The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe

The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe is a 1950–51 American radio drama series starring Sydney Greenstreet as Rex Stout's fictional armchair detective Nero Wolfe. Based on Stout's principal characters but not his stories, the series aired October 20, 1950 – April 27, 1951, on NBC. It is regarded as the series that is most responsible for popularizing Nero Wolfe on radio.

The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe
GenreDetective mystery
Running time30 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
SyndicatesNBC
StarringSydney Greenstreet
AnnouncerDon Stanley
Created byRex Stout
Written byAlfred Bester and others
Directed byJ. Donald Wilson
Produced byEdwin Fadiman
Original releaseOctober 20, 1950 –
April 27, 1951
No. of episodes26

Production

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The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe stars Sydney Greenstreet as Rex Stout's fictional detective genius Nero Wolfe. Produced by Edwin Fadiman and directed by J. Donald Wilson, the series aired on NBC from October 20, 1950 to April 27, 1951. Don Stanley was the announcer.[1] The episodes were written by Alfred Bester and others.[2]: 325 

Wolfe's legman Archie Goodwin was played by a succession of actors including Gerald Mohr, Herb Ellis, Lawrence Dobkin, Harry Bartell, Lamont Johnson and Wally Maher.[1]

Biographer John McAleer reported that Stout enjoyed Greenstreet's portrayal. The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe was the first radio series that, like the Nero Wolfe stories themselves, stressed characterization over plot.[2]: 325  It is regarded as the series that is most responsible for popularizing Nero Wolfe on radio. All but one episode ("The Case of the Headless Hunter") has survived in radio collections.[3]

Greenstreet suffered from both diabetes and Bright's Disease, and his health fluctuated during the run of the radio program.

Cast

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Episodes

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# Date Program Notes
1 October 20, 1950 "Stamped for Murder" [4][5]
2 October 27, 1950 "The Case of the Careworn Cuff" [4][5]
3 November 3, 1950 "The Case of the Dear, Dead Lady" [4][5]
4 November 10, 1950 "The Case of the Headless Hunter" [4]
5 November 17, 1950 "The Case of the Careless Cleaner" [4][5]
6 November 24, 1950 "The Case of the Beautiful Archer" [4][6]
7 December 1, 1950 "The Case of the Friendly Rabbit" [4][5]
8 December 8, 1950 "The Case of the Impolite Corpse" [4][5]
9 December 15, 1950 "The Case of the Girl Who Cried Wolfe" [4][5]
10 December 22, 1950 "The Case of the Slaughtered Santas" [4][5]
11 December 29, 1950 "The Case of the Bashful Body" [4][7]
12 January 5, 1951 "The Case of the Deadly Sell-Out" [4][7]
13 January 12, 1951 "The Case of the Killer Cards" [4][7]
14 January 19, 1951 "The Case of the Calculated Risk" [4][6]
15 January 26, 1951 "The Case of the Phantom Fingers" [4][5]
16 February 2, 1951 "The Case of the Vanishing Shells" [4][5]
17 February 16, 1951 "The Case of the Party for Death" [4][5]
18 February 23, 1951 "The Case of the Malevolent Medic" [4][5]
19 March 2, 1951 "The Case of the Hasty Will" [4][5]
20 March 9, 1951 "The Case of the Disappearing Diamonds" [4][5]
21 March 16, 1951 "The Case of the Midnight Ride" [4][6]
22 March 23, 1951 "The Case of the Final Page" [4][7]
23 March 30, 1951 "The Case of the Tell-Tale Ribbon" [4][7]
24 April 6, 1951 "The Case of the Shot in the Dark" Also known as "A Slight Case of Perjury"[3][4][5]
25 April 20, 1951 "The Case of the Lost Heir" [4][5]
26 April 27, 1951 "The Case of Room 304" Finale[4][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Dunning, John (1998). "The Adventures of Nero Wolfe". On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
  2. ^ a b McAleer, John J. (1977). Rex Stout: A Biography. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316553407.
  3. ^ a b "The Nero Wolfe Programs". The Digital Deli Too. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Townsend, Guy M.; McAleer, John J.; Sapp, Judson C.; Schemer, Arriean, eds. (1980). Rex Stout: An Annotated Primary and Secondary Bibliography. New York and London: Garland Publishing, Inc. pp. 126–127. ISBN 0-8240-9479-4.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe". RadioGOLDINdex. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  6. ^ a b c "The Amazing Nero Wolfe". RadioGOLDINdex. Retrieved 2015-04-19.
  7. ^ a b c d e "The Adventures of Nero Wolfe". RadioGOLDINdex. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
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