Although set in Cairo, this Agatha Christie thriller was actually shot in Madrid and in Cádiz, where the brief port scenes were filmed, and starred Tony Randall, Edward Woodward and Stephanie Zimbalist.
For a little bit of genuine Egyptian authenticity, the producers were delighted to discover that Britain was not the only Empire to have ‘borrowed’ architectural treasures from the Middle East.
Some use was made of the Temple of Debod, an ancient Egyptian temple which was rebuilt in Madrid’s Parque de Rosales, near the royal palace, and opened to the public in 1972. It is here that Stephanie goes looking for clues after leaving the police station, in the company of some similarly authentic camels.
Edward Woodward’s villa, where Anita is murdered and where Woodward finally gets his comeuppance and Stephanie finally lands the man in the brown suit, is in fact Viñuelas castle.