Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You

Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You
GenreDrama
Based onCat of Many Tails
by Ellery Queen[1]
Written byRichard Levinson
William Link
(together credited as "Ted Leighton")[2]
Directed byBarry Shear
StarringPeter Lawford
Harry Morgan
E.G. Marshall
Stefanie Powers
Theme music composerJerry Fielding
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerEdward Montagne
ProducerLeonard Ackerman
CinematographyWilliam Margulies
EditorSam E. Waxman
Running time95 min.
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseNovember 19, 1971 (1971-11-19)

Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You is a 1971 TV film adaptation of Ellery Queen's novel Cat of Many Tails.[1] It aired on NBC.[3]

Production

The film was intended to spawn a new television series like the earlier versions of the character (The Adventures of Ellery Queen).[2] Richard Levinson and William Link authored the script but were so dismayed with the changes made during production that they took their names off and instead used a pseudonym, "Ted Leighton".[2] This is the only Ellery Queen story or film in which Inspector Richard Queen is portrayed as Ellery's uncle instead of as his father. Critics speculated that this change was made because Harry Morgan was only eight years older than Peter Lawford and because the two had different accents (American and British).

Cast

Legacy

While the film failed to generate a series, four years later Levinson and Link were given to opportunity to try again.[2] 1975's Ellery Queen: Too Many Suspects[1] led to Ellery Queen which starred Jim Hutton and David Wayne. The show lasted one season.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (2003). The Television Crime Fighters Factbook. McFarland. p. 49. ISBN 9780786415335.
  2. ^ a b c d Fischer, Peter S. (2016). Me and Murder She Wrote. p. 46. ISBN 978-1530944361.
  3. ^ "Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You". AMC. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  4. ^ Erickson, Hal (2012). "Ellery Queen (1975)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012.