And Then There Were None

This movie, as all extant versions of "Ten Little Indians", is based not on the novel by Agatha Christie, but on her similar play. While the identity of the murderer is the same in both versions, the survivors of the tale in each version are different.

Queenie Leonard (Mrs. Ethel Rogers), who died on January 17, 2002 at age 96, was the last surviving cast member.

In recent years it has come to light that much of Agatha Christie's plot appears to have been inspired by a little-known 1930 play by Owen Davis titled "The Ninth Guest", which utilized the same framework of people being brought together by an unknown host who proceeds to kill them one-by-one. Columbia Pictures' atmospheric movie version, The 9th Guest (1934), has never been released on home video, but is now in the public domain and can be found on eBay and iOffer.

The poem: Ten little Indian boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine. Nine little Indian boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were Eight. Eight little Indian boys travelling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven. Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six. Six little Indian boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were Five. Five little Indian boys going in for law; One got into Chancery and then there were Four. Four little Indian boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three. Three little Indian boys walking in the Zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were Two. Two little Indian boys were out in the sun; One got all frizzled up and then there was one*. One little Indian boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none. (*In some versions Two Little Indian boys playing with a gun; One shot the other and then there was one.)

Emily Brent's (Dame Judith Anderson's) line, "Those whom the gods would destroy . . . ." is from the Greek dramatist Euripides. "The wicked flee . . ." is from the Book of Proverbs.