Murder in Three Acts

Murder in Three Acts
Written by	Agatha Christie Scott Swanton
Directed by	Gary Nelson
Starring	Peter Ustinov Tony Curtis Emma Samms Fernando Allende Jonathan Cecil
Country of origin	UK US
Language(s)	English
Production
Running time	94 minutes
Distributor	CBS Television
Chronology
Preceded by	Dead Man's Folly
Followed by	Appointment with Death

Murder in Three Acts is a 1986 British-American television film produced by Warner Bros. Television, featuring Peter Ustinov as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Directed by Gary Nelson, it co-starred Jonathan Cecil as Hastings, Tony Curtis, and Emma Samms.

The film is based on Christie's book Three Act Tragedy (1934).

Synopsis

Poirot joins his assistant Hastings in Acapulco, Mexico, where Hastings is staying. They go to a party at which the other guests include the writer Janet Crisp, the American actor Charles Cartwright, a clergyman called Babbington, Daisy Eastman and her daughter Egg, Dr Strange, and Ricardo Montoya. Babbington dies of poisoning, and then Strange is poisoned, too. Poirot hunts the murderer.

Changes to the original story

The main change is the relocation of the action from London to Acapulco. In the book, Poirot's assistant is Satterthwaite, replacing Hastings, but in the film Hastings is reinstated in his usual role. Christie's English theatrical actor Sir Charles Cartwright turns into Charles Cartwright, an American movie star.

Cast of the first version

Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot Jonathan Cecil as Captain Hastings Tony Curtis as Charles Cartwright Emma Samms as Egg Dana Elcar as Dr Strange Lisa Eichhorn as Cynthia Dayton Nicholas Pryor as Freddie Dayton Fernando Allende as Ricardo Montoya Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. as Colonel Mateo

Frances Lee McCain as Miss Milray Marian Mercer as Daisy Eastman Diana Muldaur as Angela Stafford Concetta Tomei as Janet Crisp Philip Guilmant as Rev. Mr Babbington Jacqueline Evans as Mrs Babbington Martin LaSalle as Doctor Alma Levy as Nurse Julio Monterde as Manager

Ustinov as Poirot

• Death on the Nile (1978)
• Evil Under the Sun (1982)
• Thirteen at Dinner (1985)
• Dead Man's Folly (1986)
• Murder in Three Acts (1986)
• Appointment with Death (1988)

External links

• Murder in Three Acts at the Internet Movie Database