Stumbled onto this while I was poking around on the Internet Archive. Apparently CBS produced a few episodes of a Nero Wolfe TV series back in 1959, with Kurt Kasznar as Wolfe and William Shatner as Archie. The pilot survives in a remastered and colorized version here.
I became a huge Nero Wolfe fan after seeing the A&E series from 2000 and 2001, which I still think is one of the best-made television shows of all time, if not the best. It's detailed, faithful, and keeps Stout's mix of subtlety, seriousness, and comedy. Plus, Chaykin as Wolfe and Hutton as Archie are wonderfully cast.
The 1959 pilot is not an adaptation of a Stout story, and it's pretty quick and simple. We get a few things in character, like Archie drinking milk and Wolfe getting all the suspects together in his office via a clever ruse. We also get some things a little out of character, like Wolfe eating like a pig, Archie reading him the paper, and a very expressive-moving Wolfe.
All in all, it's a fun little 26 minute show. Not the most subtle mystery, but closer in spirit to the books than the old radio show. Worth a look if you are a Wolfe fan or a Shatner fan.
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