Peter Falk died ten years ago today, and he remains as adored as ever. During the darkest days of the pandemic, it seemed like everyone was finding comfort in rewatches of “Columbo”; in a terrifying world, it was reassuring to know that however tricky the case Falk’s disheveled detective was facing, he was sure to solve it by the time the end credits rolled.
READ MORE: R.I.P. Peter Falk (1927-2011)
Falk was Columbo from 1971-2003 (and in two pilot movies that preceded the main series), inevitably melding with the character in the minds of many a viewer. Still, although he played his fair share of other policemen and had a run of gangster roles at the start of his career – two of which, in “Murder Inc” and “A Pocketful Of Miracles,” would yield his sole Oscar nominations – through a combination of smart choices and formidable talent, Falk largely managed to avoid the straitjacket of typecasting. Few could match his ability to perform with equal conviction in the silliest of comedies and the most serious of dramas; it’s hard to fathom that Jack Lemmon’s dopey sidekick in “The Great Race” and Gena Rowlands’ anguished husband in “A Woman Under The Influence” was the same actor.
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In an interview with Judith McNally, John Cassavetes described Falk as “just about the best friend [he had] in the world,” and their creative partnership yielded two masterpieces: Cassavetes’ aforementioned “A Woman Under the Influence,” ( Falk helped finance the film with his “Columbo” earnings), and Elaine May’s undersung classic “Mikey and Nicky,” in which Falk and Cassavetes were co-leads. Whether they were acting alongside one another or directing the other, collaborations between the close friends usually resulted in something special.
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If you were one of those who found solace in “Columbo” reruns over the last difficult year, and are looking to explore some of Falk’s other work, then this list of his best performances should help (although “Columbo” is here too, of course – how could it not be!?).
“The Great Race” (1965)
“The Great Race” is perhaps most famous for inspiring the Hanna-Barbera animated kids’ series “Wacky Races,” and there is something distinctly cartoonish about the action in Blake Edwards’movie, loosely based on the real-life 1908 race from New York to Paris. Tony Curtis, clad in comically dazzling white, is The Great Leslie, the Peter Perfect-esque hero of the piece; Jack Lemmon, complete with the necessary villainous mustache, is the film’s maniacal Dick Dastardly figure, Professor Fate. And Peter Falk, you ask? Well, as Lemmon’s sidekick – officially named Maximillian Meen – he’s the Muttley (although the cartoon dog is a lot cannier than Falk’s bumbling character)! Tony Curtis and love interest Natalie Wood are the good guys here, but the movie belongs to Lemmon and Falk and their nefarious schemes; indeed, there’s far more chemistry between them than there is between their heroic counterparts. Whilst by this early point in his career, Falk had already accrued his two Oscar nominations, he was still largely playing characters called things like ‘Young Psychiatrist’ and ‘Third Cab Driver.’ “The Great Race” gave him the chance to act opposite one of the best screen comedians of the twentieth century, and he excelled.
“Husbands” (1970)
About two hours into Cassavetes’ exhausting but penetrating magnum opus on the male midlife crisis, Falk’s Archie says to Cassavetes’ Gus, “Emotionally, I am in big trouble.” Truer words were never spoken. “Husbands” enters the lives of Archie, Gus, and Harry (Ben Gazzara) as their friend Stuart has just exited his. The shock of Stuart’s death sends the other three men – all in their early forties, with wives and young children – spiraling into a long bender full of drink and uncomfortable sexual encounters as the three try to outrun their first head-on confrontation with their own mortality. Cassavetes has never been known for making ‘easy’ films, and of all of those he directed, “Husbands” is perhaps the most abrasive. Watching the three men run riot across two cities, leaving a trail of hurt in their wake, is at best frustrating and at worst downright painful – their viciousness in the famous singing contest scene is particularly hard to sit through. Amidst all the debauchery, Falk’s performance as the group member most eager to express his emotions and most comedically bad at doing so (“What are you feeling? What are we supposed to be feeling?”) stands as one of his rawest.
“Columbo” (1971-2003)
The plots are so precision-engineered that it doesn’t matter we know the identity of the murderer in the first scene; the satisfaction is in discovering the tiny mistake that will bring their whole scheme tumbling down. There’s a (literal) murderers row of huge names who try to pit their wits against the infallible detective (some of the best: Dick Van Dyke, Johnny Cash, Ruth Gordon, Leonard Nimoy, and William Shatner). More than anything, though, it was Falk who made the 68 TV movies released over four decades so cherished. From the moment he first ambles onto the crime scene, clad in the iconically crinkled beige overcoat and emitting a deceptive air of humble dimwittedness, we know that we’re in safe hands, and the murderer is on borrowed time. There’s always such joy in catching the precise moment where the killer realizes Columbo’s relentlessly amiable façade has duped them. There are numerous highlights over the span of the series. Still, for the sheer enjoyment factor, it’s difficult to beat Cassavetes as the murderer in 1972’s “Étude in Black” (directed by Nicholas Colasanto – aka Coach from “Cheers”). The two friends are obviously trying to hold back the giggles every time they share the screen, making an already delightful episode (which also stars Myrna Loy and Blythe Danner) all the more fun.
“A Woman Under The Influence” (1974)
While most of the many plaudits bestowed upon “A Woman Under The Influence” were for Cassavetes’ compassionate direction and Gena Rowlands’ harrowing lead performance, Falk’s turn as Rowlands’ despairing husband is a big part of what makes that movie such a heart-rending experience. Rowlands is Mabel Longhetti, a wife and mother of three young kids, whose eccentricities are a source of both entertainment and unease to those around her. Her husband, Nick (Falk), is increasingly worried about her. After a particularly awkward incident, she feels the need to have her committed; “A Woman Under The Influence” tracks the build-up and the falling out of Mabel’s time in a mental institution. Nick’s actions seem cruel, but they are borne of confusion and embarrassment rather than malice. Though he loves Mabel, he can’t stop trying to squeeze her into a societally acceptable box and doesn’t know how to handle it when she inevitably doesn’t fit. Because he thinks of himself as the ‘normal’ one, there’s a bitter irony to the way he unravels in her absence. Falk plays Nick’s infinite complexities with phenomenal nuance, somehow simultaneously conveying love, concern, amusement, embarrassment, and desperation as he gazes at Rowlands across the dinner table. A remarkable performance, befitting a remarkable film.