Listen free for 30 days
-
Shooting Columbo
- The Lives and Deaths of TV's Rumpled Detective
- Narrated by: Randy Skretvedt
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Art
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £18.29
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
I Am (Not) a Number
- Decoding the Prisoner
- By: Alex Cox
- Narrated by: Alex Cox
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
According to Cox, the key to understanding The Prisoner is to view the series in the order in which the episodes were made - and not in the rearranged order of the UK or US television screenings. In this book he provides an innovative and controversial "explanation" for what is perhaps the best, the most original, and certainly the most perplexing TV series of all time.
-
-
an exellent guide to the prisoner.
- By Tin Dog on 16-10-21
-
Blood, Sweat & Chrome
- The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road
- By: Kyle Buchanan
- Narrated by: Fred Berman, Aspen Vincent, Dan Bittner, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It won six Oscars and has been hailed as the greatest action film ever, but it is a miracle Mad Max: Fury Road ever made it to the screen…or that anybody survived the production. The story of this modern classic spanned nearly two decades of wild obstacles as visionary director George Miller tried to mount one of the most difficult shoots in Hollywood history.
-
-
Good book - Terrible Accents
- By Mr. J. Filsell on 10-03-22
-
All About Me!
- My Remarkable Life in Show Business
- By: Mel Brooks
- Narrated by: Mel Brooks
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For anyone who loves American comedy, the long wait is over. Here are the never-before-told, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and remembrances from a master storyteller, filmmaker, and creator of all things funny. All About Me! charts Mel Brooks' meteoric rise from a Depression-era kid in Brooklyn to the recipient of the National Medal of Arts.
-
-
Anything is possible, the outrageous is probable
- By papapownall on 02-12-21
-
Yours Cruelly, Elvira
- Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark
- By: Cassandra Peterson
- Narrated by: Cassandra Peterson
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The woman behind the icon known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the undisputed Queen of Halloween, reveals her full story, filled with intimate bombshells - and told by the bombshell herself.
-
-
Fabulous memoir
- By Stella The Book Fairy on 19-06-22
-
Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli
- The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather
- By: Mark Seal
- Narrated by: Phil Thron
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of how The Godfather was made is as dramatic, operatic, and entertaining as the film itself. Over the years, many versions of various aspects of the movie’s fiery creation have been told - sometimes conflicting, but always compelling. Mark Seal sifts through the evidence, has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources, and complements them with colorful interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Talia Shire, and others.
-
-
Bada-bing
- By Amazon Customer on 12-07-22
-
These Are the Voyages, TOS, Season One, Volume 1
- By: Marc Cushman, Susan Osborn
- Narrated by: Vic Mignogna
- Length: 27 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
These Are the Voyages - The Original Series, Season One , at 28 hours, is perhaps the most ambitious audiobook undertaken. Narrated by Vic Mignogna (Executive Producer and Captain Kirk in the web-series Star Trek Continues), this "audio play" documents the creation of the Star Trek TV series and production of its two pilot films and the 28 episodes from its formative first season (1966-67). This unparalleled production boasts a cast of nearly 100, including the voices of many of those who helped make the first Star Trek series.
-
-
Impressive to make so much detail an enjoyable listen.
- By Anonymous User on 18-07-22
-
I Am (Not) a Number
- Decoding the Prisoner
- By: Alex Cox
- Narrated by: Alex Cox
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
According to Cox, the key to understanding The Prisoner is to view the series in the order in which the episodes were made - and not in the rearranged order of the UK or US television screenings. In this book he provides an innovative and controversial "explanation" for what is perhaps the best, the most original, and certainly the most perplexing TV series of all time.
-
-
an exellent guide to the prisoner.
- By Tin Dog on 16-10-21
-
Blood, Sweat & Chrome
- The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road
- By: Kyle Buchanan
- Narrated by: Fred Berman, Aspen Vincent, Dan Bittner, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It won six Oscars and has been hailed as the greatest action film ever, but it is a miracle Mad Max: Fury Road ever made it to the screen…or that anybody survived the production. The story of this modern classic spanned nearly two decades of wild obstacles as visionary director George Miller tried to mount one of the most difficult shoots in Hollywood history.
-
-
Good book - Terrible Accents
- By Mr. J. Filsell on 10-03-22
-
All About Me!
- My Remarkable Life in Show Business
- By: Mel Brooks
- Narrated by: Mel Brooks
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For anyone who loves American comedy, the long wait is over. Here are the never-before-told, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and remembrances from a master storyteller, filmmaker, and creator of all things funny. All About Me! charts Mel Brooks' meteoric rise from a Depression-era kid in Brooklyn to the recipient of the National Medal of Arts.
-
-
Anything is possible, the outrageous is probable
- By papapownall on 02-12-21
-
Yours Cruelly, Elvira
- Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark
- By: Cassandra Peterson
- Narrated by: Cassandra Peterson
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The woman behind the icon known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the undisputed Queen of Halloween, reveals her full story, filled with intimate bombshells - and told by the bombshell herself.
-
-
Fabulous memoir
- By Stella The Book Fairy on 19-06-22
-
Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli
- The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather
- By: Mark Seal
- Narrated by: Phil Thron
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of how The Godfather was made is as dramatic, operatic, and entertaining as the film itself. Over the years, many versions of various aspects of the movie’s fiery creation have been told - sometimes conflicting, but always compelling. Mark Seal sifts through the evidence, has extensive new conversations with director Francis Ford Coppola and several heretofore silent sources, and complements them with colorful interviews with key players including actors Al Pacino, James Caan, Talia Shire, and others.
-
-
Bada-bing
- By Amazon Customer on 12-07-22
-
These Are the Voyages, TOS, Season One, Volume 1
- By: Marc Cushman, Susan Osborn
- Narrated by: Vic Mignogna
- Length: 27 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
These Are the Voyages - The Original Series, Season One , at 28 hours, is perhaps the most ambitious audiobook undertaken. Narrated by Vic Mignogna (Executive Producer and Captain Kirk in the web-series Star Trek Continues), this "audio play" documents the creation of the Star Trek TV series and production of its two pilot films and the 28 episodes from its formative first season (1966-67). This unparalleled production boasts a cast of nearly 100, including the voices of many of those who helped make the first Star Trek series.
-
-
Impressive to make so much detail an enjoyable listen.
- By Anonymous User on 18-07-22
-
Shatner
- By: Michael Seth Starr
- Narrated by: Curt Bonnem
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shatner takes a comprehensive look at this singular performer, using archival sources and information culled from interviews with friends and colleagues to transport listeners through William Shatner's remarkably bumpy career: his spectacular failures and triumphs; tragedies, including the shocking death of his third wife, Nerine; and, ultimately, the resilience Shatner has shown, time and again, in the face of overwhelming odds. Author Michael Seth Starr unravels the mystery of William Shatner, stripping away the many myths associated with his personal life.
-
20th Century-Fox
- Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Film Studio
- By: Scott Eyman
- Narrated by: Suehyla El-Attar
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
March 20, 2019 marked the end of an era - Disney took ownership of the movie empire that was Fox. For almost a century before that historic date, Twentieth Century-Fox was one of the preeminent producers of films, stars, and filmmakers. Its unique identity in the industry and place in movie history is unparalleled - and one of the greatest stories to come out of Hollywood.
-
Secrets of the Force
- The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Wars
- By: Edward Gross, Mark A. Altman
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner, Mark A. Altman - introduction, Natalie Naudus, and others
- Length: 24 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the past four decades, no film saga has touched the world in the way that Star Wars has, capturing the imaginations of filmgoers and filmmakers alike. Now, for the first time ever, Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, the best-selling authors of The Fifty-Year Mission, are telling the entire story of this blockbuster franchise from the very beginning in a single exhaustive volume.
-
-
Interesting and annoying
- By Andy on 16-02-22
-
Watergate
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy, Garrett M. Graff
- Length: 25 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Plane in the Sky, comes the first definitive narrative history of Watergate—“the best and fullest account of the crisis, one unlikely to be surpassed anytime soon” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)—exploring the full scope of the scandal through the politicians, investigators, journalists, and informants who made it the most influential political event of the modern era.
-
Hancock’s Half Hour: Selected TV Soundtracks & more
- A BBC Classic Comedy Collection
- By: Ray Galton, Alan Simpson
- Narrated by: Tony Hancock, Sid James, Bill Kerr, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Over 30 brilliant BBC recordings, including TV shows, radio highlights and a wealth of previously unreleased material. Tony Hancock was one of Britain's best-loved and most influential post-war comedians. Collected here are some of the very best radio and TV episodes from Hancock's Half Hour, plus celebrations, compilations, interviews, original dramas and documentaries - many of which have never before been available on audio.
-
-
Why no chapter titles.
- By Amazon Customer on 20-01-22
-
If Chins Could Kill
- Confessions of a B Movie Actor
- By: Bruce Campbell
- Narrated by: Bruce Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Life is full of choices. Right now, yours is whether or not to buy the autobiography of a mid-grade, kind of hammy actor.
-
-
Groovy: the 2010 edition
- By Katherine on 05-07-15
-
Starmaker
- Life as a Hollywood Publicist with Farrah, The Rat Pack, & 600 More Stars Who Fired Me
- By: Jay Bernstein
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Revealingly candid, this Hollywood memoir is the story of Jay Bernstein, an entertainment industry fixture who helped launch and sustain the careers of many celebrities including Farrah Fawcett and Suzanne Somers. From his childhood in Oklahoma City and his first job in a Hollywood mail room to the ownership of his own public relations firm and his work as a television producer, Bernstein’s life is chronicled in his own words.
-
-
Hmm not sure
- By Trebor on 18-07-15
-
John Gilbert
- The Last of the Silent Film Stars (Screen Classics)
- By: Eve Golden
- Narrated by: Hugh Munro Neely
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charming and classically handsome, John Gilbert (1897-1936) was among the world's most recognizable actors during the silent era. He was a wild, swashbuckling figure on screen and off, and accounts of his life have focused on his high-profile romances with Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, his legendary conflicts with Louis B. Mayer, his four tumultuous marriages, and his swift decline after the introduction of talkies.
-
-
Entertaining and Informative
- By Aly cat 50 on 26-04-21
-
Final Cuts
- The Last Films of 50 Great Directors
- By: Nat Segaloff
- Narrated by: Nat Segaloff
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Critic-producer Nat Segaloff was granted access to private papers, production records, never-before-published interviews, and specialized archives in reconstructing the colorful, touching, and sometimes scandalous stories behind the making of the last films of some of Hollywood's top directors.
-
Chain Saw Confidential
- How We Made the World’s Most Notorious Horror Movie
- By: Gunnar Hansen
- Narrated by: Gunnar Hansen
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This fascinating literary memoir of the making of The Chainsaw Massacre comes from the unique perspective of Gunnar Hansen, the actor who played the chain saw-wielding Leatherface. A critically acclaimed poet and author, Hansen tells the real story of the film, debunking myths, giving behind-the-scenes details, and offering insights on the film's reception and our enduring fascination with the horror genre today.
-
-
Fantastic insight. I had to dig out the movie
- By Nick on 07-04-18
-
The Devil’s Candy
- The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco
- By: Julie Salamon
- Narrated by: Julie Salamon
- Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Brian De Palma agreed to allow Julie Salamon unlimited access to the film production of Tom Wolfe's best-selling book The Bonfire of the Vanities, both director and journalist must have felt like they were on to something big. How could it lose? But instead Salamon got a front-row seat at the Hollywood disaster of the decade.
-
-
Very informative, interesting but too long
- By David Slater on 01-08-22
-
Scoops
- Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews
- By: Sam McAlister
- Narrated by: Sam McAlister
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
She is the woman who clinched the 2019 interview with Prince Andrew described as ‘a plane crashing into an oil tanker, causing a tsunami, triggering a nuclear explosion'. Sam McAlister is many things beside: the first in her family to go to university; a trained barrister; a single mum; a master of persuasion. In her former BBC colleagues' words, she was the ‘booker extraordinaire', responsible for many of Newsnight's exclusives over the past decade, including Stormy Daniels, Sean Spicer, Brigitte Hoss, Steven Seagal, Mel Greig and Julian Assange.
-
-
superb and important book
- By B. Morrell on 02-08-22
Summary
Columbo was arguably the most popular and most unique television mystery series ever - even though, within two minutes of the titles, the audience already knew the murderer’s identity. The show captivated tens of millions of viewers for 69 adventures produced over 35 years. Yet if star Peter Falk had gotten his way, it would have run far longer.
Columbo was never formally canceled, just subtly killed off. Twice. Who was to blame? The temperamental lead who would rather work in movies? The budget-conscious studio, exhausted with the star’s demands? Or was it the meddling television studios, searching for a younger, hipper replacement?
Discover the solution in Shooting Columbo: The Lives and Deaths of TV’s Rumpled Detective. Author David Koenig takes you behind the scenes to witness the creation and making of every case, from the pilot Prescription: Murder (and its earlier incarnations on The Chevy Mystery Show and on stage) to the final special, Columbo Likes the Nightlife.
You’ll discover the origins of the Lieutenant’s unseen wife, the lethargic Dog, the wrinkled raincoat, the wheezing 1959 Peugeot, and “Just one more thing....” The narrative draws on scores of exclusive interviews with the show’s writers, producers, directors and other creative personnel, as well as previously unpublished studio records, including scripts, memos, production reports, casting sheets, and business diaries. They will transport you to the harried story conferences, the heated confrontations, and take...after take...after take...of filming.
The “shooting” of Columbo was filled with backstage intrigue and larger-than-life personalities who, through it all, created unforgettable classic television.
What listeners say about Shooting Columbo
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- C. P. Lewis
- 06-06-22
Ends, like a bad Columbo, without a satisfying pop
You need to be an aficionado, not a background listen at work, some interesting trivia.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Andrew Kirk
- 12-12-21
Sounds like they wanted to “Shoot Peter Falk”
“Shooting Columbo” is well worth a read or listen but if you’ve read any other Columbo books you’ll probably already have most of info anyway. This book Talks us through every season and episode and focuses on how annoying Peter Falk could be during production, getting band from the set and wanting more and more control and money for each new season and upsetting a few co-stars along the way.
But at the end of the day Columbo remains the greatest TV show ever thanks to Falk’s incredible performance as Columbo.
Worth a credit!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- G. Tanner
- 19-07-22
Perfect(ish) for Columbophiles
Wow. Well, I couldn’t fault the amount of detail packed into this, which borders on the nerdish, but I love that kind of thing, especially when it concerns something I’m a real fan of.
What I didn’t like was the reader. He didn’t really engage me, and some paragraphs were in need of a do-over as he’d given the wrong inflection on certain sentences.
Overall, fascinating and amusing for fans of the show and begins the scenes tales in general.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ashford
- 27-06-22
Fascinating
Columbo was my Dad’s favourite show. Like many viewers he liked the Columbo character, so smart, but also so modest and gentlemanly. He used to enjoy in particular those moments when Peter Falk’s performance would indicate that the character had noticed something or had made a connection to solve the crime. If we were watching together he would catch my eye and nod! Which is all by way of saying that I love this show as watching it always reminds me of my Dad too. This book lets you behind the scenes to see a little of how the magic was produced. Not always easily, I suppose, but then nothing worthwhile ever does emerge without some effort and strife along the way. Columbo transcends other similar genre TV of its era. I do think it will live forever.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr. C. Williamson
- 22-04-22
Nothing new
Odd, not a lot of real love of the subject by the writer. Should have more fun, and information.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- R. Maines
- 03-02-22
Fascinating..
Prepare to have illusions shattered this is a riveting look at how Columbo was made. My only complaints are the lack of preface in the audio
Book and the ABC years are breezed through far too quickly.
Narration was good.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Buretto
- 03-10-21
As comfortable as an old pair of $16 shoes
Anyone who loves Columbo will enjoy this book. But, you shouldn't expect too much information that you don't already know. If you've listened to the Columbo podcasts with the Scottish guys, it's similar to that. Essentially a synopsis of each episode, with a few behind the scenes tidbits added in (but thankfully lacking the prudish perspective of the 70s of the podcasters). There are a lot of details about production conflicts and casting ideas, which are moderately interesting. Though I doubt anyone can be sure just how likely it was that the high-priced choices would have actually guest starred, or how far along planning got to set an episode in Japan. I would say that it was great good fortune to have snagged Ruth Gordon for Try and Catch Me, rather than Bette Davis. Conversely, Angela Lansbury might have brought more of a sociopathic edge to the depiction of Grace Wheeler in Forgotten Lady, than Janet Leigh, And as with the program, the book loses steam for me after Chapter 14 and the wrap of The Conspirators. The later episodes hold little or no interest for me, and neither did the backstage intrigues.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mary B. Wheeler
- 16-02-22
True to Columbo
Enjoyed this book. It did get redundant at times, but that is just long running TV shows in general. Still, a good listen!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Corey Anderson
- 16-02-22
A good listen
This is a great drive listen. If you’re a fan of columbo or falk go ahead and open your ear
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ray Sharp
- 25-01-22
Terrific
If you are interested in television history you will love this Audible. Koenig and Skretvedt are a wonderful team and their work is exceptional.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Roz
- 02-12-21
Mixed Bag
Interesting, but rather than enhance my love of the show the way some podcasts have, it made me feel put off by Falk and annoyed when I watch the show. So many things I have complained about during viewings turned out to be Falk’s input. Makes me wonder how much better and consistent the show would have been if Falk would have just shut up and done his job.