Columbo - The Complete First Season | 
| Directors: Peter Falk, Bernard L. Kowalski, Edward M. Abroms, Hy Averback, Jack Smight
Actors: Peter Falk, Jack Cassidy, Rosemary Forsyth, Martin Milner, Barbara Colby
Studio: National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $19.99
You Save: $19.99 (50%)
New (54) Used (21) Collectible (2) from $18.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  114 reviews
Sales Rank: 1445
Format: Box Set, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 5
Running Time: 725
Discs: 5
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.9 x 0.7
MPN: MCAD25583D
ISBN: 1417014326
UPC: 025192558320
EAN: 9781417014323
ASIN: B0002COTDA
Theatrical Release Date: February 9, 1972
Release Date: September 7, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 9 to 12 days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
TV detective fans rejoice: Peter Falk's rumpled and infallible Lt. Columbo joins the DVD precinct with a five-disc set that features the detective's first nine appearances for NBC. Though Falk as Columbo (no first name) made his TV debut in 1967, the detective had actually first appeared on an episode of the 1960-61 Chevy Mystery Show (Bert Freed played the role) written by veteran TV scribes Richard Levinson and William Link (The Fugitive, Alfred Hitchcock Presents). The pair turned the episode into a stage play titled Prescription: Murder, which was adapted into a TV movie in 1967 with Falk in the lead. NBC greenlit a two-hour Columbo pilot (Ransom for a Dead Man) in 1971, and the series was launched that fall as part of the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie, a rotating 90-minute program that alternated Columbo with episodes of MacMillan and Wife and McCloud (another Levinson/Link creation). Viewers were quickly won over by Falk's shrewd performance as he matched wits with a host of exceptional guest stars (including Gene Barry, Patrick McGoohan, and others), all of whom assumed that the disheveled detective would never figure out their "perfect crimes"; the popularity and quality of the original series allows Falk to continue to don the trenchcoat some 30 years later for occasional Columbo TV movies. All seven 90-minute episodes of the 1971-72 debut season are included here, along with Prescription: Murder and Ransom for a Dead Man; unfortunately, as the lieutenant himself would say, "Oh, just one more thing"--no extras are included in the set, but having these fine TV mysteries in one set should be reward enough for armchair sleuths. --Paul Gaita
Product Description
Lt. Columbo a disheveled cigar chomping sleuth appears to be an incompetent bumbler. But that facade is designed to lull his murder suspects into a false sense of security. Columbo is the shrewdest most resourceful detective in the lapd. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 03/08/2005 Starring: Peter Falk Run time: 725 minutes Rating: Nr
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| Customer Reviews: Read 109 more reviews...
 Bad Disc for Columbo October 20, 2008
We were half way through our second disc last night when it froze & then filled half the screen with pink pixels. Guess we will see how to replace it. V. Van Ry
 Poor transfer / or DVD's October 2, 2008
I hate to give this a poor review, but I ordered the first season with full intention of eventually ordering all the Columbo seasons on DVD.
But when I watched the 5 disc's from season 1, disc #2 and #5 would constantly freeze and pause and could not be watched. My DVD player is less than a year old and of very good quality, so I dont think it's the player causing the problem, plus I recently bought the entire Twilight Zone collection (28 dvd's with no viewing problems), Amazon was great in exchanging my Columbo DVD set with no questions or shipping charges and I got it ASAP. But sorry to say the second set had even more problems with freezing and pausing.
 Still Finding The Right Formula September 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When most people remember this television show, I would bet that the first image that comes to mind is of a disheveled, seemingly lost detective who tricks villains into taking him lightly, then nabs them in the end in fantastic fashion. For the most part, that is exactly how the episodes of "Columbo" transpired, but not entirely during the first season.
During the pilot episode ("Prescription: Murder") of the show, Columbo can be seen yelling (which would be completely out of character in later seasons) and furious with rage. Though that part of the character was toned down in later episodes this first season, Season One still features a much more intense Columbo than any other. Instead of seemingly tripping over his own feet for most of the episode, Columbo is more hard-charging, making it obvious that the villains were in deep trouble (whereas often in later seasons it would look like the villain would get away scot-free until the final scene).
However, the only bad thing about a more intense Columbo is that it doesn't provide as much drama as his later appearances, as it is a little hard to believe that the villains can't see exactly what Columbo is trying to do to them. That being said, though, the plots of the mysteries are still excellent in this first season, and the ways in which Columbo actually solves the crimes are some of the best of the entire show!
Overall, if you buy this season expecting to see the bumbling, funny Columbo you remember, you may be surprised, as Columbo is much more intense than in any later episodes. However, the quality of the episodes is not diminished by much, and many viewers feel that the quality of the murder schemes this season were some of the best of the entire show!
Just Wonderful! August 30, 2008
This is a great show. I was a kid when it was on and didn't see it often. (It was an "old" people's show.) I did have a thing for Stephen Spielberg at the time and saw the episode he directed many times throughout my life. Now I get to see that episode and many others made about that time. Peter Falk is wonderful in the role and I especially enjoyed discovering the early Columbo movies. The 60s setting to the first Columbo movie adds pizazz and spunk as well as a younger cuter Peter Falk. The Lee Grant 1971 movie is an opportunity for Peter Falk and Lee Grant to have a great time acting with one another. This movie has a lot of grit and acting bravado. The other episodes are just as good and I get to see my Stephen Spielberg episode once again - Murder by the Book.
Best detective ever! February 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It depends on one's preferences, though. I grew up with Columbo, my whole family watched it, and still watches it. I've seen some of them 5 times. It's a classic, got its unique style, either you love it or you don't, I do.
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