Episode 11, "The Adventure of the Blunt Instrument," refers to the award given to the year's outstanding mystery novel, shaped like a mallet. For his latest book, "The Shanghai Solution," Edgar Manning (Keene Curtis, later of CHEERS) is the award's latest recipient, inviting a few guests for a celebration in his apartment afterwards. His research assistant, Cliff Waddell (Dean Stockwell), proposes a toast to the author of "The Shanghai Solution," and Manning himself insists they drink to his death, since he has many enemies. During a phone conversation with Ellery Queen, unable to attend due to a severe head cold, Edgar Manning is murdered by, as he puts it, 'some rash person who wants to balance the books.' Among the other guests present were Mary Parks (Ellen Weston), Manning's secretary, whom he was supposedly going to fire, Nick McVey (Richard Jaeckel), a tough-guy rival author who boasts that his books are outselling Manning's, Magda Szomony (Eva Gabor), an actress who had fled Nazi-occupied Europe and is now living illegally in the US (a fact which Manning held over her by refusing to marry her), and George Tisdale (John Dehner), Manning's publisher, who feared that Edgar would switch over to a company run by Tisdale's former wife, Camellia Justice (Joanna Barnes). A subsequent audit of Tisdale's company reveals a $5000 deficit, resulting in the arrest of embezzling accountant Stephen Osterwald (an unbilled Robert Cornthwaite). Inspector Queen's discussion with Captain Hill (an unbilled Ross Elliott, previously seen as the Judge in the original ELLERY QUEEN pilot) reveals that Cliff Waddell couldn't have killed Manning, who was struck with a blow to the head by the 'blunt instrument' award itself, due to injuries suffered in Okinawa, earning Waddell the Navy Cross for distinguished service in the line of duty. Waddell was attended to by the Captain himself, with shrapnel in his right leg and both arms, making it impossible for him to raise them above his waist to kill anyone. Waddell adds that he left Manning's party to attend an all-night movie house showing "She-Wolf of London" and "The Spider Woman Strikes Back," both actual 1946 releases from Universal Pictures, though not together (Ellery even excitedly mentions the star of the latter feature, Gale Sondergaard). Clyde Kusatsu appears as Mateo, Manning's houseboy, who apparently left the gathering and returned home before the murder occurred. Ellery is amusingly wheezing and sneezing throughout, and vetoes his father's proffered remedies such as tea (which needs more gin).
Ellery Queen (TV Series)
The Adventure of the Blunt Instrument (1975)
User Reviews
Review this title3 Reviews
Humor On Display & Redundant
DKosty1239 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This episode displays not just the humor of Ellery having a cold but an inside joke for mystery writers. The "blunt instrument" award is given to it's recipient twice, the second time with tragic consequences.
Another outstanding guest cast as John Dehner, Eva Gabor & Dean Stockwell carry along the episode in great support. Gabor seems to think a string of garlic will ward off the flu. Everyone else Ellery interacts with have a cure for him too. Maybe that is why he is still sick at the end of the show which ends with another suggestion for a cure.
Ellery is actually on the phone with the victim when he dies. Normally that would make it easy, but it seems no one has any love lost for the tyrant who won the award taking credit for someone else's work.
One of the things this series does successfully throughout is mixing humor into the stories. This episode is no exception. This cast does it again in outstanding fashion.
Another outstanding guest cast as John Dehner, Eva Gabor & Dean Stockwell carry along the episode in great support. Gabor seems to think a string of garlic will ward off the flu. Everyone else Ellery interacts with have a cure for him too. Maybe that is why he is still sick at the end of the show which ends with another suggestion for a cure.
Ellery is actually on the phone with the victim when he dies. Normally that would make it easy, but it seems no one has any love lost for the tyrant who won the award taking credit for someone else's work.
One of the things this series does successfully throughout is mixing humor into the stories. This episode is no exception. This cast does it again in outstanding fashion.
Ellery Queen and 1970's Television At It's Best
chashans18 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Wow! What an episode! What a plot! What an incredible guest cast! What a lot of sneezing! Everything meshes perfectly for what is an absolutely excellent outing of Ellery Queen.
The plot sees Ellery comfortably amongst his own - Mystery Writers. One of them has won the coveted Blunt Instrument Award for Best Mystery Novel of the Year. Ellery himself was up for the award, but alas, could not attend the ceremony, having to stay home due to a bad cold. He does later converse with the award winner via a phone call. Ellery gets to congratulate the winner and then he gets to hear the winner get murdered! The victim is even able to give Ellery a clue to the killer's identity - prior to being murdered!
Every face of the guest cast is easily recognizable. Some with well known names and others with at least well known faces. Keene Curtis appears as the murder victim. His character is a highly intelligent, ridiculing snob. A type the actor often played. It's nice to see, for once, his character get bumped off!
John Dehner and Joanna Barnes play ex-husband/ex-wife competeing book publishers. Both have their claws out for one another, yet there remains a sparkling within their eyes. The two actors immediately find a terrific chemistry with one another.
Dean Stockwell is there as well. He plays a former military man, severly injured in World War II. The script allows the viewer to dismiss his character as the murderer due to the fact that the man can nolonger lift his arms above his head. An act needed in order to commit the crime in the fashion Ellery and his Inspector Father maintain took place.
Richard Jaeckel appears as another writer who had desperately wanted to win the award. Desperately enough to commit murder? Jaeckel's name may not be recognizable to the viewer, but his face most certainly is. His career spanned some 50 years, beginning in 1943. He appeared in practically every 1960's, 70's and 80's dramatic series you can think of. His face would have easily won him the lead role in a biography film about fellow actor, William Shatner. And Shatner could have starred as the lead in a biographical film about Jaeckel!
Then there's the incredibly beautiful and mezmorizing Eva Gabor. Always an absolute knock-out, Gabor brings along the knack for comedy she readily displayed in her starring role on the surreal 60's/70's comedy, "Green Acres". Yet she also warms the hearts of viewers - and Ellery & co. - with the sad story of her character's past. If she turns out to be the murderer, surely Inspector Queen will allow her to go free. And maybe even make her Ellery's new step-mom.
Even characters with little screentime are played by actors with faces seen many times throughout the golden age of television. Robert Cornthwaite appears in a quick scene as an embezzler. I recognized him immediately from another program upon which he also had little screen time. On "The Andy Griffith Show", he had appeared as a State Police Investigator whose approaching arrival was feared by both Sheriff Taylor and Deputy Fife. This was due to the jail/court house having been overrun by an unruly pack of "Dogs, Dogs, Dogs" in the hours leading to the inspection. I include this bit of information so as to solidify my statements here pertaining to every actor and actress within the episode combining to creat an absolutely stellar cast.
The plot is terrific and keeps the viewer guessing. With each clue Ellery discovers, the viewer is taken in and "Yes!", this one has got to be the murderer! The script does insist on star Jim Hutton having to stop everything, usually midsentence, to allow an escaping, forceful sneeze. Never exactly believable, it's interesting that another murder investigating TV Detective was also affected on several occasions by moments of susposed-to-be-real sneezes. Actor Peter Falk was pretty much just as unsuccessful trying to be convincing, whenever a script required him to sneeze as "Columbo".
"The Adventure of the Blunt Instrument" isn't just one of the best episodes of Ellery Queen. (Possibly "thee" best.) It's also an example of one of the best episodes of any television series of the time. Much, much fun and absolutely, terrifically entertaining.
The plot sees Ellery comfortably amongst his own - Mystery Writers. One of them has won the coveted Blunt Instrument Award for Best Mystery Novel of the Year. Ellery himself was up for the award, but alas, could not attend the ceremony, having to stay home due to a bad cold. He does later converse with the award winner via a phone call. Ellery gets to congratulate the winner and then he gets to hear the winner get murdered! The victim is even able to give Ellery a clue to the killer's identity - prior to being murdered!
Every face of the guest cast is easily recognizable. Some with well known names and others with at least well known faces. Keene Curtis appears as the murder victim. His character is a highly intelligent, ridiculing snob. A type the actor often played. It's nice to see, for once, his character get bumped off!
John Dehner and Joanna Barnes play ex-husband/ex-wife competeing book publishers. Both have their claws out for one another, yet there remains a sparkling within their eyes. The two actors immediately find a terrific chemistry with one another.
Dean Stockwell is there as well. He plays a former military man, severly injured in World War II. The script allows the viewer to dismiss his character as the murderer due to the fact that the man can nolonger lift his arms above his head. An act needed in order to commit the crime in the fashion Ellery and his Inspector Father maintain took place.
Richard Jaeckel appears as another writer who had desperately wanted to win the award. Desperately enough to commit murder? Jaeckel's name may not be recognizable to the viewer, but his face most certainly is. His career spanned some 50 years, beginning in 1943. He appeared in practically every 1960's, 70's and 80's dramatic series you can think of. His face would have easily won him the lead role in a biography film about fellow actor, William Shatner. And Shatner could have starred as the lead in a biographical film about Jaeckel!
Then there's the incredibly beautiful and mezmorizing Eva Gabor. Always an absolute knock-out, Gabor brings along the knack for comedy she readily displayed in her starring role on the surreal 60's/70's comedy, "Green Acres". Yet she also warms the hearts of viewers - and Ellery & co. - with the sad story of her character's past. If she turns out to be the murderer, surely Inspector Queen will allow her to go free. And maybe even make her Ellery's new step-mom.
Even characters with little screentime are played by actors with faces seen many times throughout the golden age of television. Robert Cornthwaite appears in a quick scene as an embezzler. I recognized him immediately from another program upon which he also had little screen time. On "The Andy Griffith Show", he had appeared as a State Police Investigator whose approaching arrival was feared by both Sheriff Taylor and Deputy Fife. This was due to the jail/court house having been overrun by an unruly pack of "Dogs, Dogs, Dogs" in the hours leading to the inspection. I include this bit of information so as to solidify my statements here pertaining to every actor and actress within the episode combining to creat an absolutely stellar cast.
The plot is terrific and keeps the viewer guessing. With each clue Ellery discovers, the viewer is taken in and "Yes!", this one has got to be the murderer! The script does insist on star Jim Hutton having to stop everything, usually midsentence, to allow an escaping, forceful sneeze. Never exactly believable, it's interesting that another murder investigating TV Detective was also affected on several occasions by moments of susposed-to-be-real sneezes. Actor Peter Falk was pretty much just as unsuccessful trying to be convincing, whenever a script required him to sneeze as "Columbo".
"The Adventure of the Blunt Instrument" isn't just one of the best episodes of Ellery Queen. (Possibly "thee" best.) It's also an example of one of the best episodes of any television series of the time. Much, much fun and absolutely, terrifically entertaining.
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