Ellery Queen, Master Detective

Ellery Queen had made two (2) previous appearances during the 1930s. THE Spanish CAPE MYSTERY (1935) Liberty Pictures, featuring Donald Cook and THE MANDARIN MYSTERY (1936) Republic Pictures, with the light-weight Eddie Quillan. Producer Larry Darmour cornered the rights to the Ellery Queen novels and through Columbia Pictures and Harry Cohn launched a new series of films. Starting with ELLERY QUEEN, Master Detective (1940).

Ralph Bellamy for the first four (4) pictures played 'QUEEN' with Margaret Lindsay as romantic interest and side-kick, 'NIKKI PORTER'. Bellamy after a strong start at RKO had slipped into character parts and second leads by the latter half of the 1930s. The same could be said about Ms. Lindsay over from Warner Brothers. This series kept them working and in the company of other professionals like Charlie Grapewine as Inspector Queen. Here also was Marsha Hunt, up and comer on loan-out from M.G.M. and Katherine DeMille who plugged in character parts too her other interests. Former Silent Director Fred Niblo (BEN-HUR, 1925) also picked up a check. For plot details, read the synopsis, it's all there.

Bellamy plays 'QUEEN' with a light touch, but with a earnest intelligence, making him a viable character. Ms. Lindsay also hits her mark with a attractive appearance and winning smile. Though She seems to wear the same suit the entire film. The rest of the cast and a quick running time makes this a worth while watch. After the first four (4) films William Gargan would pick up the 'QUEEN' mantle with Ms. Lindsay soldiering on. Gargan proved a acceptable replacement and would rate the entire series a even IMDB******Six(6) or a Standard Rating of Two(2)**Stars.

John Braun, healthy and athletic model for his fitness enterprise, gets fatally ill and on the next day changes his will, leaving everything to his company. John locks himself up in his study, but Nikki goes to talk with him. She waits in the anteroom, but finds herself locked in and when they finally manage to open the door, they find Braun sitting at his desk, stabbed, and both the will and the murder weapon missing.

The first Ellery Queen to star Ralph Bellamy is a lively mix of humour and murder with the chemistry between Bellamy and Lindsay being the shining part of the film. The mystery itself is your usual locked room murder with a household of suspects.

Ralph Bellamy and Margaret Lindsay investigate a murder and have a good time doing it in this entertaining comedy.

Bellamy is a clever and playful Ellery Queen. "Did you buy this book?" he teases the police detective who asks him to autograph his latest book. "I've missed several from my study lately."

Lindsay is also fun as Nikki Porter, a would-be mystery writer herself. She has a shelf full of Ellery Queen's books but claims she can't stand him. Naturally the two soon meet, start bickering immediately, and only gradually become friends and allies.

The plot includes a murder but it's mainly an excuse to get Ellery and Nikki together. Nikki gets herself trapped in the outer office of a cranky millionaire who then dies mysteriously in the inner office. Ellery helps Nikki escape before the cops arrive. While the police look for Nikki, who has left her fingerprints all over, she hides out in Ellery's house--which of course is also the home of Ellery's father, Inspector Queen, who is investigating the murder.

That sounds like a dangerous ordeal but Nikki proves she is game: "You know something, Ellery?" she says after a narrow escape. "I'm beginning to like being a murder suspect. As long as they don't catch me."

Charley Grapewin is a colorful and fast-talking Inspector Queen. James Burke is fun as loyal assistant Sergeant Velle.

The murder suspects barely appear--this really is much more a comedy than a traditional whodunit. The stars eventually do some detecting but the focus is almost always on lively banter rather than murder clues. Overall, it's no showcase for amazing skills of deduction...but it is very easy to watch.

Ralph Bellamy stars as Ellery Queen in Ellery Queen, Master Detective, from 1940. Margaret Lindsay plays Nikki Porter, here a competitor and a potential love interest of Ellery's. Charles Grapwin plays Inspector Queen.

John Braun, who owns a fitness company and is a perfect specimen, finds out from his doctor that he's terminally ill. The next day, he changes his will, disinheriting his family and putting everything in the hands of the company.

His daughter (Marsha Hunt) is estranged from him, and Nikki goes to talk to him about the situation. He's signed the will and locked himself in his study.

Nikki waits a while and then finds out that she can't leave as the other door is locked. When she and Ellery finally get the door open, they find Braun dead from stabbing. The will and the murder weapon are gone. Ellery tells Nikki that as of now, she's the only one who could have done it.

I haven't seen all the actors who have played Ellery Queen by any means - I remember George Nader when I was a child and Jim Hutton later on.

The Jim Hutton series was marvelous. The George Nader version may have been live TV -- for some reason I distinctly remember him saying murtel and then correcting himself and saying murder.

Bellamy is excellent, giving a spirited, light performance. He has good chemistry with Lindsay and with Charles Grapwin. His Ellery is super-smart and on the sarcastic side. "There's a door," Nikki says. "Oh, thank you," Ellery says. "I never would have found it."

Margaret Lindsay is marvelous as Nikki, who goes after a plot that Ellery wanted to use in his next book, that of this locked room mystery. He hides her in his house, and the next day introduces her as their new cook. She can't even boil water and incurs the ire of Inspector Queen.

I liked it - director Kurt Neumann keeps this 65-minute film moving. The plot is clever, and the film is enjoyable. Look for Charles Lane, who died in 2007 at the age of 102.

Now THERE's a mystery if ever there was one: John Braun, who's always been the perfectly healthy and athletic model for his fitness enterprise, learns that he's incurably ill - and changes his will the next day, disinheriting his family and leaving everything to his company. His daughter's friend Nikki goes to his home to talk to him right after he's signed the will and locked himself up in his study. She waits in the anteroom - and soon finds out that she can't get out, because the other door is locked as well; and when they finally manage to open the door, they find Braun sitting at his desk, stabbed, and both the will and the murder weapon missing - which leaves Nikki as the ONLY person who could have committed the murder...

In this third 'Ellery Queen' mystery, Ralph Bellamy for the first time plays the police detective's son, writer, and hobby sleuth; and he does quite well, although he isn't quite as charming and funny as Donald Cook in the first one - he's more the serious, clever, and slightly ironic type. But the center of attraction (in every way) is Margaret Lindsay as Nikki, who is TRAPPED in every sense of the word...

This is one of the movies to which should be added 'Don't tell the ending to anyone!' - because it REALLY takes a crime film or novel expert to solve the case. Classic murder mystery at its best here!