Hildegarde Withers
Encyclopedia
Hildegarde Withers is a fictional character who appeared in several films and novels. She was created by Stuart Palmer
.
Miss Withers "whom the census enumerator had recently listed as 'spinster, born Boston, age thirty-nine, occupation school teacher'" becomes an amateur sleuth
in the first book of the series. Her adventures are usually comic but are nevertheless straightforward mysteries. She is a sort of variation on Agatha Christie
's Miss Marple
. "A lean, angular spinster lady, her unusual hats and the black cotton umbrella she carries are her trademark. ... Hildegarde collects tropical fish, abhors alcohol and tobacco, and appears to have an irritable disposition. However, she is a romantic at heart and will extend herself to help young lovers."
Edna May Oliver
starred in the first three screen adaptations, produced by RKO Radio Pictures, and is considered the definitive Miss Withers. When Oliver left RKO in 1935 to sign with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, RKO attempted to continue the series with Helen Broderick
and then ZaSu Pitts
, but Oliver's presence was sorely missed and the films were poorly received. Author Palmer approved of Oliver's characterization so much that he gave the actress a mention in his Hollywood-based Withers novel The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan.
In 1972, CBS
made a Withers television movie
with Eve Arden
that was well-received, but failed to produce any sequels.
Stuart Palmer
Stuart Palmer was a popular mystery novel author and screenwriter, best known for his character Hildegarde Withers.Palmer was born in Baraboo, Wisconsin...
.
Miss Withers "whom the census enumerator had recently listed as 'spinster, born Boston, age thirty-nine, occupation school teacher'" becomes an amateur sleuth
in the first book of the series. Her adventures are usually comic but are nevertheless straightforward mysteries. She is a sort of variation on Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
's Miss Marple
Miss Marple
Jane Marple, usually referred to as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels and in twenty short stories. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur detective. She is one of the most famous...
. "A lean, angular spinster lady, her unusual hats and the black cotton umbrella she carries are her trademark. ... Hildegarde collects tropical fish, abhors alcohol and tobacco, and appears to have an irritable disposition. However, she is a romantic at heart and will extend herself to help young lovers."
Edna May Oliver
Edna May Oliver
Edna May Oliver was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the best-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters.-Early life:...
starred in the first three screen adaptations, produced by RKO Radio Pictures, and is considered the definitive Miss Withers. When Oliver left RKO in 1935 to sign with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, RKO attempted to continue the series with Helen Broderick
Helen Broderick
Helen Broderick was an American film and stage actress known for her comic roles, especially as a wisecracking sidekick.-Career:...
and then ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts
ZaSu Pitts was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning to comedy sound films.-Early life:ZaSu Pitts was born in Parsons, Kansas to Rulandus and Nellie Pitts; she was the third of four children...
, but Oliver's presence was sorely missed and the films were poorly received. Author Palmer approved of Oliver's characterization so much that he gave the actress a mention in his Hollywood-based Withers novel The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan.
In 1972, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
made a Withers television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
with Eve Arden
Eve Arden
Eve Arden was an American actress. Her almost 60-year career crossed most media frontiers with supporting and leading roles, but she may be best-remembered for playing the sardonic but engaging title character, a high school teacher, on Our Miss Brooks, and as the Rydell High School principal in...
that was well-received, but failed to produce any sequels.
Hildegarde Withers films
- Penguin Pool MurderPenguin Pool MurderPenguin Pool Murder is a comedy/mystery film starring Edna May Oliver as Hildegarde Withers, a witness in a murder case at the New York Aquarium, James Gleason as the police inspector in charge of the case, who investigates with her unwanted help, and Robert Armstrong as an attorney representing...
(1932), portrayed by Edna May OliverEdna May OliverEdna May Oliver was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the best-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters.-Early life:... - Murder on the BlackboardMurder on the BlackboardMurder on the Blackboard is a mystery film starring Edna May Oliver as schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers and James Gleason as Police Inspector Oscar Piper. Together, they investigate a murder at Withers' school...
(1934), starring Oliver - Murder on a HoneymoonMurder on a HoneymoonMurder on a Honeymoon is a mystery film starring Edna May Oliver and James Gleason. This was the third and last time Oliver portrayed astute schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers, who in this film witnesses the death of an airplane passenger...
(1935), featuring Oliver (based on The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree, 1934) - Murder on a Bridle PathMurder on a Bridle PathMurder on a Bridle Path is a 1936 Drama directed by William Hamilton and Edward Killy, starring James Gleason and Helen Broderick. This film was the fourth production in the Hildegarde Withers-Oscar Piper series, and the first and only in which Helen Broderick played the Hildegarde Withers...
(1936), with Helen BroderickHelen BroderickHelen Broderick was an American film and stage actress known for her comic roles, especially as a wisecracking sidekick.-Career:... - The Plot ThickensThe Plot Thickens (film)The Plot Thickens is a 1936 Drama film directed by William Sistrom, starring James Gleason and Zasu Pitts, who plays the aging schoolteacher and amateur sleuth, Hildegarde Withers, in Stuart Palmer's stories...
(1936), played by ZaSu PittsZaSu PittsZaSu Pitts was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas and comedies, transitioning to comedy sound films.-Early life:ZaSu Pitts was born in Parsons, Kansas to Rulandus and Nellie Pitts; she was the third of four children... - Forty Naughty Girls (1937), with Pitts
- A Very Missing Person (1972), featuring Eve ArdenEve ArdenEve Arden was an American actress. Her almost 60-year career crossed most media frontiers with supporting and leading roles, but she may be best-remembered for playing the sardonic but engaging title character, a high school teacher, on Our Miss Brooks, and as the Rydell High School principal in...
- 1950s lost TV sitcom pilot Amazing Miss Withers, starring Agnes MooreheadAgnes MooreheadAgnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
and Paul KellyPaul Kelly (actor)Paul Michael Kelly was an American child actor who later as an adult became a stage, film, and television actor.-Child actor:...
Hildegarde Withers novels by Stuart Palmer
- The Penguin Pool Murder (1931)
- Murder on Wheels (1932)
- Murder on the Blackboard (1932)
- The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree (1933)
- The Puzzle of the Silver Persian (1934)
- The Puzzle of the Red Stallion (1935) [also known as "The Puzzle of the Briar Pipe"]
- The Puzzle of the Blue Banderilla (1937)
- The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan (1941)
- The Riddles of Hildegarde Withers (1947), an anthology of short stories
- Miss Withers Regrets (1947)
- Four Lost Ladies (1949)
- The Green Ace (1950) [also known as "At One Fell Swoop"]
- The Monkey Murder and other Tales (1950), and anthology of short stories
- Nipped in the Bud (1951) [also known as "Trap for a Redhead"]
- Cold Poison (1954) [also known as "Exit Laughing"]
- The People Vs. Withers and Malone (1963), written with Craig RiceCraig Rice (author)Craig Rice was an American author of mystery novels and short stories, sometimes described as "the Dorothy Parker of detective fiction." She was the first mystery writer to appear on the cover of Time Magazine, on January 28, 1946.- Early Life :In 1908, Mary Randolph Craig reluctantly interrupted...
- Hildegarde Withers Makes the Scene (1969), completed by Fletcher Flora after Palmer's death
- Hildegarde Withers: Uncollected Riddles (2002) an anthology of short stories
External links
- http://www.stevensaylor.com/Stuart%20Palmer/StuartPalmerHildegardeWithers.html Stuart Palmer and Hildegarde Withers