Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Taha Avalos
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Brenda
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
midnight_raider2001
One of my favorite TV series of all time was this show, a must-watch leading into the NBC Sunday Mystery Movie. Done by the same creative team that had given us "Columbo," "Ellery Queen" did that show one better by giving us a mystery to solve each week while using the same patterns of intricate clues that had made "Columbo" such a hit. I think NBC had high hopes for this show: it looks like they spent big money on it, meticulously re-creating New York City in the 1940s on Hollywood sets, getting the big-name guest stars, hiring a top-notch writing staff, and possibly giving the directors extra time to film and get things right. Maybe the show was too high-class for television, especially 1970s television, when Norman Lear's in-your-face, ultra-modern sitcoms ruled and Garry Marshall's escapist sitcoms were about to head for the top, while the dramas were epitomized by The Six Million Dollar Man (which was Ellery's competition during much of the year). TV networks always try to stay with the trends, although it seems like they always catch the trends at the tail end. Ellery was also Family Viewing Time material, after a programming edict by the networks which never caught on. But it even compares well with the immortal Murder, She Wrote, which came along a few years later (in the same time period) and became a 12-year hit. Catch the predecessor series if you can to see how the production team did it at their best.
blanche-2
Ellery Queen, written and produced by the same people who brought us "Murder, She Wrote" nine years later, was ahead of its time with its 1940s atmosphere and mystery plots, older casting and older guest stars. By the time the mid-'80s came around, the demographics had changed enough to make "Murder, She Wrote" a breakout hit -- but in the '70s, that audience wasn't there yet. It's a shame because Ellery Queen was a superior show in every way to the Angela Lansbury series. Hutton and Wayne were perfect as Ellery and the Inspector. John Hillerman, in the beginning episodes, was a radio detective and was preferable to the later budinsky, a newspaper man played by Ken Swofford. The pilot for this series, guest-starring Ray Milland, was one of the best ever made, complete with a radio show that had makeshift sound effects. Guest stars in the series included Tab Hunter, Signe Hasso, Howard Duff, Ida Lupino, Susan Sarandon, Anne Francis, Donald O'Connor, many others. A pity it wasn't a hit - though, done any later, Hutton would not have been alive to play Queen, a role that fit him like a glove.
Itsamoomoo
I just watched this show for the very time today on cable's TV Land (Sunday box set special), and I, too, agree with everyone else about how excellent a show this was. I happened to catch the episode with Eve Arden as a radio soap opera actress murdered, and through it's good writing as well as acting, I was immediately sucked in. Other guest cast members were Betty White and John Hillerman.I look forward to seeing this show again and hope that someone out there gets the smarts to make this available on home video.
xbrinton
The show Ellery Queen was not only great to watch, but gave us what would be the format of other mystery programs such as Murder She Wrote. I remember watching Ellery Queen as a child, and it, along with Agatha Christie's books started my enjoyment of a good mystery. I only wish it were on video so I could watch it again! It also exposed me to actors that I would watch either in later tv series (such as Magnum PI) or movies (like Jim Hutton & Cary Grant's "Walk, don't run". An entertaining series, with the knack for making the audience think, the element of surprise and detail make this an act worth following (and in the case of Murder she wrote, a successful one).