Jeff Cava’s Columbo Episode

I’ve written before about my late friend Jeff Cava, who was a mensch and left us far too soon.

Jeff’s biggest triumph, and also biggest heartbreak, was a 2001 Columbo episode he wrote about a film composer who murders his ghostwriter, “Murder With Too Many Notes.”

Jeff had always aspired to be a screenwriter, and the fact that he wrote a Columbo episode on spec, while a young production assistant at Universal, and it actually got bought and produced was a huge achievement.

However, the episode’s director, Patrick McGoohan (yes, the actor), rewrote the script and made a mess of it. I know Jeff told me the story once, but it seemed such a source of pain I think I was cringing the whole time, in empathy. So I don’t really remember the details.

Now, Glenn Stewart at the Columbophile Blog has written the be-all, end-all story behind Jeff’s script and the resulting episode.

It’s a frustrating Hollywood tale, but many thanks to Glenn at the team at the Columbo site for their dedication to the truth, and to Jeff’s memory.