User Reviews

This one includes a 5 year old murder that wasn't solved with a new murder of a detective who worked on the other case for 5 years.

Gary Burghoff (Radar O'Reilly on MASH) pops up in the guest cast. In this one, Ellery uses the circumstances of the detective's murder and the evidence from the 5 year old killing to come up with the killer. This one has the ultimate red herring in the person who was acquitted from the older murder who seems to run around angry the entire episode.

This episode bows out the series in style as it is sort of a memorial to a friend and co-worker of Inspector Richard Queen. You can tell it was not expected to be the last show. At least it is not a total loss.

Peter Faulk (Columbo) was already working with these producers and he became more of a bumbling homicide detective due to this series. This episode features the same mansion set used a couple of other times in the series and several times in The Wild Wild West.

Later would come Murder She Wrote which was more successful because CBS did a much better job scheduling it. This show was moved around so much on NBC's schedule that it had no chance of being picked up.

While Murder She Wrote uses a lot of the same plot devices, this series has more of the "in your face" quality as this shows challenges the viewer to solve each case with Ellery. When Ms. Fletcher showed up someplace you knew there was going to be a murder & Jessica would solve it.

This one has Inspector Queen still trying to teach Ellery how to make a better cup of coffee. There is more humor in Ellery Queen and I only wish there were more episodes. Still, the full series is now on DVD and now that I have watched them all, this series holds up better than a lot of other series I have checked out DVD's of. Sometimes time enhances memories to make you think something was better. In the case of Ellery Queen, this DVD reminds you Ellery Queen was better.

I really liked this episode It was well done. It is also depressing because this was the last episode. All the actors and actresses are very good except for one. IMO Gary Burghoff was misplaced here. He really can't do drama. His performance seems forced and wooden.

This, the unfortunately last episode of Jim Hutton's "Ellery Queen" series, is a bit confusing in it's proceedings. Most confusing is (other than "why was this wonderful series canceled after only one terrific season?") why would the murderer preserve the murder location exactly as it was, a full 5 years after the murderer commited the murder?

Also confusing, how did the elderly detective figure out the "sinker" bit? When Ellery figures it all out at the conclusion of the episode, his pathway leads directly from the sinker and it's creation, directly to the murderer. That process of determination, by all rights, should have led the elderly detective straight to the identity of the murderer as well.

Regardless of a few inconsistencies in the story, this is another great episode. The guest cast is certainly up to the tasks at hand. Mel Ferrer is excellent as a smarmy, self-righteous business man. R. G. Armstrong is quite entertaining as a airplane mechanic/do-anything kind of guy. His character can "take it or leave it" whether "it" is credit for an invention or a few hundred thousand dollars in payment.

Gary Burghoff, much loved at the time as Teddy-Bear hugging Walter "Radar" O'Reilly on "M*A*S*H", successfully plays against type. He plays a self-absorbed, incompetent oaf who displays a constant snare of contempt upon his adorable baby-face. Contempt for pretty much everyone and everything.

Actor Ronny Cox looks to be having a whole lot of fun as an airplane pilot who is just out of prison after serving time for a crime he did not commit. He goes running around multiple sets and scenes, yelling, shouting and threatening fist punches and death to anyone who gets in his way. It's a bit surprising when Sargent Velie (the constantly fantastic Tom Reese) steps up to put the attacking pilot in his place, then shows up in the next scene with a very blackened eye.

It's really pretty much needless to say, but David Wayne and Jim Hutton are their regular incredible selves as Inspector Queen and his son, Ellery. Jim Hutton has a very funny scene questioning an artistic female suspect. While the interrogation is commencing, the female is in the middle of sculpting a small statue of a feminine figure. Ellery is rather taken with the lovely young model who is posing for the artist. Ellery can't seem able to take his eyes from the model. She's quite beautiful. Also, she's quite nude. The female artist and the model both take note of Ellery's stammering as well as his staring eyes. The model is welcoming, making certain to broadcast her home phone number to the artist. The artist notes the phone number information was very much for Ellery's benefit. Will Ellery remember the number? Will he call her soon after to arrange a date? Will he and the model fall passionately in love, soon marry and produce many little Ellerys who will all grow-up to love a good mystery? She's never seen again. And oh yes - the show gets canceled, so this is the final episode of the series anyway.

Why oh why did Network executives not recognize what they had with this series? Yes, perhaps a weekly 1 hour presentation was a bit too much. Although the 22 episodes and pilot movie were for the most part, absolutely excellent, maybe the show should have (and certainly could have) been moved into rotation with "Columbo", "McCloud" and "McMillan & Wife". 7 carefully structured scripts per year at 90 minutes or maybe 120 minutes an episode, would have given "Ellery Queen" more time to spread it's wings and it's mystery.

"Ellery Queen" the TV series is no more. I know who the killer was. Do you? If you've been paying attention, you should. The clues have all been out in plain sight.

Yes, The Adventure of the Vastly Superior TV Mystery Series Starring Jim Hutton as Ellery Queen... Is Dead. The Murderer was NBC.