
50.
Exurban Mom
Coincidentally, my kid and I just watched The Princess Bride today. So sorry to hear this news, he will be missed.
51.
Dollared
*sniff* You guys are making me want to call Alan Arkin and tell him I love him before something bad happens to him, too.
The In-Laws is one of my Top 10 favorite movies. Falk and Arkin are flawless together. Who can forget Falk’s cockamamie story about giant flies carrying off small children, General Garcia greeting the 2 with his lipsticked talking fist, and the execution squad singing show tunes?
I’ll miss Peter Falk’s talent.
Comments are closed.
Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!
stuckinred
The Price of Tomatoes won him and Emmy. There was one copy on Amazon and it’s listed for $599! He was also great in Murder Inc.
abo gato
Don’t forget the grand dad in The Princess Bride!
j low
Wings of Desire. Woman Under the Influence. He was the best.
Hawes
I remember “Serpentine, Shell!”
“Oh, just one more thing…”
“As you wish…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kxYApOPnW8
srv
Loved him and Arkin together.
Captain Goto
Somehow I feel like I need a cigar…and I don’t even smoke.
“Ahh–one more thing…”…
Hawes
Here he is in Wings of Desire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9sAqpA88yI
For some reason there are some clips from The Saint in there.
Mike Kay (The Base)
ALL-TIME-GREAT-COMEDY
Especially the General Garcia character.
Angelia
Just watched a video of “Columbo” with my boys, in rememberance.
Corner Stone
“The Cheap Detective”
Anyone?
The dude was money.
ruemara
I adored him in Columbo. As a kid, I loved mystery shows, the old reruns of things like Rockford and Columbo and M.A.S.H. Seriously, Dick Cheney is just standing around and you have to take Peter Falk?
Hawes
Murder By Death
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CrSQ_aQfRI&feature=related
kth
Not just Columbo, but all of those NBC Mystery Movies–McCloud, McMillan–were pretty good. But mainly the Times obit reminds me about Wings Of Desire, a truly wonderful film which all of you who haven’t already seen it should add to your Netflix queues right this very minute.
/james lipton
Cat Lady
Husbands with John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, and Falk. My kind of men – dark and handsome, the Don Draper type.
Which leads me to sort of OT – who would play Whitey in the Whitey Bulger story? I say Ed Harris, and Virginia Madsen as the moll.
Linnaeus
My mom loved those late 60s through 1970s mystery shows, so when they went into syndication, I watched a lot of the reruns with her. Columbo was one of her favorites.
Joseph Nobles
Dick Cheney doesn’t have an actual heartbeat anymore. Give God some credit for trying.
sweaver
Man. Sad to see Peter go. Though he’s been suffering for some time with dementia, so it’s a death you can sort of be glad about for his family’s sake. I re-watched all of the Columbo episodes with my teen daughter several months ago, he was really great. RIP.
General Stuck
loved Columbo, and watched it when I was able to sit still for more than 5 minutes at the time. Columbo was a space cadet cop, and since I was a space cadet hippy, we were broadcasting and receiving on the same frequency. I loved when he scratched his head in apparent bewilderment, followed by a Perry Mason Moment question that destroyed his adversary. RIP MR. Falk.
dollared
In-Laws: I loved the picture of him and Jack Kennedy: “Well, at least we tried.”
And young Peter Falk with the Rat Pack in Robin and the 7 Hoods.
UncertaintyVicePrincipal
Don’t worry, he’ll be back in a minute saying “Oh, there’s one thing I forgot….” before leaving again for real, I’m pretty sure.
Here’s a drawing he did.
dollared
And let me just say that I’m glad he didn’t wind up hanging around with aging golddiggers and then accidentally shooting one to death like Baretta did.
mark f
From Made:
Vince Vaughn: I don’t understand why you’re always picking on me, Max . . .
Peter Falk: Because you LOST my FUCKIN’ CARPET CLEANING VAN, and I don’t like you. You cock sucker!
WaterGirl
I used to watch Columbo with my dad, so there are fond memories there. Definitely count me in the McCloud, McMillan, etc crowd.
Peter Falk, as you make your way to heaven, remember the serpentine approach. You don’t want the devil to be able to catch you on your way to heaven.
OT, my day started with my usual early morning swim, and I saw this message in front of a church as I was driving home:
That’s all it said. My first though was “huh?” and then I caught the reerence. And this was not one of the well-known liberal churches, either. I took that as a very good sign!
stuckinred
Academy Award nomination for Murder Inc.
He also won an Emmy for the Price of Tomatoes. Check out the price of this VHS!
Boudica
omg, I can still remember my mother in tears of laughter over that Serpentine scene. Thanks!
PurpleGirl
Falk as the grandfather in The Princess Bride was so perfect… He was such a good actor.
Davis X. Machina
Something tells me there, at least, he wasn’t acting at all.
aliasofwestgate
Yes, i remember his narration so vividly in The Princess Bride. I vaguely remember Columbo reruns but i wasn’t all that big on it. The Princess Bride though? Most Quotable film of my generation and then some. *grin* Also a favorite.
mellowjohn
he was great in blake edwards’ “the great race” too.
bjacques
The Columbo episode with Leonard Nimoy as a doctor who pushed his wife down the stairs.
“What reason would I have for killing my wife?”
Totally illogical.
Xenos
Between ‘Princess Bride’ and ‘Wings of Desire’ there is not much to add here. Wonderful, wonderful. Columbo is still in syndication, both with in French and German, and as fresh as when it first came out.
What a fallen world, now we no longer have Falk here with us…
Xenos +5, soon to be 10
Svensker
Such a great movie. “The ocean? It’s over the ocean to Scranton?”
“Serpentine, Shel, serpentine!”
tworivers
I always found Columbo kind of stressful viewing – all the squirming the villains had to do once Columbo started putting the screws to them.
That being said, Falk was great in it, and there are definitely some great episodes
My two favorites are “Murder by the Book” (directed by a very young Steven Spielberg) and “The Most Crucial Game” (which stars Dean Stockwell when he was still cool).
He’s also great in Princess Bride (I can’t imagine that movie with any other actor in that part) and Wings of Desire.
Cheryl from Maryland
Such a lovely man. We’ll miss you Mr. Falk.
handsmile
I’m proud and pleased to be among a group of mourners for whom Mr. Falk’s work with Wim Wenders and John Cassevetes represents the hallmark of this superbly gifted actor.
Culturally indelible as Detective Columbo, his talent could summon as well his tender portrayal in “The Princess Bride.”
Many thanks for the citations from fellow commenters here.
CaseyL
I teared up when I heard. There goes yet another icon of my life.
Anywaym, here’s a line from very early in his career:
“Leslie ran off with a small chicken??!!”
Know where that one’s from?
DonkeyKong
It was. I saw things… They have tsetse flies down there the size of eagles.
Rihilism
What is/was always wonderful about yelling “Serpentine!” in all manner of difficult situations was having someone recognize the reference and laugh along.
You were a brilliant and entertaining actor, Mr. Falk. RIP.
michael hall
“Mosquitos so big they would fly away with the village children clutched in their beaks.”
James E. Powell
@ cat lady
Hard as I try I cannot top those two choices.
mellowjohn
CaseyL:
see my post at #29. it was blake edwards’ “the great race.” also starred jack lemmon, tony curtis, and natalie wood. one of the best pie fights ever put on film!
stuckinred
Just watched Murder Inc. Now I know why I have always had a little different feeling about Falk than Columbo fans. Fucker taught Keitel how to be crazy!
fourmorewars
His driving in reverse down the freeway, calmly looking back and waving at the other cars to go around, was where I lost it in The In-Laws. Chase scene, very close if I remember to the ‘serpentine’ scene…what made it extra hilarious was, just before he decides to back up down the freeway, while Arkin is freaking (or catatonic, he did eventually just go limp), Falk sizes things up and says ‘ooooookay,’ like everything’s under control.
Bobby Thomson
Murder by Death FTW. The In Laws was good (though Gene Siskel gave it a half a star, RIP. I still remember Roger trying to coax him into a thumbs up – that was back when they were on Sneak Previews on PBS.).
The reason Columbo did the shtick with holding his head was to give Falk an excuse to look at the floor and see where his mark was. (One eye.)
Linda
Wings of Desire–what a wonderful performance. I love movies that surprise me, and Peter Falk as himself (and a fallen angel) was one of the nicest surprises I ever saw.
RIP, Peter.
And, ruemara, I heartily agree.
J
I loved the In Laws, as did my dad and the rest of the family (I notice a lot of fathers mentioned above). Someone mentions the Cassavetes’ film Husbands. It was terrific, with a terrific Peter Falk performance. But ‘A woman under the influence (with Gena Rowlands) shouldn’t be overlooked. I don’t think anyone who’s seen it is likely to forget the scene in which the Peter Falk character gives the children too much to drink.
Origuy
I can’t think about Falk without thinking about Kevin Pollak’s impersonation of him. He explained to Johnny Carson how he moves only one eye when he did it, switching between crossing his eyes and looking to one side.
A great loss.
zmullls
We also watched a Columbo episode tonight, me and my boys. They really love the clever writing. We watched one of the Jack Cassidy ones, where he’s the magician.
Our other favorite Peter Falk role was as Joyboy in Pocketful of Miracles, directed by Frank Capra, based on Damon Runyon stories. (His other Oscar nomination).
(another) Josh
Any other fans of his performance in Tune in Tomorrow (movie of Vargas Llosa’s Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter)? “Life is a shitstorm. And when it’s raining shit, your best umbrella is art.”
Exurban Mom
Coincidentally, my kid and I just watched The Princess Bride today. So sorry to hear this news, he will be missed.
Dollared
*sniff* You guys are making me want to call Alan Arkin and tell him I love him before something bad happens to him, too.
jcgrim
The In-Laws is one of my Top 10 favorite movies. Falk and Arkin are flawless together. Who can forget Falk’s cockamamie story about giant flies carrying off small children, General Garcia greeting the 2 with his lipsticked talking fist, and the execution squad singing show tunes?
I’ll miss Peter Falk’s talent.