(So as not to further drag the "Leslie Nielsen" thread further off course...)
The Commander said:
"We watch something like, say, Columbo, and think to ourselves, of course Peter Falk was the perfect actor for the part."
I'd always heard that the part of Columbo was originally written for Bing Crosby. With respect to "der Bingle", I just can't imagine what it would've been like with him in the part.