THE NEW ADVENTURES OF NERO WOLFE: THE CASE OF THE HASTY WILL

Rex Stout's famous one-seventh of a ton sleuth has hit the radio waves four times.  First, in 1943-4, ABC Radio presented The Adventures of Nero Wolfe with three separate actors portraying  theorchid-loving detective:  J. B. Williams, Santos Ortega, and Louis Van Rootan. Then, in 1945, the Mutual Broadcasting System aired The Amazing Nero Wolfe, with silent film star Francis X. Bushman playing the title role.  In 1982, the Canadian Broadcasting System introduced Mavor Moore as Nero Wolfe.  The program that most people associate Nero Wolfe with the radio, however, is The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe, which was on NBC in 1950-1.

This was the series that Rex Stout liked best.  The program fleshed out the characters far better than the previous show.  Produced by Edwin Fadiman and directed by J. Donald Wilson, The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe cast a great actor to play a great detective.  Sidney Greenstreet, so memorable in such movies as Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, and The Woman in White, made the character of Nero Wolfe his own.  It also helped that the showwas scripted by the talented Alfred Bester.

During its brief run, The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe cast six different actors in the role of Archie Goodwin:  Gerald Mohr, Herb Ellis, Lawrence Dobkin, Harry Bartell, Lamony Johnson, and Wally Maher.  In the episode linked below, Harry Bartell did the honors as Archie.  Also in the cast are William Johnson, Don Stanley, Victor Rodman, Louise Arthur, and Hal Gerard.  The announcer was Don Stanley.

Here, from March 2, 1951, is "The Case of the Hasty Will."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7duaFIHCos&list=PLmSbn5JfEOc44kOe26CYaAYZ3lOSrL0qj