Dick Tracy by Mike Curtis and Charles Ettinger for March 01, 2023

“naturally” in response to Dick… seems like a snide little bugger…

and do I see the Wolfe-man’s butler with a bit of a resemblance to Alfred Pennyworth?…

Archie narrating, Fritz serving, Nero eating, and it ends with “The Doorbell Rang” (the famous novel where Nero Wolfe took on the FBI and won).

Fritz Ann might not like that.

Now we get Archie’s narration. Maybe we’ll get some of Archie’s dry wit.

So now we’re getting a flash-back within a flash-back. Something professional editors have told me a writer should never ever do.

Good morning™, fourth wall glares !

I’m just glad those are not real people. LOL !  Did Mr. Wolfe get a doggie bag for that supper ?

Looking forward to see the actual kidnap…

Why does the depiction of Nero remind me of a movie general? I guess it’s him blending in with the stripes of the chair above his shoulders that he’s sitting in.

The real mystery is how the kidnappers managed to move him !

Story looks promising!

Nero’s not nearly big enough. He’s described as weighing a quarter-ton. And that chair he’s on should explode under him at any second.

The theory is that Nero Wolfe is Sherlock Holmes’ illegitimate son with Irene Adler.

Hope the kidnappers have enough food on hand to feed him!!!

1-DT: Tell me more about this abuse you claim to have suffered under Mr. Wolfe. Were you literally UNDER Mr. Wolfe? Now that would be some real abuse!

2-ARCHIE: Well no. But he liked to pretend that we were Laurel and Hardy. Fer instance, if the doorbell rang during dinner, he would say “Oh Stanley. Would you mind answering that for me? I expect it’s the delivery of my Happy Meal for dessert.” And if I didn’t scratch the top of my head in an odd fashion and respond with “All right, Ollie,” he would throw buttered snails at me which he had at every meal JUST FOR THAT PURPOSE! I have the hot butter burn scars to prove it!

DT: That’s awful! Wish I could help. Let yourself out. See ya. Good luck.

Visually, Wolfe looks rather like the Meet Nero Wolfe (1936) film actor, Edward Arnold.

hope he doesn’t have too many cooks

When I read the Nero Wolfe novels back in my youth, I always pictured him as much larger/fatter than he is here.

Wouldn’t the cops just take over the investigation?

Later on, Wolfe will chastise his lackey for neglecting to program the doorbell to not function during mealtimes…….

And finally we see Wolfe himself. As others have noted, Shelly has based her depictions of Archie and Fritz on the actors who played them in the A&E series. Wolfe looks like a combination of a couple different portrayals. I think he looks good.

Nice pacing so far.

I do like the portrayal of Wolfe, and, Fritz. And, the yellow pocket square, and, shirt, are what Wolfe would typically wear. Just don’t know about the napkin in the collar.

“We were about to dine on saucisse minuit when the doorbell rang.”

Is this going to be a Minuit Mystery?

“The doorbell rang”…and there was J. Edgar, with a gang of G-men who grabbed Wolfe and whisked him away.

MOVIE QUOTE—

“I think I’ll just call you Jack Cass”

Henry Fonda—YOUNG MR.LINCOLN—1939

Now if I were doing this flashback,I’d ring in the champion eater of Tracy villains,Oodles.

He was caught in 1955,but his criminal career went back to themiddle 1930’s.

He wanted to challenge Wolfe to a pie eating contest

Smile,Mr.Wolfe!!The world isn’t in THAT bad a shape!!

In the event Tracy takes this on, won’t he indirectly be drawn in on what brought Wolfe to the states? Then isn’t there a matter of client confidentiality? Would Archie have the authority to suspend it while the search for a private detective takes place?

The Wolfe as pictured looks pretty original, a slight cross between Edward Arnold and William Conrad. Archie, on the other hand, doesn’t resemble either Lee Horseley or Lional Stander

I think, on the whole, taking it by and large, all things considered, Hercule Poirot is better.Just sayin’

Long live Fleming Stone.

That doesn’t look like Sydney Greenstreet. As someone who loves old radio dramas (you can find a bunch online for free or find a $5/mo XM radio promo and listen in the app), I always enjoyed the Nero Wolfe stories.

Whoever is ringing the doorbell has bad timing. The annoyed look on Wolfe says it all.

Nero Wolfe is not all that “fat” or heavy, people! Please, stop pretending he is too obese to move around if he wants to! 270-280 at a height of 5’11" could be quite athletic, if he were inclined to work out (he’s not, but that still does not make him an invalid).

I do wonder who is so temerarious as to ring at dinnertime? Of course, this presumes it is someone familiar with Wolfe’s routine and his accustomed “dinnertime.” In the U.S., many folks eat as soon as possible after getting home from work, maybe as early as 5:00 PM, which to me is still “afternoon.” Others dine a bit later, at 6:00 or a more leisurely 7:00 PM. For my part, after spending a lot of time in a country in Europe where late dining is more customary (many restaurants do not even open until 9:00 PM), late dining, i.e., preparing my dinner no earlier than 9:00 and possibly somewhat later, has become my choice (naturally, it helps that I am retired and do not have to get up early in the morning anymore).

Has anyone here ever tried these fancy sausages that Fritz is serving to Nero Wolfe and, presumably, Archie? After searching saucisse minuit on the web and reading a few sites with the recipe, I doubt that I will ever experience them….

It wouldn’t be Nero Wolfe if the doorbell didn’t ring.