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

Radio

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 (1947–1948). The premise was that a mystery would be dramatized, but then interrupted when a panel of celebrities would attempt to solve it.
Television
- The Adventures of Ellery Queen, was produced by the DuMont Television Network. It ran on DuMont from October 14, 1950, to December 6, 1951 (50 episodes), then moved to ABC from December 16, 1951, to November 26, 1952 (43 episodes).
- The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen, ran for 33 episodes from 1958 to 1959 on NBC.
The Adventures of Ellery Queen (DuMont and ABC)
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. (Hart died suddenly of a heart attack in January 1951.) 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[1] (Bancroft later played Hanff in the film version of 84 Charing Cross Road.[2])
The ABC version was sponsored by Bayuk cigars, but that sponsorship ended effective with the November 26, 1952, broadcast.[3]
First Season - DuMont Network
- The Bad Boy
- The Mad Tea Party
- The Invisible Lover
- The Long Count
- The Three Lame Men
- The Human Weapon
- The Crooked Man
- The Adventure of the Blind Bullet
- Two Pieces of Silver
- The Hanging Acrobat (A film clip episode aired on December 21, 1950 is available at the Internet Archive)
- The Star of India
- The Adventures of the Survivors' Club
- Prescription For Treason
- The House of Terror
- Murder in Hollywood
- The Adventure of the Man who Killed Cops
- The Hanging Patient
- The Adventure of the Jewel-Handled Knife
- The Case of the Falling Corpse
- The Adventure of the Strange Voyage
- The Madcap Robbery
- The Adventure of the Manhunt
- Murder at the Museum
- The Adventures of the Man who Enjoyed Death
- The Case of the Frightened Lady
- The Baseball Murder Case
- Murder for Twelve Cents
- The Key to Murder
- Death Spins a Wheel
- Dissolve to Death
- The Frame-Up
- The Happiness Club
- The Chinese Mummer Mystery
- Murder in the Zoo
- Death in a Capsule
- The Case of the Upright Man
- The Adventure of the Frightened Child
- The Adventure of the Ballet Murder
Second Season - DuMont Network
- The Adventure of the Twilight Zone
- The Dead Man who Walked
- Murder in the Death House
- The Garden of Death
- The Gridiron Murder
- The Coffee House Murder
- Death in a Ghost Town
- Murder to Music
- The Inside Man
- Pavanne for a Dead Princess
- The Adventure of the Shape-Up
- Death at the Opera
Second Season - ABC Network
- Ticket to Nowhere
- A Christmas Story
- The Long Shot
- The Unhung Jury
- Death In the Sorority House
- The Feminine Touch
- Dance of Death
- One Week to Live
- Mr. Big
- Left-Cross
- The Red Hook Murder
- King Size Death
- The File of Death
- The Bar Peaceful Murder
- Doodle of Death
- The Men Without Faces
- Death of a Wax Doll
- Cat and Mouse
- Coroner's Inquest
- The Not So Private Eye
- Rehearsal for Murder
- Prize Catch
- The Case of the Heartbroken Men
- The Third Room
- The Pool of Death
- Dead Secret
- Case of the Canvas Shroud
- A Frame for a Chair
- The Winner was Death
- Confidential Agent
Third Season - ABC Network
- The Ten Dollar Bill
- The Case of the Wise Man
- Ready For Hanging
- Legacy of Death
- Buck Fever
- Custom Made
- The Case of the Two-Faced Man
- A Touch of Death
- A Close-Up of Murder
- The Destructive Angel
- The High Executioner
- Companion to a Killer
- Double Exposure
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. The series was produced by Albert McCleery.[4]
Episodes
- The Glass Village
- The King is Dead
- Ten Days of Wonder
- The Door Between
- The 8th Mrs Bluebeard
- Cat of Many Tails
- Death Before Bedtime
- Double, Double
- So Rich, So Lovely, So Dead
- Diamond-studded Typewriter
- Four and Twenty to Live
- Paint the Town Black
- The Hollow Man
- Bury Me Deep
- The Hinnolity Story
- The Jinn City Story
- Revolution
- The Murder of Whistler's Brother
- Death likes it Hot
- Margin of Terror
- Chauffeur Disguise
- Shadow of the Past
- The Chemistry Set
- Cartel for Murder
- A Girl Named Daisy
- The Paper Tigers
- The Lecture
- Confession of Murder
- Castaway on a Nearby Island
- The Curse of Aden
- Dance into Death
- Body of the Crime
- This Murder Comes to you Live
See also
References
- Fox, Margalit (April 11, 1997). "Helene Hanff, Wry Epistler Of '84 Charing,' Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
- Ebert, Roger (March 27, 1987). "84 Charing Cross Road". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
- "Network Sponsor Activity". Ross Reports on Television including The Television Index. October 26, 1952. p. 2. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- "Mystery Series Planned by N. B. C.: New 'Ellery Queen' Plays to Begin Live on TV Sept. 26 -- McCleery Will Produce". The New York Times. August 11, 1958. p. 41. Retrieved November 26, 2022.