Ellery Queen Collection
Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery
A KILLER IN THE BAG! WOMEN IN HIS HAIR!
Ventriloquist and world traveler Gordon Cobb is murdered by a gang of jewel thieves. Baffled by the contradictory clues, Inspector Queen asks his son, Ellery, to help out.
- Original title
- Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
CinemaSerf
Dec 3, 2023 · via TMDB
This outing for the famed detective really did remind me of the contemporary "Charlie Chan" adventures and to be honest, it comes off the worst. When a wealthy Chinese family donate some gems to try and help alleviate the problems of their starving population. It falls to ventriloquist "Madison" (Gordon Cobb) to get them to New York when they can be converted into cash - some $300,000! He goes missing so his daughter contacts her pal "Nikki" (an on-form Margaret Lindsay) who just happens to work for our eponymous sleuth (Ralph Bellamy) - and off we go on a rather complex cloak and dragon dagger mystery that includes a body in a trunk in a penthouse and more suspects than you can shake a stick at. Can the constantly bickering "Queen" and "Nikki" get to the bottom of the mystery before the jewels are gone forever? It's quite a characterful edition of the franchise this with Bellamy competent enough, but it's let down by a pretty formulaic story and a conclusion that is too convenient and rushed. Keep an eye out for Mantan Moreland, but otherwise this is just standard detective fayre that amiably but forgettably kills an hour.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Ralph Bellamy
Ellery Queen
Margaret Lindsay
Nikki Porter
Charley Grapewin
Insp. Queen
Noel Madison
Gordon Cobb
Ann Doran
Sheila Cobb
James Burke
Sgt. Velie
Anna May Wong
Lois Ling
Eduardo Ciannelli
Count Brett (as Edward Ciannelli)
Frank Albertson
Sanders
Charles Lane
Doc Prouty
Russell Hicks
Harry Walsh
Tom Dugan
McGrath
Mantan Moreland
Roy
Theodore von Eltz
Jim Ritter
James P. Hogan
Director
The Long Goodbye
Night Must Fall
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen
Lion Down
A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen
A Close Call for Ellery Queen
Dark Waters
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring
The Spanish Cape Mystery
Why Must I Die
Candlestick
The Mandarin Mystery
The Hat Box Mystery
Hard Boiled Sweets
The Penthouse
Acts of Violence
The Haunting of Penthouse D
Final Act
Remember
Mr. Arkadin
Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt
The Night Strangler
Greta
Night Train to Lisbon
Mr. K
The Late Show
Night Watch
Winter's Tale
Trigger Point
Abigail
Overdrive
Nocebo
Donovan's Echo
The Eternal Daughter
Absolution
Righteous Kill
Eyes of Laura Mars
The Ritual Killer
Mar 24, 1941
