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The Mystery of the Surviving Ellery Queen Radio Shows

Here's a list of the Ellery Queen radio shows known to exist.  It was long believed that about 18 half hour shows had survived. That would be right if we take only take those who are widely available on the internet. Several episodes are preserved in e.g. Library of Congress,...
Perhaps there are more, who knows?... after all even Ellery was fallible...

If you are an OTR fanatic and want to contribute to this site please get in touch ... Thanks to Joey Lindstrom, Martin Hunt, Walt Pattison Michael Simons, Tom Van der Voort and Brad Bahr for their unselfishness in sharing some of "their" radio plays.

Content
Adventures of Ellery Queen
  
UMKC Miller Nichols Library Kansas City
   Library of Congress Washington D.C.
   Columbia University of  New York
   Library and Archives Canada
   Internet
   Thousand Oaks American Radio Archives
Mystery Related material
Other Queen related audio products


The ones marked with red dot are missing from my collection...

Could you help? e-mail

The Adventures of Ellery Queen

All material in this section are renditions of Ellery Queen radio mysteries. Most of them regular broadcasts or Mystery House AFRS broadcasts. Some however are restaged version by e.g. The Columbia Workshop, NBC's The Molle Mystery Theater, NBC Ford Theatre or in the case of the Australian Ellery Queen adventures by Grace Gibson Radio Productions.

UMKC Miller Nichols Library Kansas City   Preserved at Marr Sound Archives - UMKC Miller Nichols Library Kansas City

List of programs preserved in MARR Sound Archives at UMKC Miller Nichols Library Kansas which holds the J.Goldin collection
Since the sound quality of the programs is wonderful all are listed here

(E=Excellent, VG= Very good, G= Good,  F=Fair)
.

All these episodes are not in our collection... except the ones marked with a grey dot

    The Singing Rat   1-07-43 (West)  E
    The Circus Train  3-25-43 or 03-27-43 (guest deleted but complete) VG
    The World Series Crime  09-30-43 (East)  VG/E
    The Vanishing Magician   11-06-43 (East)  VG
  The Bullet-Proof Man (as The Wounded Lieutenant - Produced by
    OWI and taken from the West Coast broadcast - 2 versions)  11-18-43   E
    The Mischief Maker   01-15-44 (East)  VG/E
    The Scarecrow and the Snowman   01-20-44 (West)  E
    Dead Man's Cavern   04-13-44 (West)  VG/E
    Nick The Knife   08-01-45   VG/E
    The Message in Red   11-07-45   VG/E   
    The Reign Of Terror 
01-46 A sales presentation program   E   
    The Woman who Died Several Times  10-23-46   E 
    Ellery Queen's Rival  
10-30-46   E
    The Crime of Inspector Queen  11-06-46   E   
    The Uneasy Voyage  11-13-46   E   
    The
Prizefighter's Birthday  11-20-46   E 
    Ellery Queen, Blackmail Victim  
11-27-46   E 
    Ellery Queen, Gigolo  
12-04-46   E 
    The Old Man's Darling  
12-11-46   E 
    A Hurricane That Committed A Murder  12-18-46   VG/E 
    The Unhappy New Year  01-01-47   E 
    The Man Who Could Vanish  01-08-47    F/G 
    The Lollipop Murders  01-15-47   E 
    The Queen Solomon  
01-22-47   E 
    The Stone Age Detective  
01-29-47   E 
    The Haunted House  
02-05-47   E
   
The Big Brain  
02-19-47  (guest deleted + incomplete)   E
   
The Specialist in Cops  
03-19-47  (guest deleted + incomplete)  E
   
The Ten Thousand Dollar Bill  
03-26-47   E
   
The Man who Murdered a City  
04-02-47   VG/E
   
The Red Headed Blonde Brunette  
04-16-47   VG
  The Green Gorilla's  
06-01-47  (East)  E
   
The Sky Pirates  
06-08-47  (East)  E
    The Atomic Murder  
08-03-47   (East)  E
    The Foolish Girls  
08-10-47 (East)  E
   
Murder for Americans  
08-17-47 (East)  E
   
The King's Horse  
08-31-47 (East)  E
   
Number Thirty-One  
08-10-47 (AFRS rebroadcast)  VG/E
   
Number Thirty-One  
08-10-47 (East) E
   
Tragedy in Blue  
09-14-47 (East) E
   
Nikki Porter, Bride  
12-11-47  VG/E
   
The Melancholy Dane  
12-18-47  E
    Ellery Queen: Santa Claus  12-25-47  E
    The Head Hunter  01-08-48   VG
    The Terrified Man  01-15-48   G
    Death House   01-29-48   G/VG
    Bubsy  02-05-48   G/VG
    A Question of Color  02-12-48  (incomplete - last 15') VG/E
    The Old Sinner  02-19-48  E
    The Blue Egg  02-19-48  (incomplete - last 15') VG/E
    The Human Weapon  03-04-48  VG
    The Lynching of Mr.Q  03-11-48  VG
    The Armchair Detective  03-18-48  E
    The Farmer's Daughter  03-25-48  E
    The Vanishing Crook  04-01-48  VG
    The K. I. Case 04-08-48  VG/E
    The Slicer  04-15-48  E
    Murder By Installments  04-22-48   E
    The Three Frogs  04-29-48  E
    One Diamond  
05-06-48   VG/E
   
Misery Mike  05-20-48   VG/E

 
Nikki Porter, Suspect  (Australia) (Nikki Porter, Killer) 11-19-54   E
   
The Man Who Could Vanish (Australia)  08-06-54   VG/E

Library of Congress Washington D.C.  Preserved in the Library of Congress

The list of NBC programs preserved in the Library of Congress ...
all have been donated by the NBC Radio Collection.
There are even some identified parts of episodes including one from 1943,...

All these LoC episodes are not in our collection...

       The Income Tax Robbery 03-14-1942 (West)
       The Poet's Triangle 
11-12-42 or 11-14-42
                                                     (First 15 minutes)

       The Singing Rat  01-07-43 (West)   P
       The Circus Train 03-27-43 (East)   P
       The World Series Crime 10-2-43 (East)  
       The Mischief Maker  01-15-44 (East)  
       The Scarecrow and the Snowman  01-20-44 (West)  
       The Dark Secret 06-10-44 (East) 
       The Blue Chip 06-17-44  (East) 
       The Corpse in Lower Five 06-24-44 (East)
       The Devil's Head  07-01-44 (East) 
       The Egyptian Tomb  07-08-44 (East) 
       The Yang Piece 07-22-44 (East) 
       The Four Prisoners  07-29-44 (East) 
       The Man without a Heart   08-05-44 (East) 
       The Three Hands  08-12-44 
       The Atomic Murder  08-03-47

(P= poor audio quality)

Columbia University New York Script available in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library of the Columbia University New York

   The Dark Secret 06-08-44 or 06-10-44

Indiana University

   The Adventure of the King's Henchman 1945 (script no audio)

Thousand Oaks  Script available at Thousand Oaks - American Radio Archives - Howard Hoffman collection (only scripts no audio)
    
American Radio Archives
    Howard Hoffman collection
(scripts no audio)

      Ellery Queen - Santa Claus 12-25-1947
      The Silly Case 01-01-1948
      The Head Hunter 01-08-1948
      The Farmer's Daughter 03-25-1948
      One Diamond 05-06-1948
      Nikki Porter, Starlet 05-13-1948
      Misery Mike 05-20-1948

Library and Archives Canada   Episode preserved at the Library and Archives Canada - 395 Wellington Street,  Ottawa, CANADA

List of programs preserved at the Library and Archives Canada - 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Canada

   Unnamed and incomplete Anacin broadcast (2nd part)
   dated April 4. 1946.
   Possibly
:
      The Death Wish  04-03-46

 
 Unnamed an incomplete broadcast (2nd part) dated
   May 6. 1946 starring Sidney Smith .
   Possibly:

     
The Rhubarb Solution 05-01-46

  Unnamed broadcast dated May 25. 1946.
  Possibly:

     
The Hollywood Murder Case 05-22-46

 
  Unnamed broadcast, production release date
   July 10. 1946. Possibly:

     
The Confidential Butler 07-10-46

      The Man in The Street 12-04-47

  
Unnamed broadcast, production release date
   Dec 22. 1947. Possibly:

     
The Melancholy Dane 12-18-47

  Unnamed broadcast, production production date
   Jan 8. 1948, release date  Jan 9. 1948. Possibly:

      The Head Hunter 01-08-48 :

      The Armchair Detective 03-27-46 and 3-18-48
        (note release date given 3-19-48)

   Unnamed broadcast, production date April 15. 1948.
   Release date April 18. 1948. Possibly:

     
The Slicer 04-15-48

        The Three Frogs 04-29-48

The Archive also holds at least two unnamed and broadly dated broadcasts

 

 

The internet..
     The Great Microphone Mystery    aka
        The Case of the Mysterious Leap Year  The Columbia Workshop
 
The Invisible Clue  01-15-42 or 01-17-42
    The Income Tax Robbery 06-14-42 (East)
    The Singing Rat  01-07-43 (West)
    The Circus Train 03-27-43 (East)
    The World Series Crime 10-2-43 (East)
    The Vanishing Magician 11-06-43  (East)  P
    The Mischief Maker  01-15-44 (East)
    The Scarecrow and the Snowman  01-20-44 (West)
    Dead Man's Cavern  (Mystery Playhouse Armed Forced Radio
      
   Services)  04-13-44 (West)
    The Wounded Lieutenant 1944 Office of War and Information (15 min)
         (West Coast version of "The Adventure Of The Bullet-Proof Man" 1)
    The Thief in the Dark   May 44
      
   Sneak-preview for Mystery Playhouse Armed Forced Radio Services
    The Foul Tip  07-13-44 (West)
    The Booby Trap Nov 44
      
   Sneak-preview for Mystery Playhouse Armed Forced Radio Services
  The Dark Secret Jun 44
         Sneak-preview for Mystery Playhouse Armed Forced Radio Services
  The Diamond Fence  Jan 45 (30 minutes)
         Sneak-preview for Mystery Playhouse Armed Forced Radio Services
    Nick the Knife 08-01-45 (Mystery Playhouse Armed Forced Radio
      
   Services)  
    The Message in Red 11-07-45
    The Atomic Murder  08-03-47 (episode's conclusion see UMKC)
    The Armchair Detective 03-27-46 and 3-18-48
    The Adventure of the Fallen Angel
                 for NBC's Molle Mystery Theater 06-14-46  (30 minutes)
    The Green Gorillas (30 minutes) Radio transcription disc 16"  02-12-47.
    Number Thirty One 09-07-47
    The Saga of Ruffy Rux  11-27-47
    The Man in The Street 12-04-47
    The Three Frogs  04-29-48
    One Diamond  05-06-48
    The Adventure of the Bad Boy NBC Ford Theatre 1-4-48 (1 hour)
  The Man who could Vanish (Australia)   08-06-54  
   
Nikki Porter, Suspect (Australia) (originally Nikki Porter, Killer)
         11-19-54


(P= poor audio quality)

The ones marked with red dot are missing from my collection... 

Could you help? e-mail

Listen...to a Ellery Queen introduction (Message in Red)

Mystery related material

Material in this section, not certain to be regular Ellery Queen stories but still under the heading of "mysteries"

The Shadow
episodes attributed to Ellery Queen (list by William Nadel)

      Shyster Payoff 11-06-38
      Black Rock 11-13-38
      Murder in E Flat 12-04-38
      Fountain of Death 11-27-38  
      Murder by Rescue 12-11-38    
  Give Us This Day 12-25-38 not available for examination
      Valley of the Living Dead 01-22-39
      The Ghost of Captain Bayloe 02-05-39
      Friend of Darkness 02-19-39
      Sabotage by Air 03-05-39
      Can the Dead Talk? 03-19-39

The Campbell Playhouse

  Do not Disturb CBS The Campbell Playhouse 04-25-41 #78 
  
Edmund Lowe, screen star, comes to the Playhouse to star in an especially written comedy-mystery by Ellery Queen. (None of the 30 minutes Campbell episodes seem to have survived)

The Fred Allen Show

  On June 6. 1943 the Fred Allen show had "Ellery Queen" as guest.
      This was Carleton Young and Fred Allen was armchair detective
      (along with a couple of him comedy characters).
       
Texaco Star Theater 9:30 - 10:00pm
- CBS

Mr & Mrs North

  The Murder in Mink (11-07-45) 

"The Message in Red" episode from the regular EQ series (with Victor Jory as guest armchair detective) was followed by this episode where Ellery helped to solve the mystery.

Ellery Queen's Minute Mysteries

  At least 520 episodes. (see missing episodes * in the list below)

 The ones marked with red dot are missing from my collection...

Could you help? e-mail


Other Queen related OTR Shows

  05-02-38 For Men Only
 
11-21-38 Alias Jimmy Valentine
    
  04-07-39 Author! Author!*   P
  10-05-39 The Columbia Workshop
                    
("The Great Microphone Mystery")
  06-03-41 America in Transition
  01-25-42 Behind the Mike
  03-28-42 Ellery turns sports expert with Bill Stern (WEAF, 10 p.m.)
  02-05-44 NBC War Bond parade (12:00 pm) had Captain
                     Glenn Miller;
                     Band of the Army Air Force Training Command;
                     Grantland Rice; cast of Adventures of Ellery Queen;
                     Harry Hershfield on the show
      0
8-04-44 Bill Stern's Sports Newsreel: Ellery Queen 15' with
                      Sydney Smith as EQ  
 
01-46 The Reign of Terror A 4-part murder mystery (sales
                presentation) program for G. Washington Coffee, 
                not
a broadcast.

(P= poor audioquality)

 

Other Queen related audio products
    
(existence unsure or specified)

April 12 and 13, 1951 The Tex and Jinx Show with Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay
Turning from fiction to fact, three writers of mystery stories, known under the "nom de plume" as Ellery Queen, Barnaby Ross and "Diplomat", applied their wits to the solution of a real unresolved mystery as presented by Captain John Ayer, head of the NYPD's missing persons bureau,  during one of the new series programs known as America's Grub Street Speaks, presented each Sunday evening over the WABC-Columbia network. We're looking for the episode dated November 27.1932 or others...
Interview with Ellery Queen and his biographer     (Dr. Elliot L. Gilbert?)
TV-Interview with Ellery Queen by Dick Cavett (on PBS)
(June 1978 billed as Dick Cavett Show) PBS Nighttime was the fifth of several talk and variety shows hosted by Dick Cavett. After a two-year break from TV series, he returned to host this show which came to PBS after he had been involved with variety and talk-variety formats on CBS and on ABC; it was a return to focus on the more intimate talk-interview format of a single guest, which was his forte. (Source classicthemes.com)
Evidentially Frederic Dannay appeared as a guest on The Dick Cavett Show twice, on May 23 and June 23 of 1978.
   Preserved in the Library of Congress 10-26-78 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 (Cassette preserved at Library of Congress, and also on cassette at the Chicago Public Library
.)
The ones marked with red dot are missing from my collection...

Could you help? e-mail

What we don't know and you just might...     YOU ARE HERE!     Missing articles, magazines,...     Missing books...     Unknown pictures...


 
Introduction | Floor Plan | Q.B.I. | List of Suspects | Whodunit?  | Q.E.D. | Kill as directed | New  | Copyright

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