The Alphabet Murders (1965)

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writers:

David Pursall (screenplay) and
Jack Seddon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 May 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Comedy

Tagline:

It's really no mystery why this girl is MURDER... it's as simple as ABC if you look hard enough!

Plot:

The Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates a series of murders in London in which the victims are killed according to their initials...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Hercule Poirot | Detective | Private Detective | Miss Marple

Cast

Tony Randall	...	Hercule Poirot
Anita Ekberg	...	Amanda Beatrice Cross
Robert Morley	...	Hastings
Maurice Denham	...	Japp
Guy Rolfe	...	Duncan Doncaster
Sheila Allen	...	Lady Diane
James Villiers	...	Franklin
Julian Glover	...	Don Fortune
Grazina Frame	...	Betty Barnard
Clive Morton	...	'X'
Cyril Luckham	...	Sir Carmichael Clarke
Richard Wattis	...	Wolf
David Lodge	...	Sergeant
Patrick Newell	...	Cracknell
Austin Trevor	...	Judson

Also Known As:

The ABC Murders

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:U (1965) (cut) | UK:U (tv rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The final film of Austin Trevor, the first Poirot.

Goofs:

Continuity: The sleeping Mrs Fortune's mouth changes position from shot-to-shot, and occasionally doesn't match the snoring soundtrack.

Quotes:

Hastings: Where have you been? What have you been doing?
Hercule Poirot: Arranging a little extra insurance my friend.
Hastings: Oh really? Personally I always feel perfectly safe with British railways. Mind you its very different in France, isn't it?
Hercule Poirot: I wouldn't know. I am not French, I am Belgian.
Hastings: Well it's the same thing, you both eat horsemeat.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Agatha Christie: Poirot: The ABC Murders (#4.1)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Amanda

Agatha Christie's Pink Panther

If you're used to seeing Agatha Christie's Belgian detective portrayed by the likes of Ustinov, Finney, Suchet, etc., you're in for a surprise with this curiosity: this is Poirot given the Clousot treatment. That the makers of this movie were inspired by the success of Blake Edwards' bumbling detective is beyond doubt; while not as incompetent as Clousot, he is still something of a clown, and even suffers the same problems with his English counterparts struggling to understand his pronunciation of certain words.

The film starts brightly, and I honestly believed that I was in for an unexpected treat after the first ten minutes, but, regrettably, the whole thing falls flat pretty quickly after that. Tony Randall is woefully miscast in the role of Poirot (presumably, he was chosen to increase the movie's chances in the US), and struggles unsuccessfully with the Belgian accent, while bearing only a passing resemblance to Christie's creation.

Robert Morley almost saves the movie single-handedly as the UK secret service agent ordered to protect – and then expel - Poirot. Morley only has to appear on screen to crank up the comedy-quotient – he was born with a face and physique that were simply made for comedy. Margaret Rutherford – another British comedy giant(ess) also appears in a brief, but amusing, cameo as Agatha Christie's other famous detective, Miss Marple. If you feel like watching a comic movie adaptation of one of Agatha Christie's detectives, I recommend that you catch one of Rutherford's far superior Miss Marple movies (MURDER SHE SAID, MURDER AT THE GALLOP) rather than this misguided flop.