I want to thank Jeff Bond who pointed out a Guardian piece by Paul Verhoeven, of all people, about the joys of watching Columbo. I completely agree!
(UPDATE: Apparently this is not the RoboCop Paul Verhoeven, but a journalist with the same name. Use your middle initial, dude!)
Not only that, but I discovered a 1978 performance by Falk, in character as Lt. Columbo, where he absolutely kills for 10 minutes at a roast of Frank Sinatra.
Watch Dean Martin and Don Rickles in hysterics as Columbo goes on about Mrs. Columbo, asking for Frank’s autograph, and every arcane thing under the sun.
He returns a pen and spots that it’s from Art’s Delicatessen: “If you ever get a chance to into Art’s, they got there an early bird dinner...”
This was glorious.