Stanley Bernard Ellin (October 6, 1916 – July 31, 1986) was an American mystery writer. Ellin was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. After a brief tenure in the Army, at the insistence of his wife, Ellin began writing full time. While his novels are acclaimed, he is best known for his short stories. In May 1948, his first sale, and one of Ellin's most famous short stories, "The Specialty of the House" ("''Speciality of the House"'' in England), appeared in '' Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine''. In the years to come, Ellin's fame as an author grew. He was awarded three Edgar Allan Poe Awards (

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

). His first Edgar was for the short story "The House Party" in 1954, the next for the short story "The Blessington Method" in 1956, and his third for the novel ''The Eighth Circle'' in 1959. Several episodes of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' were based on Ellin short stories, and his novels ''Dreadful Summit'', ''House of Cards'', and ''The Bind'' were adapted into feature films. Charles Silet writes that Ellin "did much toward erasing the distinctions between traditional genre and mainstream fiction by writing novels more concerned with character and locale than with plot." Ellin was a longtime member and past president of the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the Edgar Award ...

(MWA). In 1981, he was awarded the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award. Writing in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'',

Marcel Berlins Marcel Berlins (30 October 1941 – 31 July 2019) was a French-born lawyer, legal commentator, author, broadcaster and columnist. He was best known for his work in the United Kingdom, writing for British national newspapers ''The Times'' and ''T ...

said, "Stanley Ellin is the unsurpassed master of the short story in crime fiction."

Life

Stanley, born in

Bath Beach, Brooklyn Bath Beach is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It is located at the southwestern edge of the borough on Gravesend Bay. The neighborhood borders Bensonhurst and New Utrecht to the northeast across 86th Street; Dyker Beach ...

, was the only child of Louis and Rose Mandel Ellin. They were a loving family and he enjoyed a happy childhood. Ellin writes fondly, if a bit sardonically, in the "Introduction" to ''The Specialty of the House and Other Stories'': He garnered a love for reading at a young age. As a boy, Stanley urged his father to read him Beatrix Potter's story '' The Tale of Peter Rabbit'' over and over: "I have some vivid memories of that bucolic episode n Lakewood, N.J. but most vivid is the memory of my father, on a weekend visit, sitting by my bed filling me with bliss as he read ''Peter Rabbit'' to me, patiently read it over and over on demand until I was letter perfect in it. He must have read other stories to me as well, but of them I have no recollection because they lacked the true magic." He eagerly read books in the family library by the likes of

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

and

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

, who were literary influences on his writing. He graduated from New Utrecht High School, where he had been a precocious student. Ellin was educated at

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus. Being New York City's first publ ...

and received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1936 when he was 19 years old. He married Jeanne Michael, a freelance editor and former classmate, in 1937; they had one daughter, Sue Ellin (Mrs. William Jacobsen), and a granddaughter, Tae Ellin. Apart from some travel abroad and some time spent in

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...

, he lived his entire life in Brooklyn. To support his family, Ellin worked as a magazine salesman and distributor, boilermaker's apprentice,

steel worker Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

, shipyard worker, dairy farmer, and junior college teacher before serving in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1944-1945 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Afterward, Ellin began writing full time while his family lived on his service unemployment allowance and on his wife's editing salary.

Lawrence Block Lawrence Block (born June 24, 1938) is an American crime writer best known for two long-running New York-set series about the recovering alcoholic P.I. Matthew Scudder and the gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr. Block was named a Grand Mas ...

reported, "Ellin was a perfectionist, working slowly and deliberately, producing a page of typescript on a good day. He admitted to having rewritten the opening paragraph of a short story as many as forty times before going on to the next paragraph and polishing each subsequent page in similar fashion before proceeding further... He managed only one a year, sent each in turn to ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'', and never had one rejected." "Only one a year" is not precisely accurate, but the Internet Speculative Fiction Database shows it is close. Ellin co-wrote the screenplay for the 1951 film '' The Big Night'' along with

Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...

, Hugo Butler and Ring Lardner, although Ellin and Losey were the only ones credited for it up until the year 2000. He also wrote book reviews for such venues as ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

Book Review'', chiefly of suspense novels, as well as essays such as "Mystery Novel or Crime Novel" (''Writer'', vol. 86, January 1973, pp. 22–24) and "The Destiny of the House" (''Armchair Detective'', vol. 12, Winter 1979, p. 195). He appeared, along with

Frederic Dannay Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve ...

Brian Garfield Brian Francis Wynne Garfield (January 26, 1939 – December 29, 2018) was an Edgar Award-winning American novelist, historian and screenwriter. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, he wrote his first published book at the age of eighteen. Garfield went on ...

, and

Denis Healey Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey, (30 August 1917 – 3 October 2015) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979 and as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970; he ...

, on the television show ''Crime Writers'' in the episode "Murder for Pleasure" (Season 1, Episode 6, 10 December 1978). Ellin died of a heart attack (complications from a stroke) at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York, on July 31, 1986. He and his wife had become

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

in the late 1960s. His ashes, and those of his wife, lie in the Friends Cemetery in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Bibliography

Novels

*1948 - ''Dreadful Summit: A Novel of Suspense'' (aka ''The Big Night'') (New York:

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

) - "Ellin made his debut as a novelist with ''Dreadful Summit'' (1948). It dealt with a father-son relationship, when a sixteen-year-old boy obtains a gun and sets out to avenge his father's beating and humiliation. The action is squeezed into twenty-four hours." *1952 - ''The Key to Nicholas Street'' (New York: Simon & Schuster) *1958 - ''The Eighth Circle'' (New York: Random House) (

for Best Novel, 1959) *1960 - ''The Winter after This Summer'' (New York:

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

) *1962 - ''The Panama Portrait'' (New York: Random House) *1967 - ''House of Cards'' (New York: Random House) - "a Hitchcockian psychological thriller with international intrigue" *1968 - ''The Valentine Estate'' (New York: Random House) (shortlisted for

for Best Novel, 1969) *1970 - ''The Bind'' (aka ''The Man from Nowhere'') (New York: Random House) *1972 - ''Mirror, Mirror on the Wall'' (New York: Random House, ) - This novel won the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière in 1974 and was selected by

H.R.F. Keating Henry Reymond Fitzwalter Keating (31 October 1926 – 27 March 2011) was an English crime fiction writer most notable for his series of novels featuring Inspector Ghote of the Bombay CID. Life Keating, known as "Harry" to friends and family, ...

for his ''Crime & Mystery: The 100 Best Books'' (New York:

Carroll & Graf Publishers Carroll & Graf Publishers was an American publishing company based in New York City, New York, known for publishing a wide range of fiction and non-fiction by both new and established authors, as well as issuing reprints of previously hard-to ...

, 1987) *1974 - ''Stronghold'' (New York: Random House, ) *1977 - ''The Luxembourg Run'' (New York: Random House, ) *1979 - ''Star Light, Star Bright'' (New York: Random House, ) *1983 - ''The Dark Fantastic'' (New York:

Mysterious Press The Mysterious Press is an American publishing company specializing in mystery fiction based in New York City. The company, founded in 1975 by Otto Penzler, has been associated with various publishing companies over the years, most recently with Gr ...

, c1983, ) *1985 - ''Very Old Money'' (New York: Arbor House)

Short story collections

*1956 - ''Mystery Stories'' (aka ''Quiet Horror''; contains "The Specialty of the House", "The Cat's Paw", "Death on Christmas Eve", "The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby", "Fool's Mate", "The Best of Everything", "The Betrayers", "The House Party", "Broker's Special", "The Moment of Decision") (New York: Simon & Schuster) *1964 - ''The Blessington Method and Other Strange Tales'' (New York: Random House, 1964). (Contains "Foreword" by Julian Symons, "The Blessington Method," "The Faith of Aaron Menefee," "You Can't Be a Little Girl All Your Life," "Robert," "Unreasonable Doubt," "The Day of the Bullet," "Beidenbauer's Flea," "The Seven Deadly Virtues," "The Nine-to-Five Man" and "The Question.") *1975 - ''Kindly Dig Your Grave and Other Wicked Stories''. Edited and with introduction by Ellery Queen. (New York: Davis Publications) (Contains "Kindly Dig Your Grave," "The Crime of Ezechiele Coen," "The Great Persuader," "The Day the Thaw Came to 127," "Death of an Old-Fashioned Girl," "The Last Bottle in the World," "Coin of the Realm," "The Payoff," "The Other Side of the Wall," "The Corruption of Officer Avakadian," and "The Twelfth Statue.) *1979 - ''The Specialty of the House and Other Stories: The Complete Mystery Tales, 1948-1978'' (New York:

) ()

Selected short stories

*"The Specialty of the House", ''

EQMM ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' is a bi-monthly American digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction, and mystery fiction. Launched in fall 1941 by Mercury Press, ''EQMM'' is named after the fict ...

'', 1948 *"The House Party", ''

'', May 1954; ( Edgar Award for Best Short Story, 1955) *"The Blessington Method", ''

'', June 1956; ( Edgar Award for Best Short Story, 1957) *"The Day of the Bullet", ''

'', October 1959; (shortlisted for Edgar Award for Best Short Story, 1960) *"The Crime of Ezechiele Coen", ''

'', November 1963; (shortlisted for Edgar Award for Best Short Story, 1964) *"The Last Bottle in the World", ''

'', February 1968; (shortlisted for Edgar Award for Best Short Story, 1969) *"Graffiti", ''

'', March 1983; (shortlisted for Edgar Award for Best Short Story, 1984)

Media adaptations

Films

The following films were adapted from Stanley Ellin's novels and stories. *1951 - '' The Big Night'', USA, directed by

, (novel ''Dreadful Summit'') *1959 - ''

À double tour ''Web of Passion'' (also released as ''Leda'', original French title: ''À double tour'') is a 1959 French/Italian psychological Thriller (genre), thriller film directed by Claude Chabrol and based on the novel ''The Key to Nicholas Street'' by Am ...

'', France, directed by

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

, (novel ''The Key to Nicholas Street'') *1964 - '' Nothing But the Best'', UK, directed by

Clive Donner Clive Stanley Donner (21 January 1926 – 6 September 2010)Ronald Bergan]Obituary: Clive Donner ''The Guardian'', 7 September 2010 was a British film Film director, director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as ''Th ...

, (short story ''The Best of Everything'') *1968 - '' House of Cards (1968 film), House of Cards'', USA, directed by John Guillermin, (novel) *1979 - '' Sunburn'', USA, directed by

Richard C. Sarafian Richard Caspar Sarafian (April 28, 1930 – September 18, 2013) was an Armenian-American film director and actor. He compiled a versatile career that spanned over five decades as a director, actor, and writer. Sarafian is best known as the direct ...

, (novel ''The Bind'') *1997 - ''A Prayer in the Dark'', USA, directed by

Jerry Ciccoritti Jerry Ciccoritti (born August 5, 1956) is a Canadian film, television and theatre director. His ability to work in a number of genres and for many mediums has made him one of the most successful directors in the country. Biography Born in Tor ...

, (novel ''Stronghold'')

Television

*1949 - "Help Wanted" - Adapted by Reginald Denham for ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it aff ...

'', 14 June 1949 (Season 1, Episode 14), starring

Otto Kruger Otto Kruger (September 6, 1885 – September 6, 1974) was an American actor, originally a Broadway matinee idol, who established a niche as a charming villain in films, such as Hitchcock's ''Saboteur''. He also appeared in CBS's ''Perry Mason'' a ...

D. A. Clarke-Smith Douglas Alexander Clarke-Smith (2 August 188812 March 1959), professionally known as D. A. Clarke-Smith or sometimes Douglas A. Clarke-Smith was a British actor. In a stage career lasting from 1913 to 1954, with interruptions to fight in both Wo ...

, and

Ruth McDevitt Ruth Thane McDevitt ( Shoecraft; September 13, 1895 – May 27, 1976) was an American film, stage, radio, and television actress. Career The daughter of John Barnabas Shoecraft and Elizabeth Imber Shoecraft, McDevitt was born in Coldwater, Mich ...

. *1950 - "The Orderly Mr. Appleby" - Adapted for ''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...

'', 11 July 1950 (Season 1, Episode 2), starring Jonathan Harris, Selena Royle and Howard Wierum. *1956 - "Help Wanted" - Adapted by Robert C. Dennis and

Mary Orr Mary Caswell Orr (December 21, 1910 – September 22, 2006) was an American actress and author whose short story "The Wisdom of Eve", published in the May 1946 issue of ''Cosmopolitan'', was the basis of the Academy Award-winning film ''A ...

for ''

'', 1 April 1956 (Season 1, Episode 27), starring John Qualen, Lorne Greene,

Madge Kennedy Madge Kennedy (April 19, 1891 – June 9, 1987) was a stage, film and TV actress whose career began as a stage actress in 1912 and flourished in motion pictures during the silent film era. In 1921, journalist Heywood Broun described her as "the ...

and

Malcolm Atterbury Malcolm MacLeod Atterbury (February 20, 1907 – August 16, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor, and vaudevillian. Early years A native of Philadelphia, Atterbury was the son of Malcolm MacLeod, Sr. and Arminia Clara (Rosenga ...

. *1956 - "The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby" - Adapted by

Victor Wolfson Victor Wolfson (8 March 1909 – May 24, 1990) was an American dramatist, director, writer, producer, and actor. Biography Victor Wolfson began his professional career organizing acting clubs for striking coal miners in West Virginia. He soon fo ...

and Robert C. Dennis for ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', 15 April 1956, (Season 1, Episode 29), starring

Robert H. Harris Robert H. Harris (born Robert H. Hurwitz; July 15, 1911 – November 30, 1981) was an American character actor. Stage A veteran of the Yiddish Art Theater from his teens, Harris made his first Broadway appearance in 1937 in ''Schoolhouse on the ...

Meg Mundy Margaret Anne Mary Mundy (January 4, 1915 – January 12, 2016) was an English-born American actress and model. She was born in London, and in 1921, at the age of six, emigrated to the United States with her family. Personal life Mundy was born ...

Gage Clarke Gage Clarke (also credited as Gage Clark; March 3, 1900 – October 23, 1964) was an American stage, television, and film character actor."Gage Clarke, Actor, Dies", obituary, ''Los Angeles Times'', October 24, 1964, part 1, p. 16. ProQuest His ...

, and Michael Ansara. *1957 - "Broker's Special" - Adapted by Jack Jacobs for ''

The George Sanders Mystery Theater ''The George Sanders Mystery Theater '' is the title of a 30-minute American television mystery drama series hosted by character actor George Sanders which aired Sundays on NBC in the summer of 1957, replacing the first half of '' Caesar's Hour''. ...

'', 3 August 1957 (Season 1, Episode 7), starring

Diana Darrin Diana Darrin (born Harriett B. Tenin; April 15, 1933) is an American actress and singer. She has made over 35 film and television appearances in her career. Early years Darrin was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tenin. Career Diana Darrin i ...

, Mary Lawrence, and Lyle Talbot. *1958 - "The Festive Season" - Adapted by

James P. Cavanagh James P. Cavanagh (1922 – September 25, 1971) was an American television writer. He wrote numerous episodes for ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' and won a Primetime Emmy in 1957 for his teleplay ''Fog Closing In''. Cavanagh wrote the first script ...

for ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', 4 May 1958, (Season 3, Episode 31), starring Carmen Mathews, Richard Waring and

Edmon Ryan Edmon Ryan Mossbarger (June 5, 1905 — August 4, 1984), known professionally as Edmon Ryan, was an American theater, film, and television actor. A native of Cecilia, Kentucky, he was the son of Isham Edward Mossbarger (1864–1936) and Pearl Sh ...

. *1959 - "The Blessington Method" - Adapted by Halsted Welles for ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', 15 November 1959, (Season 5, Episode 8), starring Henry Jones, Dick York, Elizabeth Patterson, and Irene Windust. *1959 - "Specialty of the House" - Adapted by

Bernard C. Schoenfeld Bernard Cutner Schoenfeld (August 17, 1907 – April 25, 1990) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for over twenty films and television series including ''Phantom Lady (1944 film), Phantom Lady'' (1944), ''The Dark Corner'' (1946), ''Cag ...

and Victor Wolfson for ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', 13 December 1959 (Season 5, Episode 12), starring Robert Morley,

Kenneth Haigh Kenneth William Michael Haigh (25 March 1931 – 4 February 2018) was an English actor. He first came to public recognition for playing the role of Jimmy Porter in the play ''Look Back in Anger'' in 1956 opposite Mary Ure in London's West End ...

and

Madame Spivy Bertha Levine (September 30, 1906 – January 7, 1971), who used the stage name Spivy ( ), was an American entertainer, nightclub owner, and actress. Biography Early life Bertha Levine was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1906, the eldest of the ...

. *1960 - "The Day of the Bullet" - Adapted by Bill S. Ballinger for ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', 14 February 1960 (Season 5, Episode 20), starring

Barry Gordon Barry Gordon (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and political talk show host. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, having served from 1988 to 1995. He is perhaps best known as the original voice of Donatello ...

, Dennis Patrick,

Biff Elliot Biff Elliot (born Leon Shalek; July 26, 1923 – August 15, 2012) was an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as popular detective Mike Hammer in the 1953 version of ''I, the Jury'' and for his guest appearance as Schmitter in ...

, and

John Craven John Raymond Craven, (born 16 August 1940) is an English journalist and television presenter, best known for presenting the BBC programmes '' Newsround'', ''Countryfile'' and '' Beat the Brain''. Early life Craven was born in Leeds, West Rid ...

. *1960 - "Circle of Evil" - Adapted from ''The Eighth Circle'' by Robert Blees for '' Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'', 16 March 1960 (Season 2, Episode 13), starring Ken Clark, Robert Clarke,

Felicia Farr Felicia Farr (born Olive Dines; October 4, 1932) is a American former actress and model Early years Farr was born in Westchester County, New York. She attended Erasmus Hall High School and studied sociology at Penn State. Career Farr bega ...

and Hugh O'Brian. *1961 - "The Best of Everything" - Adapted by Frederic Raphael for ''Drama 61-67'', 20 August 1961 (Season 1, Episode 12). *1961 - "Moment of Decision" - Adapted by Larry Marcus and Porter Putnam for '' Alcoa Premiere'', November 1961 (Season 1, Episode 4), starring Fred Astaire, Harry Townes and

Oliver McGowan Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * '' Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver ...

. *1961 - "You Can't Be a Little Girl All Your Life" - Adapted for ''

'', 21 November 1961 (Season 7, Episode 7), starring Dick York and Carolyn Kearney. *1962 - "The Faith of Aaron Menefee" - Adapted by

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

for ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', 30 January 1962 (Season 7, Episode 17), starring

Sidney Blackmer Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, t ...

, Andrew Prine and Maggie Pierce. *1962 - "The Betrayers" - Adapted by

Michael Gilbert Michael Francis Gilbert (17 July 1912 – 8 February 2006) was an English solicitor and author of crime fiction. Early life and education Gilbert was born on 17 July 1912 in Billinghay, Lincolnshire, England to Bernard Samuel Gilbert, a writ ...

for ''Drama 61-67'', 16 December 1962 (Season 2, Episode 21), starring Erica Rogers. *1967 - "Robert" - Adapted by Jeremy Paul for ''Half Hour Story'', 2 August 1967 (Season 1, Episode 12), starring Robert Langley, Angela Baddeley, Richard Davies,

Suzanne Neve Suzanne may refer to: People * Suzanne (given name), a feminine given name (including a list of people with the name) * S. U. Zanne, pen name of August Vandekerkhove (1838–1923), Belgian writer and inventor * Suzanne, pen name of Renée Méndez ...

and Frank Windsor. *1972 - "Alter-Ego" - Adapted by

D.C. Fontana Dorothy Catherine Fontana (March 25, 1939 – December 2, 2019) was an American television script writer and story editor, best known for her work on the original ''Star Trek'' franchise and several Western television series. After a short ...

and Richard Matheson for ''

Ghost Story A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature'' ...

'' (later retitled ''Circle of Fear''), 27 October 1972 (Season 1, Episode 6), starring child actor Michael-James Wixted, Sebastian Cabot,

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

, Collin Wilcox, Gene Andrusco, Charles Aidman,

Geoffrey Horne Geoffrey Horne (born August 22, 1933) is an American actor, director, and acting coach at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. His screen credits include ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'', '' Bonjour Tristesse'', ''The Strange One'', '' ...

and

Phyllis Love Phyllis Ann Love (December 21, 1925 – October 30, 2011) was an American theater and television actress. Early years Love was born in Des Moines, Iowa. Her parents were Jack Love, who owned a food market, and Lois Love, who owned a cafe prior t ...

. *1973 - "Death of an Old-Fashioned Girl" - Adapted by Anthony Fowles for ''

Orson Welles Great Mysteries ''Orson Welles Great Mysteries'' is a British television series originally transmitted between 1973 and 1974, produced by Anglia Television for the ITV network. The series is an anthology of mystery stories. Each episode is introduced by Orson ...

'', 24 November 1973 (Season 1, Episode 13), starring

Carol Lynley Carol Lynley (born Carole Ann Jones; February 13, 1942 – September 3, 2019) was an American actress known for her roles in the films ''Blue Denim'' (1959) and '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972). Lynley was born in Manhattan to an Irish ...

Francesca Annis Francesca Annis (born 14 May 1945) is an English actress. She is known for television roles in '' Reckless'' (1998), ''Wives and Daughters'' (1999), ''Deceit'' (2000), and '' Cranford'' (2007). A six-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won the 1979 ...

, John Le Mesurier, Jack Shepherd and

Anne Stallybrass Jacqueline Anne Stallybrass (4 December 1938 – 3 July 2021) was an English actress who trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London. The television roles for which she is best known are Jane Seymour in ''The Six Wives of Henry VIII'' (197 ...

. *1980 - "The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby" - Adapted by

Robin Chapman Robin John Chapman (18 January 1933 – 29 July 2020) was an English novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Early life Chapman was born in Croydon, Surrey. He was educated at Selhurst Grammar School (later Selhurst High School) and Christ's Col ...

for

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...

's '' Tales of the Unexpected'', 7 June 1980 (Season 2, Episode 15), starring Robert Lang,

Elizabeth Spriggs Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

, and

Cyril Luckham Cyril Alexander Garland Luckham (25 July 1907 – 8 February 1989) was an English film, television and theatre actor. He was the husband of stage and screen actress Violet Lamb. Career The son of a paymaster captain in the Royal Navy, Cyril Lu ...

. *1981 - "The Best of Everything" - Adapted by

Denis Cannan Denis Cannan (14 May 1919 – 25 September 2011Denis Cannan(obituary)
...

for ''Tales of the Unexpected'', 26 April 1981 (Season 4, Episode 4), starring

Michael Kitchen Michael Roy Kitchen (born 31 October 1948) is an English actor and television producer, best known for his starring role as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle in the ITV drama ''Foyle's War'', which comprised eight series betwee ...

Jeremy Clyde Michael Jeremy Thomas Clyde (born 22 March 1941) is an English actor and musician. During the 1960s, he was one-half of the folk duo Chad & Jeremy (with Chad Stuart), who had little success in the UK, but were an object of interest to American ...

, Judi Bowker,

Brewster Mason Brewster Mason (30 August 192214 August 1987) was an English stage actor who also appeared in films and on television. He was born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire and made his stage debut at the Finsbury Park Open Air Theatre in 1947. He then appear ...

, and Rachel Kempson. *1981 - "The Last Bottle in the World" - Adapted by Denis Cannan for ''Tales of the Unexpected'', 7 June 1981 (Season 4, Episode 10), starring Nigel Hawthorne,

Gary Bond Gary James Bond (7 February 1940 – 12 October 1995) was an English actor and singer. He is known for originating the role Joseph in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', his performances ...

, and

Lynette Davies Lynette Vaynor Davies (18 October 1948 – 1 December 1993) was a Welsh stage, television, and film actress. Life The daughter of a Customs and Excise officer, Davies was born in Tonypandy, Glamorgan, in 1948, and was educated at Our Lady's S ...

. *1981 - "Kindly Dig Your Own Grave" - Adapted by Robin Chapman for ''Tales of the Unexpected'', 14 June 1981 (Season 4, Episode 11), starring

Micheline Presle Micheline Presle (; born Micheline Nicole Julia Émilienne Chassagne; 22 August 1922) is a French actress. She was sometimes billed as Micheline Prelle. Starting in 1939, she starred in over 50 French and English language films that were made in H ...

, Robert H. Thomson, and

Celia Gregory Celia Christine Gregory (23 September 1949 – 8 September 2008) was a British stage, film and television actress, who became a faith healer later in life. Best known for her role as Ruth Anderson in the 1976 BBC television drama '' Survivo ...

. *1987 - "The Specialty of the House" - Adapted by Jonathan Glassner for ''

'', 21 March 1987 (Season 2, Episode 9), starring John Saxon, Jennifer Dale, and Neil Munro (the characters' names are all changed).

Radio

*2018 - "The Speciality of the House" - Adapted by Anita Sullivan for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

's ''

15 Minute Drama ''15 Minute Drama'', previously known as ''Woman's Hour Drama'', was a BBC Radio 4 Arts and Drama production strand that was broadcast between 1998 and 2021. It consisted of 15-minute episodes, broadcast every weekday 10:45–11:00 am (i.e. ...

''.

Reception

Fellow crime writer Edward D. Hoch wrote, "Stanley Ellin's career was blessed with a first story that everyone remembers and many consider the finest of the three dozen or so short stories he produced in over 35 years. But in truth even without 'The Specialty of the House' Ellin would be one of the modern masters of the genre, with a reputation built firmly upon novels and some of the most imaginative stories in the mystery-suspense field." Among other comments, Hoch compares Ellin's story "The Cat's-Paw" to

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

's " The Red-Headed League." Richard Keenan wrote in 1988, "Indisputably a master of plot structure in both the short story and the novel, Stanley Ellin is more highly regarded by many critics for the ingenious imagination at work in his short fiction. His mystery novels, however, have a wide and loyal following, and it is in his novels that Ellin most effectively demonstrates his opposition to the view that crime fiction is at best merely escapist fare. Ellin identifies not only with

Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...

Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

, and Arthur Conan Doyle but also with Fyodor Dostoevski and

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...

, who also dealt with the theme of crime and punishment."

Art Taylor Arthur S. Taylor Jr. (April 6, 1929 – February 6, 1995) was an American jazz drummer, who "helped define the sound of modern jazz drumming".Watrous, Peter (February 7, 1995)"Art Taylor, 65, Jazz Drummer Who Inspired Young Musicians" ''The Ne ...

, a writer of stories for such venues as '' Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' and a reviewer for the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

Book World'' and other periodicals, wrote that "what has given Ellin such lasting renown in the pantheon of short story writers is surely the precision of his plotting: the clockwork accuracy by which each element of a given tale contributes subtly, effortlessly, inexorably toward some crushing plot turn or crisp final image. Reflecting in the collection's introduction on the short story writers who influenced him, Ellin himself praised how De Maupassant 'reduced stories to their absolute essence' and how his endings, 'however unpredictable,' ultimately seemed 'as inevitable as doom'—qualities which Ellin emulated and perfected in his own work." Taylor added that Ellin's stories are sometimes left unresolved: Clarence Petersen of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' wrote about the reception to Ellin's ''The Dark Fantastic'', which was turned down by eleven publishers before finding a home: ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' wrote of ''The Blessington Method and Other Strange Tales'', "These patently, potently malevolent short stories, in which the strange is kept well within reach of possibility, show Mr. Ellin not only in top form but in the medium in which he is most expert... And the title story and the concluding The Question, which an electrocutioner can no longer avoid, may well take their place alongside of Ellin's long remembered The Specialty of the House. Mr. Ellin uses such unremarkable places and people that his end effects are even more startling."

The Specialty of the House

"The Specialty of the House" gained acclaim on its 1948 publication and decades later still has enthusiasts. This "macabre little tale about an unusual

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and its lonely patrons" earned the Best First Story Award in the ''Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' contest of 1948. "Laffler, a gourmet, goes with his assistant for a dinner at an exclusive restaurant. The kitchen is what Laffler wants to see – which is a great mistake" because he discovers that the specialty, called lamb Amirstan, is actually made of human flesh. Mystery novelist J. Madison Davis agreed that it is "a dish one shouldn't be too curious about lest one become an ingredient." A reviewer for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' said the story displays "both a debt to Edgar Allan Poe and an acute understanding of human nature that is the key to the success of his work." Cannibalism has been mentioned in several other humorous works, such as the short story " The Two Bottles of Relish" by

Lord Dunsany Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (; 24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957, usually Lord Dunsany) was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. Over 90 volumes of fiction, essays, poems and plays appeared in his lifetime.Lanham, M ...

, first published in 1932; the short story "

To Serve Man "To Serve Man" is a science fiction short story by American writer Damon Knight. It first appeared in the November 1950 issue of ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' and has been reprinted a number of times, including in ''Frontiers in Space'' (1955), '' ...

" (1950) by Damon Knight; the story "

Pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus s ...

" (1960) by

; the novel ''

Make Room! Make Room! ''Make Room! Make Room!'' is a 1966 science fiction novel written by Harry Harrison (writer), Harry Harrison exploring the consequences of both unchecked population growth on society and the hoarding of resources by a wealthy minority. It was ori ...

'', published in (1966) by Harry Harrison (followed by the film ''

Soylent Green ''Soylent Green'' is a 1973 American Environmental film, ecological dystopian thriller film directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Edward G. Robinson in his final film role. It is loosely based on t ...

'' in 1973, based on the book); the novel '' The Only Good Body's a Dead One'' (1971) by Tony Kenrick; and 1991's film ''

Delicatessen Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...

''.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellin, Stanley 1916 births 1986 deaths American crime fiction writers 20th-century American novelists Edgar Award winners Writers from Brooklyn Brooklyn College alumni American male novelists American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) New Utrecht High School alumni People from Bath Beach, Brooklyn