First episode of the long-running TV series has Jack Cassidy playing Ken Franklin, one half of a successful novel mystery-writing team that decides to kill the other half(played by Martin Milner) because he has the real talent, and wants to branch out on his own, something Ken cannot allow, though his carefully planned murder does not go according to plan once Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) gets involved, and also when a female admirer and eyewitness(played by Barbara Colby) decides to blackmail him too, much to her regret. Can Columbo solve this real life murder? Steven Spielberg directed this effective episode that started the broadcast run of the good Lt.
Review of Murder by the Book
