The Adventures of Ellery Queen


The Adventures of Ellery Queen is the title of a radio series and four separate television series made from the 1950s through the 1970s. They were based on the fictional detective and pseudonymous writer Ellery Queen and the cases he solved with his father, Inspector Richard Queen.

Films

With Hugh Marlowe in the title role, Ellery Queen was introduced in The Adventures of Ellery Queen on CBS Radio on June 18, 1939, running until September 22, 1940. In 1942, the series moved to NBC radio, airing until 1944. From 1945 to 1947, it was heard once again on CBS, returning to NBC in 1947 and then moved to ABC radio. The premise was that a mystery would be dramatized, but then interrupted when a panel of celebrities would attempt to solve it.
During the 1970s, syndicated radio fillers, Ellery Queen's Minute Mysteries, began with an announcer saying, "This is Ellery Queen ..." and then outlining a case in one minute. The radio station encouraged callers to solve the mystery and win a sponsor's prize. Once they had a winner, the solution part of the spot would be played as confirmation.

Television

The first series was telecast on the DuMont Television Network from October 19, 1950, to December 6, 1951 and then on ABC from December 16, 1951, to November 26, 1952. This series starred Richard Hart as Ellery Queen in the first season and Lee Bowman in the role in later seasons. :fr:Florenz Ames|Florenz Ames played Inspector Richard Queen. Irving Pincus did his first work as a producer in two segments of this version of Ellery Queen. Guest stars included Anne Bancroft, John Carradine, and Eva Gabor. The series, produced by Irving and Norman Pincus and directed by Donald Richardson, featured writing by Helene Hanff, later famous as the author of 84, Charing Cross Road.

Episode List

First Season - DuMont Network

  1. The Bad Boy
  2. The Mad Tea Party
  3. The Invisible Lover
  4. The Long Count
  5. The Three Lame Men
  6. The Human Weapon
  7. The Crooked Man
  8. The Adventure of the Blind Bullet
  9. Two Pieces of Silver
  10. The Hanging Acrobat
  11. The Star of India
  12. The Adventures of the Survivors' Club
  13. Prescription For Treason
  14. The House of Terror
  15. Murder in Hollywood
  16. The Adventure of the Man who Killed Cops
  17. The Hanging Patient
  18. The Adventure of the Jewel-Handled Knife
  19. The Case of the Falling Corpse
  20. The Adventure of the Strange Voyage
  21. The Madcap Robbery
  22. The Adventure of the Manhunt
  23. Murder at the Museum
  24. The Adventures of the Man who Enjoyed Death
  25. The Case of the Frightened Lady
  26. The Baseball Murder Case
  27. Murder for Twelve Cents
  28. The Key to Murder
  29. Death Spins a Wheel
  30. Dissolve to Death
  31. The Frame-Up
  32. The Happiness Club
  33. The Chinese Mummer Mystery
  34. Murder in the Zoo
  35. Death in a Capsule
  36. The Case of the Upright Man
  37. The Adventure of the Frightened Child
  38. The Adventure of the Ballet Murder

    Second Season - DuMont Network

  39. The Adventure of the Twilight Zone
  40. The Dead Man who Walked
  41. Murder in the Death House
  42. The Garden of Death
  43. The Gridiron Murder
  44. The Coffee House Murder
  45. Death in a Ghost Town
  46. Murder to Music
  47. The Inside Man
  48. Pavanne for a Dead Princess
  49. The Adventure of the Shape-Up
  50. Death at the Opera

    Second Season - ABC Network

  51. Ticket to Nowhere
  52. A Christmas Story
  53. The Long Shot
  54. The Unhung Jury
  55. Death In the Sorority House
  56. The Feminine Touch
  57. Dance of Death
  58. One Week to Live
  59. Mr. Big
  60. Left-Cross
  61. The Red Hook Murder
  62. King Size Death
  63. The File of Death
  64. The Bar Peaceful Murder
  65. Doodle of Death
  66. The Men Without Faces
  67. Death of a Wax Doll
  68. Cat and Mouse
  69. Coroner's Inquest
  70. The Not So Private Eye
  71. Rehearsal for Murder
  72. Prize Catch
  73. The Case of the Heartbroken Men
  74. The Third Room
  75. The Pool of Death
  76. Dead Secret
  77. Case of the Canvas Shroud
  78. A Frame for a Chair
  79. The Winner was Death
  80. Confidential Agent

    Third Season - ABC Network

  81. The Ten Dollar Bill
  82. The Case of the Wise Man
  83. Ready For Hanging
  84. Legacy of Death
  85. Buck Fever
  86. Custom Made
  87. The Case of the Two-Faced Man
  88. A Touch of Death
  89. A Close-Up of Murder
  90. The Destructive Angel
  91. The High Executioner
  92. Companion to a Killer
  93. Double Exposure

    Second TV Series

series Mystery Is My Business starred Hugh Marlowe as Ellery but returned Florenz Ames to the role of Richard Queen. Guest stars included Elisha Cook Jr., Celia Lovsky and Peter van Eyck.

Episode List

  1. Dark Corridor
  2. Custom Made
  3. Double Exposure
  4. Mission for Murder
  5. Comeback
  6. Death in a Ghost Town
  7. Close-up of Murder
  8. Star of Kashmir
  9. Letter from the Dead
  10. Once a Killer
  11. The Recluse
  12. Doodle OF Death
  13. The Moll
  14. Mask of Roselli
  15. Woman in the Chair
  16. Trigger Man
  17. Mardi Gras
  18. The Vicious Circle
  19. One Week to Live
  20. Backfire
  21. The Fix
  22. Blackjack
  23. Woman on the Wire
  24. Night Visitors
  25. Death of a Wax Doll
  26. The White Orchid
  27. Stranger in the Dark
  28. Design for Revenge
  29. The Golden Snow
  30. The Fatal Signal
  31. Mister Big
  32. Memoirs Unwritten

    ''The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen''

This version featured George Nader as Ellery Queen in twenty episodes, then Lee Philips for the remainder of the season. Les Tremayne took the role of Richard Queen. Guest appearances were made by, among numerous others, film star and Oscar-nominee Nancy Carroll and stage actress Marian Seldes.

Episode List

  1. The Glass Village
  2. The King is Dead
  3. Ten Days of Wonder
  4. The Door Between
  5. The 8th Mrs Bluebeard
  6. Cat of Many Tails
  7. Death Before Bedtime
  8. Double, Double
  9. So Rich, So Lovely, So Dead
  10. Diamond-studded Typewriter
  11. Four and Twenty to Live
  12. Paint the Town Black
  13. The Hollow Man
  14. Bury Me Deep
  15. The Hinnolity Story
  16. The Jinn City Story
  17. Revolution
  18. The Murder of Whistler's Brother
  19. Death likes it Hot
  20. Margin of Terror
  21. Chauffeur Disguise
  22. Shadow of the Past
  23. The Chemistry Set
  24. Cartel for Murder
  25. A Girl Named Daisy
  26. The Paper Tigers
  27. The Lecture
  28. Confession of Murder
  29. Castaway on a Nearby Island
  30. The Curse of Aden
  31. Dance into Death
  32. Body of the Crime
  33. This Murder Comes to you Live

    ''Ellery Queen''

Universal/NBC's 1970s version featured Jim Hutton as Ellery and David Wayne as Richard. The stories took place in 1947. Guest stars included Don Ameche, Eve Arden, Jim Backus, Tom Bosley, George Burns, Beatrice Colen, Joan Collins, William Demarest, Howard Duff, Larry Hagman, Julius Harris, Guy Lombardo, Ida Lupino, Roddy McDowall, Vincent Price, Pernell Roberts, Cesar Romero, Julie Sommars, Rudy Vallée, Ray Walston, and Betty White. The series was cancelled after one season of 22 episodes.

Episode List

Ellery Queen two-hour pilot TV-movie, later retitled Too Many Suspects for syndication. This version also appears on the DVD.
  1. The Adventure of Auld Lang Syne
  2. The Adventure of the Lover's Leap
  3. The Adventure of the Chinese Dog
  4. The Adventure of the Comic Book Crusader
  5. The Adventure of the 12th Floor Express
  6. The Adventure of Miss Aggie's Farewell Performance
  7. The Adventure of Colonel Niven's Memoirs
  8. The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party
  9. The Adventure of Veronica's Veils
  10. The Adventure of the Pharaoh's Curse
  11. The Adventure of the Blunt Instrument
  12. The Adventure of the Black Falcon
  13. The Adventure of the Sunday Punch
  14. The Adventure of the Eccentric Engineer
  15. The Adventure of the Wary Witness
  16. The Adventure of the Judas Tree
  17. The Adventure of the Sinister Scenario
  18. The Adventure of the Two-Faced Woman
  19. The Adventure of the Tyrant of Tin Pan Alley
  20. The Adventure of Caesar's Last Sleep
  21. The Adventure of the Hard-Hearted Huckster
  22. The Adventure of the Disappearing Dagger