365 Days of Columbo: March 4th

The Most Dangerous Match debuts

On March 4, 1973 The Most Dangerous Match premiered on NBC.

If you’re in the mood for “Columbo vs. a specialist,” this is a great pick. The murderer is Emmett Clayton (Laurence Harvey), a chess champion who makes the fatal mistake of believing he can control every variable—including Columbo’s patience. The episode’s hook is simple and strong: a private match, a victim who knows too much, and a killer who thinks the board is the whole world.

He was in San Marino, with his in-laws

Thayer David was born March 4, 1927 and is known to Columbo fans as the magic shop clerk in Now You See Him (1976).

"Ah, dear Jesse, to know him was to detest him." 

Thayer David is one of those instantly recognizable character actors with his a distinctive voice and sharp presence. In Now You See Him, he pops up as the clerk who serves Columbo in a magic shop. 

Outside of Columbo you might recognize him as Jergens, Apollo Creed's fight promoter, in Rocky.

In Memoriam Nan Martin

Nan Martin died March 4, 2010. She appears in Murder, Smoke and Shadows (1989) as Rose Walker, Alex's secretary.

Nan Martin brings a bracing toughness to “Murder, Smoke and Shadows.” Rose feels like someone who has spent years watching people pretend, and has no interest in playing along.