19. The Adventure of the Western Star

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.