“Excuse me, Excuse me, ” says the detective called Columbo as he enters a room filled with suspects. Peter Falk was thee quintessential detective called, Columbo. If you never had the opportunity to watch Peter Falk as Columbo you are missing a detective show that was one of a kind. Rent the DVD and watch one, and see why Columbo was one of the best detective’s of all time. The show’s premise was based on this simple, seemingly stupid detective. Always scratching his head, cigar in hand or mouth, if I remember correctly never lite, this is because he could never find a match. Columbo fumbled over his words, jotting down notes in his notepad, always giving the impression that this detective may not know what he is doing and giving the killer the idea that he was a bumbling fool. How did he ever become a cop let alone a detective, I would assume the killer would think.
This simple minded performance was how Columbo caught his killer or killers. Never underestimate a cop in a terribly wrinkled trench coat and an itchy scalp.
To add to his one of a kind look, Peter Falk had a glass eye. The eye had been removed when he was only 3 years old due to cancer.
Columbo always knew who done it and never would give a hint to his killer or to his audience. The killer of course was always fooled into believing that this detective would not, could not, be smart enough to figure out how to open an aspirin bottle let alone solve a murder. Oh, but what a show Columbo put on, for you see stupid is what stupid does, and the killer was always foolishly stupid.
In my book no one could have performed Columbo better than Peter Falk. Peter Falk died last week at the age of 83. Thanks for leaving us your signature mark, Detective Columbo. 
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/06/24/obituaries/20110625_FALK-8.html
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