365 Days of Columbo: January 13th

January 13th has a classic 1970s episode premiere, a pair of birthdays for familiar names from the series, and the anniversary of the passing of one of the show’s most important collaborators.

The Premiere of Publish or Perish 

On January 13, 1974, viewers met one of the most deliciously sleazy publishing-industry villains in the entire run of the show: Riley Greenleaf (Jack Cassidy), a man who treats authors like product and people like disposable office supplies. Publish or Perish is remembered for its punchy opening titles (explosions, freeze-frames, a memorable supporting turn from real-life detective novelist Mickey Spillane as best-seller Allen Mallory, and Cassidy’s second trip to the Columbo murderers’ gallery—this time with a moustache that deserves its own guest star credit.

Happy birthday Robert Van Scoyk 

Writer/producer Robert Van Scoyk was born on January 13, 1928. Columbo fans have a special reason to tip the rumpled hat: he wrote Murder Under Glass, the Louis Jourdan/Jonathan Demme culinary caper that earned Van Scoyk an Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America. 

If you like following the behind-the-scenes pipeline of TV mystery writing, Van Scoyk’s résumé is a fun one to browse: he moved through a range of classic series and formats (from westerns to detective shows) and stayed active in television for decades.

Happy birthday David Sheiner 

Also born on January 13, 1928: character actor David Sheiner, who appears in Negative Reaction as Ray—one of Paul Galesko’s associates in an episode that’s already packed with great faces and great attitudes. 

[Ray]

Sheiner’s film and TV career is a deep bench of 1960s–80s work (including a memorable supporting role in The Odd Couple), and he’s one of those performers who instantly makes a scene feel lived-in.

Farewell Patrick McGoohan 

January 13th is also the anniversary of the passing of Patrick McGoohan (1928–2009), one of Columbo’s most consequential recurring collaborators. McGoohan wasn’t just a guest star—he became part of the show’s creative DNA. As an actor, he gave us the cool intensity of Colonel Lyle C. Rumford in By Dawn’s Early Light, the slightly-bored professionalism of CIA man Nelson Brenner in Identity Crisis, and, years later, the political operator Oscar Finch in Agenda for Murder. Behind the camera, he directed multiple episodes and generally brought a distinctive, hard-edged polish to the installments he touched.

McGoohan’s Columbo work was also awards-season real estate: he won Primetime Emmys for his guest performances, and his long association with Peter Falk helped produce a particular flavor of Columbo—one where the suspect is not merely clever, but formidable.