I've always found writing to be a solitary activity and thought it would
be very difficult for two authors to write a book together; after
watching Murder By the Book, I'm more disinclined than ever to engage in collaboration. In this Steven Spielberg-directed
Columbo mystery - the first official episode of the series, following
two pilot movies - Jim Ferris (Martin Milner) is the prolific, talented
half of a successful Agatha Christie-style novel-writing team. When we
meet him, the nerdy-looking author with thick glasses is pounding away
at his keyboard, working on his first solo project, but his efforts are
impeded by the arrival of a gun-toting Ken Franklin (Jack Cassidy), his
bitter ex-business partner. Boy, it doesn't take long to get to the
murder in this episode!
Actually, it takes a bit longer than
that; as Jim points out, the gun is empty. Ken is just goofing around.
He couldn't really be that upset about the dissolution of their
partnership, could he? After all, Ken is an accomplished writer too, is
he not? He should have no trouble maintaining his lavish homes on his
own. Right? Not quite.
Ken thinks he has all his bases covered
when he convinces Jim to call his wife, pretending to be at the office
when in fact he is at Ken's cabin for what Jim thinks will be a night of
reconciliation and male bonding. Joanna (Rosemary Forsyth) hears the
gun go off, and when she calls the police, they find Jim's office in
shambles. He seems to have been the victim of a kidnapping. Before Ken
has time to get back into town and play the concerned friend, Lieutenant
Columbo (Peter Falk) shows up to comfort Joanna with an expertly made
omelet and coax a few details out of her to aid in his investigation. By
the time Ken arrives, Columbo already knows who to suspect.
Because of Joanna, Columbo spends considerable time in this episode
interacting with someone other than the perp, so it's interesting to see
the slight change in his behavior depending on who he is engaging in
conversation. While he still adopts a very folksy, unassuming demeanor
with the bereaved wife, he doesn't try quite so hard to come off as a
doofus. His starring performances are reserved for Ken, and while he's
as brilliant as always at ferreting out the crucial details, it helps
that Ken makes a glaring snafu along the way.
Falk is
fantastic as always, while Cassidy is suave and Milner endearingly
geeky. For me, though, the standout among this episode's supporting
actors is Barbara Colby as Lilly La Sanka, a homely, widowed shop owner
whose lack of resources and crush on Ken lead her to make a very foolish
decision. Incidentally, early in the film, Ken gives Lilly an
autographed copy of one of his joint novels; the title is Prescription: Murder, the name of Columbo's pilot movie.
Not only is Murder By the Book
a crackin' good mystery, it offers some interesting insights into the
world of publishing and the potential pitfalls of writing partnerships.
Of course, one would certainly hope that rare is the writer who would
turn to murder if his steady stream of income was threatened... In any
case, Murder By the Book is well worth a look!
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