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Jazz Age Jeopardy
£49.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set in 1920’s jazz club.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
1920’s New York Jazz Club
Time:
90+ minutes
Ages:
Adult
Players:
During a night of Prohibition-era revelry, something goes terribly wrong.
Backstory
The guests are a mixed group of club staff members, entertainers, and guests at a private party held at a jazz club in 1920s New York City. It is the height of the Jazz Age, and social revolution is afoot. This is the age of Prohibition—and of bootleggers and gangsters. Club owner Felix Fontano, the son of a successful bootlegger and crime boss—and a successful businessman himself—is throwing this private party for a group of select friends. It is a night of revelry like many other nights of revelry enjoyed by this group of sophisticates, artists, and hoodlums . . . until things go horribly wrong.
This mystery is divided into two primary segments. During the first portion of the evening (Act One), the partygoers will have the opportunity to eat, drink, dance, and mingle, while enjoying the swanky atmosphere and smooth jazz of Fontano’s club, The Cat’s Meow.
Murder!
At the midpoint of the evening, one of the players makes a terrible discovery: someone has been murdered in the back supply room of the club!
Solving the Mystery
Act Two will begin with the grisly discovery of the victim’s bloody body. In the area around the body, there are signs of the struggle that occurred prior to the death. It will now be up to the guests to figure out what happened.
The guests quickly decide that the best course of action is not to call the police, but rather to conduct an investigation amongst themselves; at this point, all the guests are suspects; a formal police investigation would dredge up unsavory details of their pasts and expose them to public scandal and unwanted personal repercussions, not to mention the serious and immediate legal repercussions of being caught in a bootlegging establishment!
There are 24 primary suspects in this game, however only 13 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of the Narrator, who keeps the party on track and helps to advance the action. Read the "How To Play" section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 24 guests.
* = Optional character
Male Roles
- Felix Fontano, Club Owner. Felix owns The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club. He is attractive and vain, the son of famous bootlegger Frank Fontano.
- Raymond Ellison, Artist. Raymond is an old college buddy of Felix’s—an artist and something of a dilettante. He comes from old money.
- Jefferson Mitchell, Stockbroker. Jefferson is a successful stockbroker working on Wall Street.
- Edgar Fitzpatrick, Broadway Producer. Edgar is an up-and-coming Broadway director and producer.
- Roger Romano, Attorney. Roger is a money-hungry, ambulance-chasing attorney.
- Duke Carillo, Track Owner. Duke owns a horseracing track in New Jersey. He’s an old friend of the Fontano family.
- Poppy Keene, Club Manager. Poppy manages the day-to-day affairs of the club with an iron fist.
- Calvin Carpenter, Bartender. Calvin is the bartender at the club. He’s cocky and presumptuous. A scoundrel with the ladies.
- *Ronald Mason, Doctor. Ronald is a physician who has made a lot of money during Prohibition because of his willingness to prescribe medicinal alcohol.
Female Roles
- Edith Fontano, Club Owner’s Wife. Edith is Felix’s wife. Enduring years of his infidelity has left her hardened and cynical.
- June Palmetto, Actress. June is a famous actress, a southern belle in the big city.
- Judy Jordan, Flapper. Judy Jordan is a popular young woman on the party circuit. She’s young, bubbly, and optimistic.
- Claudia Mitchell, Writer. Claudia is a well-known author and the wife of stockbroker Jefferson Mitchell.
- Gloria Vale, Singer. Gloria is a jazz singer hired to perform this evening.
- *Jacqueline Jacobs, Fashion Designer. Jacqueline is a snobbish fashion designer. She has a boutique catering to young flapper types.
- *Ella Landeau, Flapper. Ella Landeau is a popular young woman on the party circuit. She’s confident and flirtatious.
- *Mary Marino, Flapper. Bess Bailey is a popular young woman on the party circuit. She’s lighthearted on the outside but serious underneath.
- *Holly Olmstead, Tennis Champion. Holly Olmstead is a professional tennis player. She’s haughty and competitive.
Male or Female Roles
- Win Wallace, Accountant. Win is the accountant for many of the guests. S/he’s reserved but knowledgeable.
- Elliot Nash, Jazz Pianist. Elliot is a talented jazz pianist who often performs at the club. S/he is cool, calm, and collected.
- *Charlie Chambers, Jazz Bassist. Charles is a talented jazz bassist who often performs at the club. He is obsessed with all things jazz.
- *Brett Reeves, Waiter. Brett is a relatively new employee at The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club. S/he has hopes of one day making it big on Broadway.
- *Regan Rowan, Waiter. Rosie is a relatively new employee at The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club. S/he has hopes of one day making it big on Broadway.
- *Alex Preston, Actor. Alex Preston was once on track to stardom, but alcohol got the better of him/her.
Extra Players
- *Investigator (male or female): Additional players have the option of playing the role of "Investigators". In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players.
What's Included
Jazz Age Jeopardy is a downloadable kit that contains PDF files that you print at home, as well as other media files. You can also host and play with the PWM app.
It includes the following features:
- An introduction that explains the basic principles of running a mystery-party and provides specific tips on props, menu items, sound effects, casino games, and special tips to help make your party exciting, memorable, and easy to run
- Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your party
- A detailed party guidebook that will walk you through the event in a simple, easy-to-understand format
- Instructions on how to run the party for a large group
- Nametags and character sheets for each player – the character sheets include tips on costuming and role-playing, as well as special goals and information unique to each character
- Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists
- Special handouts for your guests, offering a detailed overview of 1920s costuming and slang
- 7 illustrated clue cards the players can use to solve the mystery
- Voting sheets
- Customizable awards for your guests
- And much more!
With your purchase of Jazz Age Jeopardy, you will also receive the following:
- A separate “Customizable Documents” file that includes all of the invitations and awards in an editable format
- Step-by-step printing instructions
- A lengthy MP3 audio effects clip for use with your party
- Instructions on how to use this clip to best effect
Follow these steps to host this mystery:
- Each guest will each assume the role of a particular character
Mystery Parties involve a combination of improvisational acting, storytelling, and creative problem solving. Each guest will play the part of that character throughout the course of the game. Each character has specific personality traits, goals, secrets, and information, all of which are included in the character sheet; a big part of the fun is getting into character and taking on a new, exciting role. - A mysterious Event will occur
At some point during the party, an Event will occur that will force the players to come together in order to solve a problem or unravel a mystery. Traditionally, the Event in question will be the murder of one of the characters (as played by a guest), but the parties crafted by Playing With Murder often use this basic framework to accommodate different types of Events, thereby ensuring that your guests will be surprised and entertained (even if they are veteran murder mystery party players). - Solve the mystery!
Your guests will need to use the information that their characters know (as well as additional clues that are provided during the game) to solve the mystery or overcome the problem posed by the Event. Typically this culminates in the guests voting on the identity of the murderer, but again, different parties will have different specific goals. All of our parties also come complete with additional subgames (treasure hunts, unique character goals and special puzzles) that are guaranteed to keep the action intense and your guests motivated and focused.
Expanded Game For Large Groups
If you have extra players, there are two ways that you can accommodate everyone:
- Investigator Role – Additional players have the option of playing the role of “Investigators”. In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players. Expanded Games include a PDF guide that explains how to use the Investigator role, as well as printable character sheets and name tags for anyone that is playing an Investigator.
- Multiple Groups – It is also possible to break your guests up into groups and play multiple instances of the game at the same time. The game will more or less happen the same way; the host makes announcements and each group moves their game forward simultaneously based on the host’s instructions. It’s good to have one assistant in each group to answer questions and facilitate gameplay within the group. This method provides a more intimate experience for your guests, who get better acquainted with a smaller group and participate in a more digestible story.Please contact us if you’d like more information about how to run your party using the Multiple Groups method.
Both the standard and expanded games are included with the purchase of any game kit.
Read more about Expanded Games here
First time hosting a murder mystery party?
Visit our How to Host a Mystery Party page to get step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your murder mystery party.
Franny –
Headline Worked well for a fundraiser!
Nickname Franny
Menu Highlights We ordered nachos and a few appetizers for people to snack on through the night. Guest could order drinks as pleased.
Purchased a kit to host a murder mystery night fundraiser. It was awesome for our event. We had 40 guest attend, and would recommend this be the max amount of people you host due to limited number of character roles – unless you believe not many guest will want to get involved. Guests who were the investigator rolls felt a little left out because once people realized they were just investigators, less people wanted to talk to them. However, this also worked well for the few guests who did not want to get as involved!! It helps if you have an idea of people would will get into their role, and who will suit each role.
We did not give the personal information out in advance. Upon arrival each guest got an envelope with information and a name tag.
We were able to host this event in a bar, up stairs private space – it worked perfectly!
Who recommend this kits for a fundraiser or party.
thelittlesister –
Headline Surprise Murder Mystery Party was a hit!!!
Nickname thelittlesister
Menu Highlights We served lasagna, salad and bread for dinner and had bruschetta and mozzarella sticks for appetizers. As well as birthday cake once the game had ended. We also had a Rum Runners punch pre-made for easy serving, along with other rum and whiskey drinks.
Theme Highlights We were in one room with tons of windows/doors which we covered with a wall covering. We then covered all other doors with black table cloths with gold streamers over top. We had the murder take place in a hallway as we were limited on space. But it worked really well! We had everyone go into the hallway while we hid the clues in the main room. We also had cigarette holders and candles on most tables, with half the lights off.
We played Jazz Age Jeopardy for my sister’s 30th birthday. It was also a surprise party! We had everyone arrive 30 minutes before my sister did to give them time to mingle in their character. (I did not send out their character cards before hand and it still went really well! We just told everyone to dress in 1920s costumes). My sister was shocked to see all her friends dressed in their 1920s best! We had a costume ready for my sister and shortly after she arrived we served dinner. I got so many compliments on the party and the game. Everyone had a wonderful time. We did spend quite a long time decorating before the party, but it was well worth all the extra effort. It really added to the feel of a Speakeasy. We kept everyone informed with physical invitations and also a Facebook event group.
Jeanine –
Headline Jazz Age Jeopardy ..... The Bees Knees
Nickname Jeanine
Menu Highlights We did an Italian theme and everyone brought something from a list that was provided. We had Pasta Fagioli, garlic bread, ziti, lasagna, sausage & peppers, meatballs, cheesecake, tiramisu and cannoli's. Our bar had Bee's Knees, Gin Rickeys and Old fashions....
Theme Highlights We set up the garage as a jazz club... stage, lighting and the works.... don't forget the photo booths and 1920's music
We played Jazz Age Jeopardy last night and had a blast. There were 24 characters and 2 hosts… Our group of friends really did an excellent job staying in character the entire time. The interrogations was the funniest point in our evening… I never knew our friends could act!!
The instructions were a little overwhelming and we there would have been no possible way to have pulled this party off in a 2 week period of time. We had to slowly digest the components and then run with it… Took us about 4 hours to read everything.
The instructions were well done but probably could have been consolidated a bit.. Would I buy it if I knew this before, Absolutely…
We had a tie for best costume, 4 people guessed whodunnit so we gave out the cold blooded killer award.
Nora –
Headline New Years Eve Party Dinner!
Nickname Nora
I hosted a New Year’s Eve party, and after we ate dinner I organized the murder mystery dinner! Jazz Age Jeopardy was a hit!! We did it pretty informally. Guests knew we were doing a murder mystery but didn’t know their character beforehand, and didn’t have to dress up in costume. Despite this, everyone still got very into their characters! Everything was great from start to finish.
Amy A. –
Headline New Years Eve to remember!
Nickname Amy A.
Menu Highlights finger food and gin cocktails from the 20's
Theme Highlights We had white Christmas lights hung and that supplied most of the lighting so the mood was set!
We had a New Years Eve party to remember thanks to PlayingwithMurder.com and the Jazz Age Jeopardy kit. We had 17 people attend (including me at the narrator) so nearly everyone had a piece of important information to contribute. This made it way more fun for everyone as we had played other mystery murders and its boring for the non-essential characters. We went all out on the decorations -transforming our kitchen and living room into The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club with a bar, stage, and VIP lounge. This party is quite complex – I read it through multiple times and STILL had to refer to my pages often during the evening. I would suggest that you stress that it is important to divulge your character info and not to withhold any. Also, a scoring or vote tally sheet would be a really helpful document to add to this package.
Randi –
Headline 1920s Speakeasy was a smash!
Nickname Randi
We did this for a Halloween party! We had the best time ever! Everyone really enjoyed themselves. The clues were really great and kept us all thinking!
Jazz –
Headline It was an awesome birthday party
Nickname Jazz
We did a murder mystery party for a friends birthday. It was awesome… everyone dressed up and got involved… the step by step was very helpful especially since I only had 3 1/2 weeks to plan.
Vicki –
Headline Spectacular Success and ready for more!
Nickname Vicki
We had a Mofia Murder Myster dinner in the 1920’s. It was a great success! My boyfriend and I played the owners of the Jazz Club and made a sign using Christmas lights punched through foam board. We hired 3 college students from our neighbors younglife group to be our waiters. Everyone came dressed up to match their character. I’ve never had so many compliments on how much fun the evening was. The one thing I did notice was that during Act two, it was “challenging” to get the adults to look for clues, they were leaving it up to the kids as they stood in a large circle. Can’t wait for the next one! Would really love a Wild West with a chuckwagon dinner at our firepit and a murder on the trail/yard.
Vic –
Headline 25th Birthday Murder Mystery Party!
Nickname Vic
I’ve been wanting to throw a murder mystery party forever, so I figured my 25th birthday was a good reason! The kit was well thought out and thorough. My only tip would be to plan further in advance than I did. I started planning about two weeks out and it was a lot more work than I thought it would be! Overall the night was great, the only kink was that our killer cancelled last minute and I had to do some switching, but that is no reflection on the kit/script. Everyone came in costume and had a great time.
Amy Bell –
Headline Friends-giving jazz age jeopardy
Nickname Amy Bell
This was our second Playing with Murder party. We had an amazing time, everyone loved the 1920s theme and everyone really got into their parts!
Kirsty –
Headline Absolutely Marvellous!!!
Nickname Kirsty
My friends and I played this and absolutely loved it! I can’t believe its free, to be honest, as you get so much information and the characters and storyline are really well thought out. Everyone had a lot of fun getting into character, and they all interacted with each other perfectly thanks to the character prompts. Honestly, it was brilliant – a very, very good choice for your party!
Julie –
Headline Halloween Murder Mystery Party
Nickname Julie
Halloween Party. This was my first time hosting and first time attending a murder mystery party. Everyone really seemed excited for this event. I was happy that all my guest took time and put in a lot of effort in their costumes and their roles.
Melinda Frank –
Headline 1920's Murder Mystery Party
Nickname Melinda Frank
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3CwDFqN88U
This was so much fun! I have a Halloween party every year, but I wanted to do something different last year, and I’,m so glad I did. Everyone got into character, and I honestly was so worried it would not go smoothly as I didn’t even get to read the entire game through, but I had all my instructions/narration in hand and it all worked out. Everyone complimented me on what a great hostess I was, and how well it all flowed. I am planning to do another murder mystery party this Halloween…with a different theme of course.
Dymond –
Headline Killer Party
Nickname Dymond
For my 33rd birthday I wanted to try something different, and i have always wanted to do a murder mystery party. So why not.
We had a blast. All 20 of my guests showed up in character and costume, they looked amazing.
When it was time for the murder we cut the light and the victim slipped away before the lights came back on. I gave a secret password to be able to get in ours was "2 words 1 finger" (you know like speak easy, be quiet, shut up lol).
I had a scavenger hunt to find the clues and while they did that I set up for act 2 back in the 1st room.
Megan –
Headline #proverncemurdermystery
Nickname Megan
This was our second party using Playing with Murder and it did not disappoint!
Everyone was very into it this year, playing their characters and dressing up.
We had 28 people, so we played with a couple investigators. Even though they didn’t have a specific character to play, they still dressed up and participated in solving the murder.
Since I did not have a specific part, I played a cigarette girl. I ordered candy cigarettes on amazon- they were a huge hit!
We all had a great time and can’t wait to do it again next year!
Dani –
Headline Murder at N Ohio
Nickname Dani
Book club party. Read "Death of a Flapper" and held the party for book club girls and their significant others. It was fantastic! The guests got really into their characters with detailed costumes, accents and even homemade business cards.
Jen M –
Headline The Cat's Meow at the Oasis Lounge
Nickname Jen M
I held the party at a local bar. It was such a hit! There were a lot of people that didn’t know each other and this was the perfect way to get people to mingle. It was so fun that we’re doing it again!
MaryS –
Headline Jazz Jeopardy
Nickname MaryS
We were celebrating my daughter’s 30th birthday. It was amazing. Most everyone came in costume and really got into their roles. The couple who played Edith and Felix really brought a lot to their roles as a couple. The was the first time most of the guests had been to a murder mystery party and they all want to do it again. Thank you for making it so easy to host this party.
Supi –
Headline 30th birthday - Kiss good bye to your 20ZZ
Nickname Supi
Great fun for a 30th party with some rowdy 40 party people, was very easy to read and enact when necessary!!
highly recommend it !!
Amanda –
Headline The Party Everyone is Still Talking about!!
Nickname Amanda
I’ve always wanted to host a murder mystery party and decided in a whim to do so! I was nervous about how it would go but everything went seamlessly. I’m so glad I was the narrator, I felt like I was able to make the experience so much fun for my guests while keeping the event moving forward. Highlights included the black jack table, our themed cocktails, and the costumes, ohhhhh the costumes. Everyone came dressed tonthe 9’s, and we’re right in character.
Chris –
Headline Murder At The Speak Easy!
Nickname Chris
We are a cafe that used this game for our Halloween Party. We added in some of our own elements to make the game more personal. Overall this game was very well put together, it made it very easy to keep such a large group of people busy and having a great time. We received nothing but compliments on the game. Will definitely be purchasing more games in the future!
Katie Poole –
Headline Jazz Age Jeopardy
Nickname Katie Poole
We participated in this murder mystery as a New Year’s party. It went FANTASTICALLY!! Everyone was in character all night long, especially our bartender 😉 I was the narrator and because everyone had so much fun, I kept things going longer and the game took three hours! I am still getting messages about how much fun everyone had.
Stephanie –
Headline Community Theatre Season End Celebration
Nickname Stephanie
We used Jazz Age Jeopardy as a year-end party for our community theatre season. It was a complete success. We met ar a local diner and decorated it as a speakeasy with a slot where you were required to give a password before entering. The music MP3 set the mood perfectly. People did a great job on costumes. We hope to do another Playing with Murder party for New Year’s Eve.
Christy C –
Headline Delayed
Nickname Christy C
Had to delay our party date.
Purchased this for group of 20+ teens. Nothing else kid/family friendly looked appealing to our group of teenagers. Their prom last year was Gatsby Themed…so, they thought this would be a great continuation.
We expected to replace the alcohol references with other beverage choices…Arnold Palmer, Shirley Temple, etc. We just did not realize how many references to adultery/sex there would be in the script.
I am having to rewrite the script & recreate many of the characters to be more appropriate for our guest. We are looking forward to having this FUN party.
www.AllAmericanWife.co –
Headline Murder on Lake Street
Nickname www.AllAmericanWife.co
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQMPuZI7gnQ&t=85s
Playing with Murder is hands down the best murder mystery company! I had so much fun planning this party! See how I planned our party here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQMPuZI7gnQ&t=85s
The plot was great and kept everyone on edge! Candy cigaretts added to the era’s atmosphere. Everyone really played into their characters, and we received so many compliments for going "all-in" on the theme! Head over to my site, http://www.AllAmericanWife.co to see details and photos from the evening!
Michele Tumino –
Headline Jazz Age Jeopardy
Nickname Michele Tumino
We had 50 people show. We did our Murder Mystery on New Years Eve. Everyone had a blast #catsmeowjazzclub
Tara –
Headline Jazz Age Jeopardy
Nickname Tara
My 16 guests had a blast playing Jazz Age Jeopardy for my 31st birthday. It was the classiest party we have had to date! Sending out the character sheets in advance encouraged guests to put thought into their costumes and characters. The highlight was the mingling amongst characters during Act I. Everyone is asking when the next one will be.
Cheryl –
Headline Knock three times...password is MEOW!
Nickname Cheryl
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HQ9mpmVqvA&feature=em-share_video_user
It was a roaring great time! 7 tailgating couples got together for a new year’s eve bash dressed to the nines! We all brought finger foods to share, made our own house moonshine and had lots of fun strutting our stuff to the Charleston.
I sent 4 different email 2 weeks to the day before the event leading up to the big night. Each email had a teaser so that my guests would look forward to the next email. The last email had the secret knock and password hence, the party title up top!
I hosted but instead in narrator form, I changed my character to the club host and was able to egg on the relationships between the characters which seem to help the conversations flow.
Instead of a bloody body, we did a masking tape outline which helped keep the momentum going and the guests in character.
The murderer who didn’t know til the end surprised us with a toy machine gun pulled from an old trumpet case from years past!
I liked having this particular story for a new year’s theme and it was easy after the murder to transition into current time to celebrate the new year because we already had the decor, booze, food and friends to celebrate. This won’t disappoint!
Amorette –
Headline Jazz Age Jeopardy
Nickname Amorette
Hosted this for a college debate team, and we had a blast! I did a little revision on the clues — made actual objects for the guests to find, rather than just the postcards included with the kit. This is a very smart group, and the story was complex enough to keep them all going. I can’t wait to host another! The only part of the package I did not like was the soundtrack, which included an overdubbed club noise with the music. I opted to use Spotify to create my own 1920s playlist.
To make the party a little more authentic, I also set up the speakeasy with poker and blackjack tables, gave each guest play money to gamble with, and had the character Poppy Gebhardt deal. At the end of the night, they cashed out, and I offered a prize for the gambler who profited the most in toy money.
Lisa W –
Headline Great fun!
Nickname Lisa W
We needed something to get us out of our winter doldrums, and this was perfect! We had 19 guests who did a marvelous job researching the era, and came prepared to live it up 20s style. It was unfortunate some of the parts had less "meat" to them, but overall we had a great time. I was the narrator, but I spiced up my part by being the (candy) cigarette girl. The tray of cigarettes around my neck was a great place to stash the parts for Act 1 and 2.
Thanks!