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Quiz about Contemporary Christie 80s Agatha TV movies

Contemporary Christie - '80s Agatha TV movies Quiz

In the 1980s, US TV transplanted a number of Agatha Christie's novels to the modern era as TV movies. How much do you know about them?

A multiple-choice quiz by Red_John. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
Red_John

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
394,317

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
136

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In 1982, CBS aired "Murder is Easy", which features Luke Fitzwilliam, an MIT professor on vacation in England. Which actor, who had previously played a Marvel superhero, played Luke? Hint

Reb Brown

Nicholas Hammond

Bill Bixby

Peter Hooten

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Question 2 of 10

2. "Witness for the Prosecution", produced for CBS in 1982, starred which British theatrical knight as defence barrister Sir Wilfred Robarts? Hint

Sir Alec Guinness

Sir Laurence Olivier

Sir Ralph Richardson

Sir John Gielgud

3. In 1985, Peter Ustinov, having already played the character twice in theatrical features, made the first of three appearances as Hercule Poirot in CBS TV movies, when he starred in "Thirteen at Dinner". Which novel was it based on? Hint

Lord Edgware Dies

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Mrs McGinty's Dead

After the Funeral

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Question 4 of 10

4. "A Caribbean Mystery", aired by CBS in 1983, was the first of two appearances by Helen Hayes as Miss Marple. Although set on a Caribbean island, in which American state was it filmed? Hint

California

Florida

Hawaii

Texas

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Question 5 of 10

5. "Sparkling Cyanide" was broadcast by CBS in 1983, and featured Anthony Andrews in the central role of Tony Browne. In the original novel, Browne works with a regular character of Christie's to solve the crime, who does not appear in the TV movie. Which character is missing? Hint

Ariadne Oliver

Colonel Race

Superintendent Battle

Sir Henry Clithering

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Question 6 of 10

6. "The Man in the Brown Suit" aired in 1989 on CBS, and starred Stephanie Zimbalist and Simon Dutton. In the same year, Dutton appeared in a TV series as which famous character? Hint

Lord Peter Wimsey

Robin Hood

Simon Templar

Sherlock Holmes

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. In 1986, Peter Ustinov made the second of his three appearances as Hercule Poirot in CBS's TV movies, with the broadcast of "Dead Man's Folly". Which star of "Desperate Housewives" played Lady Stubbs, whose mysterious disappearance sparks the mystery? Hint

Nicollette Sheridan

Felicity Huffman

Teri Hatcher

Marcia Cross

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. "Murder with Mirrors", Helen Hayes' second and last appearance as Miss Marple, was broadcast in 1985, and saw her starring alongside Bette Davis, making her second appearance in an Agatha Christie adaptation. Which theatrical release was her first? Hint

Evil Under the Sun

Murder on the Orient Express

The Mirror Crack'd

Death on the Nile

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Question 9 of 10

9. "Murder in Three Acts" was Peter Ustinov's third and final TV appearance as Poirot. Based on the novel "Three Act Tragedy", it saw the action transplanted from London to which city in the Americas? Hint

Acapulco

Rio de Janeiro

Miami

Toronto

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Since 1989, ITV has adapted a significant number of Agatha Christie stories, under the banners of "Agatha Christie's Poirot" and "Agatha Christie's Marple". While the Poirot series focused solely on the novels and short stories featuring the lead character, the Marple series featured adaptations of novels not originally featuring Miss Marple, as well as those novels in which she did feature. Which of the following, which were CBS adaptations, was not adapted by ITV for its Marple series? Hint

The Man in the Brown Suit

They Do It With Mirrors

A Caribbean Mystery

Murder is Easy

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In 1982, CBS aired "Murder is Easy", which features Luke Fitzwilliam, an MIT professor on vacation in England. Which actor, who had previously played a Marvel superhero, played Luke?

Answer: Bill Bixby

"Murder is Easy" was loosely based on the novel by Agatha Christie, and starred Bixby alongside Lesley Anne Down, Olivia de Havilland and Helen Hayes, who subsequently played Miss Marple in two TV movies.

2. "Witness for the Prosecution", produced for CBS in 1982, starred which British theatrical knight as defence barrister Sir Wilfred Robarts?

Answer: Sir Ralph Richardson

The 1982 production of Christie's play, a remake of the 1957 film by Billy Wilder, is more faithful to the author's original short story, and features a stellar cast including Beau Bridges, Deborah Kerr, Diana Rigg and Donald Pleasance.

Answer: Lord Edgware Dies

As well as Poirot, "Thirteen at Dinner" featured appearances by Captain Hastings, played by Jonathan Cecil, and Inspector Japp, portrayed by David Suchet. Four years after appearing in "Thirteen at Dinner", Suchet was cast as Poirot in the series produced by ITV.

4. "A Caribbean Mystery", aired by CBS in 1983, was the first of two appearances by Helen Hayes as Miss Marple. Although set on a Caribbean island, in which American state was it filmed?

Answer: California

Helen Hayes was the first woman to win the big four awards in entertainment - Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony - in a career lasting 80 years. "A Caribbean Mystery" was her antepenultimate screen role; following this, she was in an episode of the television series "Highway to Heaven", before making a second appearance as Miss Marple in "Murder with Mirrors".

Answer: Colonel Race

Colonel Race appears in four of Christie's novels, including "Sparkling Cyanide". In two of these, "Cards on the Table" and "Death on the Nile", the character appears alongside Hercule Poirot. In the 1978 film version of "Death on the Nile", which starred Peter Ustinov as Poirot, Race was played by David Niven.

6. "The Man in the Brown Suit" aired in 1989 on CBS, and starred Stephanie Zimbalist and Simon Dutton. In the same year, Dutton appeared in a TV series as which famous character?

Answer: Simon Templar

Simon Dutton was the third actor to portray Simon Templar, aka 'The Saint', in a British TV series, following Roger Moore in 1962 and Ian Ogilvy in 1978. Dutton's series of six feature-length TV movies for ITV had its first two episodes broadcast in September 1989, before poor ratings led to the remaining four being postponed for almost a year.

Answer: Nicollette Sheridan

Nicollette Sheridan made her TV debut in 1984 in the short-lived soap "Paper Dolls", before being cast as Paige Matheson in "Knots Landing" in 1986, the same year as her appearance as Hattie Stubbs in "Dead Man's Folly".

Answer: Death on the Nile

"Death on the Nile", released in 1978, was the second Agatha Christie theatrical adaptation by producers Richard B. Goodwin and John Brabourne, and the first appearance of Peter Ustinov in the role, having taken over the role from Albert Finney. Ustinov made his second theatrical appearance as Poirot in "Evil Under the Sun" in 1982, and a final one in "Appointment with Death" in 1988, produced and directed by Michael Winner. "The Mirror Crack'd" featured Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple.

Answer: Acapulco

"Murder in Three Acts" sees some changes to the original novel - in addition to the action taking place in the city of Acapulco, the character of Charles Cartwright is an American movie star rather than an English stage actor with a knighthood, and Captain Hastings (played by Jonathan Cecil) takes the place of Mr Satterthwaite, who assists Poirot in the novel.

Answer: The Man in the Brown Suit

Both "A Caribbean Mystery" and "They Do It With Mirrors" (the US adaptations of which starred Helen Hayes), were both Miss Marple novels, while "Murder is Easy" had Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple included as part of the story, and featured Benedict Cumberbatch playing the role portrayed by Bill Bixby.

Source: Author Red_John

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