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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

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You are here: Home / Popular Culture / Friday Evening Inspirational Open Thread: Doing Good Quietly

Friday Evening Inspirational Open Thread: Doing Good Quietly

by Anne Laurie|  October 14, 20225:52 pm| 70 Comments

This post is in: Popular Culture, Something Good Open Thread, Television

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Losing Angela Lansbury completes the trifecta of losing the total mensch group of TV crime-solvers: Falk (Columbo), Klugman (Quincy) and Lansbury (Fletcher).

Each of them used their show influence to make things better for people around them, not for themselves.

Here's how: /1

— John Bull (@garius) October 12, 2022

Look for the helpers…

I've written about how Klugman leveraged Quincy to help save lives before in detail below. Why did he do it? To quote:

“There’s got to be some value on TV. You can’t just have screeching tires.”https://t.co/xJPDwwjNtb

— John Bull (@garius) October 12, 2022

That brings us to Peter Falk. I discovered during research ages ago that Falk was actually an uncredited writer on several Columbo episodes.

Why uncredited? Because he was doing it to cover for the NAMED writer who was sick and being treated for cancer.

Falk (and others) knew that if the studio knew the writer was too sick to work, they’d fire him, losing the medical plan covering his cancer care.

So Falk wrote them and lied to studio staff repeatedly whenever they asked where the writer was, saying he was just off set that day…

Finally we have Angela Lansbury. It was pretty much an open secret in the acting community that if you were a faded star on hard times whose pension, healthcare (via union, agency or studio) depended on continued credited appearances you reached out to Lansbury.

Lansbury had been there. She was a star of the golden age. She KNEW how hard it was, and how lucky she was to have Murder She Wrote later in life.

Ever wondered why so many old hollywood and TV faded legends show up randomly in Murder She Wrote?

Lansbury.

If you were struggling for cash or minimum appearances you reached out to Lansbury. She’d get you a part on Murder She Wrote. Might not be a big one. But it would be a credit, it would be paid, and it would COUNT.

And she did the same for young actors struggling to start out too

Klugman, Falk and Lansbury were all actors who’d legit come up, and built careers, the hard way. And they all saw themselves as having a duty to the people around them and society beyond. They each realised they could leverage their on-set power to help others, and did.

RIP.

Yup. I should have mentioned this, with hindsight.

Lansbury had FIRM opinions on equality of opportunity for actors from all backgrounds AND on character portrayal.

Didn't always win against the studio, but did so more than most.
https://t.co/PigKj2c5ev

— John Bull (@garius) October 12, 2022

Oh, and Falk was an INCREDIBLE artist, who used to love sketching anyone and everything on set.

Here's one of his self-portraits as Columbo, the role he utterly adored. pic.twitter.com/y7KtOv9wYO

— John Bull (@garius) October 12, 2022

"Someone who transported you into a different venue, gave you relief, gave you entertainment. Gave you joy and laughter. Tears. All those things."

"I'd like to be remembered as someone who was… capable of doing that."

– Angela Lansbury.

Source: https://t.co/4CmmpwGcVg

— John Bull (@garius) October 12, 2022

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Reader Interactions

70Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    October 14, 2022 at 5:54 pm

    Loved Colombo.

  2. 2.

    RSA

    October 14, 2022 at 5:56 pm

    Wonderful.  Thanks, Anne Laurie.  I didn’t know any of that before.

  3. 3.

    glc

    October 14, 2022 at 5:57 pm

    @Baud: And also Peter Falk.

  4. 4.

    trollhattan

    October 14, 2022 at 6:08 pm

    “Just…one more thing” says that sketch very clearly. Neat!

  5. 5.

    Steeplejack

    October 14, 2022 at 6:09 pm

    Useful Starlink hack. Thanks, Elon!

  6. 6.

    lollipopguild

    October 14, 2022 at 6:12 pm

    A little song a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants………

  7. 7.

    HumboldtBlue

    October 14, 2022 at 6:13 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Nailed it.

  8. 8.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    October 14, 2022 at 6:14 pm

    Just one more thing, Falk tried to join the CIA after college but he was rejected because he had belonged to a labor union.  He would later portray a CIA officer responsible for The Bay of Pigs in one of his greatest roles, “The In-Laws”.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 14, 2022 at 6:17 pm

    @Baud:

    Oh … just one more thing.

  10. 10.

    Steeplejack

    October 14, 2022 at 6:20 pm

    This reminds me that Ray Collins, Lt. Tragg on Perry Mason, had a large number of credit-only “appearances” on the show from 1963 until his death in 1965.

    IMDB: Even though he was forced to quit playing Lt. Tragg on Perry Mason (1957) during the 1963-1964 television season due to his worsening emphysema, Collins’s name was kept on the credits at the insistence of Raymond Burr. This was done not only to help keep his spirits up, but to allow him to continue to receive health coverage from SAG.

  11. 11.

    guachi

    October 14, 2022 at 6:21 pm

    Raymond Burr intentionally had many old radio drama stars on Perry Mason over and over again as guests.

  12. 12.

    Alison Rose

    October 14, 2022 at 6:29 pm

    It’s always nice to learn, after their passing, that someone you liked or admired was a truly good person.

    Also too, my brother shared this lovely clip from 2017 of Lansbury singing Beauty and the Beast with The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra. She even adds in the line to Chip at the end :)

  13. 13.

    Roger Moore

    October 14, 2022 at 6:30 pm

    @Steeplejack: ​
     
    I respect the hell out of the people willing to cheat the system to make sure others can keep their health insurance, but it shows just how awful our system is that it’s necessary. It’s just ridiculous that someone someone can lose their health insurance because they’re too sick to work. Healthcare should be treated as a human right.

  14. 14.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    October 14, 2022 at 6:31 pm

    @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch: Was going to mention “The In-Laws”. I’ve seen lots of funny movies, but only a couple that were so funny so continuously that I could barely breathe for most of the movie.

    “The In-Laws” (with Alan Arkin) is on that very short list.

    “Paramus Philharmonic” is one of the inside jokes in our family (you have to get to the end of the movie to understand it).

  15. 15.

    MomSense

    October 14, 2022 at 6:31 pm

    What a wonderful post.  I loved all of these shows.

  16. 16.

    SuzieC

    October 14, 2022 at 6:32 pm

    Aww as a person getting up there in years this made me cry.  I loved all these shows, and actors.

  17. 17.

    Mai Naem mobile

    October 14, 2022 at 6:32 pm

    I knew about Klugman. I didn’t know about Falk and Lansbury. That is what it means to be a good person.

  18. 18.

    cain

    October 14, 2022 at 6:33 pm

    This is what I love about this blog – really appreciate this post.

  19. 19.

    Gravenstone

    October 14, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    Always loved Quincy M.E., but now I have to laugh at the impossibility of the science, or more accurately, the absurdity of “TV time”. Need to identify something? Inject in the GC mass spectrometer and two minutes later – voila! Yeah, no. Hope you have a few hours to spare for method development and spectra interpretation. And the available databases 40 years ago pale in comparison to what’s available now.

    One amusing bit I learned a few years into the series run, the character of Marc (frequent lab tech) was actually played by a service rep for Perkin Elmer (analytical instrument manufacturer). He parlayed the role into a modest acting career, post Quincy, then actually moved into forensic science.

  20. 20.

    cain

    October 14, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    @Alison Rose: Damn, the woman doesn’t seem to age – is that really 2017- when she actually sung that song or was it just released then? She would have been 91 at that time.

  21. 21.

    Ixnay

    October 14, 2022 at 6:41 pm

    Good people. Not nearly enough of them. Thanks.

  22. 22.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    October 14, 2022 at 6:41 pm

    Here’s a great podcast on the history of Columbo (audio) They originally asked…. [checks notes]… Bing Crosby who thankfully turned it down.

  23. 23.

    Alison Rose

    October 14, 2022 at 6:45 pm

    @cain: I’m not positive–the album it was recorded for came out in 2017, but it says it includes performances “over the years” so it could’ve been a number of years earlier.

  24. 24.

    WaterGirl

    October 14, 2022 at 6:46 pm

    I marvel at how you find all this stuff, Anne Laurie.

  25. 25.

    SiubhanDuinne

    October 14, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    @Mai Naem mobile:

    And I knew about Lansbury, but not the two dudes.

    These are all wonderful anecdotes about some (really) very fine people.

  26. 26.

    Major Major Major Major

    October 14, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    Are there any good cozy mystery shows being made these days?

  27. 27.

    OzarkHillbilly

    October 14, 2022 at 6:48 pm

    John Bull
    @garius
    ·
    Oct 12
    If you were struggling for cash or minimum appearances you reached out to Lansbury. She’d get you a part on Murder She Wrote. Might not be a big one. But it would be a credit, it would be paid, and it would COUNT.

    People don’t understand how big this can be. I got screwed out of a years pension credit by a superintendent with whom I’d had disagreements before (and a brown nosing pos carpenter trying to… Do a friend a solid? Or fuck somebody who once told him he was a brown nosing pos carpenter???)

    Anyway… $80.00 a month (i think) out of my and my wife’s income until the day I, and then my wife dies.

  28. 28.

    Ohio Mom

    October 14, 2022 at 6:48 pm

    I read the linked article on Klugman’s role in getting the orphan drugs legislation passed. An old story: the Congressman leading the way, a Democratic Representative, Henry Waxman; the two jeopardizing its passage, Republicans Gingrich and Dole.

    Sign me,
    Proud to be a Democrat

  29. 29.

    J R in WV

    October 14, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    Great information about these now gone artists. Wonderful to learn that they were more than actors, but also great people.

    Thanks for sharing, everyone!

  30. 30.

    Roger Moore

    October 14, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    You might be surprised at what people can do in a hurry.  I was at a mass spec training course with some people from Customs, and it sounded like they had an interesting but high stress job.  When a customs agent thought someone was trying to import something illegally, they could detain it, but only for a day or two.  The lab guys had to try to figure out if it was what the person said it was or something else within that time.  They had a bunch of fancy equipment to do the tests, but they had to guess what was going on, devise a test for it, and test the material within a very short time window.  It’s not quite a TV time frame, but they could very often do it.

  31. 31.

    cain

    October 14, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    @Gravenstone: Jack Klugman’s performance on the Odd Couple was something I could always related to. Both him and Tony Randall were awesome in that show.

  32. 32.

    frosty

    October 14, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: The Brits are making the cozy mystery shows these days. Must be half a dozen of them. Ms F is a fan

    ETA Midsommer Murders. Vera. Shakespeare and Hathaway. New Tricks. Queens of Mystery. Agatha Raisin. Brokenwood Mysteries. Miss Fisher’s Mystery.

  33. 33.

    Darrin Ziliak (formerly glocksman)

    October 14, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    While not a crime drama, Lou Grant dealt with a lot of social issues.

    Heck, the reporters also managed to solve some crimes along the way.

  34. 34.

    oatler

    October 14, 2022 at 6:59 pm

    I remember Quincy’s drug episode. The target was lookalike diet pills, and teens were dying because they were taking genuine speed thinking they were lookalikes. Quincy then used brawn to smash up the suppliers shop in a rage.  Accidently getting good drugs when you wanted the fake was common in the 70s

    “There oughtta be a law…”

  35. 35.

    glc

    October 14, 2022 at 7:03 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    I marvel at how you find all this stuff, Anne Laurie.

    So say we all.

  36. 36.

    Delk

    October 14, 2022 at 7:16 pm

    Angela Lansbury also raised millions for AIDS during the absolute worst years.

  37. 37.

    NotMax

    October 14, 2022 at 7:16 pm

    @Major Major Major Major

    Semi-tongue in cheek and relentlessly cozy Canadian series Murdoch Mysteries still cranking out new episodes; now on season 16 up north.

    13 seasons streaming on Hulu, 14 on Hoopla, 15 on Acorn (or 16, depending on which version of Acorn).

  38. 38.

    prostratedragon

    October 14, 2022 at 7:19 pm

    Had guessed that Lansbury and Burr were up to something like that, and had known the story about Ray Collins and something of Klugman’s efforts which were talked about at the time. Falk also, given the number of friends from old/indie cinema that he had on, though I didn’t know the story about the writer. But nice to see these things recalled and confirmed. I think others like Rod Serling and Alfred Hitchcock also used their shows to help keep people working who were being displaced by the end of the movie studio system, and to call attention to some social issues.

  39. 39.

    trollhattan

    October 14, 2022 at 7:20 pm

    Want to add I mostly knew pre-“Columbo” Falk (not to be confused with Pre-Columbian Falk) from John Cassavetes movies, and the teevee character is a pretty abrupt change.

  40. 40.

    delphinium

    October 14, 2022 at 7:24 pm

    @Alison Rose: Wonderful, joyous clip and her dress is just gorgeous!

  41. 41.

    Sister Golden Bear

    October 14, 2022 at 7:27 pm

    Lansbury story from a friend who’s a retired cinematographer. Back in the day the crew had to pay for coffee and donuts while on set while shooting “Murder She Wrote.”

    Season 1 – Lansbury offered to pay for it out of pocket. The studio refused.

    Season 2 – She had it written into her contract that she would pay for it.

    Season 3 – She let the studio know in no uncertain terms, that if they wanted her back, they would pay for the crew’s coffee and donuts.

    Studio backed down, and ended up ending the practice studio-wide.

  42. 42.

    trollhattan

    October 14, 2022 at 7:29 pm

    How’s that Russia->Ukraine thing going? Swell, it seems.

    Russians shot missiles, then shot them down with their own SAMs and those landed on their railway tracks knocking those out! Talk about three birds in one stone

    https://twitter.com/poliitikasse/status/1580880517335232514?cxt=HHwWhMDRwYydtfArAAAA

  43. 43.

    Steeplejack

    October 14, 2022 at 7:33 pm

    @frosty:

    Father Brown. Semi-cozy: The Coroner. (The one from 2015, not 2019.)

  44. 44.

    Major Major Major Major

    October 14, 2022 at 7:34 pm

    @frosty: thanks, I’ll have to look into the ones I hadn’t heard of.

    @NotMax: that one just doesn’t do it for me 🤷🏻‍♂️

  45. 45.

    HumboldtBlue

    October 14, 2022 at 7:34 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Damn

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    October 14, 2022 at 7:39 pm

    @Steeplejack

    Non-Brit: Captain Marleau, Inspector Manara, Capitani, Black Spot, to rattle off just a few.

  47. 47.

    frosty

    October 14, 2022 at 7:44 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: ​New Tricks and Queens of Mystery were my favorites.​

  48. 48.

    Steeplejack

    October 14, 2022 at 7:50 pm

    @prostratedragon:

    I watch it very rarely, but MeTV runs Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-62) late at night, and, especially in the early seasons, it is peppered with British actors that you wouldn’t expect to be high on a Hollywood casting director’s list.

  49. 49.

    Steeplejack

    October 14, 2022 at 7:54 pm

    @Steeplejack:

    Pie in the Sky from 1994-97. Surprisingly good and holds up surprisingly well.

  50. 50.

    NotMax

    October 14, 2022 at 8:00 pm

    @frosty

    So old can remember regularly tuning in to Yours, Truly, Johnny Dollar* on the radio.

    *”The man with the action-packed expense account – America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator.”

  51. 51.

    NotMax

    October 14, 2022 at 8:02 pm

    Stray errant comma in #50. Title was Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.

  52. 52.

    WaterGirl

    October 14, 2022 at 8:13 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: On the Hallmark Channel.

  53. 53.

    Brachiator

    October 14, 2022 at 8:13 pm

    I knew about Klugman’s work with respect to orphan drugs. But I did not know about Falk or Lansbury. Amazing kindness and generosity.

    So old can remember regularly tuning in to Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar* on the radio.

    KNX radio in Los Angeles would replay these shows on most weeknights. I would listen to them all the time. Fun stuff.

  54. 54.

    Gvg

    October 14, 2022 at 8:26 pm

    @Roger Moore: we sort of did that at work 20 years ago. Whole division. Fairly new counselor diagnosed with brain tumor. Not much sick leave built up. Experienced managers read the rules carefully and explained to staff that she was covered if she worked 1/2 hour per 2 week pay period even if she was in a negative pay status. They called us in and explained and also that we would have to work more to cover for her. The cancer and pain drugs made her fuzzy headed so we were also checking her work. She was proud and in denial that it was terminal so she wasn’t told. People dropped in with groceries. Eventually we had to track down her estranged family because we couldn’t talk to doctors for her..

    It is a major reason i stayed at that job. 8 years ago i had cancer and my coverage was worry free. But i had over 20 years accrued leave. Nearly 1000 hours unused before.

  55. 55.

    Splitting Image

    October 14, 2022 at 8:43 pm

    Thanks for posting this. I always knew Falk was a good one, but I never heard the story about the writer before. Good for him.

    I never knew the stuff about Klugman and Lansbury though. It’s good to hear that they were good people behind the scenes. Quincy was a bit before my time, so I mostly knew Klugman from old Twilight Zone re-runs.

  56. 56.

    Chip Daniels

    October 14, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    If you want to see Peter Falk doing terrific work in a non-Columbo role, check out Wim Wender’s Wings of Desire.

  57. 57.

    Peke Daddy

    October 14, 2022 at 9:02 pm

    @Steeplejack: ​
      Lansbury had Madlyn Rhue appear in a recurring role so she could maintain her health coverage while suffering from MS.

  58. 58.

    japa21

    October 14, 2022 at 9:21 pm

    @NotMax: Great show, actually.  Edmund O’Brien was good, but nobody was better at that role that Bob Bailey.

  59. 59.

    sab

    October 14, 2022 at 9:24 pm

    @Gravenstone: My dad was a pathologist and Quincy show drove him crazy. ” Well, if I only had to do one case a week…” and ” the rampant violations of medical ethics rules would get him in trouble with the state medical board.”

    I think my mom watched it just to tease my dad.

  60. 60.

    Darkrose

    October 14, 2022 at 9:27 pm

    A couple days before Angela Lansbury died, I was listening to the episode my favorite podcast, Maintenance Phase, did on her diet book. Positive Moves came out in the ‘80s and was kind of awesome: she talked about doing what you can, not doing stuff that hurts, the importance of puttering, and being sexy at any age. It’s the antithesis of the rise and grind influencer bullshit.

    I may watch some Murder, She Wrote this weekend.

  61. 61.

    MomSense

    October 14, 2022 at 10:03 pm

    @Darkrose:

    Maintenance Phase is my favorite podcast as well.

  62. 62.

    Citizen Alan

    October 14, 2022 at 10:10 pm

    @oatler:  For some reason, I remember the Quincy drunk driving episode. The murderer was on trial for drunk driving and was likely to get off with a slap on the wrist because of lax 70s era drunk driving laws. He was able to prove that the guy intentionally ran over the victim and killed him while sober, and then, immediately drank half a bottle of vodka so he’d register as drunk at the police station, counting on those same lax laws to help him get away with murder.

  63. 63.

    Citizen Alan

    October 14, 2022 at 10:13 pm

    @sab: I’m the same way about legal dramas. When I was a 1L, I screamed at the tv during an episode of Ally McBeal in which she slandered a woman she didn’t like on a Monday, suit was filed on Tuesday, depositions on Wednesday, argument on summary judgment on Thursday, and they were celebrating her winning on Friday. Laughable stuff.

  64. 64.

    Tehanu

    October 15, 2022 at 3:59 am

    Thanks for this, it quite cheered me up, although I do agree that it’s a shame that our health care “system” is so fkd up that acts like Lansbury’s, Klugman’s, etc are necessary.​
    ​
    ​

  65. 65.

    sab

    October 15, 2022 at 5:23 am

    @Citizen Alan: I have a law degree, but bailed early on practicing. Boston Legal was the only show I liked. Big firm with everyone cynical. Occassionally altruistic but mostly trying to bill their hours on whatever.

  66. 66.

    sab

    October 15, 2022 at 5:59 am

    The pie filter is part of what keeps Balloon Juice healthy. If you are a normal reasonable adult, if the discussion irks you, you don’t go ballistic. You just pie them, then peek and decide to interact or move on. Very adult.

  67. 67.

    Geminid

    October 15, 2022 at 6:46 am

    @sab: People have differing levels of detachment, and you and I are at opposite ends of that scale.

    But I think I called you a “squeaky wheel,” and I apologize for that.

  68. 68.

    A Man for All Seaonings (formerly Geeno)

    October 15, 2022 at 9:22 am

    I recently rewatched “12 Angry Men”. Jack Klugman was great in that.

    Everyone in that movie was on top of their game.

  69. 69.

    artem1s

    October 15, 2022 at 9:47 am

    @Chip Daniels:

    If you want to see Peter Falk doing terrific work in a non-Columbo role, check out Wim Wender’s Wings of Desire.

    Falk working with Bruno Ganz – double terrific.

  70. 70.

    sab

    October 15, 2022 at 5:56 pm

    @Geminid: Thank you very much for the apology. The sqeaky wheel comment did hurt my feelings quite a bit since I was trying to not be obnoxious. So the apology makes it all good for me.

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