Is this group dead?

Do we have any more to say about Nero Wolfe and Archie?

Oh, I hope not! I see the discussion threads of books--one's I haven't read yet!

Two days ago I opened a Christmas present early (with a friend who was leaving town)--she gave the Nero Wolfe A&E set, complete series! I'm really looking forward to having time to watch them as I've only seen three before.

Has anyone else seen the series? I've heard they're quite faithful to the stories. Anyone else have an opinion?

I saw the pilot episode, The Golden Spiders. I got it as a birthday present for my boyfriend this past summer, who is the one that introduced me to Nero Wolfe (or, rather, to Archie as we would say). I really enjoyed it but he didn't quite approve--but he is notoriously picky about adaptations. I thought Archie especially was perfectly cast, and I also thought the whole look and feel worked well, though this was what the bf objected to. I think he thought things seemed a bit too gaudy, but I don't remember his exact complaints.

Also, I hope the group is not dead, but I have not been contributing to any liveliness so I am partly guilty I suppose. Rocky times/breakup with said boyfriend have made it hard for me to read any Wolfe of late--it was always our read-aloud activity so I need a bit of a break.

>3 nperrin: Understandably.

The Golden Spiders was the pilot, and my least favorite of the adaptations. In general, I thought them excellent. There's some discussion of them on another thread, I think. :)

I ought to have kept up my involvement, but after a few-year Wolfe binge, have been off reading them, fan though I am. Soon, probably, I'll tackle one or two I've only read once. But I've also been busier, and not only has LT usage been choppy, my reading's been directed in other, and exploratory, directions. Nevertheless, my apologies. I'll see what I can do about joining in, again. :)

Most forums on Wolfe and Archie are fairly dry at the moment, unfortunately. I keep checking back, but there's obviously only so much to say!

I adore the series, it introduced me to the characters; I think the first two episodes I saw were the two 'linked' short stories, Eeny Meeny Murder Mo and Disguise for Murder (a card game between the boys starts each episode), and I instantly noted the involved relationship between Archie, Wolfe and the others.

My favourite episodes are Prisoner's Base, Disguise for Murder, Champagne for One, Christmas Party ... Perhaps it would be easier to say which I didn't take to! (Too Many Clients, Golden Spiders, Immune to Murder.) The cast are excellent, and every time I watch the series, I cannot believe that it was cancelled with so much material still to cover: quantity over quality in the ratings business, I suppose.

I've never seen this series. Is the DVD set readily available? I should search online to find it. What's the approximate cost?

Edited to add this:

Eurydice and AdonisG, I've missed reading your posts here.

Timothy Hutton as Archie was certainly a snappy dresser.

Found the DVD set on A&E.com. They were having a 40% off Christmas sale, so I bought the set. Looking forward to viewing.

I really enjoyed the series on A & E after the first two or three, they seemed to settle in.

I've so enjoyed reading through the Stout books with some of you here, but I haven't initiated another read-through because I've also been reading books with several other groups. I love to reread, but I'm trying to work through an incredibly huge TBR pile(s). Hopefully in the next year we can read through several together. I always check here for new conversations though, so don't die orchids!

We're not dead, only resting.

Dead, no!. I've been eating a goose.

#11 - I suppose we could say that your goose is cooked?

*I'm so sorry, I cannot resist a bad pun.*

LOL. MrsLee, thank you for making me smile. :)

Quartzite: well said. Etrainer: thank you. It's a pleasure to see all of you.

AdonisGuilfoyle, that duo, with the flanking card games, was one of my favorites. The production of some sequences, and economy with which they loaded character, relationship, and context clues was just masterful. I often forget, but it was chance brushes with the series (in commercials, and fleeting snippets, which my then-boyfriend was never willing to see), that introduced me to the books. I don't think I ever saw a full episode, when new. Later, very ill, I thought of them and asked for copies of the books. :) Naturally, I was enchanted. They make any day brighter. I regret never having another, 180 pages unread, in my hands for the first time.

(Fortunately for me, we did then share the mania and acquire the series. :) )

I've watched 'The Doorbell Rang'. I really like the 'look' of the show, but to me, Archie is too 'fidgety'! I've always pictured him quite laid back, but with that smart mouth. His clothes are a little conspicuous for a detective. Wolfe, when he shouts at other characters also seems not like what I imagine him to be. It seems overplayed to me. But I did like it overall and hope to watch several more episodes in the next few days. Does anyone agree with me on this? Or are the characters as you imagine them to be?

etrainer - I think you hit my complaints dead on. I don't know about the clothes, because Archie was fussy about his clothes, but the attitudes were ever so slightly off as you described. Yet, not so much as to make me dislike the whole series. I let myself imagine them as acting it out in a play, then I was O.K. with it.

Agreed on Wolfe. He really was wrong, at least enough of the time to be noticeable. But, though the whole series took a faintly exaggerated, theatrical tone, I found Archie terribly appealing, Saul Panzer marvelous, and others - Cramer, Fritz - truly excellent.

There are quibbles I can add, but my opinion on the series as a whole remains. It's that of accurate fans, also gifted in the making of TV. This doesn't often happen.

As far as clothes, MrsLee is right: Archie was a snappy dresser, and liked designer shirts/ties/suits/shoes.... $200 hats for spring. The man dressed noticeably and well. I loved a lot of Timothy Hutton's tailoring, which was just beautiful to see. It's Saul who always clung to traditional detective inconspicuousness. Fred Durkin, another (also, in Too Many Women, well played).

The yellow suit in Doxy bothered me - he's supposed to be a private detective, covertly protecting a client, and he's decked out in canary yellow! Otherwise, I thought Timothy Hutton looked fine as Archie ;)

As to being too 'fidgety', I don't know, I think that works for Archie - he always wants to be on the 'go', and if he has to sit around waiting for Wolfe's genius, he gets agitated; I think Hutton's 'activity' in the role was just a visual demonstration of Archie's character. Same with Wolfe's shouting - I don't 'hear' a character bellowing when I'm reading, even when I'm told that's what they're doing, so Chaykin's portrayal did come as a bit of a shock, but it somehow fit.

I thought Conrad Dunn was Saul brought to life - unfortunately (put me right off the character) - and I loved Colin Fox as Fritz, particularly his frustration with Wolfe in the kitchen. Kari should have been a blonde - her 'natural' hair colour - as Lily for me, but she was exceptional in every role throughout.

Yes, Archie was a snappy dresser, but the white hat (OK, maybe it wasn't white, maybe it was ecru, or mauve, or taupe, or winter white) was just too much for a detective! I remember those two-toned shoes, but I was surprised to see them on Archie.

I still have only watched one full episode so I'm going on first impressions of the series. Let's see if watching more changes my opinion any. I think I'm going have a hard time accepting the 'active' Archie, though. But your thoughts on his urge to be on the go, AG, makes sense as well.

I'll repeat my opinion that the look of the series is great. The color is vivid and the sets are elaborate. Wolfe's office is 'fancier' than I would have thought. Somehow Wolfe's office seems turned around to me. I'll take better note the next time I watch, but the waterfall picture seems on the wrong side of the desk (although in relation to the hall, it seem right). I probably made assumptions the first time I read about it and never thought through the actual descriptions in the books. I'm also looking for the globe

Edited to say I say the globe behind the guest chairs.

Merry Christmas Wolfe fans!! And all other LTers.

A very Merry Christmas to (all of) you!

The series, BTW, was a gift from my family to another LT member, a moderate Stout fan, beloved of all of us. Hopefully, he'll enjoy it as much as I did - a good deal, usually; intensely sometimes - quibbles though there will be. :)

Best wishes to all of you today, and in the new year. I had Fritz-worthy eggnog last night. Mmm... :D Wish we were having a Wolfe & Fritz-catered New Year's party...! ;)

(edited to fix touchstones)

Eurydice - Wish we were having a Wolfe & Fritz-catered New Year's party

That might be nice, but who gets to be the dead body that inevitably turns up?

Ooo, that would be a great murder mystery party! I mean the pretend kind. ;)

Having watched the original 'Miracle on 34th Street' (1947) a couple of times over the holidays, I have a renewed admiration for Timothy Hutton's style as Archie - John Payne as Fred Gailey, decked out in tailored suits, large overcoats and snap-brimmed hats, reminded me of Hutton's wardrobe in the series, and Hutton is also one of those timeless actors rarely found outside of old black and white films these days. Perfect casting!

The sets impressed me too, etrainer - I've never been able to get the layout straight in my head, possibly because Stout chopped and changed to suit the plot, so I didn't really notice where the doors and pictures should have been (and 'It's bigger than I thought', as Miss Eades tells Archie!), but the attention to detail was amazing! I could really believe that Wolfe and Archie lived and worked there.

Happy New Year to everyone!

And to you!

You're right about both topics, I think.

MrsLee, I agree the dead body might put a damper on things, but it's true Wolfe has entertained Marko Vukcic, and Archie many attractive females - not to mention the guys, to poker nights - without mishap and mayhem. I would like to think it can be done.

I have very small nephews. A corpse would be unseemly! ;)

(Well, I may raid Fritz's recipe books, anyway...)

I think I need to dig out my taped versions of the A&E series and watch them again. Maybe a marathon. I have a cold and find it difficult to read.

Eurydice - I bet your nephews would get a kick out of a fake corpse though! Unless they are a lot nicer than my boys and nephews were. :)

I was going to make a smart remark about what fun the inevitable dead body might be, but then I thought of my part time job at the funeral home in my college days and decided against it.

They are very nice kids, at ages five and three. Maybe in time, but I think etrainer has an all-too-realistic point! Corpses are more fun both fictional and at a distance.

But they'd love an appearance by Fritz, being cooking-obsessed... :)

Thanks, Eurydice. That's probably the first valid point point I've made this decade.

Edited to add that I have watched a few more of the A&E episodes and I admit that the 'fidgety' Archie is growing on me, but the Wolfe interpretation is just wrong IMHO. Still, I'm enjoying the series and anticipating more Lily Rowan appearances.

Ah, I think you're underrating yourself. It may be the first post-Christmas - but even that I wouldn't bet on! :)

I've watched 7 of the eight DVD's of the A&E Nero Wolfe series. Some unpleasantness (looking for a new job, ugh!) has prevented me from sitting down with the final disk. I like them. We've discussed them. Now I'm wondering if a person unfamiliar with Stout's books would enjoy the series as I have. Are the episodes long enough, detailed enough - however you might describe it - to develop the characters so that a viewer could understand the characters as Stout wrote them? I think obviously that someone who has read the books and liked them will generally like the series. Is it good enough to 'hook' a newcomer to Wolfe? Opinions?

Yes. It is. I first got interested that way - by seeing mere clips. (My mother followed me in reading them, and is a series addict.) My sister, brother-in-law, and some friends, who've never read the books, also love it.

And I think the fidelity makes it an unusually good 'hook' for someone new to the books.

My son, who would rather have teeth pulled than read a book (O.K., that is a mother's exaggeration), liked the series. He has yet to read the books though. I, being his teacher, am assigning him one to read this coming month; any suggestions as to what that one should be? Wait, I'll start a thread on it.

The month after that he must read one Discworld book. After that he graduates and is on his own, so I have to get these two in while I can. I think both Archie's wit and Pratchett's humor are very like my son's, so I can't imagine him not liking either of them.

Discworld . . . I think I need to try one of those. You can test the results on a youngster and an old geezer!

I keep thinking I may be seduced by them. We've yet to see.

Well etrainer and Eurydice, I only have my own experience, but I had never heard of them until I joined LT, now I own or soon will own all of them. My daughter loves them too.

Since you are both mystery fans, may I recommend you begin with Guards! Guards!? It is the first of what is known as the "Watch" series, Sam Vimes being the head of the city watch. They have a bit of film noir flavor to them, along with being hilarious.

You may. Sounds great, and I will keep my eyes peeled! ;)

MrsLee, thanks for the suggestion. I will also look for it.

I just looked back at this thread and saw my message, #38 above. I never followed up on this so I am writing a reminder to self to look for these books.

I also wanted to say (in this thread!) that I just picked up the last two Goldsborough Wolfe novels that I have not read. I think the feeling here has generally been that this series comes nowhere close to Stout's. I enjoyed the ones I've read, though. I admit to not being a very discriminating literary critic. The ones I got are Silver Spire and Fade to Black.

Hoping this message will stimulate some more discussion.

I would love to hear what you think about Guards! Guards! or any other Pratchett book you may read (there is a Pratchett group here too).

>40 MrsLee: MrsLee, I enjoyed Guards! Guards!. There were some hilarious parts! But I wasn't left with a burning desire to buy 5 or 6 more of the series. I'm not sure why. I'll try some more of the books when I need a change from the usual murder and mayhem!

etrainer - I like to read them in small doses too. I'm afraid I wouldn't appreciate the humor if I read one after another. I read, perhaps, one a month, though I haven't read one for awhile. That way it is fresh each time.

Hello, just wanted to stop by here because I really miss my Rex-Stout-appreciating friends. How is everyone? I haven't read any Stout for a long time, still trying to reduce the TBR piles. LT is not very conducive to that. Not because it keeps me from reading, but because I find so many more books to add to the pile!

I have a job now and find myself too tired to read like I used to, though I do get some reading done at work sometimes. What is happening out there in the Black Orchid world?

Well, I am back in class and to busy to spend very much time here. I do have one history class on the 1960s and I want to work in a mention of The Doorbell Rang into a paper.

I miss the activity in this group as well. I confess I have nothing interesting to say, however.

Speaking of jobs, MrsLee, I'm still looking. I guess the economy will have to boom before an old guy like me has much chance of finding new employment. Especially in California. I have plenty of time to read, but not much $$ to spend on new (or old) books! Catch-22.

Oh, I hear you etrainer. My husband would like to retire and find a part-time job, but we don't think this is the time to do that. Everywhere my 16 year old boy has gone for applications has told him "no hiring" for the near future. :( Hope you find just the right one very soon though.

#45

If California is like southern Ohio even going to the library is getting harder and harder. The county library system just cut a third of the staff and shortened their hours. It looks like a branch might have to be closed if something does not change with their funding.

#47 - :( Oh, and let us know how you work that reference in!

Well it depends on the topic assigned but if I can say anything about the FBI I can use it as an example of Hoover's over the top behavior being commented on in popular culture.

The first paper is a review of Storming Heaven, a history of LSD. Nothing yet about the FBI but the CIA…wow.

My husband and I just moved to Germany (army life), which means that the small amount of tv we used to watch shrank to nil. I started watching my A&E Nero Wolfe episodes to fill the time and very quickly caught him looking over my shoulder. Now he's a convert!

I checked a man with the last name of "Stout" into our hotel today, when I told him he had the name of one of my favorite authors, he said, "Rex Stout? I met him briefly years ago." Sadly, it got very busy just then and I didn't get to pursue the conversation further.

Wow, what a coincidence! Too bad you didn't get to talk to him more. It could have been very interesting!

Several years ago I was waiting on a college student at the car dealership I worked at, she spelled her last name for me, M-A-U-L-D-I-N. To which I said, “like the cartoonist, Bill Mauldin”. When she told me he was her great uncle I felt like I was in the presence of greatness, even if it was once removed up the family tree.

I think Rex Stout would have agreed with Mauldin’s politics.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/mauldin/

edit

Regarding my post back at #49. The FBI did not come into the story but an ex-FBI agent named G. Gordon Liddy had a reoccurring role.

#52 - I agree!

#53 - I would have felt the same as you did. I have a book of his WWII cartoons beside my Ernie Pyle collection.

#52 - Today the man returned! I asked him about his story and he told me that in the 60s, he was in the air crew of a firefighter plane. Rex Stout was covering the story of a fire for a local newspaper, I think, and he saw the coincidence of the name and introduced himself. The man said Stout was very nice. I asked if he had read his books and he said, "Of course!" That was about all. :)

Wow! So the story wasn't that interesting, but the fact that he came back and you were there is pretty neat!

Yep, I was glad to at least have the answer, and I think it made him happy to be remembered. :)

Re: the TV series.

The Wolf Pack now has a section about the filming of the TV series It may be of interest.

I got my start with the Saturday Evening Post in the mid thirties. Made for a long wait from one issue to the next. Now I'm starting the series with the two story paperbacks. I have four and finished one paperback so far. Not happy that they are not in order.
A Merry Christmas to all and may your New Year be better than '09.

Nothing is more admirable than the fortitude with which millionaires tolerate the disadvantages of their wealth.
- Rex Stout

As a non-millionaire, I'm feeling this one right now!

:)

Was just at my favorite used book store. It had a shelf full of old Rex Stout paperbacks today. Unfortunately, Too Many Women wasn't among, them and I am still trying to replace my lost copy. I did pick up a non-Nero Wolfe—The President Vanishes.

ETA Corrections to a bucket full of errors.

It will show up, etrainer. Keep up the good search! I can't remember, are you looking for a specific version or edition? Paperback or hardback?

MrsLee - it wouldn't matter. I have both hardcover and paperback, many different publishers.

etrainer - I could have sworn I had that title! I thought I had all of the books, but either I have lost, loaned or never had it, because it isn't on my shelves or in my LT library. I looked it up at AbeBooks and it runs $25.00 and higher for audio, paperback or other versions. It is also in the omnibus called, All Aces. I thought I had all the card referenced omnibuses as well, but not that one! Guess I'll be joining you on your search, because at this time, I'm not paying that much for a paperback or used book. :)

I had a stand-alone paperback. I don't know where it disappeared to. Strange we would both be missing the same title!

Hmmm, a mystery! Some evil villain is stealing all the copies of this book throughout the world. Possibly it contains some grain of information that would bring down the government? Or reveal the identity of the evil villain?

Or possibly my imagination runs away with me at 4am?

Well, I have heard of but never seen the aforementioned book. I have always felt, and I think that Archie would agree, that the title states an impossibility.

LOL! But not an impossibility for Wolfe, perhaps? I think one is too many in his book.

ETA: Unless that one were Jane Austen, perhaps.

My memory may be faulty, but at some point in the book I believe even Archie expresses some sense of overload!!

Hi everyone! My apologies for not visiting more often. I've had a busy past years or so with family, medical issues and poker (I've managed to do a bit of writing so I feel better about that).

Recently, I've been reading a lot of Dick Francis and I've enjoyed some of those like the "Sid Halley" series. But I'm now stuck for a good source of bedtime reading.

Can anyone tell me of another series that they found enjoyable? I like novels with repeating characters like Nero Wolfe and Archie (by far the best and biggest). I've tried the "Spencer" series but I don't like it much. I've had issues believing the "Lincoln Rhimes" stuff. And I have not had much enjoyment out of the "Alex Cross" series (I think because I keep picturing Morgan Freeman, who fit well in the movies but, for some reason, doesn't work with my brain when reading).

I really need help. I'm dying for a refreshing new character. I've told a few here about the Bruce Zimmerman "Quinn Parker" novels that I fell in love with but the author seems to have no interest in renewing the character.

That's the type of series I'm looking for. I've spent literally hours going through reference books about mystery writers at my (very limited) library and searching the shelves but have come up empty. I've had people recommend many (too many to list here) but I thought maybe someone here could come up with a hidden treasure.

Please, if any of you who love Wolfe, and especially those who might have tried the Zimmerman recommendation and liked them, can think of suggestions, I'd truly appreciate the help. To narrow your work, I'll probably want something post 1900 era with multiple unique characters like Archie, Fritz, etc. I don't care for supernatural or really narrow genres (one series out there was solving only outdoor hunting murders).

Thanks in advance!

These are probably too obvious: Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Ross MacDonald. For recurring, somewhat zany characters, Coben's Myron Bolitar series comes immediately to mind.

There aren't nearly enough books in the series, but I've found Lawrence Block's "Burglar" series to be very enjoyable.

A Drink Before the War is the first book in a great series by Dennis Lehane. Fay and Jonathan Kellerman both have great series. In the Heat of the Night is the first book of a short series featuring Mr. Virgil Tibbs of Pasadena Homicide.

Watch the short list for the Edgar Award for First Mystery Novels and you can find a lot of promising mysteries.

edit: How could I forget Donald Westlake?

I forgot Dennis Lehane! As #73 mentions - great series, but too short.

For series try Nicholas Freeling. He has two.
Simon Brett has several. Rumpole is wonderful.
Edmund Crispin is a good author also. Cyril Hare.
K.C. Conmstantine. More
authors.

I just bought the first three Edmund Crispin novels, but won't have time to read them for awhile.