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Rescued from the pound, Columbo spends most of the episode trying to figure out a name for the mutt. He first appeared in Etude in Black in September 1972. Still, it do no damage to their on-screen chemistry and, such was his popularity, Dog also survived the transition to the ABC years, popping up sporadically through the 90s in episodes such as Murder: A Self Portrait and It’s All in the Game. “I’m out in no time and waiting to start because the dog is still in make-up.”
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“I’m sitting in one make-up chair and they’re making up the dog right next to me,” Falk said.
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“The simple love between man and dog exhibited in Columbo always makes the heart sing.” The new version was somewhat younger, and required to be made up to look more like the original. Falk himself recalls that the dog required much more time in the make-up chair than himself. Sadly the first incarnation of Dog died and had to be replaced. Hangin’ with Abigail Mitchell in ‘Try & Catch Me’Īlthough the relationship between Columbo and Dog was wonderfully warm and genuine, having a dog on set did cause some low-level difficulties. But he wouldn’t reappear until Season 5’s Now You See Him – funnily enough another episode featuring Dog. Wilson was just what Universal were wanting. Ironically Sergeant Wilson was introduced in Season 2’s Greenhouse Jungle – the very next episode after Dog’s debut. Bochco and character co-creators Richard Levinson and Bill Link were dead against the idea. Introducing Dog was Bochco’s way of quietly raising two fingers to the studio, who were pushing for Columbo to have a regular human sidekick to interact with. “Dog would become nearly as synonymous with Columbo as the cigar, the raincoat and the beat-up car.” Falk accepted that the beast was exactly the type of dog Columbo would own. Do we really need another? But when Bochco introduced Falk to the slovenly hound it was apparently love at first sight. There were already too many gimmicks, he thought. When writer Steven Bochco attempted to introduce the canine sidekick, Peter Falk was resistant.
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So started a love affair between man, dog and viewer that would last for well over 40 years. Known for his lethargy and a propensity to howl when it was least wanted, the cute critter would go on to grace many classic episodes, including Playback, Try and Catch Me, Forgotten Lady, Mind Over Mayhem, How to Dial a Murder Most Dangerous Match Make Me a Perfect Murder and Now You See Him.ĭog would become the single most featured recurring guest character in the show, becoming nearly as synonymous with the Lieutenant as the cigar, the raincoat and the beat-up car. Dog’s debut in 1972’s Etude in Black An adorable Basset Hound without no known name leapt into collective hearts and minds on 17th September 1972, when a dozy beast, who would later simply be known as ‘Dog’, made his screen debut in Columbo Season 2 opener Etude in Black.
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