September 15, 1971 –
The first episode of the Columbo series, Murder By The Book, directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Steven Bochco, and starring Peter Falk, premiered on NBC-TV on this date.
The original plan was for a new episode to air every week, which would have meant shooting an episode every five days. As a motion picture star, Peter Falk refused to commit to such an busy schedule. The network arranged for the Columbo segments to air once a month on Wednesday nights.
The Haus of Dcaligari 