Peter Falk and Columbo to be Honored at 2012 International Mystery Writers' Festival

The International Mystery Writers' Festival will honor Peter Falk and the character of Columbo at its 2012 event.

William Link, co-creator of Columbo, the television series that starred Falk, last year published a book of short stories featuring the character, titled The Columbo Collection; four of these stories will be selected and presented as Live Broadcast Theatre productions, presented in the style of old-fashioned radio shows.

The character was featured at the inaugural mystery festival in 2007 in Link's play "Columbo Takes the Rap", about a rapper who is murdered. Norm Boucher, who played the character then, will reprise his role in the new productions.

"When someone of the level of achievement of a Peter Falk leaves us, and we have new plays by the original author that are given to us to premiere, we need to do it," said Zev Buffman, president and CEO of the RiverPark Center, where the festival is held. "Peter Falk is worth celebrating whether we had new plays or not. Given new plays about the character, it's an opportunity to celebrate someone with both the old and the new — sort of like Columbo lives on."

The 2012 festival is scheduled to take place from June 11th through the 17th in Owensboro, Kentucky.

(Source: Broadway World)