Nero Wolfe

I just watched this adaptation of one of my favorite detectives on ME (Memorable Entertainment) television on AT&T U-Verse. I have enjoyed Mr. Stout's books for years and enjoyed this (assumed) pilot.

When I saw it listed I thought it was the A&E series with Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin and I had enjoyed that series for the short time it was on.

I agree with one of the other reviewers that Mr. Thayer was really too slim to play Nero Wolfe, but I had enjoyed his appearances on "Dark Shadows" and did not let that deter my enjoyment.

Tom Mason was entertaining as Archie Goodwin, but Timothy Hutton's performances on the A&E series had spoiled me.

I am glad I stuck with the airing and enjoyed the others in the cast, especially Anne Baxter. If you ever get the chance, I think you might enjoy this also.

Good casting (although Thayer is 'way too thin), good chemistry and decent production values yield an enjoyable ninety minutes. The plot, in a nutshell: a wealthy woman, harassed by the FBI, hires Wolfe to get them off her back. His chance to earn his $100,000 fee improves when he learns that three agents may have been involved in the murder of a reporter who was working on a story about the Bureau.

As is often the case with Wolfe stories, the real interest lies in the characters -- Wolfe's methods and Archie's charm -- and the mystery itself, while it hold up, is almost incidental. The book from which it was adapted, "The Doorbell Rang" (1965), is generally considered the best of the Wolfe books.

This made-for-TV film was reportedly a pilot; a series never resulted but four years later NBC presented William Conrad as the first (and, one hopes, the only) bearded Nero Wolfe. Conrad had a remarkable career in radio and TV, but he was miscast and the show lasted fourteen episodes. A&E reran those some years ago, but when was the last time anyone showed this film? If it was ever released commercially, I couldn't find a trace of it.

It might have been interesting if Thayer David had lived to do a television series based on Rex Stout's corpulent gourmet detective Nero Wolfe. In fact normally David had the poundage that would have made the casting perfect. But sad to say he was suffering the fatal cancer that killed him.

In this story the very wealthy Anne Baxter hires Nero Wolfe to of all things get the FBI off her back. They're conducting an open tail on her and making her life miserable.

J. Edgar Hoover's minions have their reasons for investigating Baxter. She is distributing a copy of a book an author published that was not a glowing testimonial to the FBI. Said author was murdered some months ago and the case is unsolved.

Baxter herself gives Wolfe an offhanded piece of information that enables him to solve the crime. As usual Wolfe deduces while his young assistant Archie Goodwin played here by Tom Mason does the leg work. Quite a bit like the Perry Mason movies where William Katt or William R. Moses gathers the facts and witnesses for Raymond Burr.

Thayer David and Tom Mason would have made a classic Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. Sad this is the proof we have of that.

Many Nero Wolfe and Rex Stout purists think that this is the very best adaptation of a Wolfe story. Thayer David was hidden behind many a plant and other obstructions purportedly because he was very ill at the time suffering from cancer (as told to me by Rex Stout biographer and Edgar Winner John McAleer) and the same people thought that the casting of Archie Goodwin by Tom Mason was too young. I personally find him to be the best of the Archies despite his youth (25 at the time, I am told.) It is based on "The Doorbell Rang Twice" I am told. Anyone who can tell me otherwise is fine with me.

Still, the production overall is as good as it gets and I liked Thayer David's look and tone. I especially liked the Sherlock Holmes references since I am a true Sherlockian, and the fact that the portrait of Holmes is made to look much like Basil Rathbone, one of my favorite purveyors of the role. I prefer David to Maury Chaykin who's demeanor just misses for me. It is only a shame that Orson Welles never got to play the corpulent detective, or Raymond Burr for that matter. (Both were scheduled to play the part in productions that never saw fruition, unfortunately. There was even talk of John Ritter or Bill Cosby playing Archie, his man Friday, and I am glad that neither got to do THAT role.) Anyway, if you wanted to know what the book series was all about before reading Mr. Stout's excellent page turners, this is the best example yet.

It looked like a labor of love for all concerned and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Esteemed playwright Frank D. Gilroy ("The Subject Was Roses") wrote a clever screenplay and directed this Paramount TV movie, bringing the Rex Stout characters to life. Unfortunately, it was sloughed off with only a token airing a couple of years later.

With fine use of Manhattan locations and very classy dialogue and performances, perhaps this was too good for '70s audiences more attuned to Aaron Spelling-level shows. Of course "Columbo" was successful, but not everyone can aspire to the quality level of a Peter Falk.

Thayer David is terrific as Nero Wolfe, capturing the attitude of the character, with his vintage Rolls limo and trusty workhorse of an assistant Archie, nicely played by Tom Mason (whose career never really took flight). Anne Baxter is authoritative in a guest star role, while female lead Brooke Adams, just before (1977) she achieved movie stardom, is an innocent-looking but most worthy adversary for Nero in this tantalizing murder mystery involving the FBI.