Nero Wolfe

Nero Wolfe

Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin narrates the cases of the detective genius. Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1974, with most of them set in New York City. Wolfe's...

, the fictional detective genius created in 1934 by Rex Stout

Rex Stout

Rex Todhunter Stout was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. Stout is best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the...

, has been portrayed in four radio drama

Radio drama

Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...

 series on five different networks.

The Adventures of Nero Wolfe (ABC)

1943–1944, 30 minutes

Three actors portrayed Nero Wolfe over the course of the series. J.B. Williams starred in its first incarnation, broadcast Wednesdays on the New England Network (April 7–June 30, 1943). Santos Ortega

Santos Ortega

Santos Ortega was an American actor.-Radio:Ortega was active in radio, starring in The Adventures of Nero Wolfe and narrating a popular radio show called Gangbusters as well as Stroke of Fate. Perhaps his most famous and notable radio role was Commissioner Weston on The Shadow...

 assumed the role when the suspense drama moved to ABC on Mondays (July 5–September 27, 1943) and Fridays (January 21–July 14, 1944). Luis Van Rooten

Luis van Rooten

Luis van Rooten, was an American film actor. He was christened Luis d'Antin van Rooten.Van Rooten earned his BA at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an architect before deciding to pursue film work in Hollywood during World War II...

 succeeded Ortega in 1944, Nero Wolfe's last year on ABC.

"Santos Ortega played Wolfe," wrote John McAleer in Rex Stout: A Biography. "John Gibson was Archie. Gibson was breezy and Ortega wheezy — indeed, he opened the program with a wheeze, as his signature... Rex thought the actors were creditable but winced at the plots. He never listened to the broadcasts... Louis Vittes was the chief scriptwriter and wrote most of the scripts. None of Rex's story material was used. All characters beside Wolfe, Archie and Cramer were ABC's own. For the use of Wolfe and Archie, Rex received a weekly royalty.

"Differences between (ABC producer) Hi Brown

Himan Brown

Himan Brown , also known as Hi Brown and Mende Brown, was an American producer of radio programs. Producing for the major radio networks and also for syndication, Brown worked with such actors as Helen Hayes, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra and Orson Welles while creating...

 and Edwin Fadiman, who represented Rex's radio, screen and television interests, as Nero Wolfe Attractions, Inc., prevented its later resumption on ABC," McAleer reported. "This fact Brown regretted. 'Nero Wolfe,' Brown says, 'is one of the strongest and most successful detective characters in all of fiction.'"

• "The Case of the Bloodstained Orchid" (July 5, 1943)
• "The Case of the Vacant Blonde" (July 19, 1943)
• "The Case of the Noisy Ghost" (July 26, 1943)
• "The Case of the Deadly Million" (August 2, 1943)
• "The Case of the Stuttering Records" (August 9, 1943)
• "Death Played a Dummy" (August 16, 1943)
• "The Case of the Departed Guest" (August 23, 1943)
• "The Case of the Murderous Signature" (August 30, 1943)
• "The Case of the Allergic Blonde" (September 6, 1943)
• "The Case of the Plastered Bride" (September 13, 1943)
• "The Case of the Missing Mind" (September 20, 1943)
• "The Case of the Red-Headed Baby" (September 27, 1943)
• "The Case of the Traveling Pajamas" (January 28, 1944)
• "The Case of the Superfluous Husband" (February 11, 1944)
• "The Princess Charming Case" (February 18, 1944)
• "The Case of the Bewildered Brothers" (February 25, 1944)
• "The Case of the Two-Headed Dolls" (March 3, 1944)
• "The Case of the Wandering Wife" (March 17, 1944)
• "The Case of the Passionate Pigeon" (March 24, 1944)
• "The Case of the Tattooed Terror" (April 7, 1944)
• "The Case of the Lonely Corpse" (April 14, 1944)
• "The Case of the Coy Cadaver" (April 21, 1944)
• "The Case of the Dying Portrait" (April 28, 1944)
• "The Case of the Million Dollar Baby" (May 5, 1944)
• "The Case of the Tenth Tornado" (May 12, 1944)
• "The Case of the Burning Book" (May 19, 1944)
• "The Wrong Leg Murder" (May 26, 1944)
• "The Case of the Invisible Murderer" (June 2, 1944)
• No title available (June 9, 1944)
• No title available (June 16, 1944)
• No title available (June 23, 1944)
• No title available (June 30, 1944)
• No title available (July 7, 1944)
• "The Last Laugh Murder Case [finale] (July 14, 1944)

The Amazing Nero Wolfe (MBS)

1946, 30 minutes

"The series next surfaced early in 1946, on Sundays, on the Mutual Network

Mutual Broadcasting System

The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...

," wrote Stout biographer John McAleer, "with Francis X. Bushman

Francis X. Bushman

Francis Xavier Bushman was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. His matinee idol career started in 1911 in the silent film His Friend's Wife, but it did not survive the silent screen era....

, one-time movie idol, as Wolfe, and Elliott Lewis

Elliott Lewis (radio)

Elliott Lewis was active during the Golden Age of Radio as an actor, producer and director, proficient in both comedy and drama. These talents earned him the nickname "Mr Radio"....

 as Archie. ... The scripts once again were network originals. The humor verged on slapstick." The concluding show in the series, "The Case of the Shakespeare Folio," aired December 15, 1946.

The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe (NBC)

1950–1951, 30 minutes

Sydney Greenstreet

Sydney Greenstreet

Sydney Hughes Greenstreet was an English actor. He is best known for his Warner Bros. films with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, which include The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca .-Biography:...

 starred as Nero Wolfe. "Rex thought Greenstreet a splendid choice for the role and Greenstreet did, in fact, fill every reasonable expectation," wrote Stout biographer John McAleer."The wryness of Wolfe, for which Archie's drollery is a whetsone, was not felt in the Ortega or Bushman interpretations. Greenstreet caught it." A succession of Archies included Gerald Mohr

Gerald Mohr

Gerald Mohr was an American radio, film and television character actor who appeared in over 4,000 radio plays, 73 films and over 100 television shows....

, Herb Ellis, Lawrence Dobkin

Lawrence Dobkin

Lawrence Dobkin was an American television director, actor and television screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades....

, Harry Bartell

Harry Bartell

Harry Bartell was an American actor and announcer in radio, television and film. With his rather youthful sounding voice, Bartell was one of the busiest West Coast character actors from the early 1940s until the final end of network radio drama in the 1960s.Bartell was born in New Orleans,...

, Lamont Johnson

Lamont Johnson

Lamont Johnson was an American actor and film director who has appeared in and directed many television shows and movies. He won two Emmy Awards....

 and Wally Maher. William Johnstone was heard semi-regularly as Inspector Cramer.

• "Stamped for Murder" (October 20, 1950)
• "The Case of the Careworn Cuff" (October 27, 1950)
• "The Case of the Dear, Dead Lady" (November 3, 1950)
• "The Case of the Headless Hunter" (November 10, 1950)
• "The Case of the Careless Cleaner" (November 17, 1950)
• "The Case of the Beautiful Archer" (November 24, 1950)
• "The Case of the Brave Rabbit" (December 1, 1950)
• "The Case of the Impolite Corpse" (December 8, 1950)
• "The Case of the Girl Who Cried Wolfe" (December 15, 1950)
• "The Case of the Slaughtered Santas" (December 22, 1950)
• "The Case of the Bashful Body" (December 29, 1950)
• "The Case of the Deadly Sell-Out" (January 5, 1951)
• "The Case of the Killer Cards" (January 12, 1951)
• "The Case of the Calculated Risk" (January 19, 1951)
• "The Case of the Phantom Fingers" (January 26, 1951)
• "The Case of the Vanishing Shells" (February 2, 1951)
• "The Case of the Party for Death" (February 16, 1951)
• "The Case of the Malevolent Medic" (February 23, 1951)
• "The Case of the Hasty Will" (March 2, 1951)
• "The Case of the Disappearing Diamonds" (March 9, 1951)
• "The Case of the Midnight Ride" (March 16, 1951)
• "The Case of the Final Page" (March 23, 1951)
• "The Case of the Tell-Tale Ribbon" (March 30, 1951)
• "The Case of the Shot in the Dark" or "A Slight Case of Perjury" (April 6, 1951)
• "The Case of the Lost Heir" (April 20, 1951)
• "The Case of Room 304" [finale] (April 27, 1951)

"Radio found three outstanding Nero Wolfes," wrote John McAleer in 1977, "but none of the scripts was perfect." He reports that after hearing five minutes of one of Greenstreet's shows, Stout said he could take no more. "He liked Greenstreet. The script he found impossible."

Nero Wolfe (CBC)

1982, 60 minutes

In 1982, Canadian actor, producer, writer and cultural pioneer Mavor Moore

Mavor Moore

James Mavor Moore, CC, OBC was a Canadian writer, producer, actor, public servant, critic, and educator.-Biography:...

 (1919–2006) starred as Nero Wolfe in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...

's 13-episode radio series Nero Wolfe (a.k.a. Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe). Don Francks

Don Francks

Donald Harvey Francks or Iron Buffalo is a Canadian actor, vocalist and jazz musician.- Life and work :Francks was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a drummer, poet, native nations champion, motorcyclist, author and peace activist...

 portrayed Archie Goodwin, and Cec Linder

Cec Linder

Cec Linder was a Polish-born Canadian film and television actor. In the 1950s and 1960s he worked extensively in the United Kingdom, often playing American characters in various films and television programmes.In film, he is probably best remembered for his role as James Bond's CIA counterpart...

 played Inspector Cramer.

"It took [Toronto actor and producer] Ron Hartmann two years to adapt, direct and produce the 13 episodes for radio," reported the Toronto Globe and Mail. "Ron and I are ardent Nero Wolfe fans, and we're out to convert the listener," Moore said.

The series was released on audiocassette by Durkin Hayes Publishing (DH Audio).

• "Disguise for Murder"
  Curtains for Three
  Curtains for Three is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1951 and itself collected in the omnibus volume Full House...
  
   (January 16, 1982)
• "Before I Die"
  Trouble in Triplicate
  Trouble in Triplicate is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1949, and itself collected in the omnibus volume All Aces...
  
   (January 23, 1982)
• "Counterfeit for Murder"
  Homicide Trinity
  Homicide Trinity is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1962. The book comprises three stories:* "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo," first published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine #220...
  
   (January 30, 1982)
• "The Cop Killer"
  Triple Jeopardy
  Triple Jeopardy is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1952. Itself collected in the omnibus volume Kings Full of Aces , the book comprises three stories that first appeared in The American Magazine:* "Home to Roost" * "The Cop-Killer" Triple...
  
   (February 6, 1982)
• "Christmas Party"
  And Four to Go
  And Four to Go is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1958...
  
   (February 13, 1982)
• "Cordially Invited to Meet Death"
  Black Orchids
  Black Orchids is a Nero Wolfe double mystery by Rex Stout published in 1942 by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. Stout's first short story collection, the volume is composed of two novellas that had appeared in abridged form in The American Magazine:...
  
   (February 20, 1982)
• "Man Alive"
  Three Doors to Death
  Three Doors to Death is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1950 — itself collected in the omnibus volume Five of a Kind...
  
   (February 27, 1982)
• "Instead of Evidence"
  Trouble in Triplicate
  Trouble in Triplicate is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1949, and itself collected in the omnibus volume All Aces...
  
   (March 6, 1982)
• "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo"
  Homicide Trinity
  Homicide Trinity is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1962. The book comprises three stories:* "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo," first published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine #220...
  
   (March 13, 1982)
• "The Squirt and the Monkey"
  Triple Jeopardy
  Triple Jeopardy is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1952. Itself collected in the omnibus volume Kings Full of Aces , the book comprises three stories that first appeared in The American Magazine:* "Home to Roost" * "The Cop-Killer" Triple...
  
   (March 20, 1982)
• "The Next Witness"
  Three Witnesses (book)
  Three Witnesses is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1956 and itself collected in the omnibus volume Royal Flush...
  
   (March 27, 1982)
• "Death of a Demon"
  Homicide Trinity
  Homicide Trinity is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1962. The book comprises three stories:* "Eeny Meeny Murder Mo," first published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine #220...
  
   (April 3, 1982)
• "Murder is No Joke"
  And Four to Go
  And Four to Go is a collection of Nero Wolfe mystery novellas by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1958...
  
  (April 10, 1982)

Listen to

• The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe radio shows (25 episodes)

External links

• Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs