Peter Falk's Christmas Album

Until last Thursday, it was only urban legend: that back in the 1970's at the height of his fame as Lt. Columbo, Peter Falk did what many a star of that era did - he capitalized on his celebrity by recording an album of Christmas songs. Rumor had it that some thirty-one songs of the season were committed to tape, featuring many of his close Hollywood pals: Marlon Brando, Wally Cox, Valerie Harper, James Coburn, Brigitte Bardot, Burt Lancaster, Angie Dickinson, Conrad Bain, Ricardo Montalban, and a rising young star named Al Pacino.

Sadly, the album was never released, because the master tapes mysteriously disappeared. It was believed that these tapes were destroyed in a suspicious fire at Universal Studios, so all hopes of uncovering this rare musical gem were dashed.

Until last Thursday. While cleaning out the attic of the West Hollywood home of one Bernice Schwartz in preparation for an estate sale, her grandson "Flip" discovered one tape, weathered and dusty, in a cardboard box along with a half-dozen jars of gefilte fish, a matchbook from The Brown Derby, and a pile of racing forms.

Lovingly digitally restored, here for the first time is the one remaining song from the album "And one more thing...Merry Christmas"