365 Days of Columbo: March 15th

No Time to Die premieres

No Time to Die, which was sort of appropriately named considering nobody dies until the final moments (and even then it's the bad guy; sorry for the spoiler) premiered on ABC on March 15, 1992. 

It's pretty often ranked as the worst of the series and, true to that I have it ranked 69th as well. 🫤 

Remembering Alice Backes

March 15th is also the anniversary of the death of actress Alice Backes, who died on March 15, 2007. Columbo fans first saw her as the housekeeper Mrs. Moyland in Negative Reaction. 

I was surprised to discover that she reappeared, many years later, as Harriet Jenkins in A Trace of Murder. 

Remembering Jimmy Joyce

Another March 15 remembrance belongs to Jimmy Joyce, who died on March 15, 2011. Joyce had three credited appearances in Columbo, : he pops up as a Workman in Blueprint for Murder, a Camera Operator in Fade in to Murder, and a Handwriting Expert in Last Salute to the Commodore. 

Jimmy Joyce in Columbo: Fade in to Murder

Knowing Falk it's entirely possible that Joyce appeared uncredited in the background of one or more other episodes. Falk seemed to have a crew of occasionals (like Michael Lally and Mickey Golden) who showed up here and there.

Joyce was not a marquee guest star, but Columbo has always rewarded obsessive viewers who notice the utility players, bit parts, and recurring faces that drift through the series. 

Happy birthday Robert Lewis Bush

For a behind-the-scenes nod, March 15th was also the birthday of Robert Lewis Bush, born March 15, 1945. Bush worked in the costume and wardrobe department on two 1990s Columbo films: Death Hits the Jackpot and Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star. Costume credits rarely get the same attention as writers, directors, or murderers, but Columbo depended on that crew craftsmanship. The show needed to look glossy and current without losing the rumpled charm of Falk's detective, and that balancing act was never accidental.