Sad to learn that Jack Klugman died today. I had the pleasure of working with him twice on episodes of DIAGNOSIS MURDER. I spent hours talking to him during the course of those shoots…and he was very candid about what a prick he was to the writers on QUINCY. He said: “Be glad you’re working with me now and not back then!” When we cast him, he was just glad to be working…since his problem with his voice had really cut down on the number of acting jobs coming his way. Here are the opening scenes of the DIAGNOSIS MURDER episode “Voices Carry,” which guest stars Jack Klugman. I think it was one of the best episodes of our show.
For a while, I thought that Tony Randall and Jack Klugman would team up for a TV version of “Grumpy Old Men”. They had the same chemistry as Jack Lemon and Walter Mathau.
When you had a guy like that guest starring on a show yours would you find, or invent, reasons to talk to him and ask questions?