365 Days of Columbo: March 1st

Ransom for a Dead Man (premiere anniversary)

March 1 is a big one in Columbo history: it’s the original U.S. air date of Ransom for a Dead Man (1971), the show’s second pilot and the installment that convinced NBC Columbo could work as a regular rotating movie-length series.

Robert Conrad (born March 1, 1935)

Robert Conrad—best known outside the Columbo world for The Wild Wild West—was born on March 1, 1935. Columbo fans know him as Milo Janus, the ruthless, image-obsessed fitness guru in An Exercise in Fatality.

Conrad plays Milo like a man who’s built his entire identity out of discipline and branding—right down to the way he talks to the people around him. It’s a great match for Columbo, because the lieutenant isn’t impressed by status, muscles, or money. He just keeps pulling at the same thread until Milo’s carefully maintained persona starts to come apart.

Happy birthday William Driskill 

William Driskill was born on March 1, 1930. Columbo fans might not recognize him but he was the writer of the opening episode of Season 5: Forgotten Lady.