# Peter Falk has Alzheimer's **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445 "2008-12-16T19:58:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/1 "2008-12-16T19:58:57Z")
[Story](http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSTRE4BF5Z120081216)☹ ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/2 "2008-12-16T21:00:17Z")
Are we sure he’s not playing at it as he bumbles his way to the truth about the murder? ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/3 "2008-12-16T23:19:46Z")
Lt Columbo walks to the door. :smack: _There’s just one more thing I need to ask you …_ This is really sad. What is sadder is that his daughter feels that people may take advantage of the situation. Anyhow, while I like Columbo, my fondest image of Peter Falk is in a different movie [Fred Savage]Grampa, do you think you could read some more to me tomorrow, if you really want to [Peter Falk]As you wish… Si ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/4 "2008-12-16T23:39:36Z")
☹ ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/5 "2008-12-17T01:20:29Z")
God, I feel bad. Mostly because my first thought was, “they’ll never do that final Columbo script now! Goddamn ABC!” It makes me feel like such a heel. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/6 "2008-12-17T01:45:37Z")
Best wishes to the man for all the entertainment over the years. Looking at [his IMDb page](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000393/), he’s slowed down a bit, but has an appearance in another movie coming out soon: _American Cowslip_, an idiosyncratic-looking production co-starring a lot of familiar names. As an aside… is it possible that the daughter herself is making a nefarious play for control of Falk’s money? The fact that a hearing is necessary seems to suggest that Falk himself isn’t willing to sign off on the arrangement… which admittedly might be the case whether or not he’s affected by Alzheimer’s. Of course I have no idea what his family or health situation is, but Lt. Columbo would want us to consider all the possibilities, no matter how unsavory. Whatever the truth of the matter… if Alzheimer’s has caught up with him, he’s had a good long run. I hope I’m still active enough at 81 that a court hearing is necessary to determine whether I’m becoming mentally unfit. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/7 "2008-12-17T06:16:42Z")
> [@Terrifel](#): > > Best wishes to the man for all the entertainment over the years. Looking at [his IMDb page](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000393/), he’s slowed down a bit, but has an appearance in another movie coming out soon: _American Cowslip_, an idiosyncratic-looking production co-starring a lot of familiar names. > > As an aside… is it possible that the daughter herself is making a nefarious play for control of Falk’s money? The fact that a hearing is necessary seems to suggest that Falk himself isn’t willing to sign off on the arrangement… which admittedly might be the case whether or not he’s affected by Alzheimer’s. Of course I have no idea what his family or health situation is, but Lt. Columbo would want us to consider all the possibilities, no matter how unsavory. > > Whatever the truth of the matter… if Alzheimer’s has caught up with him, he’s had a good long run. I hope I’m still active enough at 81 that a court hearing is necessary to determine whether I’m becoming mentally unfit. One of the entertainment news/gossip shows showed a video clip of Falk out and about a couple months ago. He didn’t remember where he parked his car and he was acting very confused and was rather unkempt. I remember thinking at the time that the poor guy seemed to be suffering from some form of dementia. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/8 "2008-12-17T06:44:15Z")
Oh crap, that sucks. My favorite Falkian moments: > [@The In-Laws](#): > > **Vince** (Falk): Sheldon, it was unbelievable. I saw things… They have tsetse flies down there the size of eagles. Really. In the evening, I would stand in front of my hut and watch in horror, as these giant flies would pick children off the ground and carry them away. (…) Oh, it was an incredible sight. Peasants screaming…chasing these flies down the road, waving brooms – you can imagine the pathetic quality of this – waving these crudely fashioned brooms at these enormous flies as they carried their children off to almost certain death. > > **Sheldon** (Alan Arkin): You’re sure these are flies you’re talking about? > > **Vince** : Flies. Natives had a name for them. _José Grecos de Muertos._ “Flamenco dancers of death.” And of course: > [@The In-Laws](#): > > **Vince** : Serpentine, Shel! Serpentine! Love his performance in _Murder By Death_, too. He’s one of those actors who’s just damn good in everything he does. Typecast to a degree, but still … when he gets a good script, he knocks his roles out of the ballpark. Dependably hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/9 "2008-12-17T14:49:38Z")
Aw, geez. His family’s from my home town, they had a department store next to the high school. … shoot. I should get my mom to send a letter or something. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/10 "2008-12-17T14:53:06Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > Lt Columbo walks to the door. > :smack: > _There’s just one more thing I need to ask you …_ > This is really sad. What is sadder is that his daughter feels that people may take advantage of the situation. > > Anyhow, while I like Columbo, my fondest image of Peter Falk is in a different movie > [Fred Savage]Grampa, do you think you could read some more to me tomorrow, if you really want to > > [Peter Falk]As you wish… > > Si Me too. He was a wonderful storyteller. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/11 "2008-12-17T15:03:22Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > One of the entertainment news/gossip shows showed a video clip of Falk out and about a couple months ago. He didn’t remember where he parked his car and he was acting very confused and was rather unkempt. I remember thinking at the time that the poor guy seemed to be suffering from some form of dementia. In fairness, that’s also a pretty accurate description of me at the mall. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/12 "2008-12-17T15:07:17Z")
He also had a small but lovely role in the film [Wings of Desire](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_of_Desire), playing himself but with a twist. One of my favorite films. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/13 "2008-12-17T15:46:36Z")
Aw, damnit. I love Peter Falk and I hate to hear this type of news. My favorite bit from “The In-Laws” was the part about the inscribed photo of JFK, going from memory. Sheldon: What was that inscription about, ‘To Vince, At least we tried’? Vince: That was about the Bay of Pigs. Sheldon: You were involved in the Bay of Pigs? Vince (proudly): It was my idea! ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/14 "2008-12-17T18:07:57Z")
A shame-I liked Falk as “COLUMBO”-I still catch reruns of it. Perhaps he could star in a new series…“The Confused Detective”? Seriously, few actors could match Falk’s low-key, act dumb schtick-that was how he tripped the perps up. Dang!☹ ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/15 "2008-12-17T19:33:06Z")
After Alan Arkin won his Oscar, I thought there might be an outside chance his twice-nominated _In-Laws_ co-star might be able to do the same. Sad to see a guy so full of energy and wicked mischief go down this path. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/16 "2008-12-22T09:51:17Z")
"Serpentine, **SERPENTINE!"** Shit, that **still** cracks me up! Sorry to hear about this. My Dad and I never missed watching a Columbo episode, and Dad had Columbo’s "at the door “schtick” down pat. Right down to the hand to the brow and the other holding the cigar in the air. Q ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/17 "2008-12-22T11:22:08Z")
> [@Terrifel](#): > > As an aside… is it possible that the daughter herself is making a nefarious play for control of Falk’s money? The fact that a hearing is necessary seems to suggest that Falk himself isn’t willing to sign off on the arrangement… which admittedly might be the case whether or not he’s affected by Alzheimer’s. Of course I have no idea what his family or health situation is, but Lt. Columbo would want us to consider all the possibilities, no matter how unsavory. This same daughter (Catherine Falk, a private detective) was on the Howard Stern Show circa 1995 plugging a book called “Under the Trenchcoat” about what a drag it was being Peter Falk’s daughter. Stern and company were unsympathetic, and the book disappeared without a trace. Amazon doesn’t even list it. Falk’s daughter is being opposed by his second wife (i.e. not the one he adopted the daughters with). I know what it’s like to lose a father to Alzheimers, and to have everyone in the family jockey for position re: the estate with the murkiest of motives. Clearly, there’s a lot going on here. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/18 "2008-12-22T12:31:00Z")
Looking over that IMDB listing, he played Lt. Columbo over an incredible 32 years (!), from 1971 through 2003. And he was Exec. Producer on all the later ones. > [@](#): > > He was a wonderful storyteller. He scripted one episode in 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/19 "2008-12-22T15:03:14Z")
A blurb on one of the tabloid news programs last night mentioned that the daughter “had not been allowed to see her father since Father’s Day.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445/20 "2008-12-22T15:05:46Z")
A Salute to Detective Columbo :smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peter-falk-has-alzheimers/477445.md?page=2)