Ellery Queen's radio plays - page 2

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Season 1 (2/3)
*The Adventures of Ellery Queen* CBS sustained Sundays 10:00 - 10:30 pm 1940 (37-44) 8:00 - 8:30 pm (45) Producer/Director: George Zachary Announcer: Ken Roberts Scripts: Frederic Dannay, Manfred B. Lee Music: Lyn Murray Stars: Hugh Marlowe (Ellery), Santos Ortega (Inspector Queen), Ted de Corsia (Velie), Marion Shockley (Nikki Porter), Arthur Allen (Doc Prouty).

Above: This might be some polished scene from an adventure of radio's gentlemen detective, Ellery Queen, for both Ellery and Nikki seemed to be in character as this photograph was taken. But it isn't. Good pals in life, as well as on the air, they were photographed while enjoying an outing on Mark Warnow's yacht. - ED (Picture by Walter Seigal) (from Radio Guide 40-01-05)

Show goes from 60 to 30 minutes. Arthur Allen takes over as Doc Prouty.

37*	"The Old Soldiers" (1) 02-25-40: 30:00* Guest Armchair Detectives: unknown

February 29, 1940 repeat of The Columbia Workshop 2nd series' 7th episode "The Great Microphone Mystery" a 30-minute episode first broadcast on October 05, 1939 aka Ellery Queen Mystery "The Case of the Mysterious Leap Year" it featured several CBS personalities, joined by several of their wives, play roles opposite to their usual ones. Four stars of the Columbia network actors, singers, directors, writers and announcers join their talents in the presentation of two unusual Leap Year programs for WHP listeners on Thursday, February 29. 1940. Workshop Presents Queen - Columbia Workshop presents a decidedly mysterious mystery for its contribution to Leap Year Day with Ellery Queen (in person) and Sergeant Velie in "The Strange Case of the Leap Year" Broadcast or "Hex Marks the Spot" (WATIC - CBS, Thursday, February 29, 10.15 to 10.45 p. m., EST) (Harrisburg Telegraph - Feb 24. 1940) (also see episode 16-17)

38*	"The Whistling Clown" (1) 03-03-40 :30:00* Guest Armchair Detectives: two armchair detectives chosen from the radio audience and Columbia network listeners in general A circus clown is found hanged in his dressing room. "Noisy Clown Shows Up in Mystery Plot"
39*	"The Three Fishbowls" (1) 03-10-40 :30:00* Guest Armchair Detectives: two armchair detectives chosen from the radio audience and Columbia network listeners in general A Chinese antiquity dealer gives fishbowls to three of his customers. Soon after the display case is stolen...
40*	"The Silver Ball" (1) 03-17-40 :30:00* Guest Armchair Detectives: two armchair detectives chosen from the radio audience and Columbia network listeners in general. Repeated on 03-23-44 and 03-25-44 as "The Glass Ball"(Episode 170)
41*	"The Wizard's Cat" (1) 03-24-40 :30:00* Guest Armchair Detectives: two armchair detectives chosen from the radio audience and Columbia network listeners in general A Wall Street wizard gets poisoned on a train.

Theft on Ellery Queen show. Who stole Lyn Murray's baton? Lyn is the orchestra-leader on the "Adventures of Ellery Queen" thriller, so this is a vexing problem to "Ellery" because Lyn has commissioned the great sleuth to bring to light the culprit. (Movie and Radio Guide - March 23-29. 1940)

42*	"The Emperor's Dice" (1) 03-31-40 :30:00* Reworked and printed in EQMM, April '51 and collected in The Calendar of Crime (1952) Guest Armchair Detectives: two armchair detectives chosen from the radio audience and Columbia network listeners in general. Repeated 08-31-44 and 09-02-44 (Episode 193) While visiting an old house Ellery uses his extraordinary talents to solve the apparent ten-year-old murder of a millionaire collector of gambling implements.

Show moves to 9:00 PM

43*	"The Forgotten Men" 04-07-40 :30:00* Guest Armchair Detectives: two armchair detectives chosen from the radio audience and Columbia network listeners in general Four homeless men (Manhattan, Kansas, California and Dixie), trying to survive, run their small camp of shacks, where they share all their resources. Newcomer Yank is murdered and a diamond ring is missing. Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay sympathized with the homeless and other margins of society. No one, no matter how down-and-out should be forgotten.
44*	"The Yellow Pigeon" 04-14-40 :30:00* Guest Armchair Detectives: Miss Betty Moran of New York (motion picture actress- played the second lead in the recent picture Seventeen with Jackie Cooper and Betty Field and "Mr. Edwin F. Pryce, Jr. of Baltimore, Maryland - young shipping clerk and radio enthusiast - has hiked to and from California and Canada. (Thanks to David Marcum) A man is being informed on by a stool pigeon. It seems his luck has totally ran out as soon thereafter he's murdered by a poisoned cigarette.
45*	"The Poker Club" (1) 04-21-40 :30:00* Guest Armchair Detectives: unknown Repeated on 04-22-43 and 04-24-43 as "The Deadly Game" (Episode 122) After a performance of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar a game of poker is played... murder soon followed.

Final episode to feature Doc Prouty. Although a review for episode 68 "The Song of Death" in January 1942 mentions "newcomer" Arthur Allen in the role of the medical examiner.
Above: Santos Ortega (Inspector Queen) and Arthur Allen (Doc Prouty).

References (1) Movie and Radio Guide

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