Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1928 by the American detective fiction writers Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred Bennington Lee (1905–1971). It is also the name of their main fictional detective, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve baffling murder cases. From 1929 to 1971, Dannay and Lee wrote around forty novels and short story collections in which Ellery Queen appears as a character.
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theater published or produced in the previous year.
Ralph Rexford Bellamy was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and awards, including a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for Sunrise at Campobello as well as Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination for The Awful Truth (1937).
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), Uncle Salters in Captains Courageous (1937), Gramp Maple in The Petrified Forest (1936), Wang's Father in The Good Earth (1937), 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.
Kurt Neumann was a German-born film director who specialized in science fiction movies in his later career.
There Was an Old Woman is a novel published in 1943 by Ellery Queen, byname of American writers Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay. It is a mystery novel primarily set in New York City, US.
James Michael Burke was an Irish-American film and television character actor born in New York City.
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 low-budget production community.
Eric Taylor was an American screenwriter with over fifty titles to his credit. He began writing crime fiction for the pulps before working in Hollywood. He contributed scripts to The Crime Club, Crime Doctor, Dick Tracy, Ellery Queen, and The Whistler series, as well as six Universal monster movies.
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.
Meet the Wildcat is an American 1940 mystery film directed by Arthur Lubin starring Ralph Bellamy and Margaret Lindsay.
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.
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's Penthouse Mystery is a 1941 American mystery film directed by James P. Hogan and written by Eric Taylor. It is based on the 1939 play The Three Scratches by Ellery Queen. The film stars Ralph Bellamy, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin, Anna May Wong, James Burke and Eduardo Ciannelli. The film was released on March 24, 1941, by Columbia Pictures.
James S. Brown Jr. was an American cinematographer. He was a prolific worker with around 150 credits during his career spent generally with lower-budget outfits such as Columbia Pictures, Mayfair Pictures and Monogram Pictures.
