Producer:
Larry Darmour |
| Catchline: "Nikki finally solves a mystery" |
 Above: Ellery Queen & the Murder Ring playing at Loews American (San Diego). |
| The Film Bulletin
"Confused Mystery Comedy" by Leyendecker, November 1. 1941 "The Ellery Queen pictures seem to have settled into a groove - and a minor program slot at that. As was the case in two of the recent films in the series, 'Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring' has a first-rate cast of familiar players whose best efforts are wasted on a confused script. While the opening scenes lay the groundwork for a good mystery thriller, the suspense is soon dissipated by the introduction of two comic strip gangsters who bury the thrills in an overdose of slapstick. Director James Hogan handles the majority of scenes and characters so clumsily that only the final sequence has properly-chilling quality. Popularity of the Queen novels and the cast names will insure bookings and fair opening day business, but word-of-mouth is sure to pull down grosses on the following days! In the story Blanche Yurka, millionaire founder of the hospital, is strangled on the operating table soon after she has been injured by a hit-and-run driver. Novelist Ellery Queen (Ralph Bellamy) fakes a throat ailment in order to gain entry to the hospital and investigate the case while his meddling secretary (Margaret Lindsay) poses as a nurse. It soon develops that Miss Yurka's son had hired two gangsters to kill his mother and these thugs manage ro run in and about an apparently-well-managed hospital disguised as nurses, corpses, etc. Another nurse and, finally, the son meet death before the scheming killer is unmasked by Miss Lindsay. Mona Barrie gives an outstanding performance as the poised, soft-spoken nurse ... and George Zucco is also effective, but Blanche Yurka, Evelyn Brent and Leon Ames are wasted. Ralph Bellamy is more convincing in the few serious moments permitted the character of Ellery Queen. Paul Hurst and Tom Dugan act dim-witted gangsters in the best Mack Sennett style." |
| Above: full set of eight lobby cards |
Shooting started July
21. 1941 and
Ralph Bellamy made his fourth and final appearance as literary sleuth Ellery
Queen.
On this occasion, Ellery and his police-inspector father are summoned to a
private hospital by its owner, philanthropist
 Mrs. Stack. There've been some very weird
goings-on at the hospital as of late, and Mrs. Stack wants to get to the bottom of
things.
Soon after Ellery's arrival, however, the old woman is injured in a suspicious motor
accident, then strangled to death on the operating table. Suspects include
Mrs. Stack's
avaricious son John, head nurse Miss Tracy and medical director Dr. Janney. Despite the
fact that Ellery seems to be as dumb as a stone, he manages to solve the
mystery. Bellamy's final appearance in this disappointing
series.
Loosely
adapted from
The Dutch
Shoe Mystery, this
bastardization
is painful to watch. Slapstick comedy, with Hurst and Dugan as a couple of
incompetent hit-men, switched bodies, broken legs, and other knee-slapping
idiocies. Bosley Crowther noted in the New York Times that the film
was ''so depressingly routine that there is nothing to recommend the
picture except the fact that it finally comes to an end."It's no wonder Ralph Bellamy called it quits after this one. |
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| Showmen's Trade
Review September 20. 1941 "AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) Tailored for the whodunit fans, but should please all classes of patronage. Tops predecessors in the series. BOX OFFICE SLANT: Good bet for "family" nights. Comment: Nice blending of mystery and comedy makes this fourth Ellery Queen a good bet for the family trade. It tops its three predecessors and should add to the popularity of the series. The action never bogs down, even in those sequences when the comedy runs rampant. Shrewd direction by James Hogan and good performances by the regular cast of the series, including Ralph Bellamy, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin and James Burke, and the fine comedy work of Paul Hurst and Tom Dugan, all add to the enjoyment. The suspense is so well maintained that few theatergoers will be able to discover the real criminal until the end. Producer Larry Darmour again demonstrates his ability to deliver intelligent screen fare. Use the regular ideas for selling mysteries, including bookstore tie-ups on the Ellery Queen works. Try to get spot radio announcements following the Ellery radio hour." |
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 Other articles on this movie (1) Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring - Film Noirish 2014 (2) Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring - Movie (B&W) YouTube Sorlien9 (3) Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring - Movie (Colorized) archive.org (4) IMDb |
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Photography: James S. Brown Jr.
