| Mr. John Boddy | |
|---|---|
| |
| First appearance | Murder! |
| Created by | Anthony E. Pratt |
| Portrayed by | Tim Curry (film) |
| Information | |
| Date of birth | John Q. Boddy June 5, 1924 Boston, MA[1] |
| Height | 6'0" |
| Gender | Male |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Height | 6'0" |
| Weight | 171 lbs. |
| Ethnicity | British |
| Nationality | United States of America |
| Residence | Boddy Estate 1949 Rainbow Rd. Boston, MA 02201[2] |
| Occupation | Anthropologist |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Family | Samuel Boddy (father) Margaret Boddy-Black(mother) Sir Hugh Black (uncle) |
Mr. John Boddy (born June 5, 1924) is a millionaire tycoon who knows all the secrets of his "friends". He threatened to exploit these secrets and was murdered.
Biography
John Boddy was born on June 5, 1924 in Boston, Massachusetts to Samuel and Margaret Boddy, who earned their fortune from anthropology and through family inheritance. At the age of 4, John Boddy was orphaned by his parents, as they had been murdered. Samuel and Margaret Boddy, in their will, had entrusted the Boddy Estate to Sir Hugh Black, Margaret’s brother, who would also be entrusted to care for the young John Boddy. However, Sir Hugh had absolutely no idea of how to raise a child, so Boddy was sent off to the finest military school in Boston, and he met his best friend, Col. Michael Mustard. During holidays and breaks from school, Mr. and Mrs. White, the chauffeur and housekeeper, acted as his second parents and cared for him[3].
In 1942, Sir Hugh Black died and Boddy did not yet inherit his parents’ fortune and home because Sir Hugh refused to pass on the wealth until Boddy’s birthday. Instead, Sir Hugh entrusted monthly allowances to John Boddy, Vivienne Scarlet, Mike Mustard, Blanche White, Jonathan Green, Elizabeth Peacock, and Peter Plum. Mr. Boddy was unaware of who most of these people were after he came to college, beginning to question the will. Mrs. White knew all of the secrets on these people and recorded them in her diary. Boddy found Mrs. White’s diary that was kept in a cabinet in the kitchen and learned about these people’s scandalous lives, organized in chapters by each person. Boddy wondered about his uncle’s true nature. Was Black being blackmailed? Was he supporting a secret cause? Or was it something far more nefarious[3][4]?
Eventually, John Boddy worked hard in school and was admitted to Harvard University. John Boddy decided to follow his parents’ footsteps, so he eventually earned a doctorate in Anthropology. Boddy later met Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock, a wealthy socialite and friend of Sir Hugh and Mrs. White, and her beautiful, vivacious daughter, Vivienne Scarlet. Boddy and Scarlet fell in love, and he proposed to her in 1954, unaware of her unfaithful relationship with his best friend, Mike Mustard. However, Boddy learned about her dating Mustard and called off the engagement. Boddy tried to stay friends with these two and was Col. Mustard’s hunting partner and Ms. Scarlet’s knitting partner. Boddy also met Rev. Green and Prof. Plum who he learned participated in extortion in collaboration with Sir Hugh[3].
Although he was known in society as Mr. John Boddy, locals addressed their neighbor as Dr. Black, after his late uncle[1].
In 1953, Mr. Boddy hired a lawyer, Mr. Miles Meadow-Brook to help him learn more about Sir Black’s associates. Mr. Meadow-Brook suggested inviting these people, along with Lady Lavender and Prince Azure, in order to discover their secrets. However, on August 8, 1953, Mr. Meadow-Brook was mysteriously murdered at the Boddy Estate by his wife, Jane Meadow-Brook[5].
Boddy vowed to get to the bottom of these murky financial dealings. To that end, he invited Sir Hugh's former associates to the Boddy Estate for a weekend visit in June. It was during this weekend, on June 5, 1954, with all of his colorful guests in attendance, that Boddy was mysteriously murdered[1]!