Fairy Tale Spotlight: Prescription: Murder [Play Review]

"Prescription: Murder" is a play written by William Link and Richard Levinson. It was published in 1963. It is the very first appearance by Columbo, although he was not at the time played by Peter Falk. Columbo was actually played by a man named Thomas Mitchell. This play ultimately lead to the making of the movie of the same name, as well as the beginning of the long series.

I was well-familiar with the original movie when I read this script. The film and the play are almost identical. There were just a few things changed from one to the other. There was a scene at the airport that was missing in the play, probably because it would have been too difficult to create a set for that. A scene set in one of the character's home was gone for likely the same reason. The ending was also different.

In the movie, the villain was as cold and heartless as he possibly could be. I actually saw him as borderline demonic. In the play, he does have a conscience that does come out at the very last moment. He actually does do the right thing after being tricked by Columbo. This is a very interesting change! The movie actually made the villain more of a cold-hearted individual.

These changes, however impactful, are actually very small, and I felt like I was really just reading the script for the film. It's a great murder story, and it started the formula of making the villain the main character, which was the standard for all of the Columbo episodes. And just because this Columbo was played by a different person, I could still easily see Peter Falk doing these lines. After all... I kind of did.

It was an interesting read, but I did not get as much out of it as I hoped. It was so close to the movie that I felt like I was just treading old ground. But as a play, there's nothing wrong with it. If this is something you'd be interested in checking out, I totally recommend it. Columbo is amazing no matter what format he appears in.

This blog was written on September 2, 2024.

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