Air date: 04/03/1990
Published: First story in "Poirot Investigates" (1924)
In many of the short stories where he serves as narrator Hastings' inability to make correct logical deductions acts as an obvious foil to the 'little grey cells' of Hercule Poirot.
This contrast is made particularly apparent in the next episode, The Adventure of the Western Star, where Hastings tries so hard to make a contribution.
The story begins with actress Mary Marvell (who, for TV, becomes a Belgian actress Marie Marvelle!). She has recently received threatening letters regarding a jewel (the 'Western Star' of the title), which, the letters claim, forms one eye of an ancient Chinese god's icon. The letters claim the jewel will be taken from her. She and her film star husband, Gregory Rolf, are due to visit one Lord and Lady Yardly - who owns a parallel jewel (the 'Eastern Star') - to discuss a filming project at his estate.
While Poirot is out (to "take some air" in the original, to have his hair cut in the adaptation) Lady Yardly arrives. Hastings, seizing the opportunity, surmises she, too, has received threatening letters about her jewel.
Hastings and Poirot visit the Yardlys and, in a dramatic scene, Lady Yardly's jewel is wrenched from her neck in the dark, seemingly by a Chinaman. On returning to London they hear that the actress's diamond has also been stolen.
As it turns out, there was only ever one jewel, which belonged to Lady Yardly. Following a brief fling between the two, Rolf had blackmailed Lady Yardly to part with her jewel and to have it replaced with a paste. When her husband declared his intent to sell the diamond (to pay off debts) she had contacted Rolf, who had come up with the Chinese ruse to stage the theft of both. Rolf had fabricated the letters to his wife and, of course, Lady Yardly had never received any letters.
There are several changes of detail for the TV adaptation. In the original Poirot pursuades Rolf to return the genuine diamond to him. For TV Rolf doesn't play ball (he is in the process of selling it) and Poirot manages to retrieve it from the dodgy diamond dealer who is brokering the sale. The interested buyer is only referred to obliquely in the original; for TV he becomes Van Brax, a diamond collector who operates on the borders of legality. In fact, the production opens with Japp trying to nail him (a sub-plot that runs, somewhat unsuccessfully, throughout the episode).
In the original denouement Poirot dismisses Mary Marvell (who, in many ways, is the ultimate loser), claiming she has had the publicity, which is all she is interested in. For TV there is a touching scene (spoken largely in French) where Poirot consoles her.
And finally, back to where we began: Hastings. The original short story ends with Hastings rather grumpily accusing Poirot of making a fool of him, and storming out. This would never do for TV, where the short stories almost invariably end on a light note. So here. Hastings is, at most, a tad piqued, but it is smiles all round as he and Poirot enjoy a meal Poirot has cooked for them both.
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Tuesday, 30 December 2014
18. The Kidnapped Prime Minister
Air date: 18/02/1990
Published: Eighth story in "Poirot Investigates" (1924)
The next episode in Agatha Christie's Poirot provides a wonderful platform for our sleuth's "little grey cells".
As the title suggests, the story revolves around the kidnapping of the British Prime Minister, the day before he is due to deliver a crucial speech at a European peace conference. Poirot is called in - on the recommendation of the police - but spends most of the episode exasperating the authorities by thinking rather than acting!
The PM was supposedly kidnapped in France. The car that collected him on arrival is found abandoned, and his private secretary, Daniels, is left bound and gagged. The incident took place the day after a botched attempt was made on his life in the UK.
Poirot eventually deduces that the PM never left England. The botched shooting attempt was rigged so that a heavily bandaged 'double' could make the sea voyage to France before disappearing. Daniels was, of course, involved in the plot.
The TV adaptation is faithful to the general flow of the short story. In the original Poirot actually travels to France before realising he needs to be back in the UK. In the TV version his little grey cells (and propensity to suffer sea-sickness!) bring him to this conclusion even earlier!
Daniels' wife plays a bigger role in the TV version, allowing the writers to include yet another car chase scene (Hastings attempting to follow her after Poirot has flushed her out). Poirot waits by the phone in his flat, which justifies Miss Lemon making an appearance (she is not in the original). Japp appears briefly in the original, but has his usual beefed-up role on TV, and spends most of the episode fretting over Poirot's methods - as he was the one who recommended Poirot to the government!
The biggest change for TV, however, is provided by the kidnappers. In the original they are, in a rather vague way, German sympathisers, and the PM is eventually discovered at the home of one Frau Bertha Ebenthal. For TV Daniels, his wife and the bogus UK car driver are all pro-Irish activists (the chant Eirinn go bragh - Ireland forever - features) and the PM is found, in a final stand-off, at the ancestral home of Mrs Daniels.
Published: Eighth story in "Poirot Investigates" (1924)
The next episode in Agatha Christie's Poirot provides a wonderful platform for our sleuth's "little grey cells".
As the title suggests, the story revolves around the kidnapping of the British Prime Minister, the day before he is due to deliver a crucial speech at a European peace conference. Poirot is called in - on the recommendation of the police - but spends most of the episode exasperating the authorities by thinking rather than acting!
The PM was supposedly kidnapped in France. The car that collected him on arrival is found abandoned, and his private secretary, Daniels, is left bound and gagged. The incident took place the day after a botched attempt was made on his life in the UK.
Poirot eventually deduces that the PM never left England. The botched shooting attempt was rigged so that a heavily bandaged 'double' could make the sea voyage to France before disappearing. Daniels was, of course, involved in the plot.
The TV adaptation is faithful to the general flow of the short story. In the original Poirot actually travels to France before realising he needs to be back in the UK. In the TV version his little grey cells (and propensity to suffer sea-sickness!) bring him to this conclusion even earlier!
Daniels' wife plays a bigger role in the TV version, allowing the writers to include yet another car chase scene (Hastings attempting to follow her after Poirot has flushed her out). Poirot waits by the phone in his flat, which justifies Miss Lemon making an appearance (she is not in the original). Japp appears briefly in the original, but has his usual beefed-up role on TV, and spends most of the episode fretting over Poirot's methods - as he was the one who recommended Poirot to the government!
The biggest change for TV, however, is provided by the kidnappers. In the original they are, in a rather vague way, German sympathisers, and the PM is eventually discovered at the home of one Frau Bertha Ebenthal. For TV Daniels, his wife and the bogus UK car driver are all pro-Irish activists (the chant Eirinn go bragh - Ireland forever - features) and the PM is found, in a final stand-off, at the ancestral home of Mrs Daniels.
Sunday, 28 December 2014
17. The Adventure of the Cheap Flat
Air date: 18/02/1990
Published: Third story in "Poirot Investigates" (1924)
American organised crime, the FBI and guns all creep into this latest adventure for Hercule Poirot and his friends.
For that reason the TV adaptation opens with Poirot, Hastings and Japp all watching a James Cagney crime caper at the cinema. Poirot is suitably squeamish at the American propensity to solve everything with guns!
That typical TV opener aside, the adaptation is again very faithful to the basic outline of the original story. The mystery revolves around why a young couple, the Robinsons, should have been offered the rental on a plush flat at such a cheap price.
The reason, it turns out, is their name. An American, Elsa Hart (or Hardt in the original Agatha Christie story: why the TV producers should have omitted the 'd' I'm not sure) managed to pursuade a young Italian-American, Luigi Valdarno, to steal some naval plans from an American government department. Valdarno is later shot dead.
It transpires that Hart then fled to the UK and, having rented out a flat in the name of Robinson, then sub-lets it to a couple (with the same name) - to cover her tracks, should an American organised crime outfit send an assassin to avenge the killing of Valdarno.
There are, as ever, a few cosmetic changes to the TV adaptation. In the original the finale takes place at another home, where Elsa Har(d)t is now living; in the adaptation she is confronted in her dressing room at the slightly sleezy nightclub she is performing at.
In the original Japp is consulted early on, and appears at the end to arrest Hart. In the adaptation he is central to the investigations, hosting a somewhat overbearing FBI agent, Burt. Predictably, Burt initially has no time for Poirot - a "gumshoe" - but is a thankful admirer by the end. In the original Burt is introduced in the final two paragraphs! Miss Lemon - absent in the original - features again, pretending to be a women's magazine writer in order to find out a bit more about Ms Hart the singer. In the original Poirot and Hastings apprehend the assassin at the Robinson's flat and take him to the house where Hardt is living. This is somewhat clumsy. In the adaptation he has been watching the flat for some time, and - having eluded Poirot and Hastings at the flat - turns up at the dressing room in the finale.
Both versions have Poirot renting a flat above the Robinsons, to observe comings and goings, and then breaking into the flat by a service entrance (a coal lift in the original; a rubbish bin back stairs in the TV version).
Published: Third story in "Poirot Investigates" (1924)
American organised crime, the FBI and guns all creep into this latest adventure for Hercule Poirot and his friends.
For that reason the TV adaptation opens with Poirot, Hastings and Japp all watching a James Cagney crime caper at the cinema. Poirot is suitably squeamish at the American propensity to solve everything with guns!
That typical TV opener aside, the adaptation is again very faithful to the basic outline of the original story. The mystery revolves around why a young couple, the Robinsons, should have been offered the rental on a plush flat at such a cheap price.
The reason, it turns out, is their name. An American, Elsa Hart (or Hardt in the original Agatha Christie story: why the TV producers should have omitted the 'd' I'm not sure) managed to pursuade a young Italian-American, Luigi Valdarno, to steal some naval plans from an American government department. Valdarno is later shot dead.
It transpires that Hart then fled to the UK and, having rented out a flat in the name of Robinson, then sub-lets it to a couple (with the same name) - to cover her tracks, should an American organised crime outfit send an assassin to avenge the killing of Valdarno.
There are, as ever, a few cosmetic changes to the TV adaptation. In the original the finale takes place at another home, where Elsa Har(d)t is now living; in the adaptation she is confronted in her dressing room at the slightly sleezy nightclub she is performing at.
In the original Japp is consulted early on, and appears at the end to arrest Hart. In the adaptation he is central to the investigations, hosting a somewhat overbearing FBI agent, Burt. Predictably, Burt initially has no time for Poirot - a "gumshoe" - but is a thankful admirer by the end. In the original Burt is introduced in the final two paragraphs! Miss Lemon - absent in the original - features again, pretending to be a women's magazine writer in order to find out a bit more about Ms Hart the singer. In the original Poirot and Hastings apprehend the assassin at the Robinson's flat and take him to the house where Hardt is living. This is somewhat clumsy. In the adaptation he has been watching the flat for some time, and - having eluded Poirot and Hastings at the flat - turns up at the dressing room in the finale.
Both versions have Poirot renting a flat above the Robinsons, to observe comings and goings, and then breaking into the flat by a service entrance (a coal lift in the original; a rubbish bin back stairs in the TV version).
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