Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve baffling murders. Dannay and Lee wrote most of the more than thirty novels and several short story collections in which Ellery Queen appeared as a character, and their books were among the most popular of American mysteries published between 1929 and 1971. In addition to the fiction featuring their eponymous brilliant amateur detective, the two men acted as editors: as Ellery Queen they edited more than thirty anthologies of crime fiction and true crime, and Dannay founded and for many decades edited Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, which has been published continuously from 1941 to the present. From 1961, Dannay and Lee also commissioned other authors to write crime thrillers using the Ellery Queen nom de plume, but not featuring Ellery Queen as a character; several juvenile novels were credited to Ellery Queen, Jr. Finally, the prolific duo wrote four mysteries under the pseudonym Barnaby Ross.
James Patrick Hogan was an American filmmaker.
Charles Ellsworth Grapewin was an American vaudeville and circus performer, a writer, and a stage and film actor. He worked in over 100 motion pictures during the silent and sound eras, most notably portraying Uncle Henry in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's The Wizard of Oz (1939), "Grandpa" William James Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940), Jeeter Lester in Tobacco Road (1941), and California Joe in They Died With Their Boots On (1941).
Margaret Lindsay was an American film actress. Her time as a Warner Bros. contract player during the 1930s was particularly productive. She was noted for her supporting work in successful films of the 1930s and 1940s such as Baby Face, Jezebel (1938) and Scarlet Street (1945) and her leading roles in lower-budgeted B movie films such as the Ellery Queen series at Columbia in the early 1940s. Critics regard her portrayal of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Hepzibah Pyncheon in the 1940 film The House of the Seven Gables as Lindsay's standout career role.
The Adventures of Ellery Queen is the title of a radio series and four separate television series made from the 1950s through the 1970s. They were based on the fictional detective and pseudonymous writer Ellery Queen and the cases he solved with his father, Inspector Richard Queen.
Eduardo Ciannelli, was an Italian baritone and character actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals. He was sometimes credited as Edward Ciannelli.
James Michael Burke was an Irish-American film and television character actor born in New York City.
Anna May Wong (1905–1961) was an American actress of Chinese heritage, who grew up in a culturally diverse neighborhood adjacent to Chinatown, Los Angeles. Her father believed in exposing his family to the creative arts, and often took them to see traditional Chinese stage productions. Young Anna, however, was fascinated by the emerging film industry in the area, and would fantasize herself as a movie actress like Pearl White or Mary Pickford. Her daydreams began to look like an achievable goal when local Baptist minister James Wang, who often worked with the film productions, recommended her as an extra in the Alla Nazimova silent production of The Red Lantern. Wong was only 14 years old, and eventually left school before graduating. While still a teenager, she was cast in the lead role of Lotus Flower in The Toll of the Sea.
Noel Madison was an American character actor in the 1930s and 1940s and appeared in 75 films, often as a gangster.
Disorderly Conduct is a 1932 American Pre-Code film directed by John W. Considine Jr. starring Spencer Tracy, Sally Eilers and Ralph Bellamy. It was the seventh picture Tracy made under his contract with Fox Film Corporation, and the first to make a profit since his debut Up the River.
Lawrence J. Darmour (1895–1942) was an American film producer, operator of Larry Darmour Productions from 1927, and a significant figure in Hollywood's Poverty Row.
Sinner Take All is a 1936 murder mystery film directed by Errol Taggart and starring Bruce Cabot and Margaret Lindsay.
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen is a 1942 black-and-white thriller film, directed by James P. Hogan and written by Ellery Queen, the duo of Manfred Lee and Frederic Dannay.
The Woman in Room 13 is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Henry King and adapted by Guy Bolton from the play of the same name. The film stars Elissa Landi, Ralph Bellamy, Neil Hamilton, Myrna Loy, Gilbert Roland and Walter Walker. The film was released on May 15, 1932, by Fox Film Corporation.
I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island is a 1941 American crime film directed by Lew Landers and written by Karl Brown. The film stars Sally Eilers, Donald Woods, Eduardo Ciannelli, Victor Kilian, Charles Halton and Dick Curtis. The film was released on August 4, 1941, by Columbia Pictures.
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime is a 1941 American mystery film directed by James P. Hogan and written by Eric Taylor. The film was loosely based on the 1938 novel The Devil to Pay by Ellery Queen. It stars Ralph Bellamy, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin, Spring Byington, H. B. Warner and James Burke. The film was released on August 14, 1941, by Columbia Pictures.
A Close Call for Ellery Queen is a 1942 American mystery film directed by James P. Hogan and written by Eric Taylor and Gertrude Purcell. It is based on the 1939 novel The Dragon's Teeth: A Problem in Deduction by Ellery Queen. The film stars William Gargan, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin, Ralph Morgan, Kay Linaker, Edward Norris and James Burke. The film was released on January 29, 1942, by Columbia Pictures.
A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen is a 1942 American mystery film directed by James P. Hogan and written by Eric Taylor. It is based on the 1940 play A Good Samaritan by Ellery Queen. The film stars William Gargan, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin, John Litel, Lilian Bond and James Burke. The film was released on May 7, 1942, by Columbia Pictures.
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring is a 1941 American mystery film directed by James P. Hogan and written by Eric Taylor and Gertrude Purcell. It is based on the 1931 novel The Dutch Shoe Mystery by Ellery Queen. The film stars Ralph Bellamy, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin, Mona Barrie, Paul Hurst and James Burke, George Zucco and Blanche Yurka. The film was released on November 18, 1941, by Columbia Pictures.
Ellery Queen, Master Detective is a 1940 American mystery film directed by Kurt Neumann and written by Eric Taylor. The film stars Ralph Bellamy, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin, James Burke, Michael Whalen and Marsha Hunt. The film was released on November 30, 1940, by Columbia Pictures.
