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.
Friday Evening Inspirational Open Thread: Doing Good QuietlyPost + Comments (70)