Was Columbo Actually Poor? What a 1970s LAPD Lieutenant Really Earned

In 1972, Lieutenant Columbo told a millionaire killer that he made $11,000 a year. The killer's house cost $750,000. So was Columbo actually poor? We pulled the real numbers: what the average American family earned in 1972, what big-city police sergeants and captains made, the $15 raincoat Peter Falk bought himself in a New York rainstorm, the 1959 Peugeot 403 picked from the studio back lot, the killers' mansions, and how much Peter Falk was paid per episode. Would you have underestimated Columbo? Tell me in the comments. CHAPTERS 0:00 The Poorest Man In The Room 0:46 Los Angeles Homicide 1:25 Eleven Thousand Dollars 2:26 Playing Poor 3:57 The Fifteen Dollar Raincoat 5:17 The Car With No Engine 6:27 The Suspects 7:42 The Man In The Raincoat 8:43 Just One More Thing SOURCES Columbo (NBC 1971–1978, ABC 1989–2003): scenes from official Columbo channel clips; "Étude in Black" (Sept. 17, 1972) for the $11,000 / $750,000 scene U.S. Census Bureau, Money Income in 1972 of Families and Persons (P60-87, P60-90): median family income $11,120 Kansas City Police Department, Survey of Municipal Police Departments, as reported in an NCJRS study of large-city police departments 1959–1973 (sergeant and captain salaries, 8 cities, 1973) Raincoat: IMDb trivia; MeTV; Columbophile (Bonhams 2017 estimate $80,000–$120,000; 2018 single bid $20,000; at least two coats; 1974 TV Guide) Peugeot 403 cabriolet: MeTV, Consumer Guide (504 convertibles built in 1959); Jalopnik (1960 U.S. price of the 403 sedan, $2,250) Peter Falk's pay: TV Guide ($40,000 → $100,000 → $137,000 per episode; 1974 lawsuit); four Emmys for Columbo (1972, 1975, 1976, 1990) BLS CPI for today's dollars ($1 in 1972 ≈ $8) Police salaries are survey averages for big U.S. cities; Los Angeles was not in that sample. CREDITS Music: Kevin MacLeod "George Street Shuffle" (incompetech.com, CC BY 4.0), Freedom Trail Studio "Swing Theory" (YouTube Audio Library). This video is commentary and analysis for educational purposes. Short clips are used under fair use. Not affiliated with Universal Television or the producers of Columbo. #Columbo #ClassicTV #PeterFalk