>The bad new is that Peter Falk has died. Goodbye Columbo. The good news is that Jack Sheldon hasn't.

I really liked that show. My favorite scenes -- everyone's, I suppose -- were when Columbo would apparently be leaving, then say "Oh wait, there's one more thing...." A classic line. (Lifted from a Dostoyevsky character, for literary trivia buffs).

There really were some great TV series back then. (There are now, too, from what I read and am told). They weren't just cheap and profitable singing and dancing competitions or prime time game shows. They were real stories written by real storytellers about real characters. They took effort and imagination. It cost more that way but they took the time to make you care about the characters and how it came out. "The Rockford Files" and "Moonlighting" are firmly in that tradition.

If I am not mistaken Peter Falk's rumpled raincoat is in the Smithsonian.