The Adventure of the Sinister Scenario
- Episode aired Feb 8, 1976
- TV-PG
- 48m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
142
YOUR RATING
Ellery and his father go to Hollywood to see the film production of one of Ellery's novels - but real murder is afoot.Ellery and his father go to Hollywood to see the film production of one of Ellery's novels - but real murder is afoot.Ellery and his father go to Hollywood to see the film production of one of Ellery's novels - but real murder is afoot.
Noah Beery Jr.
- Lionel Briggs
- (as Noah Beery)
Don Ames
- Crew Member
- (uncredited)
Forest Burns
- Cowboy
- (uncredited)
Jack De Mave
- Sonny North
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaEllery and Richard Queen spend the entire time complaining about the poor choice of actors that are portraying them in the film. Richard Queen makes references to Lee Bowman and Hugh Marlowe, who actually played Ellery Queen on TV in the 1950s.
- GoofsWhen Ellery and his father emerge from the taxi at the soundstage, a modern office building may be observed in the background.
- Quotes
Gossip Columnist: Darling! I almost didn't recognize you! What have you done to your face?
Featured review
Hollywood beckons for Ellery Queen
Episode 17, "The Adventure of the Sinister Scenario," is a hugely enjoyable departure for the series, with Inspector Richard Queen and son Ellery at Hollywood's low budget Crown Eagle Studios, where director Michael Raynor (Vincent Price) is shooting a mystery film about both Queens. Lionel Briggs (Noah Beery, then busy on THE ROCKFORD FILES), cast as the Inspector, is upset that many of his lines have been given to the temperamental star playing Ellery, Gilbert Mallory (Troy Donohue), who owns a piece of the picture. Mallory is having an affair with his co-star, Pamela Courtney (Susan Damante), a constant source of humiliation for his wife Claire (Barbara Rush, previously a less glamorous suspect in "The Adventure of Auld Lang Syne"). Studio publicist Dave Pierce (Don De Fore) treats the Queens to lunch before shooting resumes with a rewritten scene which has Pamela Courtney shooting Mallory, wearing a bulletproof vest to 'finesse' her into thinking she had killed him; however, the prop gun fires three real bullets, and the phony vest worn by the actor fails to prevent a real murder from taking place on the set. Capt. Benjamin Blake (Paul Fix, THE RIFLEMAN), an old friend of Inspector Queen, allows them both to remain and assist the reluctant investigation conducted by Lt. Braden (Paul Carr) and Sgt. Harris (Karl Lukas), offering an amusing battle of wits between New York and L. A. police procedures. Property man Al Garvin (Jack Murdock), swearing he loaded blanks in the prop gun that morning, believes he may be a suspect due to a recent threat against Mallory. But when the stunt man, Mike Hewitt (James B. Sikking, later of HILL STREET BLUES), gets killed in a car with faulty brakes, Ellery learns the key to the mystery, and 'directs' the final gathering of the suspects (and winds up 'finessing' the murderer). The diminutive Inspector Queen 'shoots' his son in a reenactment of the initial crime, after bitterly complaining about the casting of the equally diminutive Lionel Briggs in his part, suggesting Chester Morris ("Boston Blackie"), Brian Donlevy, or Pat O'Brien (and Lee Bowman for Ellery's part). Preferring instead to go sightseeing (name dropping such luminous starlets as Alice Faye, Hedy Lamarr, Dorothy Lamour, and Norma Shearer), the distracted Inspector confuses Sgt. Harris for Sgt. Velie (which explains the absence of Tom Reese, the only episode in which Velie does not appear). The producers had already used Vincent Price on COLUMBO, a small role in "Lovely but Lethal," yet despite a great deal of screen time the usually reliable actor turns in an atypical performance, initially shrill and hammy before tapping it down toward the end. The unbilled Jack De Mave shows up briefly as Sonny North, the actor replacing the deceased Gilbert Mallory in Ellery's part.
- kevinolzak
- Oct 31, 2009
- Permalink
Details
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Top Gap
What is the French language plot outline for The Adventure of the Sinister Scenario (1976)?
Answer