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In September 1940 Variety had reported that the authors
are considerably vexed by the history of what happened to "The Adventures of Ellery Queen" radio series after it went commercial and came under the domination of an advertising agency. They pointed to the case as confirmation of the fact, that advertising men can deflate a good literary property and then pass the resultant black eye to the creative people. It was supposedly dropped by Gulf rated as something of a flop, with it chances of finding a new sponsor not too bright. The authors pointed out bitterly that two basic changes were made immediately and others were imposed later. First, the show was cut to 30 minutes, although the authors say, by every rule of professional judgment, the development of the literary formula required the full hour. Second, the deft direction of George Zachary, who fostered the show at CBS and put it across, was tossed away, the writers think, solely because he was not a Young & Rubicam man. He was retained on the payroll because he was part of the package price, but largely to twiddle his thumbs and eat his heart.
Several agencies got some backwash from all authors big enough or daring enough to assert themselves against being smothered by an agency conference system or kicked around by newcomers who had nothing to do with the creation of the program.
Dannay had a near fatal accident in 1940 but despite all this they restarted to produce a radio script a week.
In 1941 the cast did an episode in The Campbell Playhouse (the follow up to The Mercury Theater On The Air, CBS The name changed to reflect the sponsor, as was often done in radio, and the series took off with a large radio audience.  In 1941 these 30 minutes broadcasts were produced by George Zachary. Episode 78 broadcast on 04/25/41 was called "Do Not Disturb", billed as a "comedy-mystery" it featured the Ellery Queen radio cast and starred Edmund Lowe, William Powell and Diana Lewis (Mrs. Powell). None of these episodes seem to have survived.
On June 3, 1941 Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee appeared in a 10 minutes show called America in Transition (WABC 3:45 pm). The authors of the Ellery Queen mystery tales, told why mystery stories are so popular in America.
Fred not only compiled his anthology 101 Years' Entertainment  but also launched EQMM (Fall 1941).
Appearing as Mr. Queen (Manfred B. Lee) en Mr. Ellery (Frederic Dannay) they were guests on the Speaking of Books broadcast over WGY, Schenectady, N.Y., November 28, 1941. In "Ellery Queen meets the critics" they discussed the new anthology  101 Years' Entertainment together with Howard Haycraft, Basil Davenport and Granville Hicks. The content of this broadcast survived in an issue of The Wilson Library Bulletin.
    "Ellery Queen meets the critics". Howard Haycraft, Ellery Queen (Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee), Basil Davenport, and Granville Hicks.
Above Left to Right: "Ellery Queen meets the critics". Howard Haycraft, Ellery Queen (Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee), Basil Davenport, and Granville Hicks.
 
The two cousins appeared on Behind the Mike (Jan 25, 1942 3:30 pm) a program which provided listeners not only an insight into NBC behind the scenes but into many of the technologies and practices behind most broadcast networks of the era. This episode came under the title "Creating Ellery Queen". In 1942, it coincided with the start of the new season when after an absence of 15 months, a new sponsor for the regular series was found...
After the CBS reign the cousins returned to the prose and wrote Calamity Town (1942). After which they started to diversify. The reason being (one of their best works till date) Calamity Town was rejected for prepublication in a national magazine. So they decided it wise not to put all the eggs in one basket. By that time Ellery went to the movies but Dannay described them quiet rightful as "...each one more dreadful than the other...". They had much more control over their product in radio and frankly more luck...their agent was instructed to look for a network and sponsor.


  Season 2
  The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!)
list of titles
   NBC Bromo-Seltzer Thursdays 9:30 - 10:00 pm 1942 (68-93)
   Ernest ChappellEast Coast version aired Saturdays 7:30 - 8:00 pm
   Producer/Director: George Zachary - Knowles Entriken
   Announcer: Ernest Chappell (right)
   Scripts: Frederic Dannay, Manfred B. Lee
   Music: Charles Paul, organist
   Stars: Carleton Young (Ellery), Santos Ortega (Inspector
              Queen), Ted de Corsia (Velie), Marion Shockley (Nikki Porter).



Hugh Marlowe and Marian ShockleyInspector Queen turns the tables. Ellery Queen, Columbia's master of mysteries, and Nikki listen to Inspector Queen. Usually Ellery's father finds it difficult to get in a word when the youngsters are in action. This time, they are not only listening but positively concentrating. 
Above left: Hugh Marlowe and Marian Shockley
Above right: Inspector Queen turns the tables. Ellery Queen, Columbia's master of mysteries, and Nikki listen to Inspector Queen. Usually Ellery's father finds it difficult to get in a word when the youngsters are in action. This time, they are not only listening but positively concentrating.


Manny and Kaye Brinker were married on July 4, 1942
coinciding with the last broadcast of the series. During the next three months of he and Dannay worked on There was an Old Woman.  

30 min copy available at The Paley Center for Media (N.Y.- L.A)Information Please (NBC Red) ran from 1938 to 1946, in this series of quiz programs listeners could submit questions to a panel of experts. Money was paid to those whose questions were used, and more prizes were awarded to listeners whose questions stumped the panel. On September 18. 1942 the panelists were series regulars John Kieran and Franklin Pierce Adams and guests Christopher Morley and Orson Welles. After announcer Milton Cross explained the rules, the panelists answered questions on topics that included history, popular and classic literature, silent movies, and geography. Some of the questions dealt with Welles's radio and theater career. Mystery writer "Ellery Queen" submitted a question about fictional detectives and stumped the panel for which he was awarded a war bond and a set of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

After a regular episode on March 28. 1942 Ellery turns sports expert with Bill Stern (WEAF, 10 p.m.)

On June 6. 1943 The Texaco Star Theatre with Fred Allen (aka The Fred Allen show) had "Ellery Queen" as guest.  Ellery Queen, with the assistance of "One Long Pan" solves "The Adventure of the Jockey Who Rode With Death." This was Carleton Young and Fred Allen was armchair detective (along with a couple of his comedy characters). Allen had to pay a royalty for permission to have Carleton Young do his Ellery Queen characterization. No actor credit was given during the 30 minutes show but it's also assumed Marion Shockley played Nikki. (See Season 3 listing)

Meanwhile on December 16, 1942 it was announced (Variety) that Manfred and Fred may do a special series for the Government on the subject of security of war information. They conferred with George Zachary, radio production head of the Office of War information who
had left the Ellery Queen show. They would keep control over the plots and only some slogans were added by the Office. Tom, Dick and Harry or the Adventure Of The Murdered Ship (EQMM, 7/43) is by no means the best example of a Queen story but it does show the format of the radio plays and, like no other radio drama the influence of the Office. In 1944 under the overt sponsorship of the OWI a (15 minutes) "special" was made from the West Coast broadcast of "The Bullet-Proof Man" (11-18-43) and renamed "The Adventure of the Wounded Lieutenant", it was also published in EQMM that summer. (EQMM, 7/44)

 

Season 3
   The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!)
list of titles
  
NBC Bromo-Seltzer Thursdays 9:30 - 10:00 pm 1942 - 1943 (94-145)
   East Coast version aired Saturdays 7:30 - 8:00 pm
   Producer/Director: Knowles Entriken, Bruce Kamman
   Announcer: Ernest Chappell 
Stand-by Announcer: Ben Grauer
   Scripts: Frederic Dannay, Manfred B. Lee
   Music: Charles Paul, organist
   Stars: Carleton Young (Ellery), Santos Ortega (Inspector Queen),
              Ted de Corsia (Velie), Marion Shockley , Helen Lewis for nine
              weeks starting Sep 1943 (Nikki Porter).


             Sydney Smith Marian Shockley, actress heard as Nikki Porter on NBC "Ellery Queen". NBC photo is marked 3/18/42 included text: "SCREAM TEST: screaming technique is part of the necessary equipment for Marian Shockley"
Above left: Sydney Smith.
Above right: Marian Shockley, actress heard as Nikki Porter on NBC Ellery Queen. NBC photo is marked 3/18/42 included text: "SCREAM TEST: screaming technique is part of the necessary equipment for Marian Shockley".


 Season 4
   The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!)
list of titles
  
NBC Bromo-Seltzer Thursdays 9:30 - 10:00 pm 1943 - 1944 (146-197)
   East Coast version aired Saturdays 7:30 - 8:00 pm
   Producer/Director: Bruce Kamman / Bill Tuttle / Bob Steel
   Announcer: Ernest Chappell
   Scripts: Frederic Dannay, Manfred B. Lee
   Music: Charles Paul, organist
   Stars: Sydney Smith (Ellery), Santos Ortega (Inspector Queen),
             Ted de Corsia (Velie), Helen Lewis 5 episodes / Marion Shockley
              (restarting 11/11/43) (Nikki Porter)



The middle of the War was the peak of their success, reportedly
they earned $50,000 per year most of which through the radio adventures which were heard by more than fifteen million listeners every week! In 1943 some reruns were scheduled and the cousins used their time to write The Murderer is a Fox . Enter Sydney Smith as Ellery Queen which kept the role for almost four years. As a gimmick NBC kept his identity a secret. As did Hugh Marlowe before him Smith convinced himself he actually was Ellery Queen.  August 18, 1944 Sydney Smith appeared as Ellery Queen on Bill Stern's Sports Newsreel. (The previous day Bill had been an armchair detective). In his 15 minutes shows sports reporter Bill Stern tells many stories of and about sports and sports figures -- many are rumors, or even gossip. Each week he had a different guest who told a story themselves.


  Season 5
   The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!) list of titles
  
NBC Bromo-Seltzer Thursdays 9:30 - 10:00 pm 1944 (198-210)
   East Coast version aired Saturdays 7:30 - 8:00 pm
   Producer/Director: Bob Steel
   Announcer: Ernest Chappell
   Scripts: Frederic Dannay, Manfred B. Lee
   Music: Charles Paul, organist
   Stars: Sydney Smith (Ellery),  Santos Ortega (Inspector Queen),
              Ted de Corsia (Velie), Marion Shockley (Nikki Porter).

Quick as a Flash was a 30-minute radio quiz program which featured drama segments with guest actors from radio detective shows. Created by director Richard Lewis and emcee Ken Roberts, the program debuted over the Mutual Network on Sunday, July 16, 1944. The final round was a mystery featuring a guest detective such as " Nick Carter," " The Falcon," "Ellery Queen" etc. The first contestant to spot the clue that solved the mystery won the round. Occasionally no one could unravel it, so the guest detective gave the solution
himself. Among the dramatic cast was Santos Ortega (1944-47). On Sunday January 21. 1944, it had (Sydney Smith) Ellery Queen as guest.


Dunninger, The Master Mentalist (ABC, later NBC) started in 1943 with mentalist Joseph Dunninger. The episode from July 26, 1944 had Marion Shockley as "Nikki Porter" from Ellery Queen on the show. (The episode is still available). Dunninger starts with divining the name Malini and then divines places and addresses. The feature effect is a murder divination. Other guests were Raymond Edward Johnson of Inner Sanctum, Muriel Stafford graphologist, and Dick Brown singing star.

   The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!) list of titles
  
CBS Anacin Wednesdays 7:30 - 8:00 pm 1945 (211-239)
   Producer/Director: Bob Steel
   Announcer: Don Hancock
   Scripts: Frederic Dannay (Anthony Boucher), Manfred B. Lee
   Stars: Sydney Smith (Ellery), Santos Ortega (Inspector Queen),
              Ted de Corsia (Velie), Barbara Terrell / Gertrude Warner 
             
beginning 7-25-45 (Nikki Porter)

 

(Chesterfield Cigarettes Presents) Music that Satisfies was a 15-minute radio program that was broadcast two times a week. The Music that Satisfies Ellery Queen was on the radio the same day as a regular radio play (Mar 21. 1945).



The next series knew it part of chances but the one most radical
was the "replacement" of Dannay with Anthony Boucher.
Mary Dannay was near dead (she died that same year) and Fred had to redistribute his priorities. They already had farmed out some publication of radio stories and beginning with "The Corpse of Mr. Entwhistle" all but a few scripts were the uncredited work of Anthony Boucher and Manfred B. Lee. Unlike Dannay or Lee, Boucher was profoundly religious and the figure was to be transformed from celebrated gentlemen to socially concerned citizen.


  Season 6
   The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!) list of titles
  
CBS Anacin Wednesdays 7:30 - 8:00 pm 1945 - 1946 (240-291)
   Producer/Director: Bob Steel
   Announcer: Don Hancock
   Scripts: Frederic Dannay (Anthony Boucher), Manfred B. Lee
    Stars: Sydney Smith (Ellery), Santos Ortega (Inspector Queen),
              Ted de Corsia (Velie), Gertrude Warner /Charlotte Keane
              beginning mid-July 1946
(Nikki Porter)


  In 1946 both Mr. & Mrs. North and Ellery Queen won an Edgar Award for best radio drama. Richard Coogan (once an Armchair detective) took over the Ellery Queen part late in 1946. Anthony Boucher described Coogan’s performance in a letter to Manfred B. Lee, (25 October 1946) as "not quite so smug" as his predecessor’s. (Nevins West 87th Irregular)


Gertrude Warner, (a hidden) "Ellery Queen" and Santos Ortega in the studio (11-1945)Warren Hull, Parks Johnson (When the Vox Poppers were armchair detectives) and Charlotte Keane before the CBS mike, (August 21 1946).
Above left: Gertrude Warner, (a hidden) "Ellery Queen" and Santos Ortega in the studio (11-1945)
Above right: Warren Hull, Parks Johnson (When the Vox Poppers were armchair detectives) and Charlotte Keane before the CBS mike, (August 21 1946).


 Season 7
  The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!)
list of titles
   CBS Anacin Wednesdays 7:30 - 8:00 pm 1946 - 1947 (292-318)
   Producer/Director: Bob Steel
   Announcer: Don Hancock
   Scripts: Anthony Boucher, Manfred B. Lee, Tom Everitt
   Stars: Sydney Smith / Richard Coogan / Lawrence Dobkin (Ellery),
             
Santos Ortega / Bill Smith (Inspector Queen), 
              Ted de Corsia / Ed Latimer (Velie), Charlotte Keane (Nikki Porter)


The start of each episode of the 1947-1948: " I dedicate this program to the fight against crime- not only crimes of violence and crimes of dishonesty, but also crime of intolerance, discrimination and bad citizenship-crimes against America." and ending with "This is Ellery Queen saying goodnight till next week, and listening all Americans every night - and every day- in the fight against bad citizenship, bigotry, and discrimination-the crimes which are weakening America!" In 1947 when mandated segregation was proudly practiced a bold statement. Lawrence Dobkin played Ellery and would later direct a Ellery Queen TV-series. We also mention the appearance of Kaye Brinker (Mrs. Lee!) to be heard in "The Message in Red".

 
  Season 8
   The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!) list of titles
  
NBC Anacin Sundays 6:30 - 7:00 pm 1947 (319-328)
   Producer/Director: Tom Victor
   Announcer: Don Hancock
   Scripts: Anthony Boucher, Manfred B. Lee, Tom Everitt
   Music: Chet Kingsbury, Organist
   Stars: Lawrence Dobkin (Ellery), Bill Smith (Inspector Queen),
              Ed Latimer / George Mathews (Velie), Charlotte Keane
              (Nikki Porter)

 Show moves to Hollywood

   The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!) list of titles
   ABC Sustained Thursdays 7:30 - 8:00 pm 1947 - 1948 (329-338)
  
ABC Sustained Thursdays 8:30 - 9:00 pm 1948 (339-355)
   Producer/Director: Dick Woolen / Dwight Hauser
   Announcer: Paul Masterson
   Scripts: Anthony Boucher, Manfred B. Lee, Tom Everitt
   Music: Rex Koury, Organist
   Stars: Lawrence Dobkin / Howard Culver (Ellery),
              Herb Butterfield (Inspector Queen), Alan Reed (Velie),
              Virginia Gregg / Kay
e Brinker  (Nikki Porter)


The Ford Theatre re-ran an hour long first season episode "
on Jan 04, 1948 "The Adventures Of A Bad Boy." A fine murder mystery, deduced and solved by Ellery Queen. A good radio production; Ellery picks the killer like a rabbit out of a magician's hat...almost literally! Hugh Marlowe (Ellery Queen), Charlotte Keane (Nikki Porter), Santos Ortega (Inspector Queen), Ted de Corsia (Sgt Velie), Brad Barker, Harold Dyranforth, Sarah Fussell, John Gibson, Avril Harris, Jane Houston, Anne Seymour, Walter Vaughn,  Guy Wallace, written by Frederic Dannay & Manfred B. Lee, continuity George Faulkner, editor Howard Teitman, directed George Zachary, music Lyn Murray, announcer/host Howard Lindsay as host (1948).

After the last episode of Season 8 Ellery Queen left the airwaves (05-27-48). For completeness, we would also like to mention that some sources also specified William P. Rousseau as director for Ellery Queen. However, we could not confirm this to date.



Both April 12 and 13, 1951 Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay appeared in The Tex and Jinx Show , WNBC, New York City. Tex McCrary and Jinx Falkenburg interview the authors who describe how they seldom go to the office and talk about one time they neglected to collect the mail for three years. They also describe their first book, published in 1929.


E llery Queen reappeared briefly from 1954 until 1955 on Australia's radio where a package of 52 Ellery Queen episodes were restaged for the Australian market with local actors and local commercials, a common practice back then. Charles "Bud" Tingwell, the Australian actor who portrayed Ellery Queen in the restaged episodes.The Australian episodes were produced by Grace Gibson Radio Productions and all were directed by John Saul. The cast originally had Charles Tingwell (right) as Ellery Queen, Wendy Playfair as Nikki Porter and Harp McGuire as Inspector Queen.  Other members of the cast were Lloyd Berrell (Velie) and Georgie Sterling (various roles). Later in the series, for reasons unknown, Tingwell left the production and Harp McGuire took over as Ellery Queen and Edward Howell stepped in to play the inspector. The scripts only differed in a few minor respects e.g. New York City became Sydney.  The episodes were all taped and two of them have survived. Their broadcasting dates are often (if not always) confused with the dates of the original US broadcasts.

  Australian episodes
 
 The Adventures of Ellery Queen Click for list of episodes... (and more!) list of titles
  
Grace Gibson Radio productions Fridays 7:30 - 8:00 pm 1954-1955 (1-52)
   Director: John Saul ...
   Stars: Charles Tingwell (EQ), Wendy Playfair (Nikki), Harp McGuire
   (RQ/../EQ), Nigel Lovell (Velie)

The following "Queen radio products" we only mention to be complete but in essence the radio story ends here, fortunately by that time television had began to show interest (1951).

In 1957 the BBC broadcast a six weeks summer series based on six of the earliest Queen short stories.
During the sixties the cousins rented their hero for use in this syndicated package of 100 (silly) one-minute-mysteries. None of them with any involvement of Lee or Dannay. Most of these episodes seem to have survived.


   Ellery Queen's Minute Mysteries
 Click for list of episodes... (and more!) list of titles
   (Syndicated)
Label on reel with Ellery Queen Minute Mysteries
   Bill Owen played the role of Ellery. No less
  than 520 one minute long mysteries were
  produced by Creative Marketing &
 
Communications, Cincinnati, Ohio and issued
  on a reel-to-reel format.
 
            Set 1: November 1965 (episode 1-130)
            Set 2: April 1966 (episode 131-259)
            Set 3: September 1966 (episode 260-390)
            Set 4: February 1967 (episode 391-520)


Preserved in the Library of Congress10-26-78/12-05-78 Whodunnit? 59' Produced by John Weber. In the National Public Radio program entitled Options Reporter Wendy Blair explores how fact and fantasy are turned into mystery. She talks to publishers, booksellers, editors, readers, and writers of detective thrillers. Among those interviewed are Ross MacDonald, H.R.F. Keating and half of the Ellery Queen team, Frederic Dannay all of whom are discussing the art of the detective thriller (Cassette preserved at Library of Congress, and also on cassette at the Chicago Public Library.)

After the decline of OTR it seemed this kind of entertainment was lost for mass audiences. This still seems true till this day although some kind of revival is seen in re-enactment of old OTR scripts. This is the case for Ellery Queen in both "...Cast members, directed by Sharon Wood, are Brian Bevacqua,Mary Carter, Mike Grace,Kara Lee, Meredith Lewko, Scott Magnuson, Stan Marro, Eric Peirce, Julie Richardson, Arthur Vidro and Dori Yacono. "Japan and Italy. We had to wait until 2013 to find a noteworthy American addition. Off Broad Street Players (OBSP) paid tribute with the production of two 1940's era radio shows starring the popular amateur detective. The radio shows included prominent guests in the audience who participated as “armchair detectives” and were asked to offer their opinion on whodunit and why. That feature was part of the 1940s radio shows as well and will be included in the OBSP productions. Real-life mystery writer Michael Nethercott was in the audience as an armchair detective on May 8th. Other 1940s era celebrity guests were portrayed by OBSP members Trudee and Chris Rice, Mike Cirre, and other community notables. OBSP has chosen to feature their work because of local connections to the writers and their families.

Above right: "...Cast members, directed by Sharon Wood, are Brian Bevacqua,Mary Carter, Mike Grace,Kara Lee, Meredith Lewko, Scott Magnuson, Stan Marro, Eric Peirce, Julie Richardson, Arthur Vidro and Dori Yacono."



 Dutch radioplays  Click for list of episodes... (and more!) list of titles

"We heard all about the American radio plays... but is there anything in the Dutch language?" I hear my fellow countrymen think...  Although I found evidence (see below) short wave radio brought at least some of the early hour-long radio episodes to the European listener (W2XE from New York), I think it's safe to say it's doubtful all episodes were broadcasted as such and even more doubtful the program was popular in Europe.

              


Radio plays were, before television came along, very much an important part of the programming on radio. Such was the case in Belgium and the Netherlands. We could find examples of Dutch radio plays based on Ellery Queen's stories. Somewhat different that the American radio plays they were often adaptations of fully fledges books or sometime short stories. The adaptation of the novels were spread over several episodes. They even tried to incorporate "A Challenge to the Reader" by challenging their listeners to guess the culprit and enter a competition.

Late 1939 an eleven part adaptation of Halfway House ("Het eenzame landhuis" aka "The Lonely Country House") was broadcasted by VARA on Hilversum. The broadcast were recorded on wax discs and rebroadcast two weeks later. This series proofed successful as it was immediately followed by a second adaptation this time based on The Door Between (De Tussendeur/Tusschendeur) (1940) and largely produced by these same team.

In Belgium Bert Janssens made a radio play based on "The Adventure of the Seven Black Cats" (1934). The translation by Herman Niels was broadcast via NIR on Thursday  April 3. 1947 as "Zeven Zwarte Katten".

On March 7.1954 a single broadcast on AVRO brought a radio play based on the short-story "The Lamp of God". This broadcast was the main event of a full evening program Radioscoop and was titled "Het Huis in de Wildernis" (aka "The House in the Wildenness"). It was repeated on Sep 26. 1960.

Finally Léon Povel and Willem Tollenaar directed a KRO radio play The Glass Village (Het Glazen Dorp) broadcast in four episodes in January of 1961.

 

References
(1) Francis M.Nevins JrWest 87th Irregular & Ray Stanich The Sound of Detection 
(2) David S.Siegel "A Challenge to the Listener: Ellery Queen on the Air"

 

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