Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring (1941)

On November 18, 1941, Columbia Pictures released Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring (1941). In this film, Ralph Bellamy portrays Ellery Queen for the fourth and final time.

The film opens with a wealthy widow, Mrs. Augusta Stack, seeking the help of the police department. Mrs. Stack suspects Dr. Jannery, who operates her hospital, of negligence in the death of her sister. Dr. Jannery, played by George Zucco, also is engaged in a conflict with Mrs. Stack over who has the rights to Jannery’s medical discovery.

Inspector Queen suggests to his son Ellery, who is looking for material for a new book, he would like Ellery to speak with Mrs. Stack. Ellery reluctantly speaks to Mrs. Stack. He even more reluctantly begins to investigate the hospital. Ellery tells his father that Mrs. Stack’s mean and miserly ways have made her many enemies.

After Mrs. Stack is run off the road on the way to her hospital, she dies mysteriously in her own hospital. Was she murdered? Who of the many suspects might have committed the crime?

While Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring wasn’t bad, it is the weakest of the four films Ralph Bellamy starred in. Bellamy did not receive much screen time. The gangster Page, played by Paul Hurst, and his henchman Lou Thomas, played by Tom Dugan, received much of the screen time.

Watch the movie and let me know if you agree. Is it the weakest of the Ellery Queen films starring Ralph Bellamy? Why or why not? You can leave a comment or ask a question about this or any post on my Facebook page and Twitter profile

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