Murder Most Foul
Encyclopedia
Murder Most Foul is the third of four films made by MGM loosely based on novels by Agatha Christie
and starring Margaret Rutherford
as Miss Jane Marple
, Bud Tingwell as Inspector Craddock, and Stringer Davis
(Rutherford's real-life husband) as Mr Stringer. The story is ostensibly based on the novel Mrs McGinty's Dead
, but notably changes the action and characters. Hercule Poirot
is replaced by Miss Marple and most other characters are not in the original story.
The film was released in 1964 and directed by George Pollock
, with David Pursall credited with the adaptation. The music was by Ron Goodwin
.
The title is a quote from Hamlet
(I.v.27-28), where the Ghost comments about his own death, "Murder most foul as in the best it is / But this most foul, strange and unnatural."
that tries him, leading to a mistrial.
Despite the disapproval of Inspector Craddock, Miss Marple decides to delve into the case. She poses as a gatherer for a church 'jumble sale' to enter and search Mrs. McGinty's home. She finds a newspaper with words cut out and several programs for a murder mystery play recently performed in the town. These clues lead her to suspect Mrs. McGinty of blackmailing a member of the repertory company.
She auditions for the repertory
theatre players, the Cosgood Players, under their actor/manager Driffold Cosgood (Ron Moody
). Cosgood is unimpressed by her acting ability, but as she is willing to work for free, takes her on. Miss Marple knows she is on the right track when actor George Rowton (Maurice Good) is poisoned moments later. She secures accommodation in the boarding house in which the cast are staying to further her investigation. Narrowly avoiding an attempt to silence her (one which claims the life of another actress by mistake), Miss Marple unmasks the killer.
(creator of Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-De-Hi) and his wife Gilda.
The scene of the murder and associated village scenes are filmed in Sarratt
, Hertfordshire.
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...
and starring Margaret Rutherford
Margaret Rutherford
Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford DBE was an English character actress, who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest...
as Miss Jane 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...
, Bud Tingwell as Inspector Craddock, and Stringer Davis
Stringer Davis
James Buckley Stringer Davis, generally known as Stringer Davis , was an English character actor. He was married to actress Dame Margaret Rutherford.-Background and marriage:Davis was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England....
(Rutherford's real-life husband) as Mr Stringer. The story is ostensibly based on the novel Mrs McGinty's Dead
Mrs McGinty's Dead
Mrs. McGinty's Dead is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1952 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on March 3 of the same year. The US edition retailed at $2.50 and the UK edition nine shillings and sixpence...
, but notably changes the action and characters. Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
is replaced by Miss Marple and most other characters are not in the original story.
The film was released in 1964 and directed by George Pollock
George Pollock (director)
George Pollock was a British film director, best known for bringing Agatha Christie's famous detective Miss Marple to the big screen for the first time, starring Margaret Rutherford.-Life and work :...
, with David Pursall credited with the adaptation. The music was by Ron Goodwin
Ron Goodwin
Ronald Alfred Goodwin was a British composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years....
.
The title is a quote from Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
(I.v.27-28), where the Ghost comments about his own death, "Murder most foul as in the best it is / But this most foul, strange and unnatural."
Plot
Margaret McGinty, a barmaid and former actress, is found hanged, and her lodger, Harold Taylor, caught at the scene, seems plainly guilty. Everyone believes it to be an open-and-shut case ... except for Miss Marple. She is the lone holdout in the juryJury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
that tries him, leading to a mistrial.
Despite the disapproval of Inspector Craddock, Miss Marple decides to delve into the case. She poses as a gatherer for a church 'jumble sale' to enter and search Mrs. McGinty's home. She finds a newspaper with words cut out and several programs for a murder mystery play recently performed in the town. These clues lead her to suspect Mrs. McGinty of blackmailing a member of the repertory company.
She auditions for the repertory
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
theatre players, the Cosgood Players, under their actor/manager Driffold Cosgood (Ron Moody
Ron Moody
Ron Moody is an English actor.- Personal life :Moody was born in Tottenham, North London, England, the son of Kate and Bernard Moodnick, a studio executive. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was a Lithuanian Jew. He is a cousin of director Laurence Moody and actress Clare...
). Cosgood is unimpressed by her acting ability, but as she is willing to work for free, takes her on. Miss Marple knows she is on the right track when actor George Rowton (Maurice Good) is poisoned moments later. She secures accommodation in the boarding house in which the cast are staying to further her investigation. Narrowly avoiding an attempt to silence her (one which claims the life of another actress by mistake), Miss Marple unmasks the killer.
Cast
- Margaret RutherfordMargaret RutherfordDame Margaret Taylor Rutherford DBE was an English character actress, who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest...
— Miss Jane Marple - Ron MoodyRon MoodyRon Moody is an English actor.- Personal life :Moody was born in Tottenham, North London, England, the son of Kate and Bernard Moodnick, a studio executive. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was a Lithuanian Jew. He is a cousin of director Laurence Moody and actress Clare...
— H. Driffold Cosgood - Charles 'Bud' Tingwell — Inspector Craddock
- Andrew CruickshankAndrew CruickshankAndrew John Maxton Cruickshank was a Scottish supporting actor, most famous for his portrayal of Dr Cameron in the long-running UK BBC television series, Dr Finlay's Casebook, which ran for 191 episodes from 1962 until 1971.-Life and career:Andrew Cruickshank was born to Andrew and Mary...
— Justice Crosby (credited as "Andrew Cruikshank") - Megs JenkinsMegs JenkinsMuguette Mary "Megs" Jenkins was an English character actress who appeared in British films and television programmes.-Life and career:...
— Gladys Thomas, Mrs. McGinty's sister - Dennis PriceDennis PriceDennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
— Theatrical Agent Harris Tumbrill - Ralph MichaelRalph MichaelRalph Michael was an English actor. He was born in London, United Kingdom.His film appearances include: A Night to Remember, Children of the Damned, Khartoum, Grand Prix, The Assassination Bureau, and Empire of the Sun.Television credits include: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dixon of Dock Green,...
— Ralph Summers, a philandering former matinee idol - James BolamJames BolamJames Christopher Bolam, MBE is a British actor, best known for his roles as Jack Ford in When the Boat Comes In, Trevor Chaplin in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Terry Collier in The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Roy Figgis in Only When I Laugh, Dr Arthur Gilder in...
— Bill Hanson, an actor - Stringer DavisStringer DavisJames Buckley Stringer Davis, generally known as Stringer Davis , was an English character actor. He was married to actress Dame Margaret Rutherford.-Background and marriage:Davis was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England....
— Jim Stringer - Francesca AnnisFrancesca AnnisFrancesca Annis is an English actress, known for her film and television appearances, most recently in the BBC series Wives and Daughters, Cranford, and Deceit.-Early life and education:...
— Sheila Upward, an actress and heiress engaged to Bill Hanson - Alison Seebohm — Eva McGonigall, an actress prone to premonitions
- Terry ScottTerry ScottOwen John "Terry" Scott was an English actor and comedian who appeared in seven Carry On films. He also appeared in BBC1's popular domestic sitcom Terry and June with June Whitfield...
— Police Constable Wells - Pauline Jameson — Maureen Summers, Ralph's wife
- Maurice Good — George Rowton
- Annette KerrAnnette KerrAnnette Kerr is an English actress born in 1920. She has made numerous appearances in films and on television.Kerr is also frequently referred to in The Kenneth Williams Diaries edited by Russell Davies and it seems he was very fond of her and they were good friends who also worked with each other...
— Dorothy, an actress and murder victim - Windsor DaviesWindsor DaviesWindsor Davies is a British actor, well known for playing the part of Battery Sergeant Major Williams in the 1970s/1980s British sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum.-Early life and career:...
— Sergeant Brick - Neil Stacy — Arthur (as Neil Stacey)
- Stella Tanner — Flory the landlady
Production
The theatre in which the Cosgood Players perform and where much of the action takes place was The Palace Theatre in Watford, Hertfordshire. At the time, it was being run by Jimmy PerryJimmy Perry
Jimmy Perry OBE is an English writer, scriptwriter, producer, author and actor, most famous for devising and co-writing the BBC sitcoms Dad's Army with David Croft.-Education:...
(creator of Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-De-Hi) and his wife Gilda.
The scene of the murder and associated village scenes are filmed in Sarratt
Sarratt
Sarratt is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, on the border of the county with Buckinghamshire. Sarratt is near Chesham, and the River Chess passes through the village....
, Hertfordshire.