A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen ** (1942, William Gargan, Margaret Lindsay, Charley Grapewin, John Litel, Lilian Bond, James Burke) – Classic Movie Review 10,506

The 1942 American mystery crime thriller A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen stars William Gargan as Ellery Queen in his second film in the series.

Director James P Hogan’s 1942 American mystery crime thriller A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen stars William Gargan as Ellery Queen, Margaret Lindsay as Nikki Porter and Charley Grapewin as Inspector Queen, is written by Eric Taylor and is based on the 1940 play A Good Samaritan by Ellery Queen.

It also stars John Litel as Norman Hadley, Lilian Bond as Adele Belden and Jack La Rue as Tommy Gould, along with James Burke as Sergeant Velie. It was released on 7 May 1942 by Columbia Pictures.

A charming femme fatale asks detective Ellery Queen (Gargan) to try to find her husband, who was until recently presumed dead. He takes Nikki (Lindsay) with him to San Francisco to take the wife’s place. Soon the husband turns up and is suspected of embezzlement, money laundering and murder.

It is a capable enough crime movie series entry, with serious handling of the usual kind of complicated mystery thriller story, and with Gargan as intense and serious as the plot.

Also in the cast are Morgan Conway as Ray Stafford, Noel Madison as George Belden, Frank M Thomas as Captain H T Daley, Charlotte Wynters as Mrs Irene Evington Hadley, Jimmy Aubrey, Byron Foulger, Willie Fung, Johnny Arthur, Jack Rice, Arthur O Bryan, and Billy Bletcher.

It is followed by Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen (1942) with William Gargan as Ellery Queen, Margaret Lindsay as Nikki Porter, and Charley Grapewin as Inspector Queen.

It follows A Close Call for Ellery Queen (1942), which was Gargan’s debut as Ellery Queen.

The cast are William Gargan as Ellery Queen, Margaret Lindsay as Nikki Porter, Charley Grapewin as Inspector Queen, John Litel as Norman Hadley, Lilian Bond as Adele Belden, James Burke as Sergeant Velie, Jack La Rue as Tommy Gould, Morgan Conway as Ray Stafford, Noel Madison as George Belden, Frank M Thomas as Captain H T Daley, Charlotte Wynters as Mrs Irene Evington Hadley, Jimmy Aubrey, Byron Foulger, Willie Fung, Johnny Arthur, Jack Rice, Arthur O Bryan, and Billy Bletcher.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,506

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