The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery

The 20 Questions Murder Mystery

Directed by	Paul L. Stein
Screenplay by	Victor Katona Patrick Kirwan
Produced by	Victor Katona Steven Pallos
Starring	Robert Beatty Rona Anderson Clifford Evans
Cinematography	Ted Lloyd Ernest Palmer
Edited by	Gerald Thomas
Music by	Hans May
Production companies	Pax Films Pendennis Productions
Release date	January 1950 (1950-01)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery is a 1950 British crime film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Robert Beatty, Rona Anderson, and Clifford Evans.^[1]

The film is a strange hybrid: with the Twenty Questions sections being a true studio recording with the normal panellists and presenters.^[2]

This is then threaded into the plot as the clues which are guessed trigger a series of murder, each in turn linked to the clue.

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Transcription

Plot

The story begins with a long queue of adults waiting to enter the Paris cinema. The narrator explains the cinema does not show movies: it is a BBC studio used for radio recordings and broadcasts.

Inside the Twenty Questions panel show is being recorded in front of the audience, and is broadcast live.^[3]

The first item to be guessed is "pig's ear" and this raises no issues. However, the second item to be guessed is Rikitikitavi (the short story by Rudyard Kipling. We see the panel correctly reach the correct answer on the final attempt.

Meanwhile, a wife finds her husband, Frederick Tavey, but known as Ricky Tavey, dead. He is found hanged and it is unclear if he has committed suicide.

Various press pick up the odd coincidence. Central to the storyline are rival reporters Bob and Mary, who try to unravel the mystery, while starting a romance.

Next we see Twenty Questions trying to guess the Hanging Judge. This results in a judge being murdered. There appears a slight link between the murders, over and above the Twenty Questions issue. Both victims are linked to colonial India. The judge has an Indian manservant, Mohammed Ali, who becomes the prime suspect.

Whilst Mary investigates the judge's home, a fire starts and she is locked in a room and almost killed. Potential evidence is destroyed in the fire.

We return to Twenty Questions for their final 60 second "quickie". The word is charlatan and is again correctly guessed. A note has been left with the panel which appears to be another warning. They conclude the clue links to "Rosemary is for Remembrance" (a line from Shakespeare) from this they deduce it points to memory, and by sonance to Emery.

In Emery's house, Ali arrives at the French doors and Emery lets him in. They have a heated discussion in Hindustani. Later Emery is strangled thuggee style by a man whose face is not seen.

The panellists next discuss a written clue in private: the two words seem to be "woodcock" and "gin". These seem to link to a general who has served in India and police are sent to protect him as he plays golf.

Meanwhile Harmon goes to Mary and tells her the clue means her, not the general, linking to her surname: Game. She initially laughs. Bob tries to phone her but she is not allowed to answer. Harmon explains his links to India and his worship of Kali. He pulls out a rope to strangle her, just as Bob arrives. He jumps out of the window rather than be arrested.

We end in the Twenty Questions studio with Bob and Mary holding hands in the audience.