Peter Falk (1) (1927–2011)

I picked this book up a couple weeks ago - I couldn't resist it. Started reading this in bits and pieces all out of order. Then I stepped back and read it page by page. It is a quick read.

Peter Falk likes to read short stories so he gives us snapshots of his life in short stories. He points out that the book is not an autobiography. He isn't sure what it is. I'd call it a memoir.

Falk passed away in 2011 at age 83, but the book was published in 2006 and Falk clearly still had all his wits show more about him, as well as pretty detailed memories. Unfortunately he would soon after be hit with dementia and a rapid mental decline with Alzheimer's disease. Falk tells his stories in a purposely entertaining way. This was a very interesting read.

Why did I pick it up? One might think because of Columbo, Falk's trademark character. The true reason is because I adored him in one of my favorite films "Wings of Desire" in the late 1980's, as well as a sequel a few years later and when I saw this book had a chapter on the film it stayed glued to my hand. The behind the scenes detail and notes Falk wrote made me smile. I laughed out loud several times while reading this, something I can assure you I rarely do when reading a book.

Recommended for any Falk/Columbo fan. Quite a few pictures are included to illustrate his stories, including some of Falk's own drawings. This is a little treasure.
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if you’re a Columbo sicko like me I think you’ll get a kick out of this. The 1-5 page chapters go down easy and all of Falks’ tales delight, albeit some more than others. Far from a memoir or autobiography, Just One More Thing feels like a collection of late night tv anecdotes or perhaps like sitting down with Peter for a coffee.

Normally, I would have reviewed this for my library, but we don't actually own this in the libraries' collection.

I picked this up on the $1 shelf at a local used bookstore, looking for something light to read during a lunch hour when I had left my normal reading matter at home.

I'm a huge Columbo fan, so that was the biggest selling point of the book, although I've enjoyed Peter Falk in The In-Laws, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Princess Bride, and many other movies. In this book, Falk show more mentions early on that he's a fan of short stories -- snippets that pull you in but don't overwhelm you. That's the philosophy he used when compiling this amusing collection of anecdotes from throughout his career. This book is filled with brief remembrances from Falks life, both during his acting career and prior to that era, when he was still trying to decide what he was going to do with his life.

Falk is a witty storyteller -- very "folksy" in nature -- but in many cases, I wish he had provided more details. I was glad to get to the sections dealing with Columbo, and with Falk's good friend John Cassavetes...they had a bit more "substance".

On the other hand, this was a breezy little bio -- I blew through it in less than two hours total. There are quite a few nice photographic illustrations (both color and B&W), as well as reproductions of some of Falk's artwork. The whole book could've been packaged a bit "tighter" and come out at only 2/3 the size (and cover price), but overall I enjoyed it.

I've been sad to read about Falk's increasingly evident Alzheimers (first diagnosed in 2008), and am glad he was able to put his memories about a lengthy film career down in a book like this before they slipped away. One strong point about the book is that it is definitely written in Falk's "voice" -- it really does feel like he's a storyteller sitting down with you and sharing a few stories...some funny and some heartwarming.

Overall...a fun read but not very substantial. show less

Rather than an autobiography, Peter Falk simply offers "stories from his life." There is little rhyme or reason to the stories included -- no overarching theme or self-revelation. Instead, they share certain similarities: they are entertaining and brief, never more than a couple of pages long.

For someone seeking biographical information on the famous actor, this book provides only fleeting glimpses. Instead, it is like a fantastic family meal, in which story after story is shared -- but show more unlike most family stories, you'll want to enjoy another and another of Falk's tidbits.

Certainly, Falk hits the high points, offering stories from his movie career, including choice observations about such Hollywood types as Marlon Brando and John Cassavetes. And there are several stories dedicated to Falk's most famous role, Lt. Columbo. The often-told tales of Columbo's raincoat and Peugeot are retold (and still entertaining), but notable is the short section on what Falk describes as the most difficult component of the shows long-term success -- finding an intriguing piece of evidence around which each case revolved.

The book is enjoyably written, clearly in Falk's distinctive voice. It is a passing enjoyment, well worth the brief time it takes to read these stories, especially for Falk's fans. Nothing more, but nothing less either. show less