Columbo (character) he is visiting them. "Étude in Black" (1972) marked the first appearance of the lieutenant's basset hound, named "Dog". "Dog" came to be an occasional regular character in the films. Columbo considered names like "Fido", "Munch" and "Beethoven" but ultimately settled on "Dog". In "Sex and the Married Detective", Columbo is put on the spot when he is asked to play the tuba. Reluctantly he agrees, only to demonstrate great proficiency. He subsequently claimed that at school, the tuba was the only instrument left. In several episodes, Columbo is seen eating a breakfast of a boiled egg, usually while investigating
Columbo (character) Columbo", the detective's wife is given the first name of Kate (presumably short for Katherine or some variant thereof) and portrayed by Kate Mulgrew. On duty, Columbo drives his own car, a French 1959 Peugeot 403 convertible equipped with a police radio. In early episodes the car used was clearly royal blue, though faded; later it seems to be "primer"-colored. Columbo says he parks his car in the shade because the sun ruins the paint. The California license plate, clearly seen in the first episode to be "044 APD", is damaged and crooked in later episodes. Peter Falk selected the