365 Days of Columbo: May 24th

Raise a Toast to Jared Martin

Actor Jared Martin passed away on May 24, 2017, at age 75. Columbo fans know him as Harry Alexander in A Stitch in Crime, the troubled former drug addict whom Dr. Barry Mayfield tries to frame after murdering Sharon Martin.

It’s a crucial supporting role in one of the series’ strongest episodes. Harry is exactly the kind of suspect a more careless detective might accept at face value: vulnerable, compromised, and easy to dismiss. But Columbo sees past the convenient setup, and that makes Harry one of the episode’s most sympathetic figures.

Outside of Columbo, Martin was best known for playing Dusty Farlow on Dallas, and his career also included The Fantastic Journey, War of the Worlds, The Rookies, Wonder Woman, The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, and many more television appearances.

Happy Birthday Gil Mandelik

Assistant director Gil Mandelik was born May 24, 1909. He was an assistant director on Suitable for Framing, the Season 1 art-world mystery starring Ross Martin as murderous critic Dale Kingston.