When William Gargan took over the role of 'Ellery Queen' from Ralph Bellamy (with the rest of the steady cast remaining the same), the series obviously became more serious again after the comical 'intermissions' especially of "Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring". Murder DID become a serious matter again - and not only for the people involved in the case Ellery for once takes over as a private investigator, but also for our beloved protagonists themselves...An old country house on an isolated island is the ideal setting for a rather complicated plot with a father searching for his long-lost daughter - and just when Ellery is on his way there to start his investigations, the daughter DOES turn up, and tells her story to Nikki whom Ellery has left behind in his office. And Nikki, curious and fearless as ever, decides to play the daughter's part and head for the island by herself to see what's going on there; and not even SHE can imagine what perils are waiting for her there! Although the story doesn't sound too convincing, it's still immensely imaginative - and suspenseful... And Nikki, with her false identity, becomes of course the center of interest - and of danger! This one's for mystery fans with strong nerves, no doubt; but it's absolutely worth watching - if you feel up to it...

William Gargan takes over the role of Ellery Queen as the mystery writer turned detective in A Close Call For Ellery Queen. He has a couple of close calls, but it's Margaret Lindsay who really puts herself in jeopardy with a masquerade.Edward Norris private secretary to millionaire Ralph Morgan asks for Ellery's help in getting rid of a pair of unwanted guests who have planted themselves at Morgan's estate. Norris suspects blackmail of some kind, but before Gargan can go to work the guests Andrew Toombes and Charles Judel wind up shot to death in the back room of a waterfront dive.Lindsay insinuates herself in the case by masquerading as a long lost daughter who with her 'sister' Kay Linnaker stands to inherit a fortune from Morgan. Still yet another murder occurs before all is revealed.A Close Call For Ellery Queen is one of the best of the series. Gargan acquits himself well in the part though I do like Ralph Bellamy better. Though none of the screen Queens fit the author's conception of the part as Jim Hutton did on television, I still like the structure and direction of this film and the performances the director got from his cast.

Because she's the one who gets herself into the most trouble here, by impersonating one of the two long-lost daughters of a rich man with a shady past; after seeing her father's ad in the paper, the REAL daughter travels all the way from Tahiti to America to meet him, but she runs into Nikki first, and when Nikki sees a strange letter that warns the real daughter NOT to return, she decides to take her place and find out what's going on. Ellery Queen is unaware of most of this, but a double murder soon brings him (and his father, of course) to the same household. This film marks a turning point in the series, as William Gargan replaces Ralph Bellamy as Ellery Queen; to be honest, the change is barely noticeable, as both actors are agreeable without really bringing much personality to the role. As usual for this series, it's Nikki Porter who steals the show; Margaret Lindsay, this time getting to pose as a French-speaking girl, is the best thing about this dense but rushed mystery. ** out of 4.