- Title: A Nero Wolfe Mystery – Door to Death
- IMDb: link
Today’s Throwback Tuesday post takes us back to mid 20th Century New York and the private detective offices located at 454 W. 35th Street. “Door to Death” is an unusual episode as it features Nero Wolfe (Maury Chaykin) solving a crime outside of the home he is loathsome to ever leave. In need of a true orchid man, Wolfe and Archie (Timothy Hutton) set out on in the wee hours of the morning in harsh winter weather to secure the employment of Andy Krasicki (Nicholas Campbell) only to discover the gardener has gotten himself wrapped up in murder investigation as he is the prime suspect in the death of the woman he hoped to marry (Kristin Booth). Unwilling to get any assistance Lieutenant Noonan (Beau Starr) or the family whose estate the murder occurred on, Wolfe will go to great lengths to prove Krasicki innocence including sneaking back onto the property later that night with Archie and Sal (Conrad Dunn) and, at gunpoint and under threats of blackmail, forcing the truth out of the reluctant family.
The mystery itself is rather straightforward, with much more time spent on navigating the obstacles in Wolfe’s path in order for the detective to put on a show and force a confession. Other than one conversation with the gardener’s assistant, Wolfe’s entire investigation takes place in the final few minutes of the episode. The episode is also notable for Wolfe’s orchid drama interfering with Archie’s love life as the trip interrupts his evening with Lily Rowan (Kari Matchett) and one of the suspects getting on Wolfe’s bad side by calling him by his first name (something a gleeful Archie was all too happy to comment on).
