Close Call for Ellery Queen US (1942)

Director: James Hogan
Cast Includes
EQ: William Gargan
Inspector Queen: Charley Grapewin
Nikki Porter: Margaret Lindsay
Sgt. Velie: James Burke
Alan Rogers: Ralph Morgan
Margo Rogers: Kay Linaker
Edward Norris, Addison Richards

60 min, Black & White.
 

William Gargan takes over from Ralph Bellamy as the title character. He lacked Bellamy's charisma but unlike Bellamy, who played the role of Ellery Queen for laughs, Gargan adopts a more sober approach, much to the overall benefit of the film. The story takes place at the lavish country estate owned by wealthy Alan Rogers. Two young ladies show up at Rogers' doorstep, both claiming to be his long-lost daughter. Concurrently, a pair of unsavory gentlemen (Andrew Tombes, Charles Judels) from Rogers' checkered past arrive with blackmail on their minds. Ellery tries to make heads or tails of all this intrigue before Rogers ends up losing his fortune, aided by his "girl Friday" Nikki Porter - but our hero is unable to prevent a pair of nasty murders.
The budgets were getting even thinner, but it was definitely a step up from the "Murder Ring" atrocity