Just watched an Italian horror film from 1972 " So Sweet, So Dead".
The police detective, Farley Granger, solves a murder by recognizing the chimes of a clock on a tape recording of a phone call the murderer makes to him!
Interesting...the reversal of the clue in "Most Crucial Game" and it came out the same year, 1972. I wonder if one inspired the other or if it was a case of great minds thinking alike?