Columbo Goes House Hunting

I’ve been working lately on a Rap Sheet post related to the classic TV crime drama Columbo. And while searching through my files yesterday, I happened across what I think is a very interesting 1974 TV Guide article about efforts by the location managers at Universal Studios to find suitably upper-crust homes in the Los Angeles area where episodes of that Peter Falk series could be shot. It seems the well-to-do were often pleased to have film crews trooping through their residences, if only so they could later watch the shabbily attired Falk thwart a murderer in their own living room or swimming pool. As one unit manager told TV Guide, “Columbo is a very magic word” when it comes to opening doors.

I thought you’d enjoy reading the piece too, so I’ve embedded it below. Simply click on the pages to enlarge them more readable size.