- Case
- Plot it Yourself
- Year Published
- 1959
- Case Introduction
- 18 May - 3 June 1959. Leading authors and playwrights are being sued for plagiarism and the plagiarized manuscripts are mysteriously turning up in the their homes or their publishers offices. Wolfe takes on the Joint Committee On Plagiarism Of The National Association Of Authors And Dramatists(NAAD) And The Book Publishers Of America(BPA) as a client and agrees to do something about the situation that would make them pay his bill not only because they had to, but also because they felt he had earned it and they had got their money's worth.
- Notes
- Resolution
-
Back when Amy Wynn was unsuccessful, she engineered the scheme. It backfired on her when Alice Porter, her former partner, used it on *her* when she finally had a successful novel.
Characters in the case:
Respected Simon Jacobs.
Character descriptionExecutive Secretary of the National Association Of Authors And Dramatists. Archie describes her as "middle aged woman whose spine stayed as stiff as a poker both standing and sitting".
Reserved notes for this case
Literary agent for Alice Porter
Character descriptionLiterary Agent
Reserved notes for this case
Originally employed by Ellen Sturdevant she was also hired by Alice Porter to find the missing Porter manuscript.
Character descriptionFree lancer.
Reserved notes for this case
Fritz Brenner says 'one with eyes of that color and eyelashes of that length is a dangerous animal'.
She was employed by Wolfe to tail Alice Porter.
Character descriptionFull name, Theodolinda Bonner. Owner and operator of a private investigation agency in New York City.
Reserved notes for this caseNot explained why Dol personally went out on a job instead of one of her several agents.
Fritz prepared a mushroom and almond omelet, Apricot Omelet, Braised Ducklings Stuffed with Crab Meat, Squabs marinated in Cream with Madeira Cream Sauce and Lamb Loaf. Says that if he could lie with Archie's aplomb, he'd be an ambassador.
Character descriptionMaster chef in Wolfe's kitchen, has a small apartment in the basement. (In "Fer-De-Lance," his apartment is across from the plant room, not in the basement.) Swiss; native French speaker, served in WWI. Uninterested in murder, except whether a client is in the offing; gets anxious about household finance when Wolfe isn't working. Doesn't like to talk while cooking. Changes to his old slippers at 9 pm because of "things left on his feet by the war to remember it by". Implied he was a member of the Swiss Alpine Patrol during WWI.
Reserved notes for this case
Mentioned. Bua once tried to throw a bone handled knife at Wolfe and Wolfe now uses that knife as a letter opener.
Character descriptionAlbanian communist.
Reserved notes for this caseArchie remembers a pistol in his desk drawer that he used to shoot Bua at an old Roman fort in Albania.
Wolfe hired him to aid in the stake-out of Alice Porter's cottage in Carmel, N.Y.
Character descriptionSecond in line behind Saul Panzer when Nero and Archie need extra manpower.
Reserved notes for this case
Provided a picture of a corpse at Archie's request.
Character descriptionReporter at the Gazette. Dark skin, dark brown eyes. Neat little face, slick black hair. Neatest (card) shuffler Archie knows.
Reserved notes for this case
Wolfe hired her to assist in the stake-out of Alice Porter's cottage in Carmel, N.Y.
Character descriptionPrivate Investigator employed by Dol Bonner.
mentioned in THE MOTHER HUNT
Reserved notes for this case
Wolfe quotes his line "Most writers steal a good thing when they can".
Character description19th century English poet and dramatist. He wrote 'Mirandola', a tragedy
performed at Covent Garden with Macready and Kemble.
Reserved notes for this case
Visited the Brownstone on Wednesday May 27,1959. Wants to know everything Wolfe knows.
Character descriptionInspector with NYPD, Homicide. Has tolerate / hate relationship with Wolfe. He respects Wolfe, but is greatly irritated by his eccentricities. Habitually chews (but rarely lights) cigars. Notably, Cramer lights a cigar in Wolfe's office during "Instead of Evidence" in which the murder weapon is an exploding cigar! First name is given as Fergus one time, but generally accepted as Lionel. Had a son in the Army Air Corps during WWII. Archie has called Mrs. Cramer on the phone more than once to reach the Inspector at home. Archie's favorite alias for him is "the man about the chair" or "any name with a double "d", e.g., Mr. Judd".
At no time is Inspector Cramer ever referred to in the books as "Lionel T." Cramer; his first name is given as "Fergus" in "Where There's a Will." There is a lone later reference to him as L.T.C. (The Silent Speaker), but never Lionel. Stout's biographer, John McAleer, asked Stout to explain the "Fergus"/"L.T.C" discrepancy; Stout replied: "No significance. Laziness. I didn't bother to check on whether he already had a first name. Of course, all discrepancies in the Nero Wolfe stories are Archie Goodwin's fault." (from "Royal Decree; Conversations with Rex Stout)
He is featured in a book by Stout called Red Threads, first published 1939, tracking down a killer with a young fashion designer. There is no reference to Nero Wolfe.
Reserved notes for this case
Archie Goodwin's tailor. Kenneth Rennert commenting on Archie's suit, asked if it was by Matthew Jonas and Archie replied no its by Peter Darrell.
Character descriptionTailor
Reserved notes for this case
Archie describes him as a 'tall gray-haired one with a long bony face'.
Character descriptionTitle House (publisher). Tall, grey-haired.
Reserved notes for this caseArchie was mistaken - he was tall, grayhaired with a sandy-cast, not a long-head, more a round head but with a hooked nose
Employed by Wolfe to 'stake out' Porter cottage in Carmel, N.Y.
Character descriptionHired hand used by Wolfe and Archie when extra manpower is needed. Not the best, but can tail better than anybody but Saul. The favorite "irregular" after Saul - Fritz: "I'm glad it's Orrie instead of Saul or Fred"; Archie: "Such a chore for Saul or Fred of course, but I didn't like doing it for Orrie."; Mr Wolfe: "He doesn't have the dignity of a man who has found his place and occupies it, as you have, Fred."
Bald, burly, 5'10, 190 lbs; moves like a bear. Married with four children. Archie: "You can trust him to hell and back."
Reserved notes for this caseStands mute.
Wrote 'Hold Fast To All I Give You' Sued for plagiarism of 'What's Mine Is Yours' by Simon Jacobs.
Paid $90,000 to settle suit.
Character descriptionNovelist.
Reserved notes for this case
She found a copy of Alice Porter's
manuscript in Amy Wynn's folder at Imhof's office.
Character descriptionSecretary. Works at Victory Press, assigned to Reuben Imhof. Archie finds her attractive.
Reserved notes for this case
Contacted by Kenneth Rennert with a demand for $1 000 000.
Character descriptionTheatrical producer. One of the plays he produced was _A Barrel of Love_.
Reserved notes for this case
Alice Porter's landlady during her first plagiarism suit. Afterward Porter had enough money to buy a house in Carmel, and moved out.
Character descriptionOperator of Collander House, a 'hive' home for girls and women on West 82nd Street.
Reserved notes for this caseEminently trustworthy. Porter parked some evidence with her as a safeguard against her own murder, hence her continued survival.
Suggests approaching Simon Jacobs, as the least well-off and most honourable of the catspaws.
Character descriptionNero Wolfe's tough and witty assistant.
Reserved notes for this caseDiscovers 2 of 3 murder victims, destroying fingerprint evidence each time to conceal his presence.
Suspicious of the Committee but agrees to provide a copy of _The Moth That Ate Peanuts_.
Character descriptionBest And Green Publishers
Reserved notes for this case
Encountered during this case, but no speaking role.
Character descriptionAssistant District Attorney in the Bronx.
Reserved notes for this case
Brought plagiarism problem to Wolfe on Tuesday, May 2, 1959. Archie describes him as a 'middle-aged shorty with a round
face, round shoulders, and a round belly'.
Character descriptionWriter, Chairman - Joint Committee on Plagiarism of the National
Association of Authors and Dramatists and the Book
Publishers of America. (JCPNAADBPA) Author of _Why the Gods Laugh_, which rates an A from Wolfe.
Reserved notes for this case
Archie says that Theodore eats in the kitchen with Fritz (and with Archie, when Archie's in the doghouse), although Theodore's never been shown doing so.
Character descriptionOlder man. Wolfe's orchid nurse. Lives in small cubbyhole on the roof with the plants. First mentioned in ch. 3 of "Fer-de-lance" - Archie sometimes hears him shouting at Wolfe in the mornings.
Reserved notes for this case
Archie describes him as a 'wiry-looking bantam with big ears and slick black hair'.
Character descriptionVictory Press Publishers. Archie describes him as a 'wiry-looking bantam with big ears and slick black hair'.
Reserved notes for this case
Sued Richard Echols for plagiarism, collected $90,000. Living since 1954 with his wife and three
children in a tenement at 632 West 21st Street.
Character descriptionWriter, born 1897. Wrote hundreds of stories between 1922 and 1940, using 4 pen names; production dropped drastically after WWII. Member of NAAD since 1931, prompt dues-payer. Married in 1948, had 3 children by 1959. Archie describes him as sixty-two years old, thin and scrawny, hair like
Mark Twain's, has a stutter.
Reserved notes for this case
Mentioned by Rennert upon meeting Archie and admiring Archie's suit. Rennert asks if it's a Matthew Jonas.
Character descriptionTailor
Reserved notes for this caseIt isn't; it's a Peter Darrell.
Upon his first visit to the brownstone, Knapp says they haven't been hit yet, but they're afraid to open their mail, since they have 3 entries on the bestseller list.
Character descriptionPresident, Knapp And Bowen Publishers. Archie describes him as 'big blond guy in a brown suit with tan stripes'.
Reserved notes for this case
Deceased. Wrote 'Sacred Or Profane'. Estate sued for plagiarism of 'On Earth But Not In Heaven' by Jane Ogilvy. Heirs paid $135,000 upon losing lawsuit.
Character descriptionNovelist. Mother of one grown son and daughter.
Reserved notes for this caseHeirs also requested autopsy, but no foul play detected in Lippin's death.
Archie's 'fried chicken expert' aunt.
Character descriptionArchie's aunt
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County of New York, Assistant District Attorney.
Character descriptionAssistant District Attorney
Reserved notes for this case
Carmel, N.Y cab driver who gave Archie directions to Alice Porter's cottage.
Character descriptionTaxi driver
Reserved notes for this case
Sued estate of Marjorie Lippin for plagiarism, collected $135,000, used the proceeds to spend a month in Europe after complaining of being smothered by her parents.
Described as in her late twenties or early thirties. Still lives with her parents in their house at 78 Haddon Place, Riverdale N.Y.
Character descriptionPoet. Nice little figure, pretty little face, dreamy-eyed.
Reserved notes for this caseThe spiel she lays upon Archie during their first encounter is drawn from _Eve of St. Agnes_, a poem by John Keats, although it's an insult to Keats to say so after her nonsense.
Wrote play 'A Barrel Of Love' and was sued for plagiarism of 'A Bushel Of Love' by Kenneth Rennert.
Paid $1,000,000 to settle suit.
Character descriptionPlaywright (Archie has seen and enjoyed his work). Archie describes him as having 'thick lips and deep-set dark eyes'. Chain-smokes when nervous.
Reserved notes for this case
Employed by Wolfe to search for Porter manuscript and to
'stake out' Porter's cottage in Carmel N.Y.
Character descriptionTop hired hand Nero and Archie look to for manpower. Hosts regular Thursday night poker game at eight pm at his apartment in Brooklyn. Rust-colored hair, 5'7, 145 lbs, big nose and flat ears.
In the "Rubber Band" (ch. 6) Archie tells us that Panzer has a photographic memory when it comes to faces.
Reserved notes for this case
Wolfe hired Parker to obtain the release of Saul Panzer and Fred Durkin when they were arrested
while 'staking out' the cottage of Alice Porter.
Character descriptionWolfe's lawyer -- the only lawyer Wolfe ever sent orchids to. A bachelor who plays bridge on winter Sundays. (Appears as "Henry" Parker in The Squirt & the Monkey and The Golden Spiders.)
Reserved notes for this case
Sued Ellen Sturdevant for Plagiarism and collected $85,000.
She once lived at the Collander House on West 82nd Street but now lives in a cottage near Carmel, N.Y. sixty miles north of New York City. Also accused Amy Wynn of plagiarism.
Character descriptionWriter, sometime member of the NAAD (drops in and out depending on payment of dues). Archie describes her as middle thirties, unmarried, fleshy, say 150 pounds, round face, small nose, eyes too close together.
Reserved notes for this case
Very brisk agreement to send Wolfe a copy of _Barrage at Dawn_. (His secretary takes care of details such as billing.)
Character descriptionOwl Press Publisher
Reserved notes for this case
Sued Mortimer Oshin for plagiarism, collected $1,000,000. Lives on East 37th Street between Lexington and Third. Not much visible means of support, apparently lives on borrowed money.
Character descriptionUnsuccessful TV scriptwriter after failed career as a broker. Princeton graduate. Described as thirty-four years old, single, virile,muscular, handsome.
Piercing brown eyes.
Reserved notes for this caseFound dead in his apartment by Archie some days after the fact. Don't read while eating.
Archie spent Saturday, May 6, 1959 and Sunday, May 7, 1959
with Lily at her place in Katonah, N.Y.
Character descriptionAttractive blonde. Daughter of millionaire sewer man James Rowan, owns the Bar JR ranch in Montana.
Reserved notes for this case
Lawyer for the National Association of Authors and Dramatists.
Character descriptionLawyer for the National Association of Authors and Dramatists.
Reserved notes for this case
Oshin terminated their relationship a month after _A Barrel of Love_ opened. Four months later, the suspect manuscript turned up in a dead file in his office.
Character descriptionTheatrical agent. At one time had Mortimer Oshin as a client.
Reserved notes for this case
Archie was surprised by Sergeant Purley Stebbins of Homicide West while visiting Simon Jacobs residence on West 21st Street.
Character descriptionInitially an employee in N.Y. D.A.'s office. Later Cramer's man.
Detective (sergeant). Unfriendly.
Reserved notes for this caseBoth groan in unison, "Not *you*," upon meeting at Jacobs' apartment.
Accused of plagiarising 'The Color of Passion' from 'There Is Only Love' by Alice Porter. Sturdevant lost case and paid Porter $85,000.
Character descriptionNovelist, author of 'The Color of Passion'.
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National Association of Authors and Dramatists president.
Character descriptionPresident of National Association Of Authors And Dramatists
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Writer (mentioned). It is said Simon Jacobs' hair resembles his.
Character descriptionPen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, author of _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer_ (among other works).
Reserved notes for this case
Deceased. Former owner of Rusterman's Restaurant and Wolfe's good friend.
Character description"He was one of only two men whom Wolfe will call by their first names, apart from employees," Archie relates as he introduces Marko in "Too Many Cooks." A boyhood friend from Montenegro, Marko is welcome to address Wolfe by his first name, and he dines monthly at Wolfe's house. One of the Fifteen Masters, Marko is the great chef of Rusterman's restaurant in New York -- one of the few places Wolfe will dine away from home.
Reserved notes for this caseMentioned when Wolfe gets so angry he starts swearing in Serbo-Croatian. However, Archie's memory of Wolfe cursing like that upon Marko's death appears to conflict with the record of that investigation.
Archie ranks Wolfe's reading on the following scale.
A = uses gold bookmark, picks up book before ringing for beer.
B = uses paper as bookmark, picks up book before ringing for beer.
C = dog-ears page, rings for beer before picking up book.
D = dog-ears page, waits for beer to arrive before picking up book.
Character descriptionMaster detective. Genius. Estimated weight: 1/7 ton. Carries a large platinum watch in his vest pocket. Sends a check every month to his mother in Budapest ("Fer-de-lance, ch. 13)..
Reserved notes for this caseWolfe mutinies just after concluding that none of the catspaws engineered the plagiarism scheme (first time in 3 years, according to Archie). After the 3rd murder, Wolfe forswears the drinking of beer and the eating of meat until the killer is in the bag. Marks only the 4th or 5th occasion on which Archie has heard Wolfe swear in Serbo-Croat.
Wrote 'Knock At My Door' and was accused of plagiarism of 'Opportunity Knocks' by Alice Porter. She was living on Perry Street but recently moved to Arbor Street.
Character descriptionNovelist, never married, not very social. Archie describes her as a "female...who might have been easy to look at if her nose would stop twitching."
Reserved notes for this case
Meals in the case:
(no meals are currently in the NWD for this story)
Orchids in the case:
(no orchids are currently in the NWD for this story)
Quotations in the case:
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