As usual, I found myself perusing through the garbage channels (more than I actually watch any of them), but this time I ran across a rather familiar figure that immediately prompted me to stop and hang out for awhile.

It turned out to be an episode of "The Untouchables" from 1960, and it featured a rather youthful Peter Falk playing a syndicate hood (a role he played well). However, what really snagged my attention was that it also starred an equally young Val Avery.

Obviously those two shared a lengthy history I never knew about. IMDB revealed that it also starred Penny Santon (whom I can't place a face to, but) who had appeared in a couple of Columbo eps from the ABC era.

Yeah, I know ... trivial stuff folks, but interesting just the same.

Penny Santon plays the Italian mother in Death Hits the Jackpot who initially is upset by Columbo's appearance at Freddy's funeral but changes her mind after a conversation with the Lt in fluent Italian.

Fun! I think Peter played that role several times in "The Untouchables" -- mad-dog killers were a specialty of his, in those days. I imagine Val Avery wasn't the only player that Peter knew before "Columbo" -- he seemed to enjoy working with friends and with pros he already knew would come through.

I often watch the 70's shows on METV and i always see characters that i know from Columbo; since a lot of the shows are from 'Universal Studios'. A couple examples are Mission Impossible and The Twilight Zone.

I drive my wife crazy when i see a familiar actor and i'll say his character name from Columbo, like "Hey , there's Mr.Pauly"

It works even for the newer episodes. I can never watch Death Hits the Jackpot without looking at the son of the Penny Santon character and shouting out "That-a Johnny Depp, he make-a me cry!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHEYNYlHXc0

I know that Peter was in a very strange early ' 60's movie with Lee Grant, but I can't think of the title. (I found it on one of those lists of "borderline" weird movies on a horror and SF site.)

And of course Peter was in the Twilight Zone episode "The Mirror," and that had Arthur Batanides of "Mind Over Mayhem."