Ellery Queen: Television

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The Adventures of Ellery Queen 1950-1951	Dumont, 1950-1951 ABC, 1951-1952 EQ: Richard Hart, Lee Bowman Inspector Queen: Florenz Ames This series was broadcast live, with Lee Bowman taking over for Richard Hart in January of 1951 when the latter died suddenly of a heart attack.
The Adventures of Ellery Queen 1954-1956	Syndicated, 1954-1956 EQ: Hugh Marlowe Inspector Queen: Florenz Ames Ames was by now familiar with his role, and Marlowe had played EQ on radio, so their portrayals had a certain degree of authenticity. But reportedly the production values were nil and the storylines poor. 32 episodes were filmed. Also known as "Mystery Is My Business".
The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen 1958-1959	NBC, 1958-1959 EQ: George Nader, Lee Philips Inspector Queen: Les Tremayne The idea was to do actual Queen stories, and six of the first eight were adaptation of the novels. Other writers' mystery stories were dramatized by making Ellery the hero character. The show was telecast live from New York, but when the series switched to production on the left coast, Philips took over the EQ role and the Inspector was completely dropped. Now they did original scripts only, and the show was produced on videotape rather than live.
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour 11 Nov 1963	episode: "Terror at Northfield" NBC, 1963 Dick York, Jacqueline Scott source: "Terror Town" (Argosy, August 1956) EQ doesn't appear in this story, but it is a genuine Dannay and Lee article, adapted from a story story first published in Argosy magazine. It's a suspense tale rather than a mystery, at least in Hitchcock's adaptation.
Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You 1971	NBC, 1971 (96 minutes) Director: Barry Shear Source: novel "Cat of Many Tails" EQ: Peter Lawford Inspector Queen: Harry Morgan Dr. Cazalis: E.G. Marshall Mrs. Cazalis: Colleen Gray Celeste Phillips: Stephanie Powers There are some positives to this much-maligned tv-movie. It makes effective use of actual New York locations, and the plot structure of "Cat of Many Tails" is faithfully rendered. Unfortunately, all of the story's subtleties and insights are tossed aside. The casting of Ellery is preposterous: Lawford plays him as an overaged, mod "Swinging London" hipster. Poor Harry Morgan, well-suited as the long-suffering Dad, has been rewritten as a long-suffering uncle! This was supposed to become an element of NBC's "Mystery Movie" wheel, but was replaced by "McMillan and Wife".
Ellery Queen 1975-1978	NBC, 1975-1976 Regular cast: Ellery Queen: Jim Hutton Inspector Queen: David Wayne Sgt. Velie: Tom Reese Recurring Characters: Simon Brimmer: John Hillerman Frank Flanagan: Ken Swofford Deputy Commissioner Hayes: Arch Johnson Ellery Queen is arguably the greatest fictional detective of American creation, but despite several attempts in diverse styles, he has never been accurately portrayed in movies or on television. The great complexity of plot and depth of character that marked the extraordinary series of Queen novels almost never survived in attempts to transfer them to visual formats, and the part was often played for comedy (one of the first movie Queens was comic Eddie Quillan).
	The character of Ellery Queen was refashioned for the NBC series as well, but there were legitimate bases in the books for most of the characteristics that Jim Hutton displayed in the role. More importantly, Hutton's charm and natural manner played perfectly against David Wayne's crusty Inspector (though Wayne lacked the mustache so often mentioned in the books, his is otherwise the definitive depiction of The Old Man). The show had a sense of good humor, and its setting in 1947 made nostalgia an important component of its success.
	The producers introduced two recurring characters who were not a part of the canonical writings, but nonetheless memorable and a large part of the series's success. Simon Brimmer, radio sleuth and Ellery's implacable rival, wanted nothing more than to best the Queens in an investigation. Sometimes he turned up valuable clues; usually he fingered the wrong man. He held a high opinion of his own fame, sophistication, and deductive skills.
	Meanwhile, at the New York "Gazette", news hawk Frank Flanagan pounded out his column, writing and speaking in Flanaganisms like "superrific!". He had sources everywhere, especially when he was willing to fork over a sawbuck for a hot tip. Flanagan delighted in ridiculing the police in print, but when the chips were down, he was there if Ellery needed his help.
	Each episode starts with a clever opening montage, as the announcer says something like, "This famous song-writer is about to be murdered. Who is guilty? Is it ..." Each suspect is shown in a brief clip, speaking a short phrase (sometimes deliberately excerpted to look off-beat and humorous), then: "Match wits with Ellery Queen and see if you can guess WhoDunit!" The episodes seen in syndication have been cut be several minutes each, with this sequence eliminated entirely
	Next came the stylish opening credits, accompanied by Elmer Bernstein's 1940s Big-Band-style theme music. The perfect mood is set with the montage of chess pieces, period glassware, murder implements, and, of course, Ellery's essential typewriter.
	Adding to the authentic feel of the series is the "challenge to the viewer," where Hutton as Queen turns to the camera, and invites the audience to add up the clues and name the guilty party. This is a direct visual analogue to the "Challenge to the Reader" that appeared in the earlier Queen novels just before the solution was revealed. Only sometimes Hutton gives too many hints! In the syndicated versions, a few minutes of program content have also been trimmed from within each episode itself, which is unfortunate because the amusing by-plays between Queen and his Dad are usually the first things to go. Even edited, however, this is as fine a mystery series as American television has given us. Though the episodes varied in quality, none was poor, and even the weakest of them (probably "Chinese Dog", which takes the meticulously-drawn town of Wrightsville from several novels and turns it into a rural hicksville) are redeemed by the plots, the production values, and the marvelous casts. Beginning in August of 1995, uncut episodes of the series aired on the Encore:Mystery satellite/cable channel. This was the first time these programs had been seen in their complete form since the original network broadcasts. After a few years, the uncut episodes disappeared from Encore. The Retro TV Network (most often seen on local stations' digital subchannels) ran uncut episodes for a while but now seems to have reverted to edited shows (to squeeze in more commercials). News: Ellery Queen is finally coming to DVD in August 2010. Details here. Ellery Queen Episode Guide:
Ellery Queen 23 March 1975	Syndication Title: "Too Many Suspects" Director: David Greene Ray Milland, Monte Markham, Kim Hunter, John Hillerman Source: novel "The Fourth Side of the Triangle" Pilot film for the series that followed. The novel was simplified and the most important clues significantly altered in this otherwise handsomely mounted and well-played production. Even at 96 minutes the script contained hardly any padding. Introduced recurring character Simon Brimmer, a radio mystery sleuth with an insatiable desire to best Ellery in a real murder case. His show was called "The Casebook of Simon Brimmer", sponsored by Vita-Cream.
The Adventure of Auld Lang Syne 11 Sept 1975	Joan Collins, Ray Walston, Thayer David, Guy Lombardo, Barbara Rush, David Doyle David Greene directed one more time. This story of a murder on New Year's Eve is charming and smart, one of the best in the series, with even a couple of touching moments, and a clever, but completely fair, dying clue.
The Adventure of The Lover's Leap 18 Sept 1975	Don Ameche, Jack Kelley, Ida Lupino, Craig Stevens, Anne Francis, Susan Strasberg, John Hillerman A woman reading an Ellery Queen book finds that events in the story are happening to her in real life. One of the in-jokes the writers used here was naming all of the episode-specific characters after well-known mystery writers: Marsh, Chandler, etc.
The Adventure of the Chinese Dog 25 Sept 1975	Orson Bean, Eugene Roche, Murray Hamilton, Geraldine Brooks, Robert F Simon Not the strongest episode by any means. A wealthy man is murdered, struck by an ornamental dog figurine.
The Adventure of the Comic Book Crusader 2 October 1975	Tom Bosley, Lynda Day George, Donald O'Connor, Joe Maher, Ken Swofford Ellery is a suspect when the publisher of an "Ellery Queen" comic is murdered. (There actually was an Ellery Queen comic, by the way.) It didn't help that this episode aired around the same time as the movie "Murder on the Orient Express" was released, as they have elements of similarity. Introduced recurring character Frank Flanagan, columnist for the New York "Gazette".
The Adventure of the 12th Floor Express 9 October 1975	Pat Harrington, Dina Merrill, Ruth McDevitt, Paul Stewart, Kip Niven, Ken Swofford Murder in an elevator, 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 anyone who can recognize it.
The Adventure of Miss Aggie's Farewell Performance 19 October 1975	Eve Arden, Bert Parks, Betty White, Paul Shenar, John Hillerman A radio soap opera star is killed and most of the cast are suspects. Another excellent episode, with a lot of nostalgia value.
The Adventure of Colonel Niven's Memoirs 23 October 1975	Lloyd Bochner, Robert Loggia, Pernell Roberts, Rene Auberjonois A tell-all book about wartime collaborators gets its author killed.
The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party 30 October 1975	Edward Andrews, Jim Backus, Rhonda Flemings, Larry Hagman, Julie Sommars Source: short story "The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party" The only series entry based on an actual Queen story, it is the finest of the episodes, and is regarded by many as the best filming of Queen ever. The script is faithful to the original story, and even surpasses it in clearing up a few logical loopholes. A classic plot makes for a classic episode.
The Adventure of Veronica's Veils 13 Nov 1975	Julie Adams, George Burns, Jack Carter, William Demarest, Hayden Rorke, Barbara Rhoades, John Hillerman There's an overabundance of "comedy relief" in this tale of a killing in the midst of a burlesque-revival show. But a great cast.
The Adventure of the Pharoah's Curse 12 Nov 1975	June Lockhart, Ross Martin, Simon Oakland, Nehemiah Persoff, John Hillerman Who can resist a story about mummies and curses? A pretty good whodunit, too. An odd moment at the start of the last act suggests John Hillerman could not be present for the filming of that scene. Instead, a brief bit with Brimmer is tacked on to the end of the episode.
The Adventure of the Blunt Instrument 18 Nov 1975	John Dehner, Eva Gabor, Richard Jaeckel, Dean Stockwell, Joanna Barnes, Keene Curtis The familiar setting: a convention of murder mystery writers. The winner of the "blunt instrument award" is bashed in the head with it. But Ellery is home with a bad cold, and everyone wants him to try their home remedy.
The Adventure of the Black Falcon 4 January 1976	Howard Duff, Signe Hasso, Tab Hunter, Roddy McDowell, William Schallert, John Hillerman A better than average outing: one of the partners in a restaurant is found dead. Why did he grab that bottle of wine ust before he died? Roddy McDowell delivers a great line of dialogue to Inspector Queen.
The Adventure of the Sunday Punch 11 January 1976	Robert Alda, Dane Clark, Lloyd Nolan, Janet MacLachlan, Ken Swofford A boxer dies during a training bout, but it turns out he was poisoned. Ellery is invited to "take a ride", and Frank Flanagan provides a vital clue.
The Adventure of the Eccentric Engineer 18 January 1976	Ed McMahon, Arthur Godfrey, David Hedison, Dorothy Malone, Dick Van Patten, Bobby Sherman A great electric train set, but its operator is killed, and there's more involved than just toys.
The Adventure of the Wary Witness 25 January 1976	Michael Constantine, Dwayne Hickman, Sal Mineo, Michael Parks, Cesar Romero, Dick Sargent One of the most serious episodes of the series, and one of the best. Can Ellery help the accused find the missing witness who can prove he didn't kill the mobster? The clues are discreetly, but fairly, dropped, and the twists nicely devious. Sal Mineo was killed shortly after this episode filmed.
The Adventure of the Judas Tree 1 February 1976	Dana Andrews, Bill Dana, Clu Gulager, George Maharis, Diana Muldaur, James Shigeta Who killed the wealthy industrialist, and why was his body dragged out of the house and hung from a tree, with a crown of flowers on his head?
The Adventure of the Sinister Scenario 8 February 1976	Noah Beery, Don DeFore, Troy Donahue, Vincent Price, Barbara Rush An interesting concept: the Queens go to Hollywood to watch the filming of a Queen movie. Guess what: someone gets killed! Considering how Inspector Queen and his son complain about the lack of authenticity of the production they are watching, one can only guess how they would have reacted to the Ralph Bellamy movies!
The Adventure of the Two-Faced Woman 29 February 1976	Theodore Bikel, Joyce Brothers, Forrest Tucker, Vera Miles, Victor Buono, Edward Mulhare, John Hillerman A painting is a clue to past mysteries and a present killing; once again Simon Brimmer fingers the wrong person.
The Adventure of the Tyrant of Tin Pan Alley 7 March 1976	Rudy Vallee, Polly Bergen, Albert Salmi, Ken Berry, Norman Fell, John Hillerman Was the payola scandal already underway in 1947? It plays a role in the story of a songwriter who is killed at a radio station. Take a look at the episode title as it appears on the screen. Can you spot the goof?
The Adventure of Caesar's Last Sleep 14 March 1976	Jan Murray, Eddie Albert, Stuart Whitman, Kevin Tighe A mobster who is going to be the star witness for an ambitious prosecutor is killed, and the finger of suspicion points to Inspector Queen's right hand man, Sgt. Velie. An interesting subplot attempts to look a little more seriously at the Queen father-son relationship and how it plays against Dad's role in the police department. In fact, this time Dad spots the crucial clue (although it's clear Ellery sees it first) and gets to do the final "exposure of the killer" scene.
The Adventure of the Hard-Hearted Huckster 21 March 1976	Eddie Bracken, Bob Crane, Carolyn Jones, Juliet Mills, Herb Edelman, Ken Swofford The new world of television is the backdrop for this murder yarn. Frank Flanagan gets a tv show, but it doesn't last long. He is cancelled and replaced by Ed Sullivan (FF scornfully calls him "old wooden face" and adds, "That zombie won't last two weeks!")
The Adventure of the Disappearing Dagger 4 April 1976	Walter Pidgeon, Mel Ferrer, Dana Wynter, Gary Burghoff, Ronny Cox The final episode deals with the killing of a private investigator looking into an old murder investigation. Both cases are closed by the end of the show, though I've seen more convincing resolutions.
The Adventure of the Grand Old Lady 8 October 1989	This was not a real Ellery Queen episode, but it almost was. This script was written but not used. It reappeared as an episode of "Murder, She Wrote". In this version, Jessica Fletcher merely served to introduce the story, which was set, like the Queen series, in 1947, and dealt with murder on board an ocean liner. The thinly-disguised Queen characters were all there, including Ellery (now called "Christy" and an author of...crossword puzzles!); his Dad, a police Homicide cop; and a famous radio mystery sleuth (played by Robert Vaughan) with a show called "The Chancellor Casebook".