The Mandarin Mystery

Starring: Quillan, Eddie and Henry, Charlotte

Josephine Temple (Charlotte Henry) has recently acquired the most valuable stamp in the world, the Chinese Mandarin, and has come to New York to sell it to a famous collector. But before the deal is done, the $50,000 stamp is stolen, two people are murdered, and the police name Josephine as the prime suspect!Inspector Queen must unravel these "locked room" mysteries, with young son Ellery Queen underfoot. Complicating the issue is young Ellery's budding romance with Josephine, and his belief in her innocence. With detective father and son trying to out-smart each other at every turn, and the bodies piling up around them, two Queens may not be a strong enough hand to catch the murderer!Playing for sophisticated laughs (as in the famous Thin Man films), Eddie Quillan is the fast-talking Ellery Queen in this Republic Pictures who-done-it, which features great character actors Franklin Pangborn as the hotel manager, William Newell as Detective Guffy and George Irving as Dr. Kirk.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 089218478894
• Release Date: August 2005
• Rating: Unrated (Not Rated)
• Publisher: Gotham (DBA Alpha)
• Director: Staub, Ralph
• Starring: Quillan, Eddie, Henry, Charlotte
• Runtime: 1 hour, 5 minutes
• Number of Disks: 1
• Other Video Info: DVD
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.5" x 5.4"

Customer Reviews

Over before it starts

There is a news announcement that soon Josephine Temple (Charlotte Henry) will be coming to this country to sell an extremely valuable stamp called the Mandarin (bet you thought it was an “orange”). At the dock, Josephine shows off her stamp to anyone who asks to see it. The stamp is just loose in her purse, and everyone knows it. Ellery (Eddie Quillan) accidentally introduces himself to her. She gets a counteroffer from another collector but turns it down due to ethics. So, a sneaky third party plans to pilfer the stamp. He ends up dead with his coat on backward. Ellery points out the obvious: the stamp has a mandarin on it with his coat on backward. Is this a clue? As with most mysteries, everyone had access to the body, and no one could have retreated through a locked soundproof door. Will the most obvious suspect die before spilling the beans? Will Ellery get a date with the stamp owner or go to jail himself? This is a fast-paced story with only 52 minutes; it has to poses the problem and hopefully the solution, all while Ellery, whose Josephine and outwits his detective father, Inspector Queen (Wade Boteler). Can we keep up?