Episode 19, "The Adventure of the Tyrant of Tin Pan Alley," touches on the subject of payola circa 1947, the tendency of music publishers to bribe disc jockeys playing certain records to guarantee a hit success. Here, we have Simon Brimmer (John Hillerman) attending a tribute to beloved tunesmith Alvin Winer (Rudy Vallee) on the live radio broadcast of midnight DJ 'Buddy' Parker (Ken Berry), accompanied by Winer's wife (Polly Bergen) and daughter (Renne Jarrett). A late arrival to the studio is recording artist Gary Swift (Michael Callan), earning a fortune singing Winer's songs, but whose latest record is smashed by an irate Winer, who denies Swift any kind of publicity on his behalf. At a local diner, aspiring songwriter Dan Murphy (Brad David) begins humming his latest tune to Ellery, who drops by to take a break from his typewriter, just as Alvin Winer sits down at the piano to play his newest composition, the exact same one as Dan's. Enraged, the rash youngster rushes over to the studio and confronts the music thief on the air before making his escape, pursued by Parker, Swift, and Winer's manager (Albert Salmi). Alvin himself makes his way to the record library to find a replacement for the Swift recording he destroyed, where he is shot dead by an unknown assailant. A dying clue found clutched in the dead man's hand is a recording of "Danny Boy," a hit for Gary Swift. Police search for the missing Dan Murphy while Ellery learns about payola from Swift and his nervous agent (Norman Fell). This would be the eighth and final appearance of John Hillerman as radio sleuth Simon Brimmer, a character created for the pilot, who signs off with the story of his happy boyhood, proclaiming himself 'a most delightful child.' Playing Charlie, Murphy's fellow counterman at the diner, is black actor Vince Howard, a familiar face in many TV shows, such as KOLCHAK:THE NIGHT STALKER, in which he portrayed a puzzled cop in "The Devil's Platform." One final note of trivia: the title on screen triples the word 'of' as in "The Adventure of the Tyrant of of Tin Pan Alley."
Ellery Queen (TV Series)
The Adventure of the Tyrant of Tin Pan Alley (1976)
User Reviews
Review this title3 Reviews
F Troop Round 2
DKosty12311 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Ken Berry follows Forest Tucker in the next episode here which is totally radical in different in plot from the prior episode. This plot centers around the radio plot. This time Simon Brimmer is on hand to honor a songwriter who seems to be stealing songs. Because of this, almost everyone he knows is a suspect.
Berry is a night time Dee jay hosting a show and Rudee Valle is the songwriter who is about to meet his demise. He is shot during the show and Brimmer in one of his smarter moves, calls Inspector Queen to get on the trail quickly.
After a lot of mystery is solved, Brimmer calls together everyone to reveal the killer. Only Ellery can solve it though Brimmer gives it a good try. After Ellery does it, Brimmer is left alone and on the air in a humorous black out to talk about his teddy bear.
Berry is a night time Dee jay hosting a show and Rudee Valle is the songwriter who is about to meet his demise. He is shot during the show and Brimmer in one of his smarter moves, calls Inspector Queen to get on the trail quickly.
After a lot of mystery is solved, Brimmer calls together everyone to reveal the killer. Only Ellery can solve it though Brimmer gives it a good try. After Ellery does it, Brimmer is left alone and on the air in a humorous black out to talk about his teddy bear.
Name That Tune... Writer's Killer
chashans27 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A major clue to the identity of the murderer stares the viewer right in the eyes in this episode. It's simply right there, right out in the open. I missed it. When Ellery makes his Big Reveal in the conclusion, he announces this major clue and I just wanted to slap myself in the face and shout at my TV, "How did I not see that?!"
And that sort of reveal is exactly what makes the "Ellery Queen" program such a fun, enjoyable breakaway. A breakaway from the real world into a fictional world of crime, deceit and murder!
There are fun characters here, especially the murder victim. He is 100% horrible person. He very successfully presents himself as a creative angel to listeners of a special radio program celebrating his tune writing genius. Once the microphones turn off, he spreads his slimey tentacles in all directions, curling them around and squeezing hard every unnerved person in the room. It doesn't matter who the person is: Friend, family, host, talent or unknown stranger. Perhaps there was a time, years earlier, when this guy was a wondrous fountain of creativity. Now, in his nearing twilight years, he creeps about, needing to steal from the current day kid wonders.
Such is the eventual victim's evil misdeeds, that almost everyone else in the room, friend, family, host, talent and unknown stranger (a kid wonder who crashes the celebration show) has excellent reason to bump the guy off.
This episode features a terrific guest cast who all come across as very much enjoying their time on the show. Stars Jim Hutton and David Wayne are fantastic as usual, bouncing lines, looks and smiles off one another with apparent absolute delight. John Hillerman is back once more as Mystery/Crime Radio Show host Simon Brimmer. Brimmer is helpful to the investigation, but when he sniffs out a major clue, the snob within him must have it's glory with a win over his rival, Ellery. Brimmer's comeuppence leads him to harking back to his days as a child spent with the best friend he ever had in his life. A teddy-bear named Muffy.
Another terrific episode of "Ellery Queen".
And that sort of reveal is exactly what makes the "Ellery Queen" program such a fun, enjoyable breakaway. A breakaway from the real world into a fictional world of crime, deceit and murder!
There are fun characters here, especially the murder victim. He is 100% horrible person. He very successfully presents himself as a creative angel to listeners of a special radio program celebrating his tune writing genius. Once the microphones turn off, he spreads his slimey tentacles in all directions, curling them around and squeezing hard every unnerved person in the room. It doesn't matter who the person is: Friend, family, host, talent or unknown stranger. Perhaps there was a time, years earlier, when this guy was a wondrous fountain of creativity. Now, in his nearing twilight years, he creeps about, needing to steal from the current day kid wonders.
Such is the eventual victim's evil misdeeds, that almost everyone else in the room, friend, family, host, talent and unknown stranger (a kid wonder who crashes the celebration show) has excellent reason to bump the guy off.
This episode features a terrific guest cast who all come across as very much enjoying their time on the show. Stars Jim Hutton and David Wayne are fantastic as usual, bouncing lines, looks and smiles off one another with apparent absolute delight. John Hillerman is back once more as Mystery/Crime Radio Show host Simon Brimmer. Brimmer is helpful to the investigation, but when he sniffs out a major clue, the snob within him must have it's glory with a win over his rival, Ellery. Brimmer's comeuppence leads him to harking back to his days as a child spent with the best friend he ever had in his life. A teddy-bear named Muffy.
Another terrific episode of "Ellery Queen".
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