#Poirot: The Adventure of the Cheap Flat

[glennk56]

William Hootkins in the 1990s (1 of 3)

In the 1990s (&2000s) William Hootkins increased his work as a voice actor finding work in animated movies and TV, video games, a Superman Radio serial and book narrations. The acting roles he took were often more challenging or at least making a routine role interesting. He could really steal the scene.

Hootkins guest-starred on an episode of Poirot in 1990 as an FBI agent who irritated Poirot because he underestimated him and mocked him.

In 1990 he also appeared in Hardware, a sci-fi slasher movie directed and co-written by Richard Stanley. I haven't seen it but will when it becomes available.

In 1991 Hootkins guest-starred on his second episode of long-time UK Mystery Crime-Drama Bergerac.

And he guest-starred in UK Mystery Crime-Drama Chancer.

Also in 1991, he took a small role in The Pope Must Die(t) with Robbie Coltrane. It was a small, but multi-scene role and he didn't even stand out. Maybe he took this role just to work with Robbie Coltrane.

[poirott]

Hercule Poirot + festive

AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT (1989-2013)

[didanagy]

AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT: THE ADVENTURE OF THE CHEAP FLAT (1990)

dir. richard spence

[radarsteddybear]

WAIT A SECOND.

You're telling me that this little dustbin collection stairwell in "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat"

Is a DUMBWAITER IN THE ORIGINAL SHORT STORY???

WE COULD HAVE HAD POIROT AND HASTINGS GOING UP AND DOWN A DUMBWAITER ON THE TV SHOW????????

[my-archived-blog]

---

Monsieur Poirot at one of his little jokes (using a velvet cat to surprise Japp)

@strohller27 this is the scene I was referring to! It's just a short little moment but I love how it showcases Book!Poirot's playfulness

[kattahj]

My Agatha Christie short story project: Poirot Investigates

I hereby start the next phase of my Agatha Christie project, namely the short stories! This differs from the previous project in that some of these stories I haven't read before. It will also be a bit trickier to carry out, as stories are collected differently in the UK and US, and some of them in several places. But I'll try my best to get to them all!

I actually started reading this book back in March, but got bored, busy, and distracted. This isn't Christie at her finest. Still, I eventually got back at it, and here are my thoughts on the stories within:

The Adventure of "The Western Star"

Convoluted and not particularly interesting. Christie does take the opportunity to poke fun at the orientalist stereotypes of her day, but since those stereotypes aren't as common as they used to be, it mostly means we have to sit through them until the "haha j/k!" ending.

The Tragedy at Marston Manor

The character relationships are more intriguing in this one, though the murder method and flawed forensic investigation seem highly unlikely. But maybe I'm overestimating how thorough autopsies were a century ago.

The Adventure of the Cheap Flat

The crooks in these stories seem to go through entirely too much trouble. But I suppose if they just used brash self-confidence like in the real world, it wouldn't be much of a story.

The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge

It is half amusing, half cringe-inducing to see Hastings stumble his way through an investigation without Poirot. The plot point of one person pretending to be two is recurring in Christie, and I have to admit that for that reason, I have a certain nostalgic fondness for it.

The Million Dollar Bond Robbery

This holds together pretty well, though it's not hard to guess for the avid Christie reader. Still, this is a story I could believe might happen.

The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb

Another story where Christie pokes fun at orientalist stereotypes, this time the notion of a cursed Egyptian tomb. Since that's a myth that survives to this day, it makes the story more enjoyable. It's fun seeing Hastings (who apparently doesn't know Poirot all that well yet) genuinely convinced that Poirot believes in the curse. As if he would! 😀

The actual murders are a bit far-fetched, but then, that's par for the course.

The Jewel Robbery at the "Grand Metropolitan"

Kudos to Christie, she tricked me this time! My mind was running rather in the same direction as Hastings, since it seemed too much of a coincidence that the pearls would vanish just after the Opalsens (what a name!) talked to Poirot about them. Perhaps it WAS too much of a coincidence, but I enjoy having the wool pulled over my eyes, so I'll allow it.

The Kidnapped Prime Minister

This story was a bit boring to me. Christie and politics rarely makes for a good mix. It's rather funny that the villains appear to be not just German agents but possibly *gasp* pacifists!

From the perspective of a later date, I winced at the opening line: "Now that war and the problems of war are things of the past". If only!

The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim

Poirot may be able to solve a case sitting at home, but it doesn't make for a very compelling story, as all the details are told to us second-hand. With a different narrative device, and perhaps a little longer and more developed, I think I might have enjoyed this more.

The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman

I don't have much to say about this one; there's not much to it. The evidence of the phonecall and the broken clock being false is of course obvious from first sight.

The Case of the Missing Will

This was a highly enjoyable, brief piece of fluff. Hastings has a point in that Violet goes rather against the spirit of Uncle Andrew's challenge by employing Poirot, but Uncle Andrews is dead and was a sexist ass anyway, so I'm with Violet on this one. 😀

[sir-griswold-of-macelwain]

Actors of Downton Abbey in a Hercule Poirot episode 1/28: Samantha Bond (Lady Rosamund Painswick) as Stella Robinson in The Adventure of the Cheap Flat

[bending-sickle]

i love how Chief Inspector Japp stands up for Poirot whenever people try to be dismissive of his detective friend

for example:

Japp: Poirot, this is Federal Agent Burt. May I introduce Hercule Poirot, the private detective, and his associate, Captain Hastings.

Poirot: [shaking Burt’s hand] The American crime buster.

Burt: Japp, I hope you are not so short of manpower, you're hiring a shamus... What are they good for? Chasing lost dogs. This is a matter of international security we're dealing with here.

Japp: [coldly] I have no intention of hiring anyone, Burt. And if you must know, Mr. Poirot here has an outstanding reputation.

Burt: Oh! [to Poirot, with a mock bow] A gumshoe…of distinction.

- “The Adventure of the Cheap Flat” (2x07)

and

Japp: He has his own methods, Sir Bernard.

Sir Bernard: I don’t want method, I want action.

Japp: I’ve never known him to fail yet.

and in the same episode

Japp: [on the phone] Well I couldn’t agree with you there, sir. [person on the phone replies] No, he’s not slow, he’s thorough. […]. [hangs up; to Poirot:] Guess who he was talking about.

Poirot: Modesty forbids, Chief Inspector.

- “The Kidnapped Prime Minister” (2x08)

but the best so far is this praise:

Japp: [giving a talk to an audience] The professional private detective, ladies and gentlemen, is not the glamorous figure of fiction. He is a man who, failing in more worthy walks of life and being of meddlesome and troublemaking disposition, finally comes to rest in a dingy office over the chip shop, where he plies for hire in the sordid world of petty crime and divorce.

[Poirot, spying in the wings, turns to leave, ashamed]

Japp: Except, I have to say, for one. I have been fortunate in my career, in that many - in fact most of my cases have been shared with the most extraordinary of private detectives and, if I may borrow a word from his own native tongue, that doyen of the Belgian police force, Monsieur Hercule Poirot. I think I may say without fear of contradiction that Hercule Poirot has one of the most original minds of the 20th century. Intelligent, brave, sensitive, devastatingly quick, Hercule Poirot stands head and shoulders above any other detective of my considerable experience

[Poirot smiles, pleased, and leaves]

- “Double Sin” (2x06)

[kindleexlibris]

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie - PDF Edition (Complete English Text)

Poirot Investigates is a collection of eleven short stories by Agatha Christie, first published in 1924. Featuring the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and his loyal companion Captain Hastings, these mysteries showcase Poirot's exceptional powers of deduction and his meticulous attention to detail. From the theft of a precious diamond in The Adventure of “The Western Star” to the eerie events in The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, this collection offers a variety of intriguing cases to captivate mystery lovers. This PDF edition includes all eleven stories in their complete English text: The Adventure of “The Western Star” The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor The Adventure of the Cheap Flat The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge The Million Dollar Bond Robbery The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan The Kidnapped Prime Minister The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman The Case of the Missing Will

Perfect for fans of classic detective fiction, this edition preserves the charm and wit of Agatha Christie’s timeless work.

[perfides-subjekt]

Lydia smoothed over the last bit of her shingle. ‘There,’ she said. ‘That’s ready.’ ‘Ready?’ Alfred looked puzzled. She laughed. ‘For Christmas, silly! For this sentimental family Christmas we’re going to have.’

— Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot’s Christmas

[chiefofboatwatsonstittymug]

”What are they good for? Chasing lost dogs?”

[poirott]

Dark!Poirot AU: Hercule Poirot as a criminal mastermind

An alternate universe where Poirot is the master criminal rather than a world-renowned detective.

AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT (1989 - 2013)

[lifewithaview]

Poirot (1989) The Adventure of the Cheap Flat

Poirot finds himself working on two cases, the first of which is more of an amusement, or so it seems. After meeting a delightful young couple, Stella and James Robinson, at a party he sets out to prove to Captain Hastings that there must be a reason for their good fortune in getting a lovely flat at a ridiculously low price. He is also brought into a more formal investigation by Inspector Japp who is hosting a loud-mouthed American FBI Agent who is on the trail of thieves who have made away with secret US Naval plans for a new submarine. The American isn't too impressed that Scotland Yard have brought in a private detective or that Japp has taken away his gun. When Poirot sees the man the FBI is trailing, he also realizes it's the same man who he has seen lurking outside the Robinsons apartment block.

[lizardgoats]

The cat,” declaimed Poirot, “was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians. It is still regarded as a symbol of good luck if a black cat crosses your path. This cat crossed your path tonight, Japp.

“The Adventure of the Cheap Flat” in Poirot Investigates (Hercule Poirot #3), by Agatha Christie and performed by David Suchet

[hemlock-in-the-cocktails]

Hastings: “It’s all over, Poirot. You can open your eyes now.”

Poirot: “Hastings...this is the last time.”

The Adventure of the Cheap Flat (1990)

Agatha Christie’s Poirot (Series 2, Episode 7)

[shegottosayit]

Agatha Christie's Poirot — The Adventure Of The Cheap Flat (1990)

Barbaric. I care not for this type of criminal, nor for the detectives of the United States who shoot first and ask questions later.