Murder Most Foul (1964)

When Miss Marple joins a theatrical company after a blackmailer is murdered, several members of the troupe are also dispatched by this mysterious killer.

Director:

George Pollock

Writers:

David Pursall (screenplay), Jack Seddon (screenplay),

Stars:

Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Margaret Rutherford	...	Miss Jane Marple
Ron Moody	...	H. Driffold Cosgood
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell	...	Inspector Craddock (as Charles Tingwell)
Andrew Cruickshank	...	Justice Crosby (as Andrew Cruikshank)
Megs Jenkins	...	Mrs. Gladys Thomas
Ralph Michael	...	Ralph Summers
James Bolam	...	Bill Hanson
Stringer Davis	...	Jim Stringer
Francesca Annis	...	Sheila Upward
Pauline Jameson	...	Maureen Summers
Annette Kerr	...	Dorothy
Alison Seebohm	...	Eva McGonigall
Windsor Davies	...	Sergeant Brick
Neil Stacy	...	Arthur (as Neil Stacey)
Maurice Good	...	George Rowton

Storyline

Adaption of Agatha Christie's "Mrs. McGinty's dead". Miss Marple is the only jury member who believes that an accused is innocently charged with murder, so she joins a local acting troupe and tries to figure out who the real murderer is.

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Plot Keywords:

miss marple | murder | jury | strangulation | theatrical troupe | 

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Taglines:

New misdeeds are afoot afoot the footlights!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vier Frauen und ein Mord

Filming Locations:

Aylesbury Crown Court, Market Square, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios, Lawrence P. Bachman Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As a result of this case, Craddock is promoted to the rank of Chief Inspector.

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Goofs

The courtroom's main doors are decorated with the coat-of-arms of the king of Norway.

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Quotes

[the judge has just declared a retrial because the jury cannot agree on a unanimous verdict - it is Miss Marple whose verdict differs from all the other jurors]
Inspector Craddock: [sighing] If ever there was an open-and-shut case, this was it. One member of that jury was being deliberately perverse.
[Miss Marple walks up]
Miss Jane Marple: Many more than one, Inspector, I assure you. Eleven, to be precise.
Police Constable Wells: That woman has made a mockery of my one and only murder.

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Connections

Followed by Murder Ahoy (1964)

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Soundtracks

"Theme From Dr. Kildare"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerry Goldsmith

User Reviews

George Pollock deserves kudos for mixing crime with comedy

George Pollock's name never gets mentioned among major directors. Yet four of his Miss Marple films as best remembered for Ron Goodwin's music and the wonderful Dame Margaret Rutherford and real life husband Stringer Davis.

The four films of Pollock combined mystery with comedy in a way that it entertains even after 40 years after the films were made. The elements that hold up these four films were great casting, good screenplay, crisp editing, and charming music and sound effects. Pollock is not a David Lean or a philosopher-director. He is merely making cinema that is gripping and entertaining and how well he accomplishes this.

This film is the second only to "Murder Ahoy" among the four. And since "Murder Ahoy" followed "Murder Most Foul", it would be only too clear that Pollock was gaining in confidence and elegance with each film. In each of his "Murder" films Pollock cast a major British actor. In this one it is the talented Ron Moody (Fagin of "Oliver!"). In each of the four films the chosen British actor provides a counterpoint and balance to Dame Rutherford's major role. One tends to remember Miss Marple and not the other meaty roles (Lionel Jeffries, Robert Morley, James Robertson Justice)in each of the "Murder" films. All the four were memorable but Moody and Jeffries were truly remarkable. I found this a major work of Moody though not as memorable as his interpretation of Fagin and Uriah Heep in other films.

The juxtaposition of crime and comedy looks natural thanks to Pollock and imaginative casting. Pollock is probably a quiet achiever deserving more attention by critics and historians of British cinema.