The King of Clubs (12 Mar. 1989)
"Agatha Christie's Poirot" The King of Clubs (original title)

A deck with a missing card provides Poirot with the clue he needs to solve the murder of the tyrannical head of a movie studio.

Director:

Renny Rye

Writers:

Michael Baker (dramatized by), Clive Exton (script consultant),

Stars:

David Suchet, Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Suchet	...	Hercule Poirot
Hugh Fraser	...	Captain Hastings
Philip Jackson	...	Chief Inspector Japp
Niamh Cusack	...	Valerie Saintclair
David Swift	...	Henry Reedburn
Jonathan Coy	...	Bunny Saunders
Jack Klaff	...	Prince Paul of Maurania
Rosie Timpson	...	Miss Deloy
Gawn Grainger	...	Ralph Walton
Marc Culwick	...	Young Man (as Mark Culwick)
Vass Anderson	...	Frampton
Avril Elgar	...	Mrs Oglander
Abigail Cruttenden	...	Geraldine Oglander
Sean Pertwee	...	Ronnie Oglander
Cathy Murphy	...	Maid

Storyline

After a visit to Parade film studios with his friend Captain Hastings, Poirot finds himself investigating the murder of Henry Reedburn, the head of the studio. Reedburn was something of a tyrant who had fired a veteran actor, taken over a major film from a young director and had recently blackmailed actress Valerie Saintclair into signing a new contract. Upon finding the body, Saintclair ran to a neighboring house to seek help, interrupting the Oglander family's bridge game in the process. However, the lack of a king of clubs on the card table provides Poirot with only clue he needs to solve the crime.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | actress | film studio | actor | murder mystery | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Crime | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 1989 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Studios, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (36 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Valerie Saintclair: I'm not sure we should expect to see each other again.
Young Man: I couldn't bear that. I have to see you again.
Valerie Saintclair: Please.
Young Man: God! You're so beautiful.
Valerie Saintclair: Ahmed... I'm married.
Henry Reedburn: No! No! No!
Bunny Saunders: Alright, everybody, cut! Cut!

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Connections

References Corsair (1931)

User Reviews

"To get level with a snake, you have to crawl on the ground"

I may be biased in liking this episode, as I have always loved Agatha Christie and the Poirot series in particular. The King of Clubs is not one of my favourites, I always admire it for how interesting it is but the ending has always underwhelmed me, mainly not only because the culprit is left unpunished(not a problem as such, but I do prefer it when he/she gets his/her comeuppance) but there have been more ingenious and suspenseful build-ups before and since(of season 1 Four-and Twenty Blackbirds and Third Floor Flat were very simple yet were still effective because of it). However, it is interesting for its look at the movie industry from the era and for the use of the filming through painting on glass technique for the effects of the opening sequence. It is as ever sumptuously made and hauntingly scored, with an on the whole clever story and intelligent, humorous dialogue("you're the matter you skunk" is another gem of the episode as well the one above). The acting is of the usual high standard, not just from the outstanding Poirot of David Suchet but also the amusing Hastings of Hugh Fraser and Japp of Phillip Jackson, Niamh Cusack as Valerie and especially a suitably tyrannical David Swift as Reedburn. Overall, a very good episode, if not quite a great one. 8/10 Bethany Cox