Sunday, July 22, 2018

The Golden Spiders


The Golden Spiders is a 1953 Nero Wolfe mystery novel by Rex Stout. I'm working my way through this entire (and entirely enjoyable) series.

from the back of the book:
Nero Wolfe was almost as famous for his wealthy clients and extravagant fees as for his genius at detection. So why has he accepted a case for $4.30? And why have the last two people to hire him been ruthlessly murdered? Wolfe suspects the answers may lie in the story of a twelve-year-old boy who turns up at the door of his West Thirty-fifth Street brownstone. In short order, Wolfe finds himself confronted by one of his most perplexing and pressing cases, involving a curious set of earrings shaped like spiders dipped in gold. The case is all boiling down to a strange taste of greed -and a grumpy gourmand's unappeasable appetite for truth.
It was adapted as part of the television mystery series that starred Maury Chaykin as Wolfe and Timothy Hutton as Archie Goodwin. You can see it here:



I do wish that television series, with its perfect casting, had gotten more seasons.

Another adaptation of this book in a 1981 series starred William Conrad as Wolfe. It can be seen here:




6 comments:

  1. I have NO idea if I saw the pilot to this series or not, but I know I watched each episode faithfully when it went to series on A&E. You are right about the typecasting. These were great artists who made the show what it was. I will watch this one for sure (the pilot, not the one from TV Land). Thank you for sharing.

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    1. We have that series on DVD and re-watch it every once in a while. You can't go wrong there!

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  2. I’ve never read this series. I cankt remember if I ever watched the seies. I like Timothy Huttom. Avidly watched his dad Jim Hutton in Ellery Queen

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    1. I would highly recommend the Timothy Hutton series. So much fun!

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  3. The cover alone caught my attention. Rex Stout is on my to read list. Happy new weeek. Hugs-Erika

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    1. He's an easy-to-read author, I think, and it's fun to get a taste of that era.

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