The reluctant actor who was nominated for two Oscars and who immortalised Lieutenant Columbo around the world shares his hilarious and often touching stories - in his own inimitable voice.
Peter Falk takes us on an acting journey that begins not in Hollywood but in Hartford, where he worked as an efficiency expert for the state of Connecticut. The first day on the job he couldn't find the office - it was in the State Capitol - and ended up in the post office. His time there was no more successful than his attempt to find work as a spy with the Central Intelligence Agency: after high school he had gone to sea as a cook in the merchant Marines, and the union he was required to join was later labelled as Communist-dominated. That didn't settle well with the CIA - spy career over.
At a loose end, he turned to an old college interest: acting. he came to prominence as an actor in 1956 in the highly successful off-Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh with Jason Robards. Although he worked continuously for the next three years, bouncing from one off-Broadway theatre to the next, a theatrical agent advised him not to expect much work in motion pictures because of his glass eye. However, a talent scout for Columbia Pictures saw star quality in Falk, describing him as a second John Garfield. Unfortunately, Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia Pictures, dismissed this opinion: 'For the same price, I can get an actor with two eyes.'
But in 1958, Hollywood, in the guise of Twentieth Century Fox, came to New York to make a movie - Murder, Inc. They brought the stars with them but hired local New York actors to play the mobsters. Falk landed a juicy role for which he received rave reviews and, incredibly, for his first movie he was nominated for an Academy Award. For his second, Pocketful of Miracles starring Bette Davis, he was nominated again. He wore the same overcoat in both movies. It was his personal coat. He likes to say that he and the coat were undefeated. Two for two.
Falk went on to become a favourite among film goers; yet it was through television that he reached his widest audience as Lt. Columbo, winning four Emmys for the role. Talking of Falk's personal coats - Columbo's raincoat came out of his bedroom closet. He bought it years before he became an actor. He's been quoted as saying, ' I wanted to wear something people would remember. Bottom line, it's the worlds most famous raincoat'.
Just One More Thing is pure Peter Falk, and reads as if he's sitting next to you, chuckling as he recalls his remarkable past.
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Just One More Thing is exactly what the subtitle states - stories from the life of Peter Falk. It isn't an autobiography in the traditional sense, with chapters starting from childhood and covering nearly every aspect of a persons life. Instead Falk has selected the moments he feels are important, sad, funny, shocking or entertaining. These stories can cover a whole chapter or simply two pages but it is done well and everything flows perfectly.
I read this book only knowing Peter Falk as Columbo. I have always enjoyed the show and knew from my partner that he had a glass eye but that was the extent of my knowledge on Falk as a person. However my partner is a die-hard fan of Falk, he really enjoyed this autobiography and pushed me to read it on more than one occasion. Therefore I did and I'm thrilled I took the plunge.
Falk has a very entertaining voice in the book. I honestly felt like I was talking to an old friend. Even though I was not fully aware of all the people and places he discussed I was still fully engrossed. Falks enjoyment and feelings were infectious and his writing really portrayed his emotions well. I closed this book with a list of films that I am desperate to see. This is simply due to the wonderful descriptions and stories Falk mentioned about his experiences while filming. I didn't encounter a story that I didn't enjoy reading, Falk had obviously taken great care while selecting what to include and omit. This showed in the final result and made it a memorable read.
I also enjoyed seeing the real side of Peter Falk. He didn't come across as to 'Hollywood' but as a down to earth and hard working individual. I found the fact he is educated to an extremely high level fascinating and especially seeing how this academic background effected his acting career and gave him the confidence to request changes to scripts for example. Falk came across as a very strong personality, although it wasn't stated in writing, by reading between the line so to speak, I was given the opinion that he was a perfectionist at heart and would strive for the very best in himself. This may have made him hard to work with but I also feel he was highly respected for this aspect of his personality.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. Peter Falk lived an interesting and unique life and was never afraid to jump into something with both feet simply because he was curious. It is a highly entertaining book and will leave you chuckling at his antics. I highly recommend it.
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