This episode has Ellery Queen and his father in Los Angeles to consult on a film being made from an Ellery Queen novel.
While filming a scene, a gun with supposed blanks has real bullets. When fired, the star playing the role of Ellery is killed. That's been a common device, memorably used in a Perry Mason movie, among other detective series.
This may be the only time Ellery actually witnessed the murder. And while it's obvious who pulled the trigger, it's not so obvious who replaced the blanks with live rounds. Sadly, it is too mindful of recent real news on a set.
I don't watch these Ellery Queen shows for the puzzle, and the solution tends to be a bit obscure. However, in this case I picked up on the relevant clue and solved it as Ellery began his explanation to the suspects, witnesses, and detectives.
We enjoyed the show, as we always enjoyed the great Jim Hutton.
While filming a scene, a gun with supposed blanks has real bullets. When fired, the star playing the role of Ellery is killed. That's been a common device, memorably used in a Perry Mason movie, among other detective series.
This may be the only time Ellery actually witnessed the murder. And while it's obvious who pulled the trigger, it's not so obvious who replaced the blanks with live rounds. Sadly, it is too mindful of recent real news on a set.
I don't watch these Ellery Queen shows for the puzzle, and the solution tends to be a bit obscure. However, in this case I picked up on the relevant clue and solved it as Ellery began his explanation to the suspects, witnesses, and detectives.
We enjoyed the show, as we always enjoyed the great Jim Hutton.