Nero Wolfe Unsold Pilot from 1959 starring William Shatner

[@gtlfb]

What a treat. This brief show does a better job of capturing the flavor of the books better than any other version I’ve seen. The dialogue is spot on, there is the inevitable meeting of all the suspects in the office, even Archie’s glass of milk. Kaszner and Shatner work wonderfully together and fit the roles perfectly. Let us hope those legendary additional episodes are found.

[@daynechastant]

I dunno...I liked Sidney Greenstreet in the radio show THE NEW ADVENTURES OF NERO WOLFE. Reportedly, Rex Stout was also a fan.

[@patsysmothermon7861]

THAT'S TRUE !!!😊

[@georgestreng]

Sidney Greenstreet would have indeed been perfect but this was still an excellent characterization. William Shatner is the best Archie I have seen, a role that is usually miscast.

[@akakjb]

Like every other kid at the time, I watched all of the Irwin Allen shows and knew Kurt Kasner as my second least favorite character in LAND OF THE GIANTS (least favorite was the kid). Interesting how he and Shatner both wound up in SF series. If there are other episodes of this, I'd love to see them! Maybe a decent copy of Shatner's ALEXANDER THE GREAT pilot will finally show up. I have a couple of copies but they're all garbage, not even good enough for AI restoration to take a crack at.

[@toshibavoodoo]

I love the A&E version. Maury Chaykin version of Nero is my favorite. He as an actor was so excited and happy about the role he revealed in the series and before he died had a sense of pride in that role. He would drive through NY in circles to see the Nero Wolfe Marques. Kinda like my love the Red Sox's it is more about the mystique. The A&E product was fantastic as they brought back actores for different parts.

[@josephebacon]

I love the books! Wow Kasznar and Shatner are perfect! It's a shame that this pilot didn't become a series.

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

It's a shame that You-Know-Who is President now. Kamala Harris offered us good government and we didn't want it. We wanted bombast, cursing and "Us Against Them".

[@Elphaba1952]

This is what I love about KZbin! We get to see all of these amazing early works of prolific actors like William Shatner, that otherwise would have been lost to the ages. THANK YOU for this upload!

[@tomasinacovell4293]

You're a plant, booster troll.

[@michaeldangelo5810]

You're right! After seeing William Shatner on several episodes of The Defenders (in different roles), I began to see him appear in quite a few 1950s and early 1960s roles. Up to that point, I had only known him for his Star Trek work and the TV later series.

[@GregoryWonderwheel]

Shatner's acting was excellent as expected. This was a very faithful portrayal of the books. The only thing missing was an appearance by Fritz who was just named.

[@daynechastant]

Probably a budgetary measure. I'm sure Fritz, the loyal chef, would be cast if the pilot was picked up.

[@granthicks2030]

We did, however, get George Voskovec, who played Fritz in the 1981 version starring William Conrad. Which was, on the whole, regrettable, but this was hardly Voskovec's fault.

[@jeffreyadams648]

They try to make cheap pilots for tv. So minimal characters. Their mistake was to fillet the plot to meaninglessness. It could have run for an hour, with Fritz and more of Archie and some more glamorous dames.

[@michaeldangelo5810]

@@jeffreyadams648 When I saw all the suspects assembled, I suddenly wondered if I have missed a whole section of the show! A twenty-some minute version of the story is hard to do without filleting things and cutting characters, I suspect as an hour long show the pilot might have had a better shot at being picked up by a network.

[@Delmo5]

I would've watched that version as a series.

[@PaulRoberts61877]

ditto

[@womanofsubstance8735]

I would watch it now as a series. It was made as a series starring Maury Chaykin and Timothy Hutton. It was pretty good, too.

[@barbarawhittall2311]

Me too!

[@garfieldsmith332]

I would have as well. it was quite entertaining.

[@toonguyfry1819]

Holy Smoke! Are you the same Delmo Walters who used to write to Marvel Comics back in the 80s?

[@lisaholtzclaw4947]

William Shatner was attractive in his youth. I always thought he wasn't able to speak any other way than he did as Captain Kirk. He can complete entire dialogs without max pause effects throughout. I'll be darned.

[@toshibavoodoo]

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! JUST FOUND THIS, BEEN WOLFE FAN MY WHOLE LIFE!! How did I not know this existed, I have seen all of the video's and read the books. Love StarTrek, need to save this for when the kids are sleeping and can focus. So excited to watch, need to soak it in. GREAT DAY!!

[@janetaylorparris]

The unrestrained glee of this comment totally made my day.

[@toshibavoodoo]

Pretty Good, still like A&E. It feels different, more like what I vision when reading the books.

[@greenmonsterprod]

Not bad, and until 27 minutes ago, I didn't know it even existed. Kasznar was pretty good as Wolfe, and Shatner did a good job as Archie. I think it might've worked as a series, but hour-long episodes would've worked better.

[@lswote]

@Dr. Hannibal Lester Unfortunately producers at the time thought the same thing and changed the focus to trying to sell it as an hour, but it just seems bad timing as the original half-hour time slot that they already had a buyer for got sold to someone else and a buyer for an hour never materialized. Shatner himself spent a year trying to sell it but they never found a buyer. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero_Wolfe#Nero_Wolfe_(CBS)

[@henrykujawa4427]

@Dr. Hannibal Lester Maybe, but that was 7 YEARS later. Most detective shows didn't last half that long.

[@1revjay]

Shatner just nails the character here.

[@patricias5122]

Shatner was a good actor. WAS.

[@deborahlawrencehale2311]

Rev. Jay Goldstein I was actually shocked at how good he was! How would Shatner’s life have changed, how different would he be today if the pilot had succeeded & Star Trek was never born.

[@1revjay]

@@deborahlawrencehale2311 Shatner? He could do both

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

Nails? Hardly - ha ha ha ha ha

[@patsstuffclark9522]

Sure did!

[@cherylelainewilliams6449]

I was glad this was posted online. Thank you to everyone involved in the restoration.

[@Lurker1979]

Very enjoyable. I agree with the other comments here. Shatner shines in this role.

[@garfieldsmith332]

Yes. In my opinion Kasznar is even better.

[@joemedley195]

I like Shatner as Goodwin. I’m not crazy about the guy playing Wolfe.

[@slowpoke3102]

William is one of the actors credited in helping make television popular.

[@slowpoke3102]

@@garfieldsmith332 : He also had a role in Irwin Allen's 'Land of the Giants'

[@garfieldsmith332]

Yes. Kasznar was the LOTG evil equivalent to Dr. Smith in LOS. Allen's shows had some real devilish bad guys.

[@roxiepoe9586]

I tend to forget how handsome Shatner was in his youth. Very elegant.

[@georgekatkins]

This is surprisingly decent. One thing people may overlook, as have many Nero Wolfe productions is that Nero is from Montenegro. So, it is not unusual that he would have an accent. I am no linguist but with Kaznar being born and raised in what was then Austria-Hungary, his accent is probably more "authentic" (okay, Montenegro is not Austria) than most of the other Wolfe actors, who generally didn't even bother. This doesn't make him the best Wolfe (there are several issues with his characterization), but he is not that bad, all things considered. Yes, Shatner is a pretty decent Archie. He must have read some of Stout's stories. His few "sexist" moments were an unfortunate motif in tv and movies, where writers and directors did not have the ability, time, or desire to invest in the more subtle smartness that Stout's Archie portrayed. But 30 minute tv shows had little time for nuanced characters (Paladin, being an exception, for the most part). Too bad it didn't get picked up.

[@ekcentrik]

Isn't it appalling how the women characters were treated in these early shows? BTW, one of those women exploited was played by Eileen Fulton who became famous playing LIsa in "As The World Turns" for almost 50 years.

[@bovnycccoperalover3579]

Montenegro was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. After all, it was a Serbian who assassinated Archduke Ferdinard and lit the fuse that led to WW1.

[@Mister_Pedantic]

@@bovnycccoperalover3579 After all what? Montenegrins are not Serbians.

[@JHarder1000]

@@bovnycccoperalover3579 No, Montenegro was one of the few Balkan kingdoms to keep its independence in the face of both the Turks and The Hapsburgs.

[@mannyjacobowitz5571]

Stout absolutely wrote Wolfe with an accent. Although I always hear it in my head as more British--Mitteleuropeans who learned English in the early 20th Century did NOT learn it with an American accent, and Nero would never have deigned to adapt his mode of speech in later life merely because he happened to live in America.

[@krobe8]

That was excellent. Thank you so much for making it available.

[@13thwho]

Interesting piece of trivia: George Voskovec, who played Dr. Wholgang in this story, played Fritz in the 1981 version of “Nero Wolfe” with William Conrad and Lee Horsely.

[@nmr6988]

That's fascinating! I love knowing this. Thank you!

[@janejames9173]

This is magnificent. Why didn’t they make it a series. I would have watched it, excellent.

[@jacquelinejanz5792]

Often the most talented special people are shoved into obscurity due to whims, political pull and blackmail (or extortion.)

[@jacquelinejanz5792]

(And prejudice)

[@granthurlburt4062]

There was a later Nero Wolfe show (2001-2002) with Timothy Hutton & the excellent late Maury Chaykin as Wolfe. The series won praise for its high production values and jazzy score by Michael Small, and for preserving the language and spirit of the original stories. A distinguishing feature of the series is its use of a repertory cast - Boyd Banks, Nicky Guadagni, Kari Matchett,[6] Debra Monk, George Plimpton, Ron Rifkin, Marian Seldes, Francie Swift, James Tolkan and many other accomplished Canadian and American actors - to play non-recurring roles. Kari Matchett played several female roles and it was hard to tell.

[@MargaretShaw-ts4pg]

Thank you for this fabulous Nero Woolf show. Loved it. ❤

[@HerrEllsworth]

Now this is a rare find. Condition is excellent, no skips or fading. Looks like it came right out of the CBS archives.

[@matthewkelley9061]

Shatner was actually pretty good as Archie here. However, I did not care for Kaszner performance. Also, the two of them didn't have the same kind of eneregy together that Maury Chaykin and Tim Hutton managed.

[@WJack97224]

@Matthew Kelley, I 100% agree.

[@richmcgee434]

Agreed. They might have worked into the roles given time, though. Kaszner's got a good look and sound for Nero, but he's playing him a little too crude in spots (honestly, talking with your mouth full at breakfast?) and just a little too full of himself. Then again, the script isn't wonderful either, and you work with what you've got. As a pilot, pretty darned good all around and big points for being faithful to the source material.

[@solipsismworld]

It's also hard to compare given how short this story was. I just don't believe any mystery story will feel satisfying in 26 minutes.

[@GevinShaw]

I kind of like the foreign accent for the Montenegrin Wolfe better than the American accent of Chaykin or William Conrad. Certainly, Wolfe has the capacity to overcome an accent but his love of his country of birth would suggest a reluctance to. On the other hand, in favor of the Hutton lineup, I really dislike Goodwin for the strong arm and blackmail tactics he uses and Hutton's character captures them very well. Shatner scarcely hints at them. So points to Hutton on that one. (You shouldn't like your favorite characters too much, eh?)

[@richmcgee434]

@@GevinShaw You're off your rocker. Wolfe's invariably the blackmailer and armtwister in the books, even if it's all mental rather than physical. Archie's downright mild by comparison to his boss, and milquetoast next to the PIs in other period work. The Continental Op, Philip Marlowe, Mike Hammer - they're the strong arm guys, and they're by no means the worst examples of it in pulp.

[@jakeornot6306]

Beautiful restoration. Excellent production.

[@fromthesidelines]

25:21- Edwin Fadiman previously supervised and packaged the 1950-'51 NBC radio series featuring Sydney Greenstreet as "Nero"- and at least *six* different actors appearing as "Archie Goodwin" during the run of that series. All episodes are posted on KZbin.

[@johnrettig1880]

Star Trek meets Land of the Giants Shatner becomes Captain Kaszner becomes passenger of the Spintheift A little time after this show , Shatner will guest star on an episode of " Man from U . N . C . L . E . " And in this same episode will appear Leonard Nimoy Shatner plays the depart of a scientist and Nimoy plays the part of a foreign spy As it turns out this episode was written buy a little-known writer by the name of Gene Roddenberry .

[@Kelveron]

Interestingly 'Land of the Giants' and the original 'Star Trek' were made more or less during the same period.

[@johnrettig1880]

@@Kelveron Land of the Giants was on Saturday and Star Trek was on Friday night ( until they started moving it around ) .

[@garfieldsmith332]

The Project Strigas Affair. Colonel Klink also shows up in that episode.

[@johnrettig1880]

@@garfieldsmith332 Thanks I did not know that

[@johnrettig1880]

@I P It can't be that much of a secret . Sometime last year I found a yt video clip of " The Man from U.N.C.L.E. " . And if anyone asks ...... I'll deny I've ever said it . But if Moose and Squirrel find out . I'll know who talkeded * ( * = Russian accent )

[@catherinecrawford2289]

This is amazing. The office is excellent, Shatner's manner is perfect, and Wolfe is credible too, if a tiny bit too visibly amused at times. I feel like I am reading one of Stout's short stories.

[@michaeldangelo5810]

The pilot was a pleasant half hour. In making such a short version of the tale, however, deprives us of some the banter and plot twists/false leads we readers and those of us who know Nero Wolfe from the A&E series enjoyed. Nero comes off pretty well -- not gruff or unpleasant as in some adaptations -- and Archie was interesting even if held back simply because there were just the twenty-some minutes of running time for the story. Thank you for finding and sharing this unsold pilot.

[@janejames9173]

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this Nero Wolfe (1959). Sooooo special.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@allanknox8216]

Agreed. I wouldn't have thought Shatner would make a good Archie, but he was perfect! Read and re-read all of Stout's books, and this is the truest interpretation I've seen. Wish it had become a series.

[@karenfreshwater9707]

I loved this series. Did not know that Shatner ever played Archie. Glad you showed this Thanks

[@DaftPhully]

OMG, Shatner is great as Archie. What a missed opportunity. I love listening to the Nero Wolfe audiobooks, and they nailed it.

[@billlucas4675]

Amazing just when I think I've seen everything available that Shatner has done. Nice shots of "Archie" drinking milk, ignored on most adaptations

[@stuartperry8141]

the most famous adaptation starring Timothy Hutton shows him drinking milk all the time. His milk drinking is as relevant to the story as Wolfe's beer drinking.

[@vincentconti3633]

You haven't even nuttin..you need to look

[@howardkerr8174]

@Bill Lucas: Shatner has apparently appeared in every televised genre there is...short of a kiddie show (and I can't be 100% sure he hasn't been something on a kid's show). He even guest starred on an episode of Gunsmoke...as a bad guy. I vaguely remember the version of this with Timothy Hutton, but have to agree with another comment here that half hour mysteries (which were somewhat of a thing on tv in the 50s) border on fluff. It would be interesting to see what this duo could have done with a better written, hour long story. Good to see Shatner in parts where he isn't chewing the scenery.

[@ddburrows988]

Howard Kerr Shatner appeared as substitute host, Ranger Bob, on the CBC’s version of The Howdy Doody Show.

[@shelbynamels973]

... and Nero Wolf drinking out of a stylish pilsener flute, not quaffing from a bottle. That sooo bothered me in the 30s versions (Arnold and Stander).

[@user-oj5bw7sl8p]

Thank you for sharing this excellent little movie!

[@dm-gq5uj]

What a pleasant discovery. I've just discovered the Nero Wolfe series and I'm really enjoying them. Shatner's looks and cockiness are perfect for the Archie Goodwin character (obviously Shatner's ability to be arrogant and likable at the same time made his later portrayal of Kirk perfect) and while I agree that Wolfe would have never talked with his mouth full or discussed business while dining, this was a half-hour show. The writer had to establish Wolfe's gourmet tastes while advancing the story I also like Wolfe's accent. It's a pity that this series wasn't made. I will have to check to see if "Too Many Cooks" was ever dramatized. I laughed at the chefs' little quarrels and hissy fits in that one - it's not at all difficult to picture today's celebrity chefs trading snide remarks about each other's cooking over the dinner table.

[@goodmaro]

Exactly. In a book a reader can accept that everyone waits for Mr. Wolfe to finish eating, but audiences won't stand for that sort of thing actually acted out!

[@granthurlburt4062]

There was a later Nero Wolfe show (2001-2002) with Timothy Hutton & the excellent late Maury Chaykin as Wolfe. The series won praise for its high production values and jazzy score by Michael Small, and for preserving the language and spirit of the original stories. A distinguishing feature of the series is its use of a repertory cast - Boyd Banks, Nicky Guadagni, Kari Matchett,[6] Debra Monk, George Plimpton, Ron Rifkin, Marian Seldes, Francie Swift, James Tolkan and many other accomplished Canadian and American actors - to play non-recurring roles. Kari Matchett played several female roles and it was hard to tell.

[@CarlMichaelAyotte]

Thank you so much for posting this! Shatner nailed it!

[@kennlong1955]

What a surprisingly non-hokey, non-strained, non-silly, non-cringey production. Was not aware of it - i enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@geezermann7865]

Interesting seeing Shatner from when I was 7 years old. And this story was interesting as well, I loved how it was written so as to keep us guessing minute by minute. And the way he proposed to collect his fee, brilliant. And hiring an actor to impersonate the hearing aid company rep. And even a facsimile hearing aid.

[@annettemahon]

Shatner did a good job as Archie. I wonder why no one picked up the series. I would have watched it.

[@howardkerr8174]

Sometimes it can boil down to something as simple as a star wanting more salary than the producers were willing to pay. Or even, not being able to find a sponsor. In my other comment here I mentioned that there were several of these whodunit mystery shows on tv in the 50s. Mr and Mrs North, Peter Gunn, Mr Lucky, spring to mind. (And remember, this was at a time when there were only 3 networks.)

[@82ghall]

I think westerns were the thing then

[@Mister_Pedantic]

@@howardkerr8174 In 1959 William Shatner was not big enough to demand more salary than the producers were willing to pay.

[@Rhubba]

@@howardkerr8174 Probably the hottest detective show on TV in 1959 was 77 Sunset Strip, if networks thought this show didn't have enough wow factor to compete with that plus Peter Gunn etc, then they wouldn't have picked this up...despite some good writing and performances from Shatner and Kaznar.

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

@@Rhubba Compared to Sunset Strip and Peter Gunn, this was pretty amateurish.

[@Neville60001]

Love how this pilot was set in the present (1959) and _not_ the past. Thanks for posting this, Lee.

[@ericminch]

Although Rex Stout was still writing NW until well into the '70s.

[@Paladin1873]

Anybody recognize Alexander Scourby? He used to narrate the National Geographic specials from the 1960s until his death in the 1980s. He also recorded many literary classics and the entire King James Bible for the American Foundation for the Blind. His rich voice resonates so beautifully that even today his recordings remain popular.

[@nmr6988]

Oh yes, Alexander Scourby has one of the most famous voices ever. I have listened to him reading the king James version of the Bible. Most excellent!

[@kengorod]

That was a true delight to watch...thank you for sharing.

[@jaykahane9596]

So stylishly written and performed. Not good enough in 1959, but smarter than anything seen on tv in the last 30 years.

[@talisikid1618]

One of the greatest traction entertainment was that this pilot went unsold. Should have been a series.

[@davidlafleche1142]

A lot of good ideas never sell. Even more bad ideas make it. What idiot wanted "The Girl With Something Extra"?

[@philbourque5216]

I was totally charmed right thru to the dopey music. The hearing aid expert was a great character actor. Thanks.

[@kokolanza7543]

Cute show. Not bad getting the entire story, the characters, and many of the Wolfe-Goodwin pecularities into 26 minutes!

[@craigmartyn1279]

What an awesome find. Great job on the sleuthing and upload.

[@randywiggins1248]

Mr.Shatner is also a great narrator. I would have watched this. Thanks for restoring and uploading.

[@gloriamontgomery6900]

My Dad introduced me to Nero Wolfe when I was a kid. This is an excellent adaptation-

[@clayz1]

This was fun. Shatner brings his usual charisma. The whole episode reminds me of Ellery Queen novels.

[@bjbell52]

It's funny how Timothy Hutton played Archie Goodwin while his dad played Ellery Queen.

[@chavakern3124]

Having read almost all of the Wolfe books I think this is the best and most accurate portrayal of Wolfe yet. (I would love to hear Sydney Greenstreet’s radio portrayal, but after seeing this one, I think I wouldn’t be as excited about it as I anticipated.) Shatner also did an excellent job with Archie. What a shame the pilot didn’t go anywhere.

[@rescuepetsrule6842]

Have you seen the A&E series? It is SO well done- excellent acting, wardrobe, sets and music. Enjoy!

[@JonniusAngelicus]

You can listen to the radio plays on KZbin. I find them enjoyable, but Archie is written as a boilerplate wisecracking dick, which is not what he's like in the books. I am pleasantly surprised at how much this felt like a good Nero Wolfe story, even if I don't buy the resolution to the mystery. The characters were dead on, but a Nero Wolfe story needs more than half an hour to play out. Shatner was more handsome and charming here than I've ever given him credit for being, and I am very pleased with his interpretation of Archie Goodwin. Holy crap, though, that hat he wore was an abomination. And he wore it with such rakish confidence. It's a reminder that when we look at the fashions of the past, we are usually looking at the exemplary highlights and not the ugly stuff that seemed normal back then.

[@VARIABLENEWSNETWORK]

Is it possible, had this show taken off, would it have taken William Shatner in a direction that would have directed him in a direction away from Star Trek? The Multiverse is a cruel mistress.

[@marmaly]

@@VARIABLENEWSNETWORK Yes. It most definitely could have directed him in a different direction. Perhaps directly into directing.

[@glenncox9128]

Wow! Very impressive! Bill & Kurt captured the essence and details of the characters PERFECTLY! Superb acting!

[@joshuajackson472]

I'd have watched the heck outta this. Nero Wolfe is one of my all time favorite detectives and Shatner makes an entertaining Archie Goodwin.

[@walterwheeler5465]

I appreciate being able to see this 61 year old pilot for a Nero Wolf television series. Sydney Greenstreet played the role of Nero Wolf on radio a few years earlier (through 1951) in "The New Adventures of Nero Wolf." Pilots for proposed television series were seen at the Preview House in Los Angeles where a "live audience" would rate whatever was scheduled. It was free admission and a good place to take a date.

[@jackbagley640]

The "Nero Wolfe" radio series was not successful, because of the casting. They went through several actors as Archie, but the real issue was that listeners didn't especially like Greenstreet as Wolfe. (I, for one, love him in the role, but that's just me.) It was a good series to listen to.

[@ernestbrown9660]

@@jackbagley640 Greenstreet laughs too much as Wolfe, sort as if he's playing him as Gutman. Other than that, he's pretty good.

[@fjtalleyauthor2242]

@@jackbagley640 The revolving door or Archies was a problem for this series. I preferred Harry Bartell in the role for that series, but then again, I liked Harry Bartell in anything. My favorite Archie was Don Francks from the 1982 CBC radio series. Mavor Moore was pretty good as Wolfe, too. That radio series had great stories and great dimension. Hutton was also an excellent Archie, and I liked his Wolfe--Maury Chaykin--as well. For those who haven't seen this A&E series, it had a great ensemble cast, with several people playing constant roles from the novels, with other actors playing a variety of roles, from an FBI agent in one episode to a small town crook in another. Definitely worth a look.

[@walterwheeler5465]

@@fjtalleyauthor2242 I took your suggestion and have now seen three episodes with Hutton and Chaykin - good acting and plots.

[@fjtalleyauthor2242]

@@walterwheeler5465 Great. Glad you enjoyed them!

[@ztrawhcsgsff]

I worked with one the actors in the pilot, Alexander Scourby in the 1970's in Philadelphia, PA. Alexander hosted the documentary on the history of the Insurance Company of North America. Many of the founders signed the Declaration of Independence.

[@PatrickOCnMD]

Amazing all the things Shatner has done. And done well.

[@peanut1001x]

he was a great actor until after Star Trek

[@4CardsMan]

Shatner was great. You saw that fire in his eyes when Belsen snarled at him.

[@pharaohanakaris]

i love this version of the characters from* their first scene. really amazing. i personally really enjoy how different the portrayals are and i think Kasznar's would have gone on to be in my top 3 beside those of Chaykin and Greenstreet. Shatner's Archie is tremendous too, right up there with Hutton, and several very good other radio Archies (Elliott Lewis and Harry Bartell were the best). what a delight amazing that in spite of the relative lack of Nero Wolfe media we still got so lucky to have so much that is so genuinely enjoyable! blessed

[@kokolanza7543]

True that.

[@janetaylorparris]

Amen and well said.

[@jaymorris3468]

That was good, even 60 yrs later. Can't believe it didn't make the cut.

[@apatriotone]

Would have made a good show, but if it was aired, we may not have gotten Shatner in Star Trek.

[@kokolanza7543]

Was thinking the same thing. Destiny was awaiting.

[@joeslayter5841]

Shatner just NAILED it as Archie Goodwin. Excellent work.

[@buzzawuzza3743]

This was better than I thought it would be and I would have tuned into this show each week.

[@thomasberman1023]

This is so interesting on so many levels. Shattner of course has played many different characters but I have always liked is acting in things like the twilight zone. The other thing about this that is so interesting is that it really captures the reality of how the United States developed its own missile systems by stealing German scientist. There’s a lot to like here. I’m not wild about the Nero Wolfe character but everything considered, this is good stuff

[@vincentconti3633]

Yes it is..a little foreshadowing his career..

[@fbe2]

Stealing German Scientist? Is that like shoplifting a candy bar? Maybe after the war they decided to go where the money and research was, and they got paid a salary and could travel back to Germany and kept their names (like Von Braun). Stealing like that?

[@Mister_Pedantic]

@@fbe2 It sounds preferable to being "stolen" by the Russians.

[@carroyo911]

@@fbe2 Look up Operation Paperclip. That is exactly what America did; they made the German scientists an offer they couldn't refuse...

[@akakjb]

​@@carroyo911That offer being, "It's us or the Russians and your forces actually bombed and killed a lot of people there. Meanwhile, we're still preoccupied with Japan and very few people will notice or care until after you're firmly established and von Braun is making appearances on WIDE WORLD OF DISNEY. Oh, and we can get you out of being prosecuted for war crimes associated with the use of your rockets. Trust me, you don't want to revisit Nuremberg anytime soon. Yeah, those were pretty convincing arguments and had scientists doing everything they could to surrender to the Americans.

[@AleadaA]

Shatner is lucky this did not get syndicated because if he was too identified with the character Archie, the producers of Star Trek may not have hired him as Captain Kirk!

[@vincentconti3633]

Interesting but nah!! Not a powerful character... anyway..he did talk about a space ship!! Foreshadowing!

[@GregoryWonderwheel]

Hollywood karma is interesting in that way.

[@LazyIRanch]

That would have been sad! I loved him as Kirk, so cocky and smarmy... and irresistible!

[@howardkerr8174]

@Aleada Siragusa: You are aware that Shatner was NOT the original pick for Captain Kirk, he wasn't even the 2nd pick. Watch the first Star Trek "pilot" that was re-configured into a regular episode and Jeffrey Hunter was originally cast as Kirk. BTW, in that same episode, with Hunter as Kirk, Majel Barrett had the part of executive officer that would go to Leonard Nimoy. (Ms Barrett was Mrs Roddenberry.) The closest a Star Trek series got to a woman as second officer again would be Deep Space 9.

[@scottanderson3285]

@@howardkerr8174 Actually, Hunter was not cast as Captain Kirk, but was given the name of "Christopher Pike"...... I watched the Pilot ep just a few months ago, for the first time and was pleasantly surprised to find Hunter much more personable then the cocky Shatner, whom from what i have read has owned that particular trait since he first arrived in Hollywood.....

[@marmaly]

This show has more class in its pinky finger than anything seen on TV in the last 40 years

[@granthurlburt4062]

There was a later Nero Wolfe show (2001-2002) with Timothy Hutton & the excellent late Maury Chaykin as Wolfe. The series won praise for its high production values and jazzy score by Michael Small, and for preserving the language and spirit of the original stories. A distinguishing feature of the series is its use of a repertory cast - Boyd Banks, Nicky Guadagni, Kari Matchett,[6] Debra Monk, George Plimpton, Ron Rifkin, Marian Seldes, Francie Swift, James Tolkan and many other accomplished Canadian and American actors - to play non-recurring roles. Kari Matchett played several female roles and it was hard to tell.

[@JaneShelley]

AS A 60 YEAR FAN OF ARCHIE AND WOLFE, THIS WAS FUN. NOT PERFECT BUT GOOD...I STILL READ THEM WHEN FEELING LOW...

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

*EVERYTHING* co-starred William Shatner during his "salad days" of the 1950's! It would be 7 more years doing this-and-that before he sat in the captain's chair on the Starship Enterprise...

[@mosart7025]

Wow... Shatner was a hotty! Those eyes! And he does a pretty good job turning on the charm, but able to be tough also. And be a troublemaker too.

[@mrs.schmenkman]

Check out the Twighlight episode he did...VavaVOOM,

[@Nick_the_Troubadour]

A swashbuckling attitude is why it's such a legend

[@paulaneary7877]

William Shatner was always quite attractive, boyish grin, twinkling eyes, widow's peak........

[@verenamaharajah6082]

William Shatner was not only a good actor but very handsome in this early film.

[@bejoyful]

Enjoyed seeing a handsome and continuously working William Shatner; shame no network picked this series;

[@tomato1040]

Absolutely brilliant, pre-golden age era of the beginnings of television📺, Mr. Goldberg, my✡️mishboka, in the realm of brilliance in the Art of Thespian🎭Performances. The cast is really excellent🎚️⬇️direction⬆️direct, & the enchanting📜script🗣️soundly🎶enlightening🧐astonishingly🎺revealing!

[@yarazooom]

great screen play & great actors. loved this! wm. Shattner excellent

[@danebarrett237]

With all the crap that gets on tv, nobody picked this up?

[@dmitrysofronov8624]

Enigma, eh?

[@roysutherland9729]

At that time, TV didn't have as much crap.

[@danebarrett237]

Really liked Shatner better in this than as Kirk.

[@swordoff7]

Well, Mr. Barrett, TV wasn't quite as crappy in 1958 as it is today. They had more elbow room and less competition to choose programming which would increase revenue.

[@swordoff7]

@@danebarrett237 Yes, Shatner played the sassy one convincingly.

[@mikedoran9851]

Since none of the commenters seem to know: The reason that this Wolfe pilot didn't go to series … … Rex Stout HATED it, and spiked the whole project. For the remainder of his lifetime, he wouldn't even listen to any TV offers to do a Wolfe series. Only after Stout's death in 1975 did his family even consider TV offers. The rest, you know …

[@WillFastie]

That makes sense. I've read every Nero Wolfe story and this adaptation just doesn't cut it. Wolfe is horribly wrong here. I like Shatner but he is not Archie Goodwin by any measure. Chaykin was the best Wolfe, by far. I don't like the 1936/1937 Edward Arnold / Lionel Stander film versions either. Stout apparently approved of those, as he gets the story credit for both.

[@Mister_Pedantic]

@@WillFastie In the 1937 movie, The League Of Frightened Men, Wolfe was portrayed by Walter Connolly, not Edward Arnold. Also, while Mr Stout permitted the use of his work in those two films, he did not approve of how they turned out and declined to authorize any more.

[@WillFastie]

@@Mister_Pedantic My mistake; thanks for the correction.

[@lordorielrising4673]

Look how long before they got Poirot right with the David Suchet version. Would have been nice to see what Stout would have liked.

[@Mister_Pedantic]

@@lordorielrising4673 I would like to think that Mr Stout would have approved of Maury Chaykin. I suspect he would have had some objections to the Francesco Pannofino and William Conrad versions.

[@levimust4479]

Shatner makes a very good Archie here. But it's hard to stop thinking he is about to pull out a communicator and call for Scottie to beam him up.

[@deadalready7467]

Shame it wasn’t picked up than I could watch the rest of the series now instead of what’s on the boob tube circa 2022. I do enjoy Nero Wolfe. Many Blessings All 🙏🇺🇸💪 PS. William Shatner still making tv appearances 63 years later. 🙌🙌

[@kali3665]

Times you forget what a good actor Shatner really is. I like him here as Archie. Not sure about Kaszner - I can't recall ever really being impressed by him, especially in Land of the Giants, when he was forced to be the show's Zachary Smith. That he didn't come across that way is not his fault, however, since the role was very badly written and Kaszner didn't have it in him to build the role as Jonathan Harris did for Smith. Here, I just don't know. They seem to have good chemistry together, but I think I would watch for Shatner's performance if this had gone to series. The half hour format hurts though; the show would need more time to build its mysteries. Thank you so much for posting!

[@pinkbeautytwinkle]

KASZNER looks like Mr. Bean!

[@janejames9173]

You have no idea how much I love this pilot.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@philjamieson5572]

Thanks for putting this on here. I definitely would have watched this series.

[@nancynada7890]

Really enjoyed the cast in this episode.

[@peterweitzman8760]

Interesting in it's own weird one off way....Thank you for the look at the past....

[@WJack97224]

Thanks for posting. Given the time, rockets, the actors, Hollywood and the lingering anger and hate from WW II, I knew this would some how involve Nazis. Sydney Greenstreet is my favorite Nero Wolfe followed closely by Maury Chaykin. Oh, and Timothy Hutton is by far my favorite Archie.

[@bjbell52]

I didn't like Edward Arnold's characterisation of Nero Wolfe. Maury Chaykin was perfect as was Timothy Hutton as Goodwin.

[@ClavicleCleric]

I like that this adaptation remembers that Wolfe is from Montenegro. I was on the fence about whether or not I should give him an accent when I read the books and I feel vindicated watching this.

[@jondenton757]

As always william shatner does a great job at his role. Thanks for sharing this.

[@robertwilkinson3990]

Fantastic! Absolutely spot on portrayal of the wonderful characters created by the author Rex Stout. What a treat 😊

[@snowysnowyriver]

Apart from being a very good actor, William Shatner was incredibly handsome.

[@AdrianBoyko]

They dyed his hair for this?

[@bbrosser694]

I enjoyed this quick and very clever episode. I will watch it again.

[@sharonshookup]

I read all the Nero Wolfe books decades ago and just loved them !! Nero needs to learn to sneeze into his inner elbow !!

[@Reynoldsrobert]

Shatner and his ego were made for this role... I see why it didn't make the cut, but, I did enjoy it very much. Thank you!

[@loupasternak]

didnt make the cut because ? too many words, too highbrow?

[@sallysumner6671]

Im a 69 year old and only just found on uTube and it's brilliant 👏

[@GaryHurd]

Awesome! Thank You! I am just watching "The Silent Speaker" from the old A&E series again. This will be next. 😃

[@212gloreUP]

I think I’ll forever have William Shatner as the image in my mind when I read any of Stout’s or Goldborough’s books from now on

[@traviscooper6883]

This is so good. I came late to the game with Nero Wolfe - listening to the show on Sirius XM Radio Classics. I knew this pilot existed but never thought to search for it on KZbin!

[@ksavage8851]

What a great find! Thanks for posting.

[@MissLRegrets]

Thank you!! Most satisfactory.

[@richardbennett6237]

Wow, this is good … shudda been picked up for a series. Guess it didn't have enough explosions and bang-bang gunfights to interest the Networks. A murder solved in a half an hour … this could have been an early 'Monk' or maybe even 'Columbo', sure had some good writing. Saw the name 'Alex' Scourby listed in the credits … after listening to him some more I recognized him as Alexander Scourby, the fellow who made a great King James recording of the Old & New Testaments.

[@nomansland4811]

Love the novels. Never seen this pilot before. I like Shatner as Archie. Gotta love Nero’s habits and eccentricities.

[@Lurvy1963]

Fascinating what I can find and never knew about certain pilots that never materialized into television series. The Nero Wolfe series I saw starred Tim Hutton as Archie Goldwin and Maury Chaykin as Nero Wolfe. It's unfortunate this Nero Wolfe murder mystery series didn't take off like the later version in the 1990s did. Kurt Kasznar and William Shatner as the detective duo worked well in the pilot. Of course, years before Star Trek made Shatner famous. Kurt Kasznar was well known in the broadway production of The Sound Of Music.

[@forrestmobley2599]

Wolfe always called Archie "Mr. Goodwin" when others were present.

[@3DMegadoodoo]

Having watched this, I'm not surprised it didn't get picked up.

[@judiebarbieri8847]

I enjoyed this, too bad it was not made into a series. Shatner was excellent as usual, so was the actor who played Nero Wolfe. It was interesting to see Eileen Fulton as the receptionist. She would go on to play Lisa on As The World Turns for 50 years!

[@johnbosch3809]

What a treat....thank you..so much. If you like NW be sure to watch the Italian series available on DVD.

[@DJ-ll4mq]

I think that anything with William Shatner in is good. Thank you for posting this.

[@chrystalbrown9600]

Shatner is a great Archie! I never knew this existed. Really enjoyed 😃