Five Fun Facts: And Then There Were None (1945)

Five Fun Facts: And Then There Were None (1945)

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1) Can you say best-seller?

And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, was not only one of Christie’s own favorite books but also one of the world’s favorites! As a matter of fact, according to Newsweek in Sept 2021, And Then There Were None is the #5 best-selling book of all time! Granted, it appears as ‘only’ #6 on Wikipedia’s list and #7 on Business Insider’s list, but suffice to say, it is one very popular book!

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2) Silence is Golden

There is no dialog during the first five minutes of the 1945 film, until 4:58 minutes in, to be exact, when Vera Claythrone (June Duprez) says “What a quiet place.”

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3) The judge and butler share a birthday

Barry Fitzgerald and Richard Haydn, who play Judge Francis J. Quincannon and butler Thomas Rogers respectively, were both born on March 10 — although 17 years apart with Fitzgerald being the elder. Fitzgerald and Haydn also have another classic movie connection in that they both also starred together in Miss Tatlock’s Millions (1948), directed by Haydn.

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4) Mr. Gogarty, Simon Templar, a Princess and more…

From Mr. Gogarty (Barry Fitzgerald in Bringing Up Baby) and Simon Templar (Louis Hayward aka The Saint) to Cosmo Topper (Roland Young) and a Princess (June Duprez in The Thief of Bagdad 1940), the film’s ensemble cast is rich with recognizable stars and character actors — not to mention a fabulous villain, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson in Rebecca), and a Talking Caterpillar (Richard Haydn in Alice in Wonderland 1951). 🙂

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5) And they lived happily ever after?

Although based on the 1939 novel, the 1945 film adaptation was more aligned with the 1943 stage play which featured a less tragic ending.

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Well, those were my five facts, but here are a few extra bonuses, for those so inclined 🙂

The book and movie are similar to, and perhaps inspired by (?), a 1930 play by Owen Davis called The 9th Guest, which was based on a 1930 novel The Invisible Host by Bruce Manning and Gwen Brislow. The 9th Guest was released on film in 1934. It’s interesting to note that the 1945 film’s ‘invisible’ host is named U.N. Owen (pronounced ‘unknown’) — and Owen is the first name of the author of the 1930 play.

      

Dudley Nichols wrote the screenplay for the 1945 film. He also co-wrote the screenplay for Bringing Up Baby (which also featured Barry Fitzgerald), as well as wrote the screenplays for Scarlet Street, The Bells of St. Mary’s, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Stagecoach 1939.

The film’s cast includes a ‘future’ dame and ‘future’ sir. Judith Anderson was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1960 and C. Aubrey Smith was appointed the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1938 and was knighted by George VI in 1944.

Some say that C. Aubrey Smith was the inspiration for Tennessee Tuxedo’s Commander McBragg.

Richard Haydn, Queenie Leonard and C. Aubrey Smith also starred in Cluny Brown together. Haydn and Leonard also appeared in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland – Haydn as the Caterpillar and Leonard as the ‘bird in a tree.’

Director Rene Clair also directed and co-produced The Flame of New Orleans starring Roland Young and Micsha Auer.

AND – as part of our partnership with Best Classics Ever – you can stream And Then There Were None for free this month on the Classic Movie Hub Channel. Just click here, join for free (no obligation), scroll down and click on the CMH Channel button — and watch for free. Lots of other free movies to watch every month as well, so feel free to explore.

For more related blog articles:

Barry Fitzgerald and the Oscar

Silver Screen Standards: Bringing Up Baby

Stream for free this month on Best Classics Ever.

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

You can read more Five Fun Facts blog posts here.