Cluedo/Clue Plot

This is a spinoff rant from a previous post about the plot of the movie Clue vs. the board game Cluedo, more specifically the modern updated version Cluedo: Master Detective, or whatever version I'm confusing it with in my head. There's also a realistic (read: large) chance that I've made some (read: most) of it up myself.

The prequel:

Sir Hugh Black (not Dr; I'll explain that in a minute) was a wealthy businessman and the owner of Tudor Mansion. Sir Hugh died, leaving his entire fortune to his nephew Dr Black, for whom he had been the primary guardian throughout his childhood.

On inheriting his uncle's estate, Dr Black decided to go through his bank statements and discovered a number of mysterious payments going to six individuals. Wanting to know the reason for these payments, he invited all six people to Tudor Mansion to confront them. That was a month ago.

Now...

Welcome to Tudor Mansion. Sadly, you are too late to meet its owner Dr. Black. He was found murdered this evening, his body on the stairs in front of you (Interestingly named the Black Stairs). We believe he was not actually murdered there but was instead dragged there from another room in the mansion. As the detective, you need to determine:

• The murderer
• The weapon
• The location of the murder

So, to the mysterious individuals, who are now suspects in a murder case (Names circa Cluedo: Master Detective/another version; Clue does not give first names). Fun Easter Egg: can you figure out the reason for the order I give them in (it's not just because Wikipedia uses the same order)? 

Miss Josephine Scarlet (occasionally Scarlett): She is a Femme Fatale who is the estranged daughter of one Patricia Peacock. She used to be an actress, but her lack of talent means she is now making money a different way: marrying wealthy elderly widowers

Colonel Michael Mustard: He is retired from the army now, but misses the days when he was a soldier and commanded a unit. He is more of a military legend in his own head and has recruited several publishers to publish his memoirs, keeping their advances but not actually producing much content.

Does he write this blog? - Ed.

Mrs Blanche White: The only one of the suspects Dr Black already knew, Mrs White was Sir Hugh's housekeeper and played a significant part in the raising of Dr Black. She was one of very few of Sir Hugh's employees kept at the house after his death.

Reverend John Green: Although a preacher, Green is not actually a reverend and only styles himself as such. While travelling around England and preaching, he embezzled a lot of money from charitable donations.

Mrs Patricia Peacock: Peacock is a former actress who had to retire due to an embarrassing love triangle with two American politicians. Widowed three times, she was a friend of the late Dr. Black's mother.

Professor Peter Plum: An expert in ancient Mid-Eastern history, the professor was disgraced due to plagiarism of an old colleague and dismissed from his job at the British Museum.

Quite a compelling plot, don't you think? All the suspects having a motive (stopping the late doctor from discovering the truth) and giving them all histories of criminal activity. So why did Clue change so much of that? Firstly, they made some changes to the cast:

• None of the characters has a first name any more. I don't really have a problem with this, as it doesn't make much difference.
• The murder(s) take place at Hill House instead of Tudor Mansion. Doesn't sound quite as foreboding, but I'll allow it.
• Sir Black doesn't exist.
• Dr. Black is now Mr. Boddy (double the pun, because he is a Boddy who is a body, but also he is played by Lee Ving because he will be leaving the party soon)
• Rev. Green is now Mr Green because apparently, Americans don't like it when clergy are murderers (this is also the case with the US game).
• There are some additional characters:
• Wadsworth, the butler: Tim Curry being Tim Curry
• Yvette, the maid: In this version, Mrs White does not and never did work for Mr. Boddy. Yvette is later murdered by [redacted]
• The Inspector: Only appears after the murders have been resolved; he arrests the murderer(s) and takes them away
• Mrs Ho: Mr Boddy's cook. Mrs Ho is later murdered by [redacted]
• The Motorist: Col Mustard's driver during WWII. He is murdered by [redacted]
• The Cop: He turns up and is murdered by [redacted]
• The Singing Telegram Girl: This clip. That will be all.

One of the main problems with Clue is that there are no clues, despite what the name might suggest. With most murder mysteries, in theory you can watch up until the detective says "And I know who did it", and use the clues hidden in the movie to work it out yourself. Of course, in practise that is much harder as there are often clues shown only to the detective and only revealed to the audience during the explanation.

In Clue, however. the clues are completely absent. You may have noticed that above I have always omitted the identity of the murderer(s). The obvious reason for this is because of spoilers, but there's actually another reason: it changes. The movie has three different endings and each one has a different murderer (for all six murders!)

Because there is no one murderer for each victim, there are no clues to pick up on in the main movie. Ergo, the movie is stupid. QED. Still worth a watch though, especially if you like the game.

Actual line from the movie:

"Why would anyone want to kill him twice?"