The 20 Questions Murder Mystery (1950) User Reviews (12)

Any questions

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 18 October 2017]

A film that will remind you that a Dimbleby has always been on the BBC as Richard Dimbleby plays himself as a member of the Twenty Questions radio panel. The panel receive a series of anonymous clues that lead to murder.

A journalist Bob Beacham (Robert Beatty) realises that a question sent by a listener regarding Riki-tiki-tavi is somehow linked to the death next day of a man with a name similar to it.

Along with a fellow journalist Mary Game (Rona Anderson) they look for similar clues in the next edition of the radio program as they figure that a pattern is developing.

It is never explained why the murderer has gone to elaborate lengths to the taunt the police but they seem to be more interested in fitting up an Indian manservant called Mohammed Ali.

All through the film you get comments on the case by two BBC workers on the reception of the radio show.

There is a lot of casual sexism in the film, yet it is a rather amusing, dated and diverting thriller.

A Sunday afternoon sort of movie

[valis666 · 6/10 · 29 July 2014]

Based around a guessing game radio show that that was very popular in America and the UK in the 40s and 50s, this film stars the cast of the British version. An anonymous listener is mailing questions into the show to be solved on the air, and these clues are lining up with actual murders being committed, so it's up to our radio heroes to decipher the clues for each new letter before it's too late and the murder committed.

It's old, creaky, but also quaint and light hearted with all murder and violence happening off-screen. I imagine people who were familiar with the UK program got more miles out of this than the rest of us as there are a number of in-jokes based on the panelists personalities (particularly Jack Train, who seems to be the goofball of the otherwise stuffy group), but it's still a fun, quick Sunday afternoon-type whodunit if you like the sort and even if you've never heard of the show.

Unworkable premise turns out surprisingly well

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 15 June 2016]

As a low budget British crime film mixing fact and fiction, THE 20 QUESTIONS MURDER MYSTERY works far better than the previous attempt I saw, THE BRASS MONKEY. This one takes the real-life participants of the radio quiz show '20 Questions' and incorporates them into a plot involving a vengeful murderer who gradually works his way through a group of old soldiers. His modus operandi is to send in clues and puzzles to the '20 Questions' team before committing each crime. It's a novel premise and one that works quite well thanks to the literate script. The director, Paul L. Stein, had a lengthy career that started out in German silent cinema before he fled to the UK in 1938 and became a film director over here. He died shortly after this production, leaving the film a fitting testament to his talents.

Fans of the genre will recognise various tropes here, from the intrepid reporter running rings around the police to the villain with his secret motive and the well-staged and atmospheric murders which feel like they're out of an Edgar Wallace novel. As the reporter hero, the Canadian born Robert Beatty had one of the longest careers in Hollywood history and does a fine job, and Rona Anderson is ahead of the times as the sharp female reporter. Once again, Wally Patch (SALUTE THE TOFF) steals every scene as the humorous cop assigned to bodyguard duty to protect the equally funny Jack Train, and Kynaston Reeves plays in support.

The 20 Question Murder Mystery

[henry8-3 · 6/10 · 14 October 2019]

The classic radio show receives a clue to a series of murders and reporter Beatty picks up the trail.

Actually quite well written with the script careering on at quite a pace with some nice characters with some witty one liners - in fact the script is more entertaining than the whodunnit.

Enjoyable afternoon fare.

A pretty question, but someone won't like the answer.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 4 March 2020]

The BBC's legendary Twenty Questions show is the subject of a killer's macabre sense of humour, sending in questions as leads to their heinous crimes.

It's a very cold and wet day, the curtains are shut, so the setting is cosy, this film has been the perfect antadote to a cold and wet day. The pace is slow, but it's engaging enough, it's atmospheric and will keep you guessing. The acting is varied to say the least, but there are some interesting characters.

It's 1950, it holds up, nice production values, although some of the attitudes are representative of the time.

Poirot's Whitehaven Mansions appear to be the external home of Mary Game.

It's a decent pot boiler, 6/10.

Unexpectedly literate and funny

[lucyrfisher · 14 July 2017]

The real-life 20 Questions radio parlour game panel become involved in a murder mystery. The BBC stars play themselves, and come across as natural and witty, especially Jeanne de Casalis and Richard Dimbleby. There are a lot of in-jokes, several referring back to the wartime radio comedy ITMA, in which Jack Train played a bibulous Colonel. (His catchphrase was "I don't mind if I do.") There is a rather tasteless running gag about his drinking habits. The cast also send up the sonorous BBC sign-off of "Goodnight everybody, goodnight."

The script is literate, and the clues require a knowledge of Shakespeare. Rona Anderson (later Mrs Gordon Jackson) is excellent as an aspiring newswoman who finds she's disbarred from the Cheshire Cheese. It's a pub, and in those days women were only allowed in the restaurant. Who wants to go back to the 50s? (30 years later, bar staff were grudgingly coming round to the idea that they might take orders from women – you just had to stand there for half an hour while they ignored you.)

The Silken Cord

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 13 January 2020]

Despite only being six at the time I well remember the national grief when broadcaster Richard Dimbleby died in 1965, and you probably have to be my age or over to get the references to Rikitikitavi and Judge Jeffreys (while it dates the film that no eyebrows are raised at one character being called 'Mohammed Ali')!

Oddly this seems not to be based on a novel, since it plays like a Hollywood series entry embellished with a plusher production, wittily cynical quips, London locations and a large British supporting cast with familiar faces in sometimes surprisingly brief roles. (SLIGHT SPOILER COMING: It was because one well known actor was given so little to do that alerted me to the fact that he was going to turn out to be the killer.)

The 20 Questions Murder Mystery

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 28 December 2022]

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 this 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.

Culturally important and entertaining. No question about it.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 7 July 2022]

Certainly movies become dated when they have references to radio and TV shows and celebrities that have long left the public consciousness. But if these films didn't exist with those references, those shows and entertainers probably wouldn't be remembered at all. American movies reference old radio programs and TV shows all the time with celebrities that a lot of people still remember (Benny/Hope/Berle), while British films like this one deal with shows I would not have known about had I not sat down to watch the film. And watching it, I got a nice little view into the excitement of the audience standing outside waiting to get in on a nice Piccadilly afternoon.

It so happens on this afternoon, this radio show has someone calling in to drop clues to a crime that has been committed, and while the question seems unimportant, more call-ins from the same person indicate otherwise. The atmosphere for the most part is very lighthearted, but when a female reporter played by Rona Anderson is nearly burned to death and a suspect is sought out, everything changes, and the mystery grows. It's up to Anderson and another journalist (Robert Beatty) to gather all the clues that they have to do what they can to expose who this criminal mastermind is. Intense and entertaining, I may not fully appreciate the cultural references based on the era and location this takes place, but it was a nice way to become intrigued, and it kept my interest which is more than enough reason to recommend it.

A Questionable Affair

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 17 December 2011]

The programme "20 Questions" was a very popular programme on BBC radio.So the producers clearly had the idea of cashing in on its popularity at the cinema.So they concocted this film.The first 10 minutes and the last 5 are a recreation of a show.The prospective murderer manages to get a topic u8sed which would supposedly be a clue to his first murder.Now why he would do that and why anyone would guess it was a clue is never explained.After 2 murders it is realised that this is a clue.However the lack of tension is a real problem as the real murderer is easy to guess.The last clue is rather baffling leading everyone in the wrong direction.So instead of going to kill someone he had a grudge against he decides to kill a woman reporter who he believes could recognise him.Now bearing in mind that the murderer had dispatched his victims in about 5 seconds flat,he becomes involved in a long drawn out climax in the reporters flat where he talks about killing her and of course in the end the police lead by another reporter,Robert Beatty,get to the flat in the knick of time to save the woman.This film lasts 93minutes and it is about 20 minutes too long.It is directed in a perfunctory manner which robs the film of any suspense.

Riki-Tiki-Tavi!!

[kidboots · 8/10 · 21 July 2017]

Modest quota quickies often played in independent halls as a main feature provided there was enough appeal to capture an audience - and this little murder mystery from the tiny Southall studio seemed to tick all the boxes!! Not only were there a few sightings of some BBC radio personalities at the start (with a starry eyed fan sighing "isn't he handsome") but "20 Questions" was a very popular quiz program in it's day and the movie even featured a few of the original contestants although only Jeanne De Casalis received "guest artiste" credit!!

Rona Anderson had been part of Rank's young ladies "charm school" but for some reason she just didn't stand out. She soon found herself trapped in Bs even though she once said "second features were not a good look - it looked like you hadn't quite made it"!! She was a lovely addition to any movie and her brisk resourcefulness usually gave more depth to the part than was often there. Here she played Mary vying for the big scoop with fellow reporter from a rival paper Robert Beatty and with all the chauvinistic wisecracks typical of the early 1950s.

Both she and Bob happen to be in the audience of "20 Questions" when a question is sent in by a listener (an unusual occurrence) - the team get a lot of fun with linking Rikitikitavi to a mongoose!! Next morning an avid listener of the program awakes to find her husband dead - his name is Riki Tavi and a stuffed mongoose they bought back from India has pride of place on the mantle. After another murder the intrepid pair find that India is the link - and the connection is a trial where a violent man was sentenced to life for killing an Indian servant. He is now back in Britain under an assumed name and thirsting for revenge from all the people who put him behind bars!!

There are boundless clues but no one seems interested - an Indian manservant Mahoomed Ali mentions a strange man who feeds the pigeons in the park but only viewers will link the clues, the cast are all too busy pointing an accusatory finger at Ali, even though he spends the movie scared witless that he is going to be the next victim!!

Clifford Evans turns up in a pivotal role - he seems the only cast member who had seen better movie days (a leading role in "Love on the Dole" (1941)) but by the 1950s was firmly ensconced in the Bs!!

Begins with originality but cannot sustain it

[gridoon2024 · 5/10 · 7 January 2022]

It begins with some originality, even blurring the lines between reality and fiction by having several real panelists of a (rather obscure today) radio game show playing "themselves" but acting out a script. However, all of this is quickly mostly abandoned, and the film becomes a conventional, talky and overlong murder mystery. A dull male protagonist does not help much. The killer, however, is admittedly well-hidden. ** out of 4.