Ten Little Indians (TV 1959)

Agatha Cristie mystery in which one of ten suspects in an isolated island mansion is a killer. Who is It?

Directors:

Paul Bogart, Philip F. Falcone,

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel), Philip H. Reisman Jr.

Stars:

Nina Foch, Barry Jones, Romney Brent

Cast

Cast overview:
Nina Foch	...	Vera Claythorne
Barry Jones	...	Mr. Justice Sir Lawrence Wargrave
Romney Brent	...	Dr. Edward Armstrong
Peter Bathurst	...	Det. William Henry Blore
Kenneth Haigh	...	Philip Lombard

Storyline

Live television presentation of Agatha Christie's famous work "Ten Little Indians". A group of amoral people are invited to an isolated island mansion. Upon arriving, a recorded phonograph message accuses them of certain crimes in which they could not be touched by the law. After one dies from poison, another from an overdose of sleeping pills, a third from being struck/falling into a fire, and a fourth from stabbing, (all according to the ten little Indians nursery rhyme) the remaining number realize the killer is among those present. In the desperate game to survive, the remaining number try to figure out who the killer is, before they are murdered. Who will be next?

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Plot Keywords:

suspicion | isolated place | murder | unknown killer | based on novel | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1959 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Talent Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Ten Little Indians (1989)

User Reviews

And Then There Were None.......

This is a rare, live television Presentation of one of Agatha Christie's most famous mysteries. First aired on NBC on January 18th, 1959. Quite well done, with great performances from it's cast, Most notably Jones as the Judge and Brent as the Doctor. The movie only runs about an hour, which makes some of the plot appear rushed, but it doesn't make the movie any less enjoyable. This version actually follows the story more closely than you would expect. It is the only other version, (besides 1945's And Then There Were None) to keep the location at the secluded Indian Island Mansion. And it is in glorious black and white, which also makes viewing entertaining.

Those who don't know the story,(and those who do) will probably not be let down. The plot is: ten people are invited to a remote mansion on an island. When they arrive their missing host (via phonograph) accuses them of crimes he believes they have gotten away with. Soon the group begins to grow smaller, as their "Host" begins to kill them off one by one, according to the TEN LITTLE INDIANS (of course) nursery rhyme. Soon they realize their "Host" is among them, and they have to figure out who it is.

This is a highly entertaining flick. I have seen every version of this movie That I can find, the only version I haven't seen is the russian version, Desyat Negrityat, And this is one of my favorites. It doesn't surpass Rene Clair's "And Then There Were None" but for that matter, none of the remakes have. But the performance of the killer (I won't say who) is quite good. And for those who don't know the story, you will probably not be able to figure out who the killer is until he reveals himself (or herself) at the end. The only two places that I have seen it available are Videoflicks (Where I got my copy) and EBAY. If you like the story(Or just a good mystery) view it if you get a chance.

*****/*****