Richard Hart was a promising stage actor who was given an MGM contract with disastrous results. It seemed that whatever movie he was cast in (and he only made 4) flopped and critics dismissed him as an imitation Laurence Olivier. Eager to return to the stage, it appeared that just when he was getting back into the swing of things he died of a heart attack at only 35. Early television drama in New York gave plenty of work to experienced actors and Hart happened to be the first actor to play Ellery Queen on television.
The episode I saw "The Hanging Acrobat" was presented by Kaiser Fraser, a new automobile created after the war that was successful - if only for a few years. To me, obviously not the original music, couldn't you just hear the sponsor reading the titles (in your imagination)!! Ellery pops into a local carnival and into a murder involving a young high wire acrobat, Amy Muller. Of course, everyone's a suspect - Tex, a young roustabout who is very friendly with Amy, the circus owner who has fists like iron, even Louise who is very eager to find the killer. The real killer is flushed out by Queen but not before he spends at least 10 minutes trying to extricate himself from ropes!!
I thought the music was okay, anyway how could you strive for authenticity when Richard Hart had to put in a plug for the sponsor when he was introducing the episode - "I was just riding home in my Kaiser Fraser when I came across the circus"!!!!
The episode I saw "The Hanging Acrobat" was presented by Kaiser Fraser, a new automobile created after the war that was successful - if only for a few years. To me, obviously not the original music, couldn't you just hear the sponsor reading the titles (in your imagination)!! Ellery pops into a local carnival and into a murder involving a young high wire acrobat, Amy Muller. Of course, everyone's a suspect - Tex, a young roustabout who is very friendly with Amy, the circus owner who has fists like iron, even Louise who is very eager to find the killer. The real killer is flushed out by Queen but not before he spends at least 10 minutes trying to extricate himself from ropes!!
I thought the music was okay, anyway how could you strive for authenticity when Richard Hart had to put in a plug for the sponsor when he was introducing the episode - "I was just riding home in my Kaiser Fraser when I came across the circus"!!!!