Murder Most Foul

Murder Most Foul
Directed by	George Pollock
Written by	David Pursall (screenplay) Agatha Christie (novel)
Starring	Margaret Rutherford Stringer Davis Ron Moody Bud Tingwell
Music by	Ron Goodwin
Cinematography	Desmond Dickinson
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	September 1964 (USA)
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

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."

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 jury 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.

Cast

• Margaret Rutherford — Miss Jane Marple
• Ron Moody — H. Driffold Cosgood
• Charles 'Bud' Tingwell — Inspector Craddock
• Andrew Cruickshank — Justice Crosby (credited as "Andrew Cruikshank")
• Megs Jenkins — Gladys Thomas, Mrs. McGinty's sister
• Dennis Price — Theatrical Agent Harris Tumbrill
• Ralph Michael — Ralph Summers, a philandering former matinee idol
• James Bolam — Bill Hanson, an actor
• Stringer Davis — Jim Stringer
• Francesca Annis — Sheila Upward, an actress and heiress engaged to Bill Hanson
• Alison Seebohm — Eva McGonigall, an actress prone to premonitions
• Terry Scott — Police Constable Wells
• Pauline Jameson — Maureen Summers, Ralph's wife
• Maurice Good — George Rowton
• Annette Kerr — Dorothy, an actress and murder victim
• Windsor Davies — 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 Perry (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.

Influence

The title is spoofed in the TV comedy series Murder Most Horrid, with Dawn French, from 1991.

External links

• Murder Most Foul at the Internet Movie Database