Nero Wolfe

[Bobbi B.]

Did anyone here catch the (unfortunately short-lived) A&E series, "Nero Wolfe?" Hubby and I thought it was grand! Biography Channel still airs reruns on weekends.

Sometimes it takes a scene or two to place the time; Nero, Archie and the rest were solving mysteries from the late '30s through at least the 50s. There are occasional anachronisms. But all in all, it seemed to have been costumed and shot with a lot of attention to, and delight in, the proper look and feel of an age when auto seats sat three across comfortably, telephones did not fit gentlemen's breast pockets and no woman with a modicum of pride would venture out on the town without gloves.

What did you think, if you looked at the series?

[The Wolf]

I had seen a couple of episodes. I thought it was well cast and looked swell. Unfortunately, I was somewhat thrown off by it looking 40s one episode and 50s another. I eschew the 1950s but I'll save that for another post.

[Bobbi B.]

The clock does tick on, Wolf! Rex Stout (a local product, I mention with pride) did set Nero's adventures and orchid-growing in times roughly contemporary to when he wrote of them; so stories written in the '50s are set in the '50s and the televison production stuck with the originals. ...But if tailfins jar you, I can see where that'd be an issue.

There's a point in the 50s where I start to lose interest, but it varies with my mood and the topic under the discussion. ...Even the '60s had some things to offer. (Travis McGee, for fans of detective novels). If you were there at the time, there weren't very many occasions when the culture went "ker-chunk!" and clicked over to a new way of looking and acting; the changes seem to flow one from another. (Cars right before tailfins, for instance: wow!). In hindsight, it seems to sort out into neatly divided segments.

My husband, who is just that far from becoming a Baker Street Irregular, maintains Nero must be Sherlock Holmes' child. I think Mycroft is likelier!

BB

[Mycroft]

I like them alot and I watch them as much as possible.

[Mycroft]

I would also like to add that Nero Wolf is similar to both Mycroft Holmes and also his brother Shelock. See list bellow:

Mycroft
-Overweight
-Never leaves the house
-has a butler that serves and cooks him food (the Mycroft Holmes books only, I think)
-loves food
-relcluive
-does not like women and unmarried


Sherlock
-reclusive
-has a assistent that records his cases (Watson and Arche)
-friends in the police
-does not like women and unmarried

[Michael Mallory]

I'm among those who postulate that Mycroft Holmes was Nero Wolfe's father. But as for the series, I didn't care for it at all. I've had to hold my tongue because a couple of my friends produced and wrote for it at various times, but it just didn't work for me on any level. Maury Chaikin has the native charm of an iguana (and the actor has to provide SOME measure of charm in order to sell a basically unlikeable character), Vancouver, where it was shot, looks as much like New York as Havana does, and the costumes, cars and hairstyles were all over the map. And while I thought the rep company idea for the supporting cast was intriguing, it just didn't work. I liked the old (70s) "Ellery Queen" series a lot better, even though it had the historical accuracy of a high school play.

[Mycroft]

I do not beleve that Nero Wolfe was the son of Sherlock or Mycroft (yes that where my Fedora Lounge Name COmes from), I beleve that the Holmes Brothers had a sister (who is written about in several Shelockian Texts) who had a son, because the Holmes Brothers were not found or liked women very much.

[16_sparrows]

Just thought you may be interested in listening to some of the Nero Wolfe radio casts. Soapdetectives.com has a good archive of his tales: http://www.soapdetectives.com/archives/2005/10/

[Johnnysan]

My wife and I really enjoy these and our three year-old seems to enjoy watching an adult (Nero) throwing tantrums! I too regret that the series was cut short after only two seasons. I understand that Rex Stout was a prolific author and penned some sixty-plus titles...still lots of good material out there for someone to put on the screen.

As an aside, I'd love to be in tight with the folks who did wardrobe for this show. The suits, ties and hats were all magnificent! Let's hope that A&E brings this one back! ;)


Just thought you may be interested in listening to some of the Nero Wolfe radio casts. Soapdetectives.com has a good archive of his tales: http://www.soapdetectives.com/archives/2005/10/

Great link, Sparrow...thanks!

[Flash Gordon]

I had the opportunity to visit the set of the Nero Wolfe series in Toronto during the filming of the last season and spent the day with Maury Chaykin (Wolfe), Tim Hutton (Archie) and Bill Smitrovich (Cramer). It was the last day of shooting for "The Silent Speaker". Colin Fox (Fritz) even brushed some lint off my lapel. I have photos which I'll try to figure out how to post.

It was wonderful to walk through Wolfe's brownstone, sit in the red leather chair and try on Archie's fedoras in the wardrobe department.

I'll really miss that show, but there are always Rex Stout's books which are still in print in paperback, and of course the very-much-active Nero Wolfe society "The Wolfe Pack". www.nerowolfe.org.

[Mike in Seattle]

While the series was on A&E and in reruns, I only caught a couple of episodes - and seemed like the time I would specifically sit down to watch it, I would catch the same episodes I'd seen before over and over again. So out of 24 stories, I'd only caught maybe 3 or so.

I'd mentioned that to a friend who really enjoyed the series and he tipped me off that the complete series was being released to DVD in a "megaset" earlier this week, so I pre-ordered it a few weeks ago. I know - there's been a set of season 1 and a set of season 2 for a couple of years, but the price of the megaset (all episodes, the original movie and other add-ons) is $59 - or you can order season 1 for $59 and season 2 for $89 and miss out on some of the add-ons. Or you can order the megaset from A&E for $99 and get a T-shirt. I decided I would not sucumb if I didn't get a $40 Nero Wolfe T-shirt to wear while watching the show.

It arrived yesterday and I'm glad I bought the set. I found the "Making of" segment very interesting - and they had a shot of the walk-in closet holding all of Archie's hats which was eye-popping to say the least. One of the directors mentioned the "fabulous hats" more than once - mens and womens. The wardrobe I've seen for most is pretty amazing as well, except for Wolfe. Wolfe's? Eh. Pretty bland from what I've seen. One horrid acid yellow shirt with matching pocket square worn with a brownish-olivish suit Wolfe wore still has me shaking my head. But Archie's wardrobe is pretty snazzy to put it mildly.

Perhaps some of the clothes or cars aren't exactly in the correct period - it's still entertaining, and part of watching movies involves the "willfull suspension of disbelief" at times. It's done as entertainment and not as a 100% historically-accurate docu-drama. And I for one am finding it very entertaining and enjoyable.

As mentioned above, A&E runs episodes on Saturday afternoons in most timezones. Give it a look sometime.

[RetroMom]

I also enjoyed the Nero Wolfe series when it ran on A&E.

I'm on the east coast and reruns can be seen on Saturday nights at 8:00 on the Biography channel.

[Bart]

Yes, it is a good series and I, like Mike in Seattle, caught only a few. But the clothes were something and very 30's - 40's. Nice entertainment. Wished it could be put into a 2 hour series. Couldn't get enough in 1 hour.

[Mike in Seattle]

Actually, about half of the series are two hour stories split into one hour segments. The DVD set is just under 25 hours total.

[TheRetropolitan]

Man, Nero Wolfe was one of my favorite shows of all time. Even my girlfriend shared my love for it. Somehow, I managed to start up a very brief email correspondence with the illustrator that did the opening title art for each episode -- who also happened to be Timothy Hutton's wife. It was a long time ago, and I don't remember what was said, but she was very nice.

[Peter Truett]

I'd mentioned that to a friend who really enjoyed the series and he tipped me off that the complete series was being released to DVD in a "megaset" earlier this week, so I pre-ordered it a few weeks ago.

Last week Adam Tyner, DVD Talk, posted a great review of "Nero Wolfe - The Complete Classic Whodunit Series (aka The Megaset): http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=21386

The "megaset" is terrific and quite a bargain compared to purchasing the two seasons separately,but categorizing it as "complete" is misleading. As Adam points out in his review missing from the "complete" set are any European versions of the episodes (some were twice as long as those shown in the U.S.) widescreen versions (except for the "extra" version of "The Silent Speaker"), and substantial "extras" such as retrospective interviews and outtakes.

"Nero Wolfe" was a gem. With all the material available - Stout wrote 73 Nero Wolfe stories - it was too bad the nincompoops at A&E canceled it.

[wackyvorlon]

Fundamentally, though, a one hour episode was too short. The fact that they where nearly all two-parters meant that it was very easy to miss either part.

[ortega76]

I'm a little annoyed. The price of the mega-set has dropped to $99. I have the first season on DVD but not the second. Maybe I'll just order the mega-set and keep the extra first season discs at my parents' or something.

I enjoyed the rep cast. One of the members, Kari Matchett, has gone on to appear in the series Invasion. The femme fatales were gorgeous! I recommend this series as one to pick up. Even if you just pop in a disc to kill a rainy afternoon, it's entertaining and the costumes are to die for. I've started reading the novels again after all these years.

[Mike in Seattle]

Should've ordered about a month ago - the megaset was $59 - the same or less than each individual season. But you could always see what your first season DVD set would fetch on Ebay.

[Peter Truett]

[QUOTE=ortega76]I'm a little annoyed. The price of the mega-set has dropped to $99. I have the first season on DVD but not the second. Maybe I'll just order the mega-set and keep the extra first season discs at my parents' or something.


Currently on Amazon the mega-set is considerably less expensive than Season Two at $52.97. (Season Two is $89.99 and Season One is $53.99) And besides, your parents will enjoy watching Season One. You can loan them the Season Two discs from the Mega-Set after you've watched them.:)

If you want to see more about "Nero Wolfe" and/or Nero Wolfe visit The Wolfe Pack website, www.nerowolfe.org, which Flash Gordon mentioned back in April. For a Sneak Peak at the new TV Show Pages visit http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/AE/tv_series.htm

And stay tuned - there's lots more on the show to come.

[ortega76]

And besides, your parents will enjoy watching Season One. You can loan them the Season Two discs from the Mega-Set after you've watched them.:)


I recommended the series to my mother and she caught an episode. She enjoyed the music and the costumes but thought the stories were a bit odd. I'll send her Season 1 and see if she likes it.

[Godfrey]

More on the Nero Wolfe series. Does anyone know if there was a soundtrack CD put out. Love the music on the A&E production!

[Peter Truett]

More on the Nero Wolfe series. Does anyone know if there was a soundtrack CD put out. Love the music on the A&E production!

Alas, no CD with the soundtrack. And I agree with you that the music was wonderful.

If you're in the mood to roll your own here is a list of the music complied by the fans active on the "Nero Wolfe" boards during the show's far too short run:


FAQ: MUSIC FOR NERO WOLFE

THE GOLDEN SPIDERS
Original Music by Michael Small

THE SERIES
Original Music by Michael Small
Music Editor: Kevin Banks

FIRST SEASON

The Doorbell Rang:
- La donna e mobile from Rigoletto by Verdi

Champagne for One:
- Nulla in mundo pax sincera by Antonio Vivaldi [Dinner
Music}
- Jazz Suite No. 2 (Suite for Promenade Orch.): VI Waltz 2
by Shostakovich [Opening Sequence and Dance Music}

Prisoner's Base:
- Waltz in A Flat by Johannes Brahms

Eeny Meeny Murder Moe:
- String Quintet in E, Op. 13 No. 5: Minuet by Boccherini
- Spring Song Op. 62, No. 6 by Mendelssohn

Disguise for Murder:
- Zoot suit blues (Koka Media) [During the card game.] "The
singer would have been a session guy. Not sure if the CD
would list the singer or not." - Kevin Banks.

Door to Death:
- La Cumparsita [Opening sequence tango at The Flamingo}

Christmas Party:
- Medley:
- - Good King Wenceslas
- - Deck the Halls
- - The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah
- Minuet in G by Beethoven

Over My Dead Body:
- Waltz in A Flat by Johannes Brahms
- Les Oiseaux Dans La Charmille (The Doll's Song) from Les
Contes D'Hoffmann (Tales of Hoffmann) by Offenbach


SECOND SEASON

Death of a Doxy
- Humoresque, Op. 101, No. 7 by Dvorak

The Next Witness:
- Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Brahms.

Die Like a Dog:
- Humoresque, Op. 101, No. 7 by Dvorak [Title Music}

Murder Is Corny:
- Dance of the Hours from the opera La Gioconda by
Ponchielli [Wolfe waits for his corn.}

The Mother Hunt:
- Valse No.6 in D flat Op.64 No.1 (Minute Waltz) by Chopin
- Nocturne in E flat, Op.9 No.2 by Chopin
- Suite Number One for Unaccompanied Cello in G Major, BWV
1007, (Prelude) by Bach
- Humoresque, Op. 101, No. 7 by Dvorak [Lucy & Archie on
the veranda.}

Poison a la Carte:
- St Louis Blues [Titles}
- Rondo Alla Turca from Sonata No. 11 in A Major by Mozart
- "Pathos" by Dick Walter. [Wolfe in the kitchen with
Fritz.] "It can be be found at apmmusic.com on CD KPM369.
There are two 1 minute versions. Nice tune for a great
scene. Enjoyed doing that one. - Kevin Banks

Too Many Clients:
- Caramba - APM piece [Title music}
- El Choclo (Kiss of Fire)--traditional

Help Wanted, Male:


Before I Die:

The Silent Speaker:
- Melody in F Op. 3/1 by Anton Rubinstein [Intro music}

The Cop Killer:
- Overture to the Barber of Seville by Rossini [Opening
Sequence}
- Piano Quintet in A major op. 114 "The Trout" 4th mov: Tema
con variazioni (Andante) by Franz Schubert

Immune to Murder:
- "Just thought you would want to know about ITM's title
music. Long story short, It was originally written by M.
Small for the title in "Over My Dead Body". The opening
music had not yet been selected when the unfortunate news
came down the pipe, and it seemed fitting to play something
very Nero and unheard for the season finale." - Kevin Banks

r. 2002-Aug-24

[K-K-K-Katie]

Mr. Chaykin was a charlatan as the esteemed Mr. Wolfe. William Conrad did a much better, albeit still reprehensible, job of acting Mr. Stout's masterwork. I did, however, think Mr. Hutton did a workmanly job of portraying Archie. Ms Matchett was a delight, and certainly proved her worth as both a dramatic and comedic actress.

As for the Sidney Greenstreet portrayal of Mr. Wolfe as a giggling idiot - the less said the better.

The unfortunate A&E series reflects some of the longevity of Mr. Stout's career. His Wolfe stories are set from the late 20s through the early 60s. The shows I saw did seem to accurately capture the era of the original tale.

Read the originals as soon as may be. One would be well served and entertained to do so. Should one choose to listen to Mr. Wolfe's adventures, I recommend the Books on Tape unabridged recordings as read by Michael J. Prichard. His reading and portrayals of the principals are flawless.

Remember, 'contact' is NEVER used as a verb!

[Godfrey]

Peter - thanks for the list. I'll review the DVD's (darn it! That means I'll have to watch them over again! :eusa_doh: - lifes just hard that way! ) and work out which tracks I'll... track down.

Thanks again!

[Brian Sheridan]

Mr. Chaykin was a charlatan as the esteemed Mr. Wolfe. William Conrad did a much better, albeit still reprehensible, job of acting Mr. Stout's masterwork.

I really have to disagree with that assesment. Conrad's Wolfe smiled, belly laughed, and walked around way to much.

For perfection, check out David Thayer in the 1977 telemovie "The Doorbell Rang." Thayer struck the perfect tone for Wolfe, though not fat enough. Unfortuatly, Thayer died before the series could go into production. The film ran on ABC and is hardly ever seen in syndication. It is not available on DVD or tape which is a crime worthy of the talents of Wolfe and Archie.

[Peter Truett]

Peter - thanks for the list. I'll review the DVD's (darn it! That means I'll have to watch them over again! :eusa_doh: - lifes just hard that way! ) and work out which tracks I'll... track down.

Thanks again!


You're most welcome, Godfrey. And please don't try to convince me that watching the DVDs again is an onerous chore. lol

I've seen the Thayer David and the William Conrad versions of "Nero Wolfe" but the Maury Chaykin/Timothy Hutton version surpasses them hands down. There's no comparison. Chaykin and Hutton, and the entire cast and crew brought the Nero Wolfe stories to life on the screen. These shows brought Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series to the top of the used book selling charts for a number of years during and after it's run on A&E, and it made Wolfe fans out of high school kids, baby boomers, and seniors, and everything in between. It's a shame that the nincompoops at A&E canceled the show after two short seasons. Jaffe, and Hutton, and Chaykin, and Sharon Doyle (Head Screenwriter) got it right. The Jaffe Braunstein Production is perfection.

Best regards,

Peter

[deadpandiva]

I only ever caught two episodes of this but I really enjoyed them. That megaset sounds like a great deal. Much better than buying season's on and two seperatly.

[Kermez]

A Nero Wolfe Mystery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nero_Wolfe_Mystery) is my Favorite TV Show of All-Time.

[Brian Sheridan]

From the wikipedia entry: The entire second season was shot in HD, with 15 one hour programs and three two hours.

GRRRRRR!!!! A&E is apparently not only irresponsible in canceling the series (for crap like Dog, the Bounty Hunter) but also in the DVD release.

At first, they accidentally put out edited versions of the show. Now, I read that the 2nd season has been shot in HD and the best A&E could do is put only one episode (The Silent Speaker) in letterbox on the DVD set. An outrage!

I doubt it will ever happen but how amazing would it be to see the 2nd season in HD (on cable or sat) or in BluRay? Hutton's suit and hats were incredible!!!

[Kermez]

You know about all the "missing minutes" as well, right?

The versions of the episodes shown overseas have extra footage (some a little, some a lot) not shown or released here. :mad:

I would have no problem re-buying the complete series if it was COMPLETE (with the missing minutes) and ALL in W I D E S C R E E N!

[Wally_Hood]

Big fan of the video Nero Wolfe. Was hooked on the books for many years before I saw the show. Currently working through the dvds. While Maury Chakin seems to shout and throw tantrums more than the literary Wolfe, he seems to do better than the previous film and television attempts.

The series seems to spring from a genuine admiration of the world created by Stout. I personally like the fact that the show tries to accurately replicate the decade in which the story is set. Is it perfect? With an unlimited budget maybe they could have achieved a thorough-going accuracy, but for me, I liked what they did.

And, while Orson Welles will always be the Wolfe I see when I read the stories, Archie will now be imagined as Tim Hutton.

[The Wolf]

It did have a good feeling for the time periods. I could tell when the story took place by clothing, props, etc. It threw me off at first because the episodes are filmed chronologically from the books.

Sincerely,
The Wolfe

[kiltie]

Anyone interested, I just picked up the box set of the complete series at Barnes and Noble and it's 50% off: Fifty bones before tax.

[Brian Sheridan]

I would sell my soul for a Blu-Ray, uncut set of both Nero Wolfe seasons. It is unlikely to ever happen though. But I can dream.

[LordBest]

I thought the A&E series was rather good, though I haven't read any of the books as yet.
I do enjoy the "Nero Wolfe Cookbook", of which I have an electronic copy. The recipes are suitably gourmand without being fussy. Well, not by my definition of fussy.

[Tiller]

I had seen a couple of episodes. I thought it was well cast and looked swell. Unfortunately, I was somewhat thrown off by it looking 40s one episode and 50s another. I eschew the 1950s but I'll save that for another post.

That's because they did cases in the era they where suppose to be in. Although Archie and Nero always acted like it was the 1930s-40s and hardly changed, (not to mention never aged) the world around them did. There where cases in the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's. That's why the style and era's change all the time different stories are set in different times, and Archie and Nero have found the fountain of youth and refuse to age at all in forty years.

[LordJohnRoxton]

Alas, no CD with the soundtrack. And I agree with you that the music was wonderful.

If you're in the mood to roll your own here is a list of the music complied by the fans active on the "Nero Wolfe" boards during the show's far too short run:


FAQ: MUSIC FOR NERO WOLFE

THE GOLDEN SPIDERS
Original Music by Michael Small

THE SERIES
Original Music by Michael Small
Music Editor: Kevin Banks



Does anybody know if the Original music tracks are available anywhere?

[Chasseur]

Rented the complete boxset from my local library.

There is something about that makes it hard for me "to get into" this series. I guess its too campy or the acting is off or something. Not sure I'll make it through many episodes...

[Benzadmiral]

Rented the complete boxset from my local library.

There is something about that makes it hard for me "to get into" this series. I guess its too campy or the acting is off or something. Not sure I'll make it through many episodes...
Stout's special world was well-represented on the series, I thought. Wolfe's world is an alternate universe that was very similar to ours -- Stout made up his own brand names for cars and guns and rugs.

Chaykin was a little too tantrum-y to match with the literary Wolfe; I liked William Conrad's voice much much better; but Tim Hutton was a grand Archie. There's a moment in the first episode where he comes into a building, consults the directory, finds the name he wants, and taps it, sort of like saying "Bingo!", before hurrying up the stairs. Perfect touch.

Of the episodes' originals, "Disguise for Murder," "Die Like a Dog," and The Doorbell Rang are all superb reads. Some of the novelettes, like "Christmas Party," are poor mysteries; maybe they made better TV (I didn't get to see all the episodes in 2001-2002).

[Chasseur]

Stout's special world was well-represented on the series, I thought. Wolfe's world is an alternate universe that was very similar to ours -- Stout made up his own brand names for cars and guns and rugs.

Chaykin was a little too tantrum-y to match with the literary Wolfe; I liked William Conrad's voice much much better; but Tim Hutton was a grand Archie. There's a moment in the first episode where he comes into a building, consults the directory, finds the name he wants, and taps it, sort of like saying "Bingo!", before hurrying up the stairs. Perfect touch.

Of the episodes' originals, "Disguise for Murder," "Die Like a Dog," and The Doorbell Rang are all superb reads. Some of the novelettes, like "Christmas Party," are poor mysteries; maybe they made better TV (I didn't get to see all the episodes in 2001-2002).

I think I'd have to read some of them to a better feel. Often while watching I thought some of the things in the show were done specifically for fans of the novels and that the humor was lost on me.

I made it through the pilot and about 2 or 3 episodes and that was about it. Too much tongue and check high school acting, too many episodes that seemed to revolve around Chaykin's tantrums and everyone yelling for about 5-10 minutes, and too many bad 1990s suits and cheapo fedoras a la David Hyde Pierce from Frasier trying to masquerade as 1940s or 50s attire. I found the scenes of Wolfe and Fritz his cook fighting over food to be particularly painful.

Though as you mention Hutton did grow on me as I watched it unlike Chaykin. Phooey!

[Benzadmiral]

Well if we think Maury Chaykin was wrong, here's a news bit from The Wolfe Pack, a fan site devoted to Stout's work: http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/miscmedia/FadimanAssoc/no-tv-show.htm

William Shatner, age about 29, as Archie -- and Kurt Kasznar ("Land of the Giants") as Wolfe??!!?? Shatner could have carried it off, but I'm not so sure about Kasznar, good as he was.

And a half-hour show would not have done justice to the characters, setting, or plots. Sort of like a version of Darren McGavin's "Mike Hammer" with orchids.