ELLERY QUEEN 1975-76 b a c k
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llery Queen (1) NBC, 1975-1976
In 1975, Levinson and Link, lifelong Queen
fans, were allowed by NBC to do Queen the way they wanted. The result was
Ellery Queen which ran for only one
full season. Stylistically, the producers went back to the radio show,
setting this series in 1947. Although the pilot was based on a Queen novel,
and one episode on a short story, the rest of the episodes were original
stories, but stories that well-captured the spirit of an
Ellery Queen mystery. Jim Hutton played Ellery
as a good-natured, absent-minded young man for which there were legitimate
bases in the books.
Frederic Dannay said Hutton's
portrayal reminded him not so much of the fictional Ellery, but of himself
at about Hutton's age.
Hutton's charm and natural manner played perfectly against David Wayne's
crusty Inspector (despite lacking the moustache so often mentioned in the
books, the definitive depiction of "The Old Man"). The show had a sense of
good humor, and its setting in 1947 lent a welcome sense of nostalgia
to the stories. |
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Ellery Queen and his father appear in every episode of the 1975-1976 TV show Ellery Queen. Sgt.Velie appears in all but one ("The Sinister Scenario"), and either Simon Brimmer or Frank Flannigan serve as competition for Ellery (in the case of Simon Brimmer) or a source of information (in the case of Frank Flannigan) in many of the others. We like to offer you the story-outlines of those episodes. | |
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Part 1: 1975 Episodes
1* "Ellery
Queen Too Many Suspects"
US (1975) |
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Oozing style, this pilot opens with a view of the Manhattan-skyline 1947, and then immediately gives us an intriguing look into the production of the immensely popular radio plays. A look behind the scenes of The Casebook of Simon Brimmer where the star reminds us most of an first Ellery we find in the early novels, a wise-guy who sets out to smart out each and everyone. Brimmer, unsatisfied with his scriptwriters tempts Ellery with a lucrative deal to deliver storyboards. A bored Ellery, already struggling with a deadline for his book, refuses the honor. Brimmer decides to get his inspiration an other way. Monica Grey, fashion designer, gets murdered but not before she manages to pull out the plug of her television and clock. A dying clue which, as his father points out, Ellery just can't resist. A strongly simplified plot based on The Fourth Side of the Triangle had its clues dramatically changed to make way to portray Ellery as some sort of Columbo "avant la lettre", a forgetful slob who a sharp observant mind. No shortage of suspects as it becomes clear that Grey had a love affair with her married neighbor Carson McKell (Ray Milland, Dial M for Murder). Carson call on Ellery to get him acquitted and in doing so provides Simon Brimmer a new topic for his radio show. Brimmer points out a loose end in the investigation and a irritated Ellery sets out to bring a classic denouement with the obligatory mise en scène.
2* "The Adventure of Auld Lang
Syne" "What's a little murder here and there on New Year's Eve"
New
Year's Eve at the Astor Hotel and Guy Lombardo & the Royal Canadians are
playing Everybody loves my baby while Inspector Queen is trying to
dodge Mrs.Velie's dancing shoes. The wealthy Marcus Halliday reveals his
plans to eliminate each and everyone from his will. He steps out to the
phone boot and... gets stabbed. Not before he makes a last phone call
to a man he doesn't know. Ellery,
as absentminded as ever, tries to get to the scene of
the crime by taxi and has some explaining to do to the lovely Kitty
McBride. He gets there in time to find the solution and toast to a Happy
1947!
3* "The Adventure of the
Lover's Leap"
Fountain
Pen Heiress Stephanie Kendrick
(right) awakens one night and picks up an
Ellery Queen
book, soon reality and fiction don't seem all that different. She's found
dead at the bottom of that balcony... Suicide? Not so as the body seems to
be moved after death, but why? - Simon Brimmer thinks he has it all worked
out!
4* "The Adventure of the
Chinese Dog" "What do you have in
your pockets right this minute?"
The Queens take a 202 miles fishing
trip to Wrightsville. Little do they know that Warren Wright, grandson of
the town's founder and owner of a lucrative
galoshes
factory is about to be murdered. Beaten do death with his half a million
dollar wedding gift for his daughter Julia: a Chinese Temple Dog. Despite
Inspector's Queen intention on focusing on fishing, Ellery (reading a book
on famous American Murderers) is drawn into the investigation by Henry
Palmer. Palmer is Sheriff Oscar Eberhardt's rival in the upcoming election.
Wright didn't trust his future son-in-law and had him investigated, his
nephew was frustrated by Warren's lack of trust in his capabilities and
Tilda McDonald, the housekeeper was in love with Warren... |
5* "The Adventure of the Comic Book Crusader" Airdate 10/02/75 Directed by: Peter H.Hunt Story: Robert Van Scoyk With: Donald O'Connor (Kenny Freeman), Tom Bosley (Bud Armstrong), Lynda Day George (Alma Van Dine), Eddie Firestone (Phil Collins), Herbie Faye (Moe Fletcher), George Sperdakos (Vincent Porter), Joseph Maher (Lyle Shannon), Alan Landers (Ronald Himes), Arch Johnson (Commissioner), Sandy Ward (?)
"That
doesn't even look like me!"
An
unusually fiery-angry Ellery Queen
rampages in the office of
Comic book owner, Bud Armstrong.
His Capricorn Comics is putting out a
Ellery
Queen comic
loaded with
heavy-handed violence. Even more
enraged to learn
that the small print in his contract
allows them to do so, he ends up
threatening Mr. Armstrong. Armstrong, making no effort to
be a likeable character and unwilling to give credit for
his employees work gets shot.
6* "The Adventure of the 12th Floor Express" "Queen - comma - Ellery. Mystery writer of some renown. Born April 2nd. New York City 1912. Father - Queen - comma - Richard. Inspector New York City Police Department." News Mogul Henry Manners of the New York Daily Examiner is murdered in an elevator - an express elevator to the 12th Floor to be exact - with no one inside but the victim. A crafty plot that will test the mettle of the best whodunit fans. And the key clue is right up there on the screen - for a lengthy period of time with Ellery and the Inspector framing it - for anyone who can recognize it. Wrightsville is mentioned in this episode when Ellery states that he's going there for some rest and relaxation. The "howdunit" of this episode is very similar to a Perry Mason episode entitled The Case of the Wednesday Woman. Above right: Dina Merrill, George Furth, Pat Harrington in Ellery Queen's "The Adventure of the 12th Floor Express"
7* "The Adventure of Miss Aggie's Farewell Performance" "Queen... Queen! He's not the fellow who writes all
the whodunits?!
Radio Soap Opera diva, Vera Bethune - known to her fans as dear Miss
Aggie, beloved
school teacher - is poisoned during a taping of the show. She survives, and asks Ellery at
the hospital to stay on the case, but in short order, Miss Aggie is found shot to
death.
Both Ellery and Inspector Queen feel responsible for not protecting her and dive into the
sea of suspects who might have wanted her dead. But hot on their heels is Simon
Brimmer,
determined to beat them to it and win back his lost Vita-Cream sponsor.
8* "The Adventure of Colonel Nivin's Memoirs" "Uh, Dad - Think you could take care of that for me?
Now, I got
Self absorbed author Colonel Alec Nivin
is in New York for a signing of his new book, Memoirs of a Spy. It's a character assassination novel in which he accuses a
myriad of people of war crimes and treasonous acts. It seems that Nivin was with the
British Intelligence during the war and got his hands on some Nazi files that they didn't
burn when they evacuated Paris. Above right: Jim Hutton (standing) and Pernell Roberts in Ellery Queen's "The Adventure of Colonel Nivin's Memoirs". |
9* "The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party" Airdate 10/30/75 Directed by: James Sheldon Script: Peter S. Fisher Art director: John J.Lloyd, Set decorations: John McCarthy, Assistant director: Jerry Ballew, Unit Manager: Jack Terry, Costumes: Charles Waldo With: Jim Backus (Howard Biggers), Edward Andrews (Spencer Lockridge), Larry Hagman (Paul Gardner), Julie Sommars (Emmy Reinhardt), Rhonda Fleming (Laura Lockridge), Lew Brown (Lt. Carr ), Julius Harris (Butler), William Benedict (Cab Driver), Olan Soule (Conductor), Carmen Mathews (Letetia), Patricia Smith (Diana), George Janek (Johnny).
"Dad come on. You trust
me, don't you? Thunderbolts and rain throughout
this episode as Ellery takes a train to
The whole family is present as
Spencer is staging a dressed rehearsal for a
birthday surprise for little Johnny Lockridge to be held tomorrow. Above right: Stunner Stunned: Stunning Rhonda Fleming, guest star, sags into a chair as she learns her husband has vanished in "The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party".
10* "The Adventure of Veronica's Veils" "The name is Simon Brimmer. Surely you've heard of me, Officer nine-three-seven" Before a new burlesque-revival show called Take It Off can open, its producer, Sam Packer (cameo by George Burns) is found dead of an apparent heart attack. But the dead man has left a video behind to be shown at his funeral declaring that no matter what it looks like, he was murdered. And he asks Simon Brimmer to solve the case. The widow, however, goes to Ellery for help, who realizes that the disappearance of the stripper's bird is more than a coincidence. In this episode we learn that Inspector Queen once walked a beat in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan during his early years on the NYPD. Above right: Jack Carter & Barbara Rhoades in "The Adventure of Veronica Veils".
11* "The Adventure of the Pharaoh's Curse" Inspector Queen: "It's past your
bedtime." Norris Wenthworth has brought an Egyptian sarcophagus from Germany to display at the Tremane Museum, but there's a curse on it that's killed its previous six owners. Simon Brimmer is on hand to interview the new owner and ponder his fate, when lo and behold, he does indeed become the mummy's 7th victim. Or could someone else have had murder on his mind? Seems that Norris Wenthworth was a former aircraft manufacturer who had been investigated by a Select Senate Committee on charges of war profiteering Above right: Taped outline of where the body fell provides grim meeting place for principals in the Ellery Queen colorcast of "The Pharoah's Curse" The men are (from left) Wallace Rooney as museum guard, Ross Martin as museum director, Tom Reese as police sergeant Velie, Jim Hutton as Ellery Queen and David Wayne as Inspector Queen. . 12* "The Adventure of the Blunt Instrument" "We're going to nip this thing in the bud. I've got the most fantastic cure-all. Hot lemonade and sassafras - mixed with the extract of a pound of calves' liver. And after a rub-down with menthol and oil of peppermint, you take a bath in scalding chicken soup - hold the noodles...." The episode opens with an awards dinner sponsored by the "Crime Writers of America" announcing this years' recipient of their Blunt Instrument Award to be mystery writer, Edgar Manning for his book, The Shanghai Solution. Ellery Queen is not in attendance, as he's at home with a head cold - a great running gag throughout this episode. At a gathering after the awards dinner, we see the story's principals at Manning's residence where each one seems to feel equal disdain for their host. After a sour toast, Manning goes into his study to call Ellery - intending to gloat over his win, where he is murdered while speaking to Ellery on the telephone. All Ellery hears is Manning's remark that some "rash person is there to balance the books".
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References
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