I just saw an ad on TV for the new Pink Panther movie starring Steve Martin. From the few clips I saw it didn't look too good. I am a big Peter Sellers fan (I like Steve Martin also) and I can't see anybody replacing Peter as the Inspector.
Why is it that Hollywood has to "remake" all these great old movies? Can't anybody out there write anymore?

While I was swearing at my television a previously unthinkable thought crossed my mind. What if some genius decided a Columbo feature film would be a good idea. Who would they tab to play Columbo?

I've seen ads for "Pink Panther" on TV and in the cinema. Most of the jokes in the trailers fall flat, but some are funny. Cluseau asks his assistant, "Was it fatal?" The assistant says, "Yes, it was." Cluseau asks, "How fatal?"

Well, I guess you have to be there. But again, most of the scenes shown in the trailers don't seem to hit the mark. An ad on TV right now shows Cluseau in a hotel room bathroom which has flooded over. The floor gives way and Cluseau falls through down to the hotel lobby. He stands and says to the guy at the lobby counter something like, "More towels for Room 12." Or something like that. I came up with a line which I think is funnier. After Cluseau falls through the bathroom floor down into the lobby, he stands and says to the guy at the counter, "There is a drip in my room." To which the guy at the counter responds, "Not at the moment, there isn't." Eh, I cracked myself up with that one anyway.

I am a fan of Steve Martin and I'll certainly see the movie. As to who could replace Peter Falk in the role of Lieutenant Columbo... In first place... No one. In second place... Joe Pesci. He's Italian and the same size as Falk. But no, I wouldn't want to see that.

Back to "The Pink Panther". I just thought that one thing that stands out as wrong with Steve Martin as Cluseau is his "shock of white hair". He should have dyed it black for the role. That would have been more reminiscent of Peter Sellers.

I haven't seen the ads for this yet....but I heard about the movie. I am really surprised that Steve Martin would try and take on this role.
And I agree Tom...I don't know why they have to make these remakes of really great movies. One of the worst ideas is when they made a remake of Gone With The Wind.........with James Brolin!!! Hullo?!?!?!

Did Brolin play the role of Scarlett or Rhett?

Nut!!!
Maybe it would have been a better picture if he had played Scarlett!!!

I think what you're referring to is Brolin's abysmal performance as Clark Gable in the 1976 movie "Gable And Lombard."

Oh geez Eric!!....I think you are right.....my bad!!
That was the movie I was thinking of. (I'm getting old.....memory going...Spidey senses fading...eyesight shot!!!! .......ButI am still kinda cute!!! )
Thanks for the heads-up on this one.......

Who would play Columbo in a movie? Well, given Hollywood's special talent at screwing up big-screen versions of TV Classics - how about Eddie Murphy, Jackie Chan, Hugh Grant, or Jessica Simpson? Am I being too sarcastic? Well, take MIssion: Impossible - perhaps one of the all-time great shows of the 60s. Can you imagine the Paramount execs meeting back in '96 for that one?

"Hey, let's do a big-screen M:I"
"Great idea - but let's cut the team-effort crap, and do it Bond-style with a loose-cannon hero, and make Jim Phelps the bad guy!"
"I love it - someone call The Crusier and make him an offer!"

Without doubt, they'd also reject the "open-mystery" format of Columbo and turn it into an Agatha Christie-style whodunnit. Seriously - who could follow Peter Falk? Joe Pesci perhaps - still only a pale imitation? And who would make a perfect killer - Anthony Hopkins?

I agree with you totally Steve. The M.I. movie was ridiculous. Why bother using the M.I. title if you are going to change the whole format of the original show???
OH....and loved your choice of guest murderer...Anthony Hopkins. He would be my first choice as well.

You said it, Steve! And I completely agree with the above statements regarding the "Mission: Impossible" movies. They are horrible and downright silly! I have never encountered a fan of the "MI" TV series who likes the Tom Cruise films.

Roger Ebert, in his review of the first "MI" wrote something to the effect of, "...you don't watch a movie like Mission: Impossible for the plotline..." I stopped reading that review at the point and thought to myself, "Dear God, that is EXACTLY why I would want to watch a Mission: Impossible movie!" That was the thing about the show (I taped every episode off the FX cable station when it first came on the air and even have the late 1980s episodes too) - You had to watch closely and pay attention or you were out in the cold as to what was going on. The Tom Cruise movies have no plot - just explosions and fist fights. And Jim Phelps as the bad guy? What a load! He went bad so that he could get rich? The TV version of Phelps (and the teams) were obviously paid extremely well! Ah... why am I going on about all this? Maybe because Steve mentioned it and because "Mission: Impossible III" is due out this coming summer. YUCK!

I also agree that a cinema version of "Columbo" would most likely be completely screwed up. Look what they did with "Bewitched" this past summer. Awful.

Hmmm, there is only one actor who I think could actually pull it off: Michael Richards, who played Kramer on Seinfeld. He is a bit tall for the part but there are certain similarities between his Kramer character and Columbo. The love of cigars, the quirkiness, Falk and Richards kind of look and sound like each other, both clumsy, always barging in unannounced, being a pest etc. I hope he'd play the part somewhat straight though and not too goofy.

i think george costanza would make a great columbo LOL...only kiddin'...there would be no replacement for peter falk as he is the one and only columbo...knowing hollywood as stupid as they are they would probably put robert deniro...imagine..."you talkin ta me???" and whacks his guest stars...would be interesting

you are right sabra.....there is no replacement for peter falk....none. we can all speculate and think of other actors and such, and that is fun. but there is no one who could fill those little guinea boots of his!!!! (and he isn't even a guinea!!!)

Lol Sabra. You gave me an idea though. George Costanza could probably play the Poirot guy in the movie version.