0:00 Who are you?
0:02 >> [music]
0:02 >> And where are you going? What do you want?
0:20 >> Hello and welcome to Jigger's Place. I'm your host Kevin Demel. And I'm here every other Thursday at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time to sit back, have a cocktail and a schmooze as I say, and talk about all of those things that are not having to do with finances. So, today's show is cocktails and Nero Wolfe. That's a a little bit misleading because uh as as I'm going to be talking about in a minute, uh Nero Wolfe did not drink
0:55 cocktails and for that matter rarely did his uh sidekick Archie Goodwin uh drink cocktails. Um um Nero Wolfe inevitably drank beer and quite a bit of it, often many, many bottles every day. And Archie Goodwin typically drank milk of all things. Uh but when he did take a drink, it was usually bourbon. And uh I'm I'm not going to talk about bourbon much, but I I am going to have in honor of Archie Goodwin, I am going to have a shot of bourbon with my beer.
1:32 And uh Ezra Brooks uh at least in in you know, could have been something that uh that that Archie Goodwin uh drank. Uh of course, these are all fictional These are both fictional fictional characters, uh but uh but nonetheless uh in the theme of the show. So, I wanted to talk a little bit about beer uh because uh although it's obviously not a cocktail, it actually is being used in some cocktails now from from time to time. I don't
2:07 particularly care for cocktails that have beer in them. Uh but you know, people are experiment experimenting with a lot of of different ingredients in cocktails and so I think it's useful for us to know about a little bit about beer. So first of all, beer is made from primarily four ingredients: water, uh hops, malted grain of some sort, typically barley although not always, and yeast. Now in those four, you know, beers will turn
2:44 out differently obviously depending on those four ingredients. And and there are other things that are sometimes added to it. Um I think it's Blue Moon, for example, has orange flavor added to it and and you know, there's all kinds of other things, but those are the four main ones. So if the water is highly has a high mineral content, you know, that's going to change the the nature or the flavor of the beer. Uh if you know, depending on what variety of hops, where it's grown, uh you know, all of that, that will have
3:20 a difference. So and by the way, the hops the it's the flower of the hops plant uh that that's used in the brewing process. With respect to the malted grain, so malted grain is is grain that's started to germinate and then heat stops the germination process. So barley is one of the most common malted grains used in beer. Uh but there but you you'll have wheat wheat beers and and and other types of grains used in and again, just like on the cocktail scene and the
3:55 the uh the craft liquor scene. So, the craft beer scene actually has been going on longer and there's been a tremendous amount of experimentation that continues on uh to this day. And then of course yeast, there are common yeast strains that are used, but you know, one can change the yeast strain that one is using and that will also change uh the the the flavor of the beer and the nature of the beer. So, beers generally fall into two categories. One is ales and the other is
4:33 lagers. So, I have my absolute favorite lager. Uh this is Kronenbourg. It happens to be a French beer. Uh Kronenbourg has been my favorite for decades and decades and decades. Um and I have several ales here. So, um and and by the way, uh included in lagers are such things as pilsners. Um I'm trying to think of the other kinds. I made a couple notes here. Uh Oh, bock and dunkel.
5:09 Um and and in general, um lagers tend to be lighter bodied. Um they they have a um uh bottom fermentation because they're generally brewed colder. Now, note I said brewed, not distilled. Beer is a brewed beverage. Um by the by the way, so is uh what is referred to in this country as sake, what's actually what is actually in Japan nihonshu. It's actually more like rice beer or maybe rice wine, but we tend to put it in the
5:46 category of spirits. It's actually more more of a beer. Um in terms of ales, so the name is part of many of them. So you can have a pale ale. Um Sierra Nevada's one of my favorites. Um IPAs have been very very popular for a long time. Stand IPA stands for Indian or India pale ale. I'm not frankly a big fan of pale ales. They're they're a little too bitter for me. Um but but that is another variety. You'll also have stouts. I have a couple of stouts here. This is an Imperial Stout, Samuel
6:22 Smith's Imperial Stout. Um it's made I'm trying to remember. I think in in Britain. Uh if I'm remembering correctly. Yeah, York's, England. And then I have another This is another stout. This is Northwest Coast Brewing Company Stout. And this is made in uh the United States in actually Fort Bragg, California. So stouts tend to be very dark, heavy beers. If you've ever heard of something called a black and tan, that's actually I believe um a an ale with stout floated on top of
7:01 it. Um I've I've had them before. They're delicious. And they're a little bit easier drinking than just drinking a stout uh flat out. Uh and and and the the distinctive quality of an ale is it's a top um a top fermenting uh beverage. It's it's brewed a little warmer. Um and so even just the temperature at which uh an ale versus a a lager is brewed com- makes it come up with a different uh flavor profile. Now,
7:36 there is a tendency to think that the darker the beer, the heavier it is and the higher and the higher the alcohol content. That is not necessarily the case. Uh Alcohol content has to do with how the brew how the beer is brewed. You can have light colored beers that are higher in alcohol content than dark colored beers and you can have dark colored beers that that can be light although
8:11 they tend to be a little heavier. Now when you're already talking about a stout or a porter, those of course that's they're brewed to be heavy heavy on the tongue. Uh and and but but don't be fooled into thinking, oh you know, I'm I'm not going to drink a dark beer because it's too high in alcohol. This Samuel Smith stout, this is 7% ABV alcohol by volume. Uh which is a little bit higher than a typical logger but but this this logger Kronenbourg is
8:49 5% ABV. So you know, not a whole a whole lot of difference there and the Sierra Nevada I believe is five as well. I'm trying to find it here. Don't don't see it on here. Uh oh yeah, 5.6%. So you can see that the logger and the pale ale are are are pretty similar. So in in if you're looking at sort of the typical mainstream American beers, Budweisers, Millers and such, those generally are around
9:25 3 4 5%. Um and and then when you get into more of the the craft beers, so those tend to be a little bit higher, 5 6 7%. Uh and then if you get into the the very strong ales, um those can be higher all the way up to 10% and in some very specialty beers, the the ABV will be similar to wine where it's already 14 to 15%. Uh to be honest, I've never had a beer at that high in alcohol uh ABV, but um
10:04 I mean I I guess I you know, it it seems kind of strange to think about, you know, drinking a bottle this big that, you know, that's 15% alcohol by volume. Although, I guess in in the end it's, you know, roughly the equivalent of two glasses of wine. So, you know, what what whatever you prefer. Um so, uh you know, not going to have to mix a cocktail today, uh but I am like I said, I'm I am going to have my my Kronenbourg and I've got my Three Stooges uh bottle opener. This was given to me
10:40 by a student back when I used to teach real estate. Unfortunately, the battery died and I haven't figured out how to replace it. It used to be when you opened it, you would get OH, A WISE GUY. NYUK NYUK NYUK NYUK [laughter] NYUK. THAT'S that I just love the Three Stooges. Um now, you know, when my dad taught me to pour beer and my dad loved beer and when I was uh gosh, 7 years old, we were living in Dallas, Texas at the time. My dad was a big Dallas Cowboys fan and he wanted me to watch football with him on a Sunday. I I didn't really care for football, but, you know, I liked my dad, so I
11:15 wanted to hang out with him and he would give me, you know, sips of beer when I was a like 7 years old. Didn't like it at all. But, one of the things he taught me was you want to pour the beer so that you don't get any head at all. And I found out later in life, that's actually not the best way to do it. So just like anything not not anything just like cocktails where when we shake or stir them we're doing it not just to mix the ingredients but to let some of the ice melt because the water brings out some of the flavors. So
11:50 letting a head form on the beer form somewhat of the same function and so while you don't want to have the entire beer you know taken up with foam you do want to let there be you know somewhat of a head because that's the air that's the beer sort of aerating and bringing out the flavors. Now you may be noticing I'm using an A&W root beer mug. I just thought that would be kind of a funny thing to be drinking beer from a root beer mug. All right, so I'm going to I'm going to let that the head
12:26 settle on that for a moment while I pour a little bit of bourbon. I'm using this is University of Alabama shot glass. This is an honor of course of Marie who whose husband was was a University of Alabama alumni and and with you know, I guess I probably should make apologies to my all my fellow Trojans but you know Crimson Tide great great University always a tough competitor one of the best games when we
13:01 when USC would play them and the first USC football game I ever went to was actually USC against Alabama and we won. It was an it was an astonishing victory. So here's here's first of all to to Archie Goodwin. And uh here is two Nero Wolfe.
13:36 Finest kind. All right. See you over on the sofa.
14:28 Ah, so here we are. And uh I know I missed two weeks ago, so it's nice to be back. And uh to to today was uh I mean this week was uh
14:39 >> [snorts]
14:39 >> it was really a a great week. I started out Monday and Tuesday at a conference on uh uh international estate and tax planning at a an absolutely gorgeous resort called Terranea in Palos Verdes, right on the water. Uh meeting a lot of great people. Had a couple of wonderful dinners that as a guest of of my friend and business associate uh Andrew Nut Brown. Um Andrew, just such such a a a great great guy, and got to meet uh some of his colleagues and friends.
15:15 Um we people from all over the world were there. Such a such a great experience, and
15:22 >> [snorts]
15:23 >> you know, the kind of thing I I I I I I love because I feel it really enriches my life. Um and then, you know, um got to uh you know, work the the next couple of days and here we are on our Thursday afternoon as we uh get ready for the week to be over and head into the weekend. And I'm talking I'm I'm talking about one of my absolute favorite series of books to read. Uh I I I I discovered Nero Well, I discovered Nero Wolfe actually
15:59 on old-time radio. So, Sydney Greenstreet uh did a radio show version of Nero Wolfe. Uh and and while there are other uh actors who have played Nero Wolfe both in radio and on television, Sydney Greenstreet is by far my favorite portrayer of Nero Wolfe. Part of it is because among the other things and I'll I'll I'm going to talk in more detail, but Nero Archie Goodwin
16:35 describes Nero Wolfe as weighing near a third of a ton. So, if you do the math, that's close to 300 lb. And while I don't think Sydney Greenstreet was quite that large, he was a very he was a big man and so I felt like he was really the embodiment of of Nero Wolfe. And there were there have been different uh Archie Goodwins even even opposite uh Sydney Greenstreet. Some of them are are are what There's one who's great. I don't I don't know what the actor's name is. And the others have been fine. Uh but but it it the the radio show was a a really fun radio
17:12 show. And and and the the version with Sydney Greenstreet I think was only around for a year or two, maybe, something like that. Uh but I I I I I realized at one point that the Nero Wolfe character came from a series of books by an author named Rex Stout. It is funny that Rex Stout and his the the character that for whom he became known is an extraordinarily stout uh man. Uh but um I started reading the books and as is often the case, the the Nero
17:47 Wolfe books are even better than the radio shows uh and and the movies that have been made about them. I think there've been TV shows as well, although I haven't seen any of them. So, there's lots of different editions of the Nero Wol- Nero Wolfe books around. I don't have any first editions. I wish I did. Um but uh I I suspect they're, you know, a little bit too pricey, but there are uh pocketbook-sized editions. Um this is This is from the the Rex This is called the Rex Stout
18:23 Library. This is a series of essentially uh republications of his of of Rex Stout's books. Um these were done in, I believe, the '90s, yeah. So, the these were done in the '90s. They're They're in both the, like I said, the pocketbook uh size or a little bigger than pocketbook. And then in the in the larger size. This is the same uh Rex Stout Library just in a in a larger format. Uh this particular one, Curtains for Three, is there's just one story in this book.
18:59 Same with uh Death Death of a Doxy. Um and then there are others that are compendiums. So, this is another um another, you know, format in which the books are uh published. Uh this one happens to have two books in it. Both of them are full-length novels. The first one this one has Fer-de-Lance, um which is the very first Nero Wolfe book published in 1934, and also The League of Frightened Men, which I think is
19:34 not I think I know it's one of the early story one of the early Nero Wolfe books. Um over the course of his career from 1934 until I think the last one was written in the mid-1960s, maybe '66, '67. There were approximately 70 novels and novellas written by Rex Stout. Uh several of his books have three novellas in them, and they have names reminiscent of that. So, so for example,
20:09 you see uh Three for the Chair, meaning the electric chair, Triple Jeopardy, Trio for the Blunt Instruments, all of these Trouble in Triplicate. So, all of those are uh books that have three shorter stories in them. So good. Uh you know, especially as we have you know, I I have to say I I sometimes forget that I do enjoy beer. Uh but I tend not to think about it until the
20:45 hot weather gets here. Uh so, a little bit about Rex Stout first of all. I think it's good to know about the author. So, So, Rex Stout was born in 1886. He died in 17 1975 1775. Um and he uh, had a lot of careers uh, before he settled down to writing. Um, and and one of the things he did was he developed a savings system, a money
21:20 savings system for people like to save up money uh, that that was uh, meant to be uh, taught in schools and was adopted by many many schools um, in in the country. And and that was kind of one of the early things he did. And then he started writing books that um, like he wrote a book called How Like a God, Seed on the Wind. He wrote these in the kind of uh, 1920s to early 1930s. They were not successful at all. Um, but
21:56 then in 1934 he wrote his first Nero Wolfe book as I mentioned a minute ago and kind of from then on he realized he had he really had a a a a hit on his hands. Um, and his popularity grew and grew and grew. So, um, in in the Nero Wolfe books, so uh, Nero Wolfe is is the quintessential armchair detective. So, he has his house
22:32 at um, I want to give you the address. 914 West 35th Street, which is in the Lower West Side of New York. It was a brownstone. And it also served his it was his home, but it also served as his office. And in his home uh, Nero Wolfe I I should say uh, Nero Wolfe lived in his home along with uh, Archie Goodwin and uh, his his sort of um,
23:07 uh, chef and and and the man who looked after his household, Fritz Brenner, and then he had another man who lived there who looked after his orchids, and I'm going up on that fellow's name. Maybe it'll come to me. So, Nero Wolfe hated leaving his brownstone. He was the quintessential armchair detective. Archie Goodwin, who also lived there, was he kind of his legs and eyes, and so when when facts needed to be gathered at the crime scene or or from another
23:43 source, uh, Archie Goodwin would go out and do that work, and then he'd bring the information back to Nero Wolfe, or he'd phone him, give him the information, and Nero Wolfe typically would solve the mystery without ever leaving his house. Now, on occasions he did leave his house. Uh, Nero Wolfe, among his passions are uh, were beer, uh, great food. He was a gourmet and a gourmand, and Fritz Brenner
24:18 rarely if ever disappointed. He also loved orchids, and on the top floor of his brownstone, he had a nursery that contained 10,000 orchid plants, just thousands of varieties of them, and uh, Horseman uh, was was his was his man. Um, I can't think of Horseman's first name now. Uh, but um, I think it was Theodore Hostman Horse- Horseman. So, every day except for Sunday between the
24:55 hours of 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and then 4:00 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. uh Nero Wolfe was up in his orchid rooms working with Horseman tending his flowers. And the description uh of the orchids that that Archie Goodwin gives, like when he'll go up to the orchid rooms to talk to Nero Wolfe, he says like he'll walk into one of the rooms and the colors are so vibrant even as focused as he is on the task at hand, he stops in awe at times at just how
25:31 amazing the the these orchids are. Uh and and and Nero Wolfe is known um he's known for being an aficionado of orchids. So, the only times uh he tends to leave his house is to is because he has an opportunity to get some kind of rare orchid plant or on occasion he'll go to Rustermann's restaurant, which is uh evidently the the most fantastic restaurant food in Manhattan or to go to
26:07 a meeting of a club of gourmets. He does he does leave his his office a couple times to do that. He also on occasion is forced to leave his office because he's put under arrest by the police and and so, you know, he has he has no choice at that point. But in general Nero Wolfe stays in his his home and he solves his mysteries from there. He is of course a genius. Uh he is uh brilliant uh in his de- deducting
26:45 deducing uh capabilities. And he is quite courtly, kind of. So, it bothers him when people are hungry. And so, if you know, he will frequently invite people to dinner because he truly loves to see people eating well and enjoying food. So, he's very hospitable in an old-fashioned sort of way.
27:17 >> [snorts]
27:17 >> One of his conundrums, though, arises out of his being a um um a misogynist. So, he does not like women.
27:31 >> [clears throat]
27:31 >> Uh almost he does There's only one woman um he ever, I think, develops any kind of uh affection for, and it's a uh a woman who becomes a close friend of Archie Goodwin's by the name of Lily. Um I'm going up on Lily's name. Lily's father uh made a tremendous amount of money uh um building sewers in the city of New York. He was part of the Tammany Hall machine. And uh so, uh and then he dies and Lily inherits all of his money, and
28:07 she lives somewhat of the the life of the wealthy young socialite. Um Archie Goodwin meets him uh when he's tak- Sorry. Archie Goodwin meets her when he's taking uh Nero Wolfe to a a flower show where he's displaying his orchids and and and the the car has a flat tire. Um and and and that's how Archie Good- Goodwin meets Lily. Lily is a fantastic character.
28:42 Uh if only such women uh actually existed, I suppose. Uh but in any event, um at in one of the books, Lily actually kisses Nero Wolfe on the cheek, and he doesn't seem to dislike it. But in general, uh Nero Wolfe is a misogynist, and yet even when there are even when he's dealing with women, he will invite them to a meal because he feels it is his obligation to be a good host. So, uh um
29:17 Nero Wolfe was was born in Montenegro, which of course is is in Europe. Uh he has a house in Egypt, evidently. He talks about it, though we never see it happening in the books. And so, he has somewhat of a European attitude, although he is very American in many of his behaviors. Uh Archie Goodwin, his you know, man Friday, so to speak, who is also a licensed private detective, is from the Midwest. Uh I I believe it's
29:52 Ohio. Uh it isn't quite clear how Archie Goodwin ends up in New York and goes to work for Nero Wolfe. He just We just We know from the beginning that he is. And uh Archie Goodwin is also the narrator of all of the Nero Wolfe books. So, they're All the stories are told from his point of view. And there he's notable for several things. One, he's a man of action. Two, uh Nero Wolfe has a high degree of
30:28 confidence in his judgment, uh which sometimes Archie Goodwin finds amusing, uh and and sometimes he finds frustrating.
30:46 >> Uh Archie Goodwin is a snazzy dresser. He likes [snorts] to dress in nice suits. He wears a hat. That sort of thing. He's always careful about his dress. Although he interestingly enough he's not a big fan of shaving, which in the 1930s was probably a much more difficult task than it is today. Uh he women generally speaking like him. They find him charming, interesting. And uh we never know exactly
31:23 what his relationships are with women. So for example with Lily Rowan, Lily Rowan. Were they ever more than very close friends? We don't know. Uh [snorts] we know he at one point he gets a key to her apartment. Does he ever stay there? Again, we never it's never dealt with. Um but uh Nero Wolfe absolutely believes in Archie Goodwin's ability to understand women,
31:59 to question them and get information from them. And one of the ways that Archie Goodwin often uh deals with women is he takes them dancing. He is evidently a a fabulous dancer. And the one of the things besides beauty that that Archie Goodwin most likes in a woman is if she is a great dancer. Uh because he loves to dance. So he loves to go to the take them to the the
32:34 clubs in in New York where there's great bands and dance the night away and and have a few drinks and that sort of thing. Uh uh Archie Goodwin gets along very well with Fritz Brenner.
32:48 >> [snorts]
32:48 >> Fritz Brenner is uh Swiss, uh but he's fluent in French. He reads a French newspaper. And uh Archie Goodwin has his breakfast every morning in the kitchen at a little table where he reads his newspaper. Uh he's particularly fond of riddle cakes, which I think are just pancakes. Uh and Fritz's homemade sausage. Nero Wolfe, on the other hand, has his breakfast in bed on a tray or sometimes sitting at a little table uh in his bedroom. Uh Fritz Brenner is absolutely
33:23 devoted to Nero Wolfe and pretty much to Archie Goodwin as well. He is uh a a a very interesting He's not really necessarily even a minor character. Uh he's not as prominent as Archie Goodwin. Uh but but he is He is a very interesting man. And if possible, a greater misogynist than Nero Wolfe. So, sometimes Nero Wolfe will have a client, a female client, and for her protection, he will have her stay at in his
33:59 brownstone in one of the spare bedrooms. And Fritz Brenner always is uh nervous when there's a woman uh living in in in in the house. It's uh I I I I I I think this it probably would have played better in the 1930s uh than it than than it does now. Uh but but it's part of the the the the sort of charm of the the Nero Wolfe books. This this aspect of the the tension between uh Nero Wolfe and Fritz Brenner and women and and Archie who is
34:35 I think he would he would agree with this description. He's an absolute connoisseur of women even if he isn't the sort of you know um you know the kind of man who dallies with women in an appropriate way. You know he talks sometimes about getting married and he he he will sometimes meet a woman and and and be convinced that she's the one only to find out that there's some sort of you know fatal flaw from from from his perspective that prevents him
35:12 from marrying her. The stories I've been talking a lot about the characters. So part of the delight of the Nero Wolfe books is spending time with these characters. So I've talked about the the people who lived in in the brownstone. I've talked about Lily Rowan. There are two police officers who
35:48 appear in I think almost all of the Nero Wolfe books. One is Inspector Cramer who's a police inspector for the New York Police Department. The other is Sergeant Purley Stebbins who's kind of Inspector Cramer's you know main subordinate and Inspector Cramer and Sergeant Stebbins have kind of a love-hate relationship with Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. At times they work together. At times they are at odds. There are times when Inspector Cramer is
36:25 so frustrated with Nero Wolfe I think he would he would he wants to kill him. He certainly wants to arrest him. Um, but at other time but but in the end, he does respect Nero Wolfe's abilities and Archie Goodwin's abilities. And interestingly enough, although he doesn't really say it directly, I think that Nero Wolfe has respect for Inspector Kramer and Sergeant Stebbins because they they do really know their business. And unlike other uh police officers with whom uh
37:01 Wolfe and and Goodwin deal, uh Inspector Kramer and and Sergeant Stebbins are dedicated to solving the crime, not finding someone on whom it can be successfully pinned. And and this is another theme that comes out of the '30s where there was a lot of police reform being talked about, especially in big cities like New York. Uh and and and so I I think that th- th- this is kind of an aspect of Rex Stout. He had He had some very
37:38 profound beliefs. He believed in in in in in uh He was patriotic. He was uh he he very much believed in in justice and equal treatment of people. He was extraordinarily anti-fascist, especially during World War II. And one of the nice things about these his books are they are not political, but his his feelings on these subjects do come through a little bit, so you do
38:13 have a sense of where he's coming from without being clubbed over the head by by his ideas. Uh so uh Uh so uh so okay so so again the one of the best parts of these books is is the characters. But the stories are also great, too. And the stories typically surround somebody ending up being murdered. I I'm I'm I'm hard-pressed to think of a Nero Wolfe book that doesn't involve the murder. Now I I have not read all 70. I
38:49 haven't been able to find some of them or or I found them but they're you know several hundred dollars to buy a copy and so I haven't. Uh but even in the beginning sometimes there won't be a murder but then a murder happens and for various reasons either because he's hired to or because it's an issue of sustaining his vanity, Nero Wolfe decides he's going to take the case and solve the murder. Um in the cases in the in the times when he takes a case, usually it's because he's very well compensated. So
39:24 in the 1930s it was Nero where where you know you could buy a loaf of bread for a few pennies, you know, Nero Wolfe was getting multiple thousands of dollars fees, sometimes $10,000 and I think in one of the books he's offered $100,000 uh to to solve a case. You know, today that would be the equivalent of of perhaps you know, I don't know, $10 million or something like that. I mean they they huge huge fees. And he's part of it
39:59 part of the reason he seeks huge fees is he doesn't like to work. Uh and so if he's going to work, he wants to make a lot of money so he doesn't have to work anymore. Um but but I think it's also but having said that, there are times when he will take a case and he will refuse to accept a fee because he believes it's a matter a matter of honor Uh that that he you know that he take the case. Um the plots often times revolve around an opportunity for a case Nero Wolfe not wanting to work either
40:35 because he has sufficient money in the bank at the time or because he's just lazy and Archie Goodwin kind of prodding him to take the case. And there are a couple of situation at least a couple situations where Archie Goodwin feels that a case ought to be taken Nero Wolfe refuses and so Archie basically says, "Okay, well, I'm going to take a leave of absence or I'm going to quit and I'm going to help this person because I think this person should be helped." It probably comes as no surprise that that person is typically a beautiful woman. A beautiful young woman. Uh the the the
41:13 the plots they're not the kind of intricate plots that you might see in an Agatha Christie uh but the steps that Nero Wolfe takes are intricate and along the way you always learn what you need to know to solve the mystery but but it's not obvious which facts are uncovered are the relevant facts. And often times the mystery is solved
41:50 because it it at toward the end of the book Nero Wolfe convenes all of the suspects in his office in his brownstone. Often times he will invite Inspector Cramer and Sergeant Stebbins to be present as long as they don't interrupt what he's doing but to be there to you know take the miscreant into uh custody. And then he he step-by-step goes through what he's learned that has conclusively demonstrated to him that, you know, the
42:27 the murderer could only be, you know, the particular person to that that he points out. And of course, part of the joy of reading these books is you can clearly see how he figured it out after the fact, but prior to that, you can't. And so, you're going along with Archie Goodwin, who's trying to keep up with Nero Wolfe, but he does does not have Nero Wolfe's intellectual capabilities, and so he's
43:03 not able to to do so. Uh and so, oftentimes, uh you you know, you're absolutely convinced you know who the murderer is, it's obvious based on the evidence that's been uncovered throughout the book, and then you find out, nope, it's somebody else. So, Nero Wolfe is indeed one of the most iconic so-called armchair detectives.
43:39 And he he really is. He He has a specially designed chair that he sits in behind his desk, and and and it's from there most of his mysteries are solved. Um It is fascinating to learn the mental processes he went through in order to make his deductions. That's part of why the books are so engaging, and it's
44:15 why the books are eminently readable multiple times. So, uh most of these most of his books most of or most of the books that I have they have an introduction by someone who is a Nero Wolfe and Rex Stout aficionado. So, this one has an introduction written by Sandra West Prowell. And uh um the they will talk about how
44:50 they've read and reread over the decades the Nero Wolfe books and continue to enjoy them. So, I read through I read through most of them once a year, and what I find is even after doing it in this at this point in some cases I've read read some of them three times I still don't necessarily remember who the murderer is. Uh because they're they are complex. And uh and and even when I remember who the
45:26 murderer is it is so wonderful to be involved with these people that just to be reading about them is incredibly uh an incredibly pleasurable thing to do. One of my favorite parts of reading any of these books actually does not involve Nero Wolfe himself. The the Archie Goodwin character in some ways is a much more charismatic character. Well, not in some ways. In many ways is a much more charismatic
46:03 character and especially the interplay between him and Lily Rowan is is great. So Lily has a nickname for for Archie Goodwin. I She calls him Escamillo, which comes from I think it's Man of La Mancha. It's from It's from one of the great Spanish novels. And Escamillo is a a romantic character in the novels. And so that's that's her
46:38 nickname. I Frankly, you know, I would love to, you know, have a woman who thinks I'm her Escamillo. Incredibly romantic. And there is that that kind of romance of New York City that's involved in the books. There's the romance of a time when you know, people dressed up to go out. There's the romance of fine meals. And of the kind of interaction between men and women that
47:13 you know, we we we just don't see so much of anymore. I think you know, to to our you know, to our It's really our loss that that's the case. And so you know, I I I I I I want to wrap up I I Well, I've been going on a long time here. I want to wrap up with a with a few thoughts as I always do. I get Why are you talking to me about Nero Wolfe? If you if you like mysteries, detective stories, and you just haven't come upon Nero Wolfe and Rex Stout's
47:50 work yet. I I I hopefully what I've told you will motivate you to get them. If if you if you um have thought, "Oh, maybe I should check out, you know, detective fiction." So, Nero Wolfe i- i- is a great place to start, especially if you like more of the intellectual approach to it as a part as opposed to the sort of Mickey Spillane uh hard-boiled, you know, shoot first and ask questions later. And and by the way, I I I I've read many of of
48:25 Mickey Spillane's books. They they have They're They're different. Maybe I'll talk about them in a future show. But o- on a on a Friday evening sitting by the fire with a whiskey or a cognac there is Well, with the exception of your your the special person in your life, there is no better companion than a Rex Stout uh Nero Wolfe story. Uh they will challenge your mind
49:01 without uh forcing you to, you know, flip pages back to see if you could remember something. They will delight you in being a part of a a world that really doesn't exist anymore. And I think that they will inspire you as to the kinds of things we can bring into our lives to make them better, whether it's food
49:37 or some kind of passionate hobby, like in Nero Wolfe's case is orchids. Uh you know, they will they will do that. They'll They're also a also presentations of relationships. The unremitting loyalty of Fritz Brenner for Nero Wolfe. The the the interplay between Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. The recognition that even when,
50:15 for example, Archie is prodding Nero Wolfe to do things that Nero Wolfe really doesn't want to do, but he recognizes that Archie is is making him uncomfortable for his own benefit. Right? These are the kinds of things I think we need to understand. So, just because somebody does something that makes us uncomfortable, it doesn't make them a bad person. They they may very well have our our best interest interests at heart. They may truly love us.
50:50 And and and Rex Stout understands many or explores, I should say, many of those concepts. And then finally, as I talked about a little bit before, I think that Rex Stout throughout the decades that he wrote the Nero Wolfe books, he did deal with social issues that were topical in their time. So, for example, during World War II, Archie Goodwin joins, I believe it's the army. I think he advances to being a major. And Nero Wolfe feels compelled to
51:30 use his his abilities on behalf of his naturalized country. And there's there's a sense of getting the gestalt of the times in which the books are written again without being clubbed over the head by any particular political point of view. And I think from a historical perspective, it's interesting to see how these issues were dealt with in their time.
52:06 Right? We think of World War II for example as being a time when everybody was patriotic and everybody was in favor of the war, but that is not historically true. There were There was a a minority, admittedly, of people who were absolutely against World War II, and there was a lot of friction going on in the country during World War II. Men who went into the military were very upset about men who stayed home, had great jobs, got all the women. Um people at home were upset
52:43 sometimes upset over what they felt was the the the kind of uh awe with which people in the military were held even though they were working very hard to to, you know, build planes and tanks and and guns and and everything to supply them. There There There was tension between unions and and and and the government and and and companies. So, there were There were lot There was lots of turmoil going on that often times gets glossed over if if you're reading you know, uh the the the the you know,
53:20 best-known works about uh World War II, but once you start digging into the social history of World War II, you you you find a very different uh you get a very different understanding of that time in our history. And the Nero Wolfe books do that not just for World War II, but really throughout the century and not centuries, the the decades that Rex Stout wrote these books. And so so that's why I recommend them to you. Uh there's nothing like
53:56 getting enjoyment and enlightenment at the same time. And you may say, "Well, that's pretty lofty for you know, detective fiction." Okay, maybe it is. Um but but I think that it's it's accurate. And and and so once again, I'm going to I'm going to toast uh Rex Stout for having written them. Uh Archie Goodwin for having narrated them. Uh Lily Rowan for being a part of them. And of course, Nero Wolfe for solving
54:31 them. Interestingly enough, I've really only touched the surface of what's in the Nero Wolfe books. I want to leave lots and lots of of nourishment for you to have when you read them and and I hope you will. So, if you if you do uh take my recommendation, uh you know, post uh post what book did you read? What did you think about it?
55:06 Just take a minute. If you look right down below you, you'll find links to social media. And I I'd really love to uh hear from you as to what you think about this this world that centers primarily around the Lower West Side in New York from the mid '30s to the mid '60s. So, I thank you very much for joining me. As I always do. Have a wonderful evening, a wonderful rest of the week, a restorative weekend.
55:43 And I look forward to seeing you next week for the regular slate of shows and in two weeks for the next edition of Jigger's Place. And that just leaves me to sign off as I always do. Marie darling, you are my bell. Courage at all times, my friends.