This version is so much better than the newer 2000 one with Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin. William Conrad plays a much better Nero Wolfe than Maury Chaykin. And the script is more intelligible in less running time. This show should have ran two more seasons at least. Worth a look if you're a Rex Stout fan.
2 Reviews
The Golden Spiders
coltras3514 June 2023
A boy is injured after an attempt to tell Nero about an abduction he's witnessed ( he saw a woman wearing Spider earrings mouthing the words "Help Police" in an expensive car) and the only clue is a pair of golden spider earrings worn by the victim and a scar one side of her cheek. A lady fitting this description turns up but Nero Wolfe works out she's an imposter. She insists that she will find out something and report to him. As he predicts, she dies - pushed from a tall building,
I have never read Rex Stout's books so can't compare them to this 1981 series, and I wouldn't anyway because I feel books and TV/films are two different mediums. What works in books doesn't necessarily translate well to the films.
Whether William Conrad is like the character in the book or not, I found his acting here excellent, lending a bit of style and dignity as well as getting a bit annoyed. The underrated Lee Horsley is good as Archie Goodwin, Nero's right-hand man. It's set in the 1980's instead of the '50's, but there's an air of style and elegance and the music isn't modern-like.
As for the episode, it's a good one, plenty of hooks to pull you in and scratch your head, however it can get confusing with characters not properly introduced popping up. Still a good start to a short-lived series.
I have never read Rex Stout's books so can't compare them to this 1981 series, and I wouldn't anyway because I feel books and TV/films are two different mediums. What works in books doesn't necessarily translate well to the films.
Whether William Conrad is like the character in the book or not, I found his acting here excellent, lending a bit of style and dignity as well as getting a bit annoyed. The underrated Lee Horsley is good as Archie Goodwin, Nero's right-hand man. It's set in the 1980's instead of the '50's, but there's an air of style and elegance and the music isn't modern-like.
As for the episode, it's a good one, plenty of hooks to pull you in and scratch your head, however it can get confusing with characters not properly introduced popping up. Still a good start to a short-lived series.
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