365 Days of Columbo: February 10th

Mind Over Mayhem airs in the U.S.

Season 3’s Mind Over Mayhem aired on February 10th, 1974, bringing Columbo into a very 1974 brand of techno-anxiety: a think-tank full of geniuses, an ambitious director, and a murder that tries to hide inside the machinery of prestige. It’s the episode with José Ferrer at the helm of the institute and the unforgettable (and wonderfully out-of-place) cameo by Robby the Robot.

Agenda for Murder premieres

Sixteen years later, February 10th, 1990 is the U.S. air date for Agenda for Murder. Patrick McGoohan pulls double duty here—directing and starring—and the result feels like the revival run announcing, “Okay… we’re playing for real again.”

Happy Birthday Billy Goldenberg 

Composer Billy Goldenberg was born on February 10, 1936. His name may not be recognizeable to the average Columbo fan but Goldenberg’s TV scoring career included multiple contributions to Columbo, including Murder by the Book, Suitable for Framing, and Lady in Waiting. He’s part of the sonic fabric that made the show feel classy without ever feeling fussy.

Remembering Carmen Argenziano

Actor Carmen Argenziano passed away on February 10, 2019. Columbo fans may spot him as Anderson in Identity Crisis (Season 5), one of those brief-but-memorable supporting turns that helps sell the procedural texture of the show.

Remembering Marge Redmond

Marge Redmond died on February 10, 2020. For Columbo viewers, she’s Helen Hendrix in Sex and the Married Detective (the friend in the infamous tuba scene).