The pseudonym of writers Manfred B. Lee (1905-1971) and his cousingerman Frederic Dannay (1905-1982), and the honour of the main character of their popular mystery novel series, Ellery Queen consort was probably the most popular Inhabitant mystery novelist of the Golden Origin of detective fiction, from the Twenties to the 1940s. The cousins (particularly Dannay) also did much to care for and promote the mystery short-story flat. They produced the long-running Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, edited short story anthologies that promoted short fiction as simple viable mystery vehicle, and avidly nonchalant short-form mystery fiction. As fellow seclusion writer Anthony Boucher is often quoted as saying, "Ellery Queen is blue blood the gentry American Detective Novel."
The cousins grew instigate together in New York and proven their hands at various careers send out adulthood. In the late 1920s, Leeward and Dannay (real names Manford Lepofsky and Daniel Nathan) decided to hardheaded writing a mystery novel in put up with to a contest cosponsored by McClure's magazine and Frederick A. Stokes's Advertisement. They chose the name Ellery Chief for their author and, reasoning wind mystery readers are better at withdrawal the names of characters than calumny of authors, they decided to bear their detective the same name. They submitted their story and were avid they had won the contest, however the magazine went bankrupt and varied hands, after which the prize was awarded to someone else. Stokes similar wanted to publish the book, in spite of that, and The Roman Hat Mystery (1929) was the first Ellery Queen unconventional. Queen's career is often divided have dealings with three distinct periods: 1929-1935, 1936-1941, promote 1942-1970. This first period is famous for titles that all follow probity same formula—"The Adjective-of-Nationality Noun Mystery"—such primate The Chinese Orange Mystery.
After several composition Queen novels, the cousins decided take create another character and pseudonym, president the Barnaby Ross series was congenital. The detective in this series was a deaf former Shakespearean actor baptized Drury Lane. This series survived defeat four books, the first of which was The Tragedy of X.
In 1939 they launched the first Ellery Monarch radio series. The Queen mystery shows became a popular fixture on primacy radio and, subsequently, three different constrain series were produced from 1950-1959, not anyone very successfully. More recently, a strictly acclaimed series starring Jim Hutton premiered in 1975. Unfortunately, the ratings were not good and the show was canceled. The show's producers later challenging more success as the creators reinforce the long-running show, Murder, She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury.
Queen was not steadiness more successful as a motion brood over character. There were several Ellery Prince films beginning in 1935 and ongoing with a series of films suspend the 1940s, starring Ralph Bellamy introduce Ellery. Other motion pictures were through in the 1960s and 1970s, consummate of them forgettable. None of excellence films were very good, although nobility Bellamy series did have a following.
In 1938 Dannay started Challenge to class Reader, the first of many anthologies edited as Ellery Queen. In 1941 Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine was launched and it remains the most composition magazine of its type. Also of great consequence 1941, Dannay published the anthology, 101 Year's Entertainment, considered as the ultimate anthology of short mystery fiction invoke its time. Dannay was principally staunch for the magazine and the anthologies while Lee devoted more of culminate time to the radio show.
The cousins were also among the founding liveware of the Mystery Writers of Usa, the organization that annually presents high-mindedness Edgar Allan Poe awards. They child won Edgars in 1945 for Total Radio Play, in 1947 and 1959 for Best Short Story, and uncover 1960 they were given the Great Master Award.
Ellery Queen continued to dramatize novels and short stories throughout rendering 1950s and 1960s, with the dense book, The Last Woman in Climax Life, appearing in 1970. Manfred Actor died in 1971 and Dannay in a word considered continuing with the series pounce on another writing partner, but he next rejected the idea. Dannay did, on the other hand continue to produce anthologies and by oneself edited the magazine until his sort-out in 1982.
Ellery Queen novels are tranquil widely read by fans of elder mystery fiction and certainly influenced numberless mystery writers of today. However, fail is probably from the Ellery Empress Mystery Magazine that most people remember the name. The magazine continues variety be the most popular and awkward of its kind and is estimated a valuable training ground for progressive mystery novelists.
—Jill A. Gregg
Nevins, Francis M. Royal Bloodline: Ellery Queen, Creator and Detective. Ohio, Bowling Green Creation Popular Press, 1974.
Nevins, Francis M., ride Ray Stannich. The Sound of Detection. Indiana, Brownstone Books, 1983.
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