Prescription: Murder

"The perfect crime had one flaw."

1968 1h 40m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

⭐

7.9

IMDB

★7.8TMDB · 42★7.9IMDB · 5,888

CrimeMysteryDramaTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In Columbo's first outing, a psychiatrist uses a patient he is having an affair with to help him kill his wife, but his perfect alibi may come apart at the hands of a seemingly befuddled LAPD lieutenant.

“The perfect crime had one flaw.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

Peacock PremiumSubscription

PhiloSubscription

Peacock Premium PlusSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Peter Falk
Columbo
Gene Barry
Ray Flemming
Katherine Justice
Joan Hudson
William Windom
Burt Gordon
Nina Foch
Carol Flemming
Virginia Gregg
Miss Petrie
Andrea King
Cynthia Gordon
Susanne Benton
Blonde

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Irving
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Irving, shot by Ray Rennahan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard G. Wray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter Falk and Gene Barry and Katherine Justice carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The perfect crime had one flaw.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0061496 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Irving directs. Ray Rennahan behind the camera. Dave Grusin scores. Richard G. Wray cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

158 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Richard Irving, shot by Ray Rennahan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Richard G. Wray shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Peter Falk and Gene Barry and Katherine Justice carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The perfect crime had one flaw.".
7IMDB entry: tt0061496 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ray Rennahan
Original score: Dave Grusin
Editing: Richard G. Wray
Makeup / hair: Larry Germain
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Prescription: Murder (1968)
IMDB rating: 7.9/10 · 5,888 votes
MPAA: TV-PG

Also by

Richard Irving

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-01-08
★ 9/10
“Prescription: Murder” (1968) PLOT: An arrogant, nonchalant psychiatrist (Gene Barry) murders his wife and uses his naïve actress girlfriend to get away with it (Katherine Justice), but Lt. Columbo strongly suspects the therapist and steadfastly works to obtain evidence. William Windom is on hand as the doctor’s loyal professional friend. COMMENTARY: This was the first of two pilot movies for the Columbo series (1968-2003). It featured the inverted detective story, which starts by showing the murder and the murderer; and then focuses on HOW the perpetrator is ultimately caught and exposed. Because this format has no "whodunit" element, these shows/movies are sometimes referred to as a "howcatchem.” Since Falk was 40 during shooting, it features the youngest version of the detective (Falk was 75 when his last episode was shot in 2002, “Columbo Likes the Nightlife,” 69 installments in all). All the notable quirks of the famous detective are here, although some aren’t as pronounced yet. As he ages they would naturally become more prominent in future segments, like his disheveled appearance. This is easily one of the best Columbo episodes ever (which are actually TV movies). The script, cast and acting are of top caliber, which makes the story gripping despite the fact that it’s all drama and no violence beyond the original murder. It helps that the antagonist is a psychologist because he accurately psychoanalyses our beloved expert sleuth and by the end we feel we know and understand the Lieutenant, which lays a strong foundation for the forthcoming series. Katherine Justice is a winsome beauty and a highlight. GRADE: A
GenerationofSwine2023-01-11
★ 10/10
As far as detectives go, Columbo is my guy. He's the wrinkled low expectation mess that uses his appearance and working class persona to lull everyone into a felling of superiority that he can exploit... ... and that really works for the detective genre. Most everything else has more of a gimmick. Psyscic Powers, fake psychic powers, OCD, sports cars, Asperger, Dr. House as Sherlock Holmes, you get the point. Columbo seems more pure detective than all the others do. And Prescription: Murder, with a title that comes straight from the 60s is sort of the pinnacle, it's almost class warfare as Columbo takes on the countries educated elite only to best them in the end.