List of Cluedo characters

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The board game Cluedo (Clue in North America), and the associated 1985 film Clue, contains six murder suspects, all of whom survived into the final 2002 edition of the game. They typically represent "types," or stock characters, of European and American high society, as typified in the murder mysteries pioneered by Dame Agatha Christie. The characters have also become stock types in pop culture, and served as the basis for an Australian advertising campaign by photographer Richard de Chazal, with each character being photographed with one of the weapons and in one of the rooms from the game.

[edit] Characters in the English versions of the game

[edit] Colonel Mustard

Colonel Algernon Mustard is the stock character of a great white hunter and colonial buffoon. He is a military man with a European heritage and a tendency for botching things, both dignified and dangerous.^{[original research?]} As with many of the male characters, the Colonel is rumored to have an affair with Miss Scarlet in some sources. Mustard is sometimes portrayed as a rival to Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy). In one scenario, Mustard was paid a vast sum of money to write an autobiography of his adventures in the Punjab, from which he was mustered out. He has not gotten very far in the book, but has quite gone through most of the money. He travels to Dr. Black from halfway across the world to speak with him on a matter of grave importance, and tends to sleep with a revolver under his pillow. In some scenarios he has been shown to be in love with Mrs. Peacock, and killed Dr Black as revenge for a great wrong that Black done Peacock. There is a rumor from the movie that he made a sum of money stealing radio parts during the war and selling them on the black market. In the book series, his years of fighting have made him extremely trigger-happy, and he will not hesitate to brandish his revolver at any (almost always imagined) threat and call for a duel. This sort of buffoonery is also present for the VCR game where he plays a useless spy and Miss Scarlet's sidekick. Here, he has a penchant for alcohol and metal attracted to his magnetic head plate. In America, Colonel Mustard is usually portrayed as an old buffoon, but in Europe, he has been depicted many times as very young and handsome with a more intelligent look.

In the 1985 movie, Mustard was played by Martin Mull. Here, Mustard is portrayed as a man who acts superficially tough and orderly, but really more of a weak, clumsy sort who is a little slow.

In the 2008 Hasbro update, Col Mustard has been recreated as a former footballer named Jack Mustard.

[edit] Miss Scarlett/Miss Scarlet

Miss Vivian Scarlett (Miss Scarlet in the North American version) is the stock Femme Fatale character. She is typically portrayed as young, cunning, and beautiful. When the game was made in 1949, she was a beautiful blonde. A 1972 redesign of her features led to speculation that she was of Asian ethnicity which lasted for over 25 years. In 1996, Miss Scarlett became a sinister brunette with lovely looks. In some scenarios, she is billed as the niece/step-niece (and theoretical heir) of Dr. Black. In various other situations, commonly in American, Scarlett is, or was, a long-term girlfriend of Black/Boddy. On the Cluedo game show, Miss Scarlet has become the step-daughter of Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock where she becomes simply a viable bachelorette who has many men enter and leave her life. Cluedo canon nearly always states her occupation as an actress whose career is beginning to decline, or has never taken off to start with due to her lack of talent. She is commonly portrayed have had numerous affairs with Colonel Mustard and the other male characters and she uses this information to blackmail them. In the VCR game her character (again of Asian ethnicity) is a sexy, cunning spy with Colonel Mustard as her worthless henchman.

She has been renamed Kasandra Scarlett in the 2008 Hasbro version, and is an A-list starlet fearing exposure of how she clawed her way to the top.

In the 1985 film, Miss Scarlett is a madam who owns a brothel in Washington, DC. She is played by Lesley Ann Warren.

[edit] Professor Plum

Professor Edgar Plum is the stock character of Absent-Minded Professor. Often depicted as either a young or middle aged fellow with a bow tie and glasses, he is widely seen by many characters as the most intellectual and knowledgable, particularly about poisons. Most of the canon states that he is an archaeologist, who has a past he would rather clam up about, including a possible question about his writings. The VCR game gives him the occupation of a college chemistry teacher dealing mostly with poison who is Dr. Black's son-in-law. In some editions he is known as an older man with a moustache (something of an Albert Einstein design), though much more prominently in the early British edition and some outdated American editions. Other times, however, he is given the appearance of a younger man, closer to Miss Scarlet's age. His personality ranges from hopelessly confused and somewhat frazzled to serious and deeply thoughtful.

In the 2008 Hasbro version, Prof. Plum is now Victor Plum, a video game tycoon.

In the 1985 film, Professor Plum is a psychiatrist who works for the World Health Organization. He is something of a pervert, and his license to practice medicine has been revoked due to an affair he had with a patient. He is played by Christopher Lloyd.

[edit] Reverend Green/Mr. Green

Reverend Jonathan Green, or Mr. Thallo Green, has two very different manifestations. As Reverend Green, he is the stock type of snake oil salesman, a hypocritical evangelist. By all accounts, he is not really a graduated reverend. He donned the ways of the cloth, but uses them to fleece the flock as a traveling evangelist. He appears to have stopped travelling at last, being named as a Reverend in Hampshire, where the game of Clue normally takes place. It is here where he has made contact with the extraordinarily wealthy Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy); quite a lucrative prospect for him.

Until 2002, he was known simply as Mr. Green in North American versions of the game. His new stock character became that of mobster or corrupt business tycoon, complete with a cigar, greasy hair,buisness suit and sweaty sort of paunch. Mr. Green represents the very essence of greed (possibly because green is the color of American bank notes), fitting nicely with his new stock persona. Allusions to the mafia have remained until the 2002 version.

The British Reverend Green is portrayed as an Anglican vicar (parish priest). In the original board game he has a bland face and red ears and looks rather "soft," but as they say "still waters run deep." He may have a dark secret that he is willing to go to desperate lengths to protect. On the Cluedo game show, he has been portrayed as everything from a bumbling do-gooder who becomes wild when his favourite cause is threatened to a crafty old cleric who may well know some of the church's dirtiest secrets.

He has become Jacob Green, a sinister "fixer" (hitman), in the 2008 Hasbro version.

In the 1985 film, Mr. Green is portrayed as a hapless homosexual who works for the United States Department of State. However, in one of the three endings (referred to as the "real" ending by the VHS release) he is revealed to be an undercover FBI agent. He is played by Michael McKean in the 1985 film.

[edit] Mrs. White

Mrs Blanche White is usually the stock portrayal of frazzled servant, but has also had a couple of divergent characterizations; the movie portrays Mrs. White as a serial husband-killer; a black widow. More frequently, Mrs. White is regarded as the housekeeper at Tudor Hall, although in the original Cluedo she was the cook. The only difference between the games entails that at times she appears quite young, as in the Franklin Mint edition or the 1985 release. More commonly, she is an elderly woman. She is often seen to have been Dr. Black's illicit lover, having known all of his secrets. In the VCR game ,Mr. Boddy had an affair with Mrs White during their youth, producing the illegitimate Sergeant Grey (Grey being a colour formed from both the colours black and white). Unfortunately, The Black family have a history of violent insanity in their genes, which arose in Sergeant Grey. In the book series, she is somewhat lazy, occasionally outright refusing to fulfil her assigned duties; fortunately for her, Mr. Boddy's astoundingly non-confrontational nature allows her to get away with it. Most sources agree that Mrs. White is rather bitter towards her employer, in addition to being colorblind. Supposedly, she shares this latter flaw with Sergeant Gray.

In 2008, she was changed into Diane White a former child actress struggling to find fame as an adult.

She is played by Madeline Kahn in the 1985 film, where she is portrayed as a "black widow" who has had five husbands. In Cluedo Mysteries, it is unknown whether she killed her husband by accident or intentionally.

[edit] Mrs. Peacock

Mrs. Henrietta Peacock is the stock character of grande dame. She represents an elderly yet still attractive woman who maintains her dignity in almost all cases in most versions. There are four different physical versions of her. The first being a rather elegant Queen-esque socialite (Original Cluedo). The second being an elderly old busybody who is dressed correctly and proper; a well-mannered prude (1972). The third being a middle-aged classy lady who is still retaining her beauty (2000 UK), and the fourth being a young lady, similar to Scarlet in some respects, though she is widowed/married (Franklin Mint). Mrs Peacock marries for money and once her late husband's fortune has been squandered, she is on the look-out for another very wealthy spouse. It is common to portray her as a woman who has been married and widowed at least three or four times, with Mr. Peacock/Sir Peacock being her most recent husband. The VCR game showed her as the widow (and murderer) of fourteen husbands. She is always implied to be responsible for the mysterious and sudden deaths of her unfortunate husbands. In some versions of Cluedo, Miss Scarlet is Mrs. Peacock's step-daughter/daughter.

In 2008, Hasbro reimagined Mrs Peacock as Eleanor Peacock, an influential woman with a sharp career in politics.

Interestingly enough, while all of the other characters need to move at least eight spaces to enter a room from their starting positions, Mrs. Peacock needs to move only seven.

She is portrayed as a flamboyant, yet corrupt U.S. Senator's wife by Eileen Brennan in the 1985 film.

[edit] Dr. Black/Mr. Boddy

Dr. David Black/Mr. John Boddy is the owner of Tudor Mansion who takes the stock character of a generic colourless victim. In Clue, he is the unseen host who is murdered, in which inspires the premise to mind to discover who murdered him, with what implement, and where the crime scene took place in his mansion. His personality is not known, though he most likely is not well-liked, as he has a tendency to be killed quite often.

The 2002 North American edition of Clue attempts to reconcile these differences by stating that while his true name is Dr. John Boddy, he is often called Dr. Black by his neighbors after his well-known deceased uncle, Sir Hugh Black.

[edit] Book series

In the book series, Mr. Reginald Boddy is a well-meaning but incredibly naive billionaire playboy. The suspects are all his "friends," a small group of close-knit yet antagonistic opportunists who remain close to Boddy in hopes of exploiting his friendship for financial and material gain. Boddy is aware of his "friends" greed, but in his naievity writes it off as simply being a part of their colorful personalities. At the end of every book, one of them attempts to murder him; in the next book, an outlandish excuse is offered, which Boddy readily accepts, no matter how far-fetched or unlikely. Although he occasionally catches on to the idea that all of his friends secretly want him dead, they are always able to convince him that he is simply paranoid.

[edit] 1985 film

In the 1985 film, Mr. Boddy is an ultrapatriotic McCarthy supporter and also an opportunist. Contrary to the image of the suave playboy or dignified doctor offered in previous incarnations, this Boddy is a stereotypical wise guy with slicked back hair and designer stubble who dresses in solid black.

Convinced that the six main characters are "all thoroughly un-American," he has been blackmailing them for some time. The motive for his murder, therefore, was to stop the blackmail. However his plan backfires and and he is shot with the revolver in the study. Or was he? Later, his body appears a second time with candlestick wounds. He is killed by different suspects in each of the endings, but always with the candlestick in the hall. He is played by Lee Ving. In what the VHS identifies as the canonical ending, it is revealed that the mansion's butler (Tim Curry) is the real Mr. Boddy, and that "Mr. Boddy" is actually the butler, the two men having assumed one another's identities in order to draw out would-be assassins. Shortly after this revelation, the real Mr. Boddy pulls a gun on his guests and holds them hostage, but is shortly thereafter shot and killed by Mr. Green, who reveals himself as an FBI agent sent to infiltrate and break-up Boddy's extortion ring.

[edit] Characters appearing in Cluedo Master Detective and UK Super Cluedo Challenge

[edit] Miss Peach

Miss Georgia Peach is the stock American Southern belle who claims to be Boddy's long-lost stepniece. When pressed, she decided on short notice to take a vacation in the country. Any country. Her favorite flower is deadly nightshade. Nearly every variation and update of Clue has included Miss Peach, leading some to consider her the seventh "canon" guest. Her character traits and looks are similar to the earlier Miss Scarlets. She also has been considered as Miss Scarlet's rival as the youngest suspect. Clue Mysteries confirms this. She also starred in Clue FX as an innocent investigator of the murder of Mr. Meadow-Brooke, and becomes a suspect in Clue Mysteries, the game where her name is Amelia. In the British version, Miss Peach is the local schoolteacher, and is usually engaged to either Dr. Black or Mr. Slate-Grey. Her name in Britain is supposedly Emily. She was mentioned in the recent 'Clue Mysteries' book series as Georgia Peach, a friend of Miss Scarlet. Her Amelia Peach portrayal in Clue Mysteries shows that she had a happy childhood in America, but since then has run into a maelstrom of tragedy. She wants revenge on Miss Scarlet for taking 'her' part in the play and revenge on the entire town for not giving her money. This version is possibly mentally unstable.

[edit] Monsieur Brunette

An art and arms dealer, Monsieur Alphonse Brunette is the British stereotype of a French artiste. In laters editions, he would be replaced by Prince Azure, M. Brunette nearly made a killing in Paris, producing the missing arms of the Venus D'Milo. His business is in ruins now because Boddy has questioned some of the works of Brunette sold him. He is a man of many talents, many accents, and many passports. This is the only board game he appeared in, but he did feature in the VCR Mystery games. In Master Detective, he is depicted as a young man with a stereotypical French beret along with thick dark brown hair and moustache. This is similar to his depiction in the VCR games except that he is older and sports an eyepatch. In Europe, Brunette is depicted as clean shaven handsome beau. Gone are the stereotypical French accessories. For Super Cluedo Challenge, the colour previously used for Brunette had been transfered over to a new British character, Captain Brown who appears to be a burly old salt.

[edit] Madame Rose

Madame Rhoda Rose represents the stock character of fortune teller and medium. The Clue VCR game suggested that she was Mr. Boddy's sister, but the board game states she is his secretary. It is possible that she might, in fact, be both. She resigned from his office and moved to Hungary to set up a shop as a seer, when, in a trance, she saw Mr. Boddy's death. She left her shop a few days later and took a very slow boat back to England, and when she got to Tudor Close, she discovered she was too late. Or was she . . . ? Usually, she is portrayed as an obese, middle-aged Hungarian, this is the same for the VCR games. However in Europe, she is much more refined as she is younger and thinner, dumping the haggard look.

[edit] Sergeant Grey

Sergeant Grey is less a stock character than most, yet he still remains a popular character. He appears at first to be a police hero come to save the day, but is later shown to be either a corrupt blackmailer or even an escapee from an insane asylum. Seeing things as either black or white, his approach to solving crime is unimaginative and straightforward. His expression Master Detective is serious and no-nonsense unlike the VCR games where he is displayed as mentally unhinged and frazzled. In Europe, he is a much older plump man similar to the old versions of Mr./Rev. Green complete with the scarce of hair. Unlike other two Sgt. Greys, he is displayed with a more wealthy look, losing the police outfit. This perhaps suggests that he is either not here on business or he is at the mansion in a disguise of a regular rich guest. In Passport to Murder, he is no longer a sergeant but has become either an Earl or a Count. He is replaced by Lord Grey in Clue FX, as well as Mr. Slate-Grey in one Cluedo version.

[edit] Mrs. Boddy

The mother of Mr. Boddy and sister of Dr. Black. In the film, her character was replaced by Mrs. Ho, the cook. In UK Super Cluedo Challenge, she is mentioned but not seen. She was befriended by Mrs. Peacock. She appears to be an old woman in a formal dress and she wears diamond earrings with white hair and glasses.

[edit] Clue FX

Recently Hasbro released a new game of Clue called Clue FX. It's an electronic talking version with audio voices and clues. The victim in this version is no longer Mr. Boddy or Dr. Black but is Mr. Meadow-brook. Along with it came some new characters.

[edit] Lady Lavender

An herbalist who possibly poisoned her husband, Lord Lawrence Lavender, Lady Lavender is an honorable lady who tends to be a slight bit of a trouble-maker at times. Her Oriental heritage is reminiscent of the earlier Miss Scarlet's (Circa. 1972-1992). In Clue FX, she was an innocent investigator of the death of Mr. Meadow-Brooke. Her herbal business makes her successful, wealthy, and entertained, and also quite spoiled, but it is also stated that she wants even more and concocts plants to spice up her life. Interestingly, in the Clue Junior book series, there is a stock character named Mrs. Lavender.

She is given the name Su Sian in Clue Mysteries.

[edit] Mrs. Meadow-Brooke

Wife of the deceased Mr. Meadow-Brooke whose murder investigation was headed by Miss Peach with the aid of Lady Lavender, Prince Azure, and Lord Grey. She is situated on a turquiose base, correlating with her Namesake (Meadow/Green, Brook(e) /Blue)She is the local gossip according to Clue canon, and she and Mr. Meadow-Brooke were strongly implied to have severe marital problems.

She is give the name Jane in Clue Mysteries.

[edit] Prince Azure

An art and arms dealer, possible partner to M. Brunette, Azure has both an elusive royal lineage and a knack for cashing in on it. This indicated a master fraud and manipulator. He is known to have a rivalry with Colonel Mustard, and an intense dislike for Mr. Boddy, but he is not a suspect in anybody's deaths thus far. He is the first black character in official Clue canon.

He is given the name Philippe in Clue Mysteries.

[edit] Rusty Naylor

Crusty,Bitter and old Rusty is the gardener at Tudor Mansion. He makes his first appearance in Clue FX as a suspect in the murder of Mr. Meadow-Brook(e). He returned in Clue Mysteries and the Clue DVD Game. Not much is known about this character, save minor details hidden throughout the games. It is strongly implied that Rusty, whose last name is given as Nayler, is soon to retire on a pension set aside for him, which may explain why he is not present in the original version of Clue. Either this, or both Nayler and Ashe are on vacation during the murder.

[edit] Lord Grey

Grey is a hard color for Clue to decide how to use, as MD gave us Sgt. Grey and FX gave us Lord Grey as an investigator who looked more like a director or a journalist. We later learned that he designs water gardens and has an intense rivalry with Rusty. He does not appear to look much like a lord; what with his rolled up sleeves, white shirt, spectacles and jeans he looks more like a journalist.

He is given the name Alfred in Clue Mysteries.

[edit] Film and DVD

[edit] The Butler

The butler is rarely used in Clue, but when he is, he is usually a character that is most connected with the watching audience. The butler was the lead character in the 1985 film Clue: The Movie, and was played by Tim Curry. He appeared as an Englishman named Wadsworth, who was always ever so neat and tidy with his buttling. There might be more to him however than there seems: in one of the endings, the character turns out to be the actual Mr. Boddy (and is eventually shot by Mr. Green in the hall with the revolver). Because he organized the whole gathering, he appoints himself as the de facto leader of the group.

Also in 1985 the butler appeared in the VCR games. This time named Didit, he provided interaction with the audience to describe the rules and gameplay. The butler has also made unnamed appearances in the computer games. In recent editions the butler has made prominent appearances as Mr. Ashe. The butler also appears for a humorous moment or two in the movie clip sequences. He was called Hogarth in the special Cluedo Super Sleuth and was not a suspect. Instead he was there to either help or thwart players. He is called Ashe in the Australian version.

[edit] The Inspector

The Inspector works for Scotland Yard, and is mentioned in a couple of Clue games. He is named Inspector Brown in Clue (2003), Cluedo SFX, Clue Mysteries, and is a narrator on the Clued DVD Game. In Cluedo Super Sleuth, he is Inspector Gray and either helps or thwarts the players.

The 1985 film has two policeman characters arrive at the mansion. The first is "the Cop", a middle-aged police officer and the only African-American character. The Cop arrives at Hill House ostensibly looking for the owner of the Motorist's abandoned car. Like the Motorist (see below), he is murdered (with the lead pipe in the library) while using the telephone. He is later revealed to be a dishonest police officer in the Washington area. He has been taking bribes from Miss Scarlett to keep quiet about her brothel, and at the same time informing on her to Mr. Boddy. He is played by Bill Henderson.

The second police character, usually known as "the Chief", initially seems to be a gag character, an evangelist who comes to the door talking about "the Kingdom of Heaven". However, in all three endings he acts as the film's deus ex machina, turning out to be an undercover police chief who arrests the murderer or murderers. He is played by Howard Hesseman in an uncredited role.

The Chief is accompanied by three cops in credited non-speaking roles, played by Will Nye, Rick Goldman, and Don Camp.

[edit] Yvette

A young and rather revealingly-dressed French maid, she appears in the 1985 movie. She speaks English only passably and with an accent. Although she is murdered in the billiard room with the rope late into the movie, she is still considered a prime suspect (in one ending, she is even revealed by Wadsworth to be the one responsible for the murders of Mr. Boddy and Mrs. Ho), and her French accent is ultimately shown to be a ruse. Her character also acts as connecting character for many instances. She worked in Miss Scarlet's brothel and slept with a customer who happened to be Colonel Mustard. Not only that, she also had an affair with Mrs. White's husband. She was played by Colleen Camp.

[edit] Mrs. Ho

The chef at Hill House. Initially she was meant to be Mr. Boddy's mother, but because the creators could find no way to place this into the story she was simply cast as Mrs. Ho, or more commonly, "the Cook." Here, she is shown as a robust Oriental woman with a penchant for cooking exotic gourmet meals (she prepares a Cantonese monkey brain dish in the movie). She appears in two brief but memorable scenes: her infamous "knife pointing" scene and her bashing the gong (which frightens Mr. Green). Her unwieldy corpse gets much more screen time, as she is stabbed with the knife in the kitchen early in the film. Later, she is revealed to have been Mrs. Peacock's cook at one point. She was played by Kellye Nakahara.

[edit] The Motorist

The first "outsider" to arrive at Hill House, the Motorist seems to be an unfortunate middle-aged man who seeks shelter from the rain because his car has broken down. However, he is murdered (with the wrench in the lounge) while making a telephone call. He is revealed later as one of Mr. Boddy's informants who had the goods on Colonel Mustard since he was Mustard's chauffeur during the War. He is played by Jeffrey Kramer.

[edit] The Singing Telegram Girl

She is something of a gag character: while the Motorist and the Cop are killed not long after their arrival at the mansion, she is shot with the revolver on the porch (second to last bullet) almost immediately, before she can even complete her singing telegram. She is later revealed to be a former patient and lover of Professor Plum. She was portrayed by Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go's.

[edit] See also

Clue, computer game

[edit] References

[edit] Books

Except as noted, the original hardcover books were published by Turtleback, and had various authors. Later paperback reissues are credited "Book created by A.E. Parker", and are published by Scholastic Press. Dates below are for the first publication. ISBNs are for the paperback reissue.

Who Killed Mr. Boddy?, by Eric Weiner (1992) ISBN 0-590-46110-9
The Secret Secret Passage, by Eric Weiner (1992) ISBN 0-590-45631-8
The Case of the Invisible Cat, by Eric Weiner (1992) ISBN 0-590-45632-6
Mystery at the Masked Ball, by Eric Weiner (1993) ISBN 0-590-45633-4
Midnight Phone Calls, by Eric Weiner (1994) ISBN 0-590-47804-4
Booby Trapped, by A. E. Parker and Eric Weiner (1994) ISBN 0-590-47805-2
The Picture Perfect Crime, by Jahnna N. Malcolm (1994) ISBN 0-590-48735-3
The Clue in the Shadows, by A. E. Parker (1995) ISBN 0-590-48934-8
Mystery in the Moonlight, by Marie Jacks (1995) ISBN 0-590-48935-6
The Case of the Screaming Skeleton, by Marie Jacks (1995) ISBN 0-590-48936-4
Death by Candlelight, by Marie Jacks (1995) ISBN 0-590-62374-5
The Haunted Gargoyle, by Marie Jacks (1996) ISBN 0-590-62375-3
The Revenge of the Mummy, by Marie Jacks (1996) ISBN 0-590-62376-1
The Dangerous Diamond, by Marie Jacks (1996) ISBN 0-590-62377-X
The Vanishing Vampire, by Marie Jacks (1996) ISBN 0-590-13742-5
Danger After Dark, by Dona Smith (1997) ISBN 0-590-13743-3
The Clue in the Crystal Ball, by Dona Smith (1997) ISBN 0-590-13744-1
Footprints in the Fog, by Dona Smith (1997) ISBN 0-590-13745-X

[edit] Other media

Jonathan Lynn (Director). (1985). Clue [Film]. USA: Paramount.
- Landis, John; Jonathan Lynn (1985). "Clue (script)". AwesomeFilm.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-25.

[edit] External links

Clue official web site
- Suspect bios (official site)
Clue the Musical cast
Extensive Clue Collection and Fan Discussion Forums TheArtofMurder.com