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Fritz Brenner (Nero Wolfe)
The Nero Wolfe stories are populated by a cast of supporting characters who help sustain the sense that each story takes place in familiar surroundings. Household Fritz Brenner Fritz Brenner is an exceptionally talented Swiss cook who prepares and serves all of Wolfe's meals except those that Wolfe occasionally takes at Rusterman's Restaurant. Fritz also acts as the household's majordomo and butler. Fritz's living quarters are in the basement of Wolfe's brownstone; here he keeps 289 cookbooks, the head of a wild boar he shot in the Vosges, and busts of Escoffier and Brillat-Savarin as well as a cooking vessel thought to have been used by Julius Caesar's chef. A reference to a war wound in 1935's '' The League of Frightened Men'' implies that Fritz fought in World War I. Archie and Fritz have an easygoing working relationship, and Archie often spends time in the kitchen, as he puts it, "chinning" with Fritz. Fritz's relationship with Wolfe is one of mutual respect, admiration ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street in New York City, and he is loath to leave his home for business or anything that would keep him from reading his books, tending his orchids, or eating the gourmet meals prepared by his chef, Fritz Brenner. Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's sharp-witted, dapper young confidential assistant with an eye for attractive women, narrates the cases and does the legwork for the detective genius. Stout published 33 novels and 41 novellas and short stories featuring Wolfe from 1934 to 1975, with most of them set in New York City. The stories have been adapted for film, radio, television and the stage. The Nero Wolfe corpus was nominated for Best Mystery Series of the Century at Bouchercon 2000, the world's largest mystery convention, and Rex Stout was a nomine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Hurst
David Hurst (born Heinrich Theodor Hirsch; 8 May 1926 – 15 September 2019) was a German actor, best known for his role in the film ''Hello Dolly! (film), Hello, Dolly'' as Rudolph the headwaiter. Biography Early life and career Hurst grew up in a family of actors. As a Jewish child living in 1930s Germany, he faced persecution from the Nazi regime. After the pogroms of Kristallnacht, the British government allowed for the rescue of Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig. He was one of the nearly 10,000 children in 1938–1939 moved with the Kindertransport to the United Kingdom. He was separated from his mother at 12 years old, and never saw her again. Housed in a manor in Northern Ireland, he lived with other young emigrants in the care of the family of an estate manager. His first stage experience was in Belfast at a repertory theatre, where he also changed his name from Heinrich Hirsch to David Hurst. During the Second W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plot It Yourself
''Plot It Yourself'' (British title ''Murder in Style'') is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, published by the Viking Press in 1959, and also collected in the omnibus volume ''Kings Full of Aces'' (Viking 1969). Plot introduction A group of authors and publishers hires Nero Wolfe to investigate a series of plagiarism claims. Wolfe, by his own admission, bungles the investigation so badly that three murders result. In ''Plot It Yourself'', Stout draws on his lengthy experience with book publishers, with authors (via, for example, his presidency of the Authors Guild), and with the writing process itself. Apart from the series' continuing characters, all the players in the book are directly associated with the publishing industry. Stout adds as subtext his take on the peculiar relationship between book authors and book publishers — part symbiosis, part animosity. Stout himself experienced at least one instance of contentious relations with his publishers. Plot summary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Second Confession
''The Second Confession'' is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, first published by the Viking Press in 1949. The story was also collected in other omnibus volumes, including ''Triple Zeck'' (Viking 1974). This is the second of three Nero Wolfe novels that involve crime boss Arnold Zeck – Wolfe's Professor Moriarty. In this novel he telephones Wolfe to warn him off an investigation and retaliates when Wolfe refuses to cooperate. Though the crime is solved, the ending is left open. Plot summary Wealthy James U. Sperling approaches Nero Wolfe to investigate Louis Rony, an admirer of Sperling's younger daughter Gwenn. Sperling wants Wolfe to find evidence that Rony is a member of the American Communist Party. Wolfe is reluctant since he believes Rony has connections to “Z”, a shadowy criminal mastermind who has crossed Wolfe's path before. Nevertheless, Archie Goodwin is dispatched undercover to Sperling's Westchester estate to see if he can discover any grounds to c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Orchids
''Black Orchids'' is a Nero Wolfe double mystery by Rex Stout published in 1942 by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. Stout's first short story collection, the volume is composed of two novellas that had appeared in abridged form in ''The American Magazine'': * "Black Orchids" (August 1941, abridged as "Death Wears an Orchid") * " Cordially Invited to Meet Death" (April 1942, abridged as "Invitation to Murder") Reviews and commentary * Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor, ''A Catalogue of Crime'' — In the first, Wolfe and Archie are in fine form, and murder at a flower show provides a suitable background for Wolfe's talents and predatory instincts. Archie himself innocently pulls the trigger. The second story is less satisfactory, involving as it does a highly debatable move by the murderer to disarm suspicion. Besides, too many animals.Barzun, Jacques and Taylor, Wendell Hertig. ''A Catalogue of Crime''. New York: Harper & Row. 1971, revised and enlarged edition 1989. * ''Time' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Door To Death
"Door to Death" is a Nero Wolfe mystery novella by Rex Stout, first published in the June 1949 issue of ''The American Magazine''. It first appeared in book form in the short-story collection '' Three Doors to Death'', published by the Viking Press in 1950. Plot summary When orchid nurse Theodore Horstmann leaves the brownstone indefinitely to tend to his sick mother, Nero Wolfe goes out — in the snow and on foot — into the raging wilds of Westchester to find a replacement. He and Archie find a corpse in the greenhouse, as well. Publication history "Door to Death" *1949, ''The American Magazine'', June 1949 *1951, New York: Dell Publishing, Dell Ten Cent Paperback #21 (cover illustration by Robert C. Stanley), 1951, paperback ''Three Doors to Death'' *1950, New York: The Viking Press, April 21, 1950, hardcover :Contents include " Man Alive", " Omit Flowers" and "Door to Death". :In his limited-edition pamphlet, ''Collecting Mystery Fiction #9, Rex Stout's Nero Wolf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John McGraw (baseball)
John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890s Baltimore Orioles teams, noted for their innovative, aggressive play. McGraw was born into poverty in Truxton, New York. He found an escape from his hometown and a bad family situation through baseball, beginning a quick rise through the minor leagues that led him to the Orioles at the age of 18. Under the tutelage of manager Ned Hanlon, the Orioles of the 1890s won three National League (NL) pennants; McGraw was one of the stalwarts of the team alongside Wee Willie Keeler, Hughie Jennings, and Wilbert Robinson. The Orioles perfected the hit and run play and popularized the Baltimore chop; they also sought to win by intimidating the opposing team and the umpire. The instability in MLB at the turn of the 20th century led to McGraw bec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fer-de-Lance (novel)
''Fer-de-Lance'' is the first Nero Wolfe detective novel written by Rex Stout, published in 1934 by Farrar & Rinehart, Inc. The novel appeared in abridged form in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1934) under the title "Point of Death". The novel was adapted for the 1936 film ''Meet Nero Wolfe''. In his seminal 1941 work, ''Murder for Pleasure'', crime fiction historian Howard Haycraft included ''Fer-de-Lance'' in his definitive list of the most influential works of mystery fiction. Plot introduction In the opening chapter, Wolfe decides to give up drinking bootleg beer and sends Fritz to purchase samples of every legally available brand (49 in all) so he can select a replacement. The date set in the novel is given as June 7, Wednesday, which makes the year 1933. The Cullen–Harrison Act had just become law on April 7, 1933, legalising "3.2 beer" (3.2% alcohol by weight, approximately 4% alcohol by volume), a point mentioned in passing in the novel. As Wolfe samples the beers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Silent Speaker
''The Silent Speaker'' is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, first published by the Viking Press in 1946. It was published just after World War II, and key plot elements reflect the lingering effects of the war: housing shortages and restrictions on consumer goods, including government regulation of prices, featuring the conflict between a federal price regulatory body and a national business association, paralleling the conflicts between the Office of Price Administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. ''The Silent Speaker'' was Stout's first full-length Nero Wolfe novel since '' Where There's a Will'' in 1940. "Thereafter, though he would continue writing for another thirty years, his stories would all be Nero Wolfe stories," wrote biographer John McAleer. "He liked Wolfe and Archie. After all, they were an essential part of himself. 'During the war years I missed them,' he told me." Plot introduction The head of a Federa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
In The Best Families
''In the Best Families'' (British title ''Even in the Best Families'') is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, first published by the Viking Press in 1950. The story was collected in the omnibus volumes ''Five of a Kind'' (Viking 1961) and ''Triple Zeck'' (Viking 1974). This is the third of three Nero Wolfe books that involve crime boss Arnold Zeck and his widespread operations (the others are '' And Be a Villain'' and '' The Second Confession''). In each book, Zeck – Wolfe's Moriarty – attempts to warn Wolfe off an investigation that Zeck believes will interfere with his criminal machinations. Each time, Wolfe refuses to cooperate, and there are consequences. Plot introduction A wealthy wife hires Nero Wolfe to learn the source of her husband's mysterious income. In short order, Arnold Zeck horns in, the wife is murdered, and Wolfe disappears. Plot summary Nero Wolfe is approached by heiress Sarah Rackham and her cousin Calvin Leeds, a breeder of Dobermans, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archie Goodwin (character)
Archie Goodwin is a fictional character in a series of detective stories and novels by American author Rex Stout. Archie is the witty narrator of the cases featuring his boss, Nero Wolfe, from 1934 ('' Fer-de-Lance'') to 1975 ('' A Family Affair''). Although his job title is Wolfe's secretary and chauffeur, Archie is effectively Wolfe's partner in the detective business, and the stories often contrast his middle class streetwise persona with Wolfe's aristocratic intelligence. In at least one of the novels, it is stated that Archie holds a private investigator's license. Character Archie is Wolfe's live-in assistant in the private investigation business Wolfe runs out of his comfortable and luxurious New York City brownstone house on West 35th Street. Wolfe rarely leaves the brownstone – and makes it a special point to never leave the house for reasons concerning his work – so Archie does most of the actual investigating, followed by reporting his findings to Wolfe, who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colin Fox (actor)
Colin Fox (born November 20, 1938) is a Canadian character actor. Career His acting credits include playing Jean Paul Desmond and Jacques Eloi Des Mondes (the latter speaking to his descendant from the portrait) in '' Strange Paradise'' (CBC/Syndicated, 1969–70), as well as voice work in various animated series, and in other roles in film, television and on the stage. He created the role of Walter Telford, an attorney on the series High Hopes. His most famous role may be that of Anton Hendricks in the TV series '' PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal''. He also appeared in Shining Time Station episode, "Schemer's Special Club" as the misogynistic and racist Nicklear Club President and owner Mr. Hobart Hume III. Fox is well known for his portrayal of Swiss chef Fritz Brenner in the A&E TV original series, ''A Nero Wolfe Mystery'' (2001–2002), and the series pilot, '' The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery'' (2000). Fox's Fritz is a complex person, like the Fritz port ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
