Murder She Said

"I'm quite sure you mean well, Inspector, but if you imagine that I'm going to sit back and let everyone regard me as a dotty old maid, you're very much mistaken."

Miss Marple (Rutherford) is enjoying a murder mystery novel on the train, when she looks up to see a murder happening in another train.  She reports the crime, but Inspector Craddock (Tingwell) is not convinced.  Miss Marple turns to her friend, Jim Stringer (Davis), who shares her love for murder mysteries, and decides to investigate.  Their search leads to Ackenthorpe Hall that borders the train tracks.

She decides to get a job as a maid at Ackenthorpe Hall.  The Ackenthorpe family is run by prickly and ailing patriarch Luther Ackenthorpe (Justice) who barks orders from his bed.  The Hall is also home to Ackenthorpe's long-suffering daughter Emma (Pavlow) and his snarky grandson Alexander Eastley (Raymond), along with shady gardener Hillman (Golden) and miserable housekeeper Mrs. Kidder (Hickson).  And he receives regular at-home treatments from Dr. Paul Quimper (Kennedy).  Ackenthorpe has a challenging relationship with his three sons: Albert (Cross), Harold (Phillips), and Cedric (Walters), and son-in-law Brian Eastley (Howard), who were all at the house for the weekend.  Can Miss Marple find the body and the killer before anyone gets hurt?


This film is based on Agatha Christie's 1957 novel "4:50 from Paddington."  The story was the 7th novel to feature beloved character Miss Jane Marple.  She was one of Christie's most recognizable and popular characters (alongside Belgian detective Hercule Poirot), and starred in 12 novels and several short stories.

When MGM adapted the novel, they made some changes.  The biggest change, was the portrayal of Miss Marple.  Marple, as portrayed by Margaret Rutherford, is more comedic than written.  Christie did not like the film, but did dedicate the 1962 novel "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" to Rutherford.  Rutherford has great reactions.  The film keeps the the seriousness of the story, while also adding a touch of comedy.  They also added the new character of bookstore owner Jim Stringer, played by Rutherford's husband Stringer Davis.

The film was a success and MGM made 3 more Miss Marple films with Rutherford: Murder at the Gallop in 1963, Murder Most Foul in 1964, and Murder Ahoy! in 1964.

Murder She Said (1961) 87 minutes
Director: George Pollock
Starring: Margaret Rutherford as Jane Marple
Arthur Kennedy as Dr. Paul Quimper
Muriel Pavlow as Emma Ackenthorpe
James Robertson Justice as Luther Ackenthorpe
Thorley Walters as Cedric Ackenthorpe
Charles Tingwell as Inspector Craddock
Conrad Phillips as Harold Ackenthorpe
Ronald Howard as Brian Eastley
Joan Hickson as Mrs. Kidder
Stringer Davis as Jim Stringer
Ronnie Raymond as Alexander Eastley
Gerald Cross as Albert Ackenthorpe
Michael Golden as Hillman