The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery
1950 | 95m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Paul L. Stein |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Patrick Kirwan, Victor Katona |
| Staring: |
| The story evolves around a radio panel game show "Twenty Questions." The panel is challenged with an anonymous question. The answer leads to a series of murders in which the killer uses the programme to name his victims in advance. Two reporters spot a link between them and enlist the aid of the panel in trapping the guilty party. | |
| Release Date: | Jan 31, 1950 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Paul L. Stein |
| Writer: | Patrick Kirwan, Victor Katona |
| Genres: | Comedy, Crime, Mystery |
| Keywords | serial killer, radio program |
| Production Companies | Grand National Pictures, Pax Films, Pendennis Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 29, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Robert Beatty | Bob Beacham |
| Rona Anderson | Mary Game |
| Clifford Evans | Tom Harmon |
| Edward Lexy | Det. Insp. Charlton |
| Olga Lindo | Olive Tavy |
| Daphne Padel | Self - The Twenty Questions Team |
| Jeanne De Casalis | Self - The Twenty Questions Team guest artiste |
| Jack Train | Self - The Twenty Questions Team |
| Stewart MacPherson | Self - The Twenty Questions Team |
| Norman Hackforth | Self - The Twenty Questions Team 'Mystery Voice' |
| Richard Dimbleby | Self - The Twenty Questions Team |
| Harold Scott | Maurice Emery KC |
| Liam Redmond | Echo News editor |
| Homi Bode | Mohammed Ali |
| Kynaston Reeves | Gen. Maitland |
| Sonya O'Shea | Stewart MacPherson's secretary |
| Frederick Leister | Police Commissioner |
| Wally Patch | Police Officer 'Tiny' White |
| John Salew | John Grimshaw |
| Gordon McLeod | Record News editor |
| Philip King | Cheshire Cheese waiter |
| Arthur Young | Doctor |
| Merle Tottenham | Mrs. Tavy's Neighbour (uncredited) |
| Meadows White | Frederick 'Ricky' Tavey (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Gerald Thomas | Editor |
| Don Russell | Art Direction |
| Ernest Palmer | Director of Photography |
| Hans May | Original Music Composer |
| Hal Britten | Camera Operator |
| John O'Gorman | Makeup Artist |
| Jane Seymour | Makeup & Hair |
| Paul L. Stein | Director |
| Patrick Kirwan | Screenplay |
| Victor Katona | Screenplay |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Victor Katona | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| 2024 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trending Position
A strange attempt to make a movie attraction based on a staid BBC radio panel show. The regulars of the show appear as themselves, very stiffly. A listener sends in questions to be answered on the show, committing a murder to match each of his suggestions. Tough reporter Beatty and cute Anderson try ... to catch him. The mystery is less interesting than seeing the recreation showing how quiz shows were recorded.
I really quite enjoyed this rather quirky crime thriller. It starts off with the most spurious of clues - a man writes into the famous BBC radio panel game "20 Questions" with a puzzle for them all. The answer turns out to be incredibly similar to the circumstances of a murder the next day... When t ... his happens again, two sparring reporters get down to investigating what's going on. Robert Beattty and Rona Anderson blend their gentle journalistic competitiveness (and a gently burgeoning romance) well, and alongside Edward Lexy as the pursuing policeman ("Insp. Charlton") and the real quiz panel - including legendary British broadcasters Richard Dimbleby and Jack Train - help to keep the mystery rolling along nicely. It's just a bit too long, I felt - the story does start to recycle itself a bit and there is a great deal of dialogue, but it is still an intriguing enough watch as the brains start to piece together this complex series of evidence threads that keeps us guessing right to the end. A couple of nice cameos from Kynaston Reeves and Liam Redmond help out well, too.