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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:
Play with Printed Sheets or the App
Hosts have the choice of playing the game with printable documents or using the PWM Party Assistant app
View app gameplay guide
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.
Content Rating:
This party is rated adult. While there is no explicit material, the party does contain references to the following:
- Infidelity and extramarital affairs
- Alcohol use
- Bootlegging and various other crimes
- References to the Great War
- Murder
Difficulty:
This party is moderately complex to set up. We recommend a venue with at least two rooms and a sufficient area to hide clues for the scavenger hunt.
This party is average difficulty.
Rachael Heida –
I’ve hosted several murder mystery parties before, and this was definitely one of my favorites!
My daughter wanted another mystery party for her Sweet 16 and specifically asked for a 1920s jazz theme at our house. I had used PWM before, so I checked their website first and got lucky—there was a teen-friendly 1920s kit, and it was even on sale. The reviews made it clear right away that it would work well for teens.
The kit itself was incredibly easy to host. I’ll admit I didn’t fully read through everything ahead of time and ended up reviewing parts as the night went on—but thankfully, it didn’t matter much. This kit requires very little from the host, so even with minimal preparation, everything ran smoothly.
Here’s how we organized it:
About two weeks before the party, my daughter (the birthday girl) let her friends choose their characters. My son then offered the remaining roles to his friends. About a week before the party, two guests had to cancel—and of course, they had essential roles. I also noticed that one of my daughter’s more outgoing, theatrical friends had been assigned a non-essential character, so we made a few swaps (with everyone’s approval), and the cast was set.
Once the roles were finalized, I printed all the character and game materials, placed them in labeled “Top Secret” envelopes, and had my kids distribute them. One mistake I made was including both Act 1 and Act 2 materials in the envelopes. I didn’t realize Act 2 information was supposed to be handed out during intermission—but it worked out fine. I just asked everyone to hold off on revealing details from Act 2 info sheets, and they did a great job with that.
During Act 1, my only responsibility as the host was to read the welcome letter and then observe while everyone played their roles. I kept an eye on the timing to cue intermission. During the break, I hid the evidence props while everyone was outside eating, which made things easy. I did need the “victim” to sneak inside, so I had them excuse themselves to use the bathroom, then lie down in place. I quietly signaled another player to come in and “discover” the body. When they ran out to announce it, that became the cue to end intermission and begin Act 2.
From there, my role was simply to observe and guide the flow when needed—mainly prompting if anyone had additional information to share before moving on. I handed out voting cards (I added a couple of extra categories), collected them, and revealed the most accused suspect. Then the murderer revealed themselves and gave their final speech.
We wrapped up by announcing winners for fun categories like “Best Dressed,” “Best Actor,” “Best Detective,” and “Player of the Game.” They got mini trophies. 🙂
Overall, this kit made hosting incredibly simple while still delivering a fun, engaging experience for teens. I would absolutely use another one of their kits again!
Amy Medford –
I hosted this for the young adult group at our church. We had a blast. It is a well written game with excellent instructions. The app feature made hosting a breeze. No more printing 100 pages, making folders, passing out papers, all to throw it away that night. Even recycling all the leftover paper products, it took hours to set up. The app was amazing! Such a time and resource saver. The game/party instructions are clear and easy to follow. The character sheets come with costume ideas, tips for how to act, and conversation starters specifically for your character. That is such a great touch. No one in the group had ever played before and they all appreciated the extra tips on their character sheet. I made cocktails themed around the event and served them out of tea pots, coffee press, and other mason type jara. For food we served charcuterie and snacks. We set the house up like a modern cocktail lounge with several cozy seating nooks. Everyone loved it.
Veronica Maestas –
WOW! I have thrown murder mystery parties before, but this one was the best. Yes, it was more advanced that previous ones but everyone that I talked to that has went to others say they liked this one the best because it was mostly improv. Here is how the night went. I blocked the front door with police tape and prohibition signs and drew chalk arrows leading to the backyard. Once in backyard they heard the Jazz audio and picked up their manilla envelope with their homemade police board. I bought a few packs of large and small manilla envelopes at the dollar tree and put nametags on each large envelope this included their character sheet, guest list, vocabulary. and Act 1 and 2 smaller envelopes, which were labeled not to open until told. Act 1 was just their Act 1 part and Act 2 included their voting sheet. This prevented me from having to hand out items all night. They took pictures as they arrived with their police board in front of a police backdrop. Then I had a second backdrop which consisted of boxes covered in brown paper and homemade liquor signs that I painted with black tea bags and hot water to give them the vintage look. I included a couple wood crates that I filled with bags that looked like they were filled with money, some inflatable tommy guns, some fake money, & black feathers that they could use for props to take their picture with. Then they got to knock at the door. The bouncer (my cousin) cracked the door and asked for the password. They entered and asked for their names (expecting only character names for sure). Once they entered, they hung out at maybe had a drink, while I served appetizers. There was a casino set up in the living room (which was just a table covered with a green table cover and some cards and chips put out) The music inside with a YouTube playlist I created to reenact live music being played. Once everyone arrived, I stood on the stage and with the microphone announced Act 1 was about to start and open their Act 1 envelope, read it, and start your roles. As they completed their act one, I served dinner. As Act 1 ended, I took the victim in the backyard and told him of his fate. He laid on a white sheet that we dripped blood on (he was wearing a really nice suit he didn’t want dirty or stained) and went inside and had Poppy disclose what happened. After everyone had a chance to view the crime scene, I had the victim walk around to our 2nd back door and change to the detective. I bought a trench coat, detective hat, magnifying glass, gloves, and a pipe. Once he was ready, I announced that the investigator has arrived and would like to talk to us. He took the microphone and made his announcement. So we started to search for clues. The clues were hidden in little treasure chests that I found on amazon. Once all the clues were found, Interrogations took place. That was fun! Everyone had a blast with it. After the questioning I asked everyone to vote and hand me their voting sheet. I took to the other room to tally the votes while I asked them to discuss their reasoning. I then served dessert, Once I was done, I bought the awards. I bought little grammy like plastic trophies on amazon and put stickers with the title on each one. I stood on stage and started to announce the winners. When lastly, the murder wasn’t guessed, I asked the real murderer to come forward and explain himself. Once he was done I announced the murder mystery is over. Everyone cheered as it was a BLAST!!! Everyone is already asking what is going to be next years theme.
Mary Val Palumbo –
A great event, everyone had a ton of fun. We had a volunteer Jazz Band who also enjoyed the event. I may be back for another script.
Penny Robinson –
Murder Mystery Birthday Party
Penny Robinson –
Murder Mystery Birthday Party (67 in August 2023)
Barbara –
Jazz Age Jeopardy was a lot of fun for me to plan. It does take a lot of planning for the host, but the game tells you how to pull it off. It is something so different to do, everyone loved it.
Ian Locke –
We did our Murder Mystery on New Year’s Eve with Jazz Age Jeopardy – these murder mysteries are the best – they allow for really great freedom and interactivity while also allowing folks to share in the party atmosphere and have some fun. I highly recommend any of these experiences.
Nikkie Preston –
I hosted this themed party for my bday and we all had so much fun!!!!! This was definitely the largest bday party I ever had. Over 30 people attended not only dressed in character and their acting was amazing too. Some folks were in character so much we thought they were not having a great time. They had a blast! I have ordered murder mystery party packages from other sites and this is the best site. Highly recommend
VickieRoberts –
Jazz age jeopardy for a birthday party. Everyone had fun and loved it and asked when we was doing another one
Emma –
We played Jazz Age Jeopardy for a volunteer appreciation night. It was so fun! The party pack provided everything we need for a a successful night. All the instructions were given in advance and it was easy to follow along.
Everyone got into their characters and it made the night very fun. I would suggest making it clear to your guests to dress up (otherwise some might think its an optional thing).
It was a great murder mystery party!
Dlog247 –
great kit this wss my 3rd kit from this website I love how detailed everything is and it’s easy to follow. My friend’s group loves them and constantly asks when will your next murder mystery be!!
Ladyleesoto –
I hosted this party for a group of friends and it did not disappoint! The storyline was easy to follow and the guests loved every bit of it. This kit had absolutely everything I needed to host and I will definitely be purchasing more in the future and hosting more events.
Jaybird –
The occasion, was everyone was tired of not seeing anyone for so long, due to Covid 19. We did Jazz Age Jeopardy. We had 19 characters. Everyone dressed their parts, beautifully. Not everyone knew everyone else, so made it more fun. Sometimes you weren’t sure if a person was playing their part, or whether that was their personality. There was a lot of paperwork to go thru for the hosts, but it allowed everyone to get a very clear picture of their character. Everyone had a really great time. I would suggest you allow yourself a couple of months to work thru everything.
Jacqi –
We purchased the Jazz Age Jeopardy for my 30th birthday but sadly had to postpone it due to Covid.
We eventually had it in 2022 and what a lot of fun!
The Character descriptions were well put out and everyone had so much fun playing their part.
The creativity of all our friends truly came to light during the “off-script” times.
Ellie –
Our Cats Meow Jazz Club Murder Mystery Party was a massive hit.
Everyone went above and beyond with costumes and characters.
The theme, setting and script was so much fun.
Can’t wait to hold another one.
Trevor –
We played Jazz Age Jeopardy for a birthday party and brought together two large groups of friends (18 in total) who’d never met or played before. The real paper invites posted to everyone weeks before makes it seem more mysterious and formal and there was lots of excitement beforehand; everyone turned up in full character and played for a few hours before the murderer was revealed and people became themselves again! It was great fun, pretty detailed and the way the game is setup gets everyone to throw themselves fully into it. The instructions are really good to help the organiser setup and follow and the parts are all fun.
Joseph Yu –
I decided to tackle this murder mystery for my 20th birthday (because Roaring ‘20s, I’m turning 20, blah blah) and was pleasantly surprised at how well everything came together! I was worried about major plot holes being accidentally revealed or lack of engagement but it turns out I didn’t have to worry. The detailed instructions were incredibly helpful in ensuring the event ran smoothly. My only note is that I felt that most of the evidence pointed to one or two suspects, and having three or four viable suspects would have arguably lead to a more dynamic game (it was apparently a tad bit too “easy” for some of my guests… ugh). Regardless, I had a blast doing this and am fully invested in the world of murder mystery parties. 10/10 would recommend!
cairahh2 –
The occasion was ‘just because’. We all had SO much fun and I keep getting asked when I’m holding the next one. The materials that Jazz Age Jeopardy provided made it so easy and straightforward. This was the first time we had done a murder mystery and it was perfect!
ansfun –
WE HAD AN ABSOLUTE BLAST! This was such an incredible game and so well thought out! Just buy it, you’ll love it. I wanted to host and know the whole plot because this was my very first murder mystery party, it was so much fun to be behind the scenes and know what was going on. We had a larger turnout (50-55 people) so I ended up buying the expansion pack and creating my own characters (it was a blast and everyone felt involved).
Poppy –
Best party ever! I assigned characters and provided the character info sheet, jazz age lingo and instructions for Act One ahead of time.
All attendees were required to give a password before entering the speakeasy.
I arranged the murder scene, had another character “discover” it and scream. At that point Poppy ran out wearing red gloves and gave the speech.
I printed clues and used props to set the scene and for everyone to find. I did some improv with the characters to get everyone to participate.
I did too good of a job because only a few guests correctly identified the killer.
I bought trophies resembling academy awards and presented best dressed and best actor at the end of the night.
All attendees have requested another party and this time they want a Victorian theme.
I can’t wait to host the next one.
Haygunner –
We did this party and it was a huge win!!! We loved it so much! Well written and fun twists!
Rebecca –
Had an amazing time with a group of young adults. All in costume, our event ran for 2-3 hours including a dinner break. The decorations really set the mood and helped guests remain in character throughout the night. Most guests correctly guessed the killer, the evidence in this set was pretty leading. Everyone had a great time and looking forward to our next event.
rich elmo –
I hosted this murder mystery for a group of 19 twenty-somethings who all had a wonderful time! Many of the guests didn’t know each other beforehand and it ended up being a great icebreaker for unacquainted guests. Guests settled in to their characters really well and found all the instructions clear and easy to follow.
One thing I would say was kind of tricky to navigate was that besides the six or seven central characters in the story, there was not a whole lot for the remaining characters to do in Act I. The same was kind of an issue in Act II, as those same characters did not have as much interesting information to contribute to the investigation, so as a host, it became a little bit difficult to make each guest feel included in the story. But even so, the guests with more secondary roles still at the very least enjoyed observing the chaos at The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club!
Addison Howard –
This is the third PWM package we’ve bought, and it was another fantastic party. I love that there is a lot of direction given to each character, but not a script. It allows both introverts and extroverts to thrive, and a great time is always had by all. We’ve always hosted ours as a Halloween party for adults, where participants have a great time dressing up, doing something super fun, and connecting with people they’ve never met. Everyone is always able to get so into character (thanks to the prompts provided) while still having time to catch up with one another. I love the amount of flexibility provided in the package (e.g. we didn’t use the audio provided, or focus on food). The only slight negative is that I invited everyone via email and had to create custom character dossiers for each person based on select information provided in the pack (e.g. Part 1, character list, 1920s lingo) – it would have been nice to have those pre-prepared for easier distribution, but that’s the only downside I can think of. Highly highly recommend!
Phil –
Very fun game, it took some time for people to start give the juicy information but at the end everybody had fun.
A lot of people found the murderer so the plot was a little bit too easy and obvious.
At the end a lot of fun and we will try others from this site !
Catherine –
This was such a fun kit for my party! I don’t have super theater friends but everyone loved it and most were able to correctly guess the killer! SO MUCH FUN!
Liz F, CA –
We had our party on Halloween night. Everyone came in 20’s inspired costumes. The game lasted probably about 2.5 hours. As the hostess, I felt that the instructions were easy to follow. At the beginning I was really nervous that no one was having fun, but once everyone got comfortable and got into their roles (which most did), it was a really fun night. Some of my guests who had never done anything like this before even asked when we were having the next one. So I guess it’s time to plan another one soon. I would say our party was a huge success!!
Bryn Barringer –
We did this with a group of 20-21 year olds and we had the greatest time! We loved how detailed and intricate it was! We were nervous that it was going to flop, but the more into it your crowd gets, the more fun it was! My only tip is to remember everywhere you hide the clues, if youre the hostess
Maya (Denmark) –
It was amazing and so much fun, even when you’re a hostess. I just mingled and talked to the guests as if I was a real hostess of the nightclub. We played for about 2.5 hours and it was never boring.
We created a nightclub vibe in the house, glitter and glam, had everyone dress up and followed the directions completely. As it was Halloween we also had some scary skeletons, signs and pumpkin lights around. We created a murder scene with blood, bottles and cases of illegal alcohol.
The game is thoroughly described so anyone can host a murder mystery party.
All the guests were so excited and went all in on the character and dress-up. We had a blast with the audio music and fancy drinks.
Thank you so much!! We’re definitely going to repeat it with a new mystery.