Well, hellooooo, Agatha! How are you, Mrs. Christie? I haven’t seen you in my dreams written about you in the longest time – since December 13th actually, when I offered up Twelve Christies for Christmas. Keeping the “dozens” theme in mind, I would like to offer up twelve cases that Christie wrote and then gathered together in … Continue reading WHO YOU GONNA CALL . . . ? POIROT!
NE PLUS ULTRA-VIOLENT: Two Noirs from 1953
Revenge is sweet! Just ask Liam Neeson as he plows down the mobster clan/spy organization/terrorist cell when his cousin’s great niece’s best friend’s neighbor is . . . TAKEN! But do you remember when revenge was not sweet? When it was more sweet and sour? Ask Antigone. Ask Hamlet. And, by all means, ask Fritz Lang. In … Continue reading NE PLUS ULTRA-VIOLENT: Two Noirs from 1953
ELLERY QUEEN: The Adventure of the Dubious Pollster
If you've been following along with me this past six weeks - or even if you haven't - you've received my take on the twenty-three episodes (including the pilot) of the all-too short-lived mystery series, Ellery Queen. Now it's your chance to be a part of history in the first (and probably only) fan poll … Continue reading ELLERY QUEEN: The Adventure of the Dubious Pollster
GOD SAVE THE QUEENS (THE NETWORK WON’T): Ellery Queen Episodes 21 and 22
And so it ends, not with a bang but . . . not with a whimper either (although the penultimate episode edges a little close). It’s impossible to believe that Link and Levinson could not have sustained the puzzle plots for at least one more season, and yet what we have here is most pleasurable … Continue reading GOD SAVE THE QUEENS (THE NETWORK WON’T): Ellery Queen Episodes 21 and 22
LAUGHING MATTER? Two New Netflix Mystery-Comedies
On an especially bleak day last December, I made my mom laugh. (This is my job: middle brother helps her with her finances, baby bro handles all technical and medical matters . . . I crack the jokes.) I said, “Oh, Mom, you’re always complaining that there’s nothing to watch on TV, but I just … Continue reading LAUGHING MATTER? Two New Netflix Mystery-Comedies
QUEENS CHOICE: Ellery Queen Episodes 19 and 20
Given a choice between a show-biz centered story featuring Simon Brimmer and centered around an Irving Berlin-type composer and a testosterone-laden “let’s hide the witness before he testifies against the mob boss” story, you think you’d know which episode I preferred. Well, you’d be wrong. Presenting the last truly great episode in the series! But … Continue reading QUEENS CHOICE: Ellery Queen Episodes 19 and 20
BLACKLIST BLUES: Two by Losey, One by Dassin
We’re almost halfway through my 50’s film noir class, and one major theme has emerged, that of the great number of directors and screenwriters, their Hollywood careers shut down by the Communist blacklist, who flocked to noir as an outlet to both make money and vent their feelings about our troubled country. Some of them, like writer Dalton Trumbo, … Continue reading BLACKLIST BLUES: Two by Losey, One by Dassin
SCREAM QUEENS: Ellery Queen Episodes 17 and 18
There are only two really fine episodes of Ellery Queen left, and one of them is presented here. It’s well known that when Fred Dannay and Manny Lee moved their detective from his metaphorically international wanderings and planted him in Hollywood for a few novels, something went a little off. Here, we find Ellery in Hollywood, and … Continue reading SCREAM QUEENS: Ellery Queen Episodes 17 and 18
DID ENID BLYTON INVENT Q-ANON?: The Twyford Code
As voracious a reader as I have been since the age of six, I didn’t pick up a book by Enid Blyton until my fifties, when I discovered her fifteen-book series about The Five Find-Outers, privileged children who, from 1943 to 1961, spent each school holiday solving mysteries and calling their leader “Fatty.” My British … Continue reading DID ENID BLYTON INVENT Q-ANON?: The Twyford Code
TWO QUEENS FOR A DAY: Ellery Queen Episodes 15 and 16
Two complex puzzles this time around with a double large roster of guest stars, some of whom get ill-served by the crowded plots. I love a good courtroom drama, and I blush at stuck-in-its-time racism; you’ll find both here. Just a quick note: this project serves to remind me that binge-watching a series has its … Continue reading TWO QUEENS FOR A DAY: Ellery Queen Episodes 15 and 16
Ah Sweet Mystery! 