Prescription: Murder 1968
7.9 / 10
Prescription: Murder
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.
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.
Videos & Photos
All 0 Videos & 5 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Columbo
... Dr. Ray Flemming
... Joan Hudson
... Burt Gordon
... Carol Flemming
... Miss Petrie
User reviews
See All 2 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by Wuchak
***“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
Release Date:
Feb 20, 1968 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 40`
MMPA Rating:
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
Prescription: Murder
***“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
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.
Cast & Crew of
Prescription: Murder
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
GB
George Bisk... Assistant Director
Cast
... Columbo
... Dr. Ray Flemming
... Joan Hudson
... Burt Gordon
... Carol Flemming
... Miss Petrie
... Cynthia Gordon
... The Blonde
... Nurse
... Air Hostess
... Tommy
FB
Frank Baker... Man in Park (uncredited)
JC
Jim Creech... Policeman in Hospital (uncredited)
EH
Ed Haskett... Party Guest (uncredited)
... Doctor (uncredited)
... Policeman (uncredited)
... Airline Ticket Man (uncredited)
TW
Tom Williams... Laundry Delivery Man (uncredited)
Produced By
... Unit Manager
... Associate Producer
... Producer
Videos & Photos of
Prescription: Murder
Photos ( 5 )
Related Movies To
Prescription: Murder
Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)
0 /10
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
Run Time: 1hr 50` . MMPA: R . Release: 14 May 2025
Director: Dominic Dobrzensky , Melissa Dotto , Morgan Beggs
Producer: Toby Emmerich , Sara Brown , Warren Zide
Stars: Tony Todd , Melissa Barrera , Anna Lore , Renata Vaca , Quintessa Swindell , Mary Elizabeth Winstead
STRAW (2025)
0 /10
What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Jun 2025
Director: Matt Hendren , Roger Berard , Tyler Perry
Producer: Nadia Brown , Angi Bones , Kim Taylor-Coleman
Stars: Taraji P. Henson , Sherri Shepherd , Teyana Taylor , Sinbad , Rockmond Dunbar , Ashley Versher
Deep Cover (2025)
0 /10
Kat is an improv comedy teacher beginning to question if she’s missed her shot at success. When an undercover cop offers her the role of a lifetime, she recruits two of her students to infiltrate London’s gangland by impersonating dangerous criminals.
Run Time: 1hr 39` . MMPA: R . Release: 12 Jun 2025
Director: Tom Kingsley , Kelly Maracin Krieg
Producer: Alex Johnson , Colin Trevorrow , Walter F. Parkes
Stars: Bryce Dallas Howard , Orlando Bloom , Sean Bean , Paddy Considine , Ian McShane , Nick Mohammed
Life After Fighting (2024)
0 /10
Retired martial arts world champion Alex Faulkner has settled into a simple life, when the disappearance of two of his students leads to an unthinkable discovery close to home. Just when all hope of finding the children is lost, he locates the imprisoned girls and unsurfaces an international child trafficking operation, which draws him back into the fight of his life against those behind it.
Run Time: 2hr 6` . MMPA: . Release: 07 Jun 2024
Director: Bren Foster
Producer: Chelsea Jean Foster , Bren Foster , Navid Bahadori
Stars: Bren Foster , Cassie Howarth , Luke Ford , Annabelle Stephenson , Anthony Nassif , Arielle Jean Foster
The Accountant² (2025)
0 /10
When an old acquaintance is murdered, Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax, to help. In partnership with Marybeth Medina, they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.
Run Time: 2hr 13` . MMPA: R . Release: 23 Apr 2025
Director: Fernando Chien , Gavin O'Connor , Alina Gatti
Producer: Jamie Patricof , Gavin O'Connor , Scott LaStaiti
Stars: Ben Affleck , Jon Bernthal , J.K. Simmons , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Daniella Pineda , Alison Robertson
The Twisters (2024)
0 /10
A deadly patchwork of destructive cyclones is on an apocalyptic path of convergence at a populated Midwest city center. There, the twisters will merge into one mega tornado that threatens to obliterate the cities for hundreds of miles around.
Run Time: 1hr 27` . MMPA: . Release: 28 Jun 2024
Director: Michael Su
Producer: Brendan Petrizzo , Paul Bales , Avery Guerra
Stars: Kayla Fields , Mark Justice , Paul Logan , Curtis Strong , Tiffany , Sofia Riba
Conjuring the Cult (2024)
0 /10
After discovering his blood-soaked daughter dead in the bathtub, David Bryson attends a self-help group to help save him from his ghostly nightmares. But when a group of mysterious cult-like women offer to help him resurrect his daughter. David's choices will not just decide his fate... but the fate of his dead daughter's SOUL.
Run Time: 1hr 33` . MMPA: . Release: 01 Oct 2024
Director: Calvin Morie McCarthy
Producer:
Stars: Neil Green , Elissa Dowling , Chynna Rae Shurts , BJ Mezek , Jason Brooks , Brad Littlefield
Utopia (2024)
0 /10
A soldier searching for his missing wife breaks into a high-tech facility, believing she's been caught in a human trafficking ring. But beyond its walls, he finds a surreal, futuristic fantasy park where reality and illusion blur. As he navigates this seductive and dangerous world, a shocking truth pulls him deeper into a deadly game where nothing is as it seems.
Run Time: 1hr 33` . MMPA: R . Release: 09 Dec 2024
Director: James Bamford
Producer: Kyle Otto , Scott Karol , Danail Hadzhiyski
Stars: Moe Dunford , Charlotte Vega , Michael D. Xavier , Daniel Bernhardt , Jason Flemyng , Wanda Banda
Clown in a Cornfield (2025)
0 /10
Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.
Run Time: 1hr 36` . MMPA: R . Release: 08 May 2025
Director: Lisa Nelson-Fries , Puneet Chawla , Eli Craig
Producer: Petersen Harris , Daniel Bekerman , Marty Bowen
Stars: Aaron Abrams , Katie Douglas , Carson MacCormac , Cassandra Potenza , Verity Marks , Bradley Sawatzky
Ballerina (2025)
0 /10
Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Eve Macarro begins her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Run Time: 2hr 5` . MMPA: R . Release: 04 Jun 2025
Director: Matej Kricner , Len Wiseman , Chad Stahelski
Producer: Erica Lee , Basil Iwanyk , Keanu Reeves
Stars: Ana de Armas , Ian McShane , Anjelica Huston , Norman Reedus , Keanu Reeves , Lance Reddick
Breathing In (2023)
0 /10
1901, South Africa. As the Second Anglo-Boer War rages on, a wounded General seeks refuge in the small home of a woman and her young daughter. As the hurt man settles in, he begins noticing that something is off about the two women, particularly the daughter, and before long, he’ll learn the real reason for why they’ve invited him and for how they’ve survived on their own for so long.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: . Release: 18 Oct 2023
Director: Jaco Bouwer
Producer:
Stars: Michele Burgers , Sven Ruygrok , Jamie-Lee Money , Lionel Newton
A Working Man (2025)
0 /10
Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life working construction. But when his boss's daughter, who is like family to him, is taken by human traffickers, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.
Run Time: 1hr 56` . MMPA: R . Release: 26 Mar 2025
Director: Emily Richardson , Kelly Maracin Krieg , David Ayer
Producer: John Friedberg , David Ayer , Alexis Garcia
Stars: Jason Statham , David Harbour , Michael Peña , Jason Flemyng , Arianna Rivas , Noemi Gonzalez