Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: 4:50 from Paddington (1987) (TV) 4.50 from Paddington (original title)

Director:

Martyn Friend

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
T.R. Bowen (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 February 1987 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

A friend of Miss Marple's sees a woman being strangled in a passing train. When police cannot find a body and doubt the story, Miss Marple enlists professional housekeeper, Lucy Eyelesbarrow, to go undercover.

Plot Keywords:

Miss Marple | Train | Estate | Sarcophagus | Manor House

Cast

Joan Hickson	...	Miss Jane Marple
Juliette Mole	...	Anna Stravinska
David Beames	...	Bryan Eastley
Mona Bruce	...	Mrs. McGillicuddy
Nicholas Blane	...	Paddington Porter
Katy Jarrett	...	Mary
Leslie Adams	...	Desk Sergeant
David Horovitch	...	Detective Inspector Slack
Ian Brimble	...	Detective Sergeant Lake
Rhoda Lewis	...	Mrs. Brogan
Jill Meager	...	Lucy Eyelesbarrow
Joanna David	...	Emma Crackenthorpe
Maurice Denham	...	Luther Crackenthorpe
Andrew Burt	...	Dr. John Quimper
Pamela Pitchford	...	Mrs. Kidder
Christopher Haley	...	Alexander Eastley
Daniele Stroppa	...	James Stoddart-West (as Daniel Steel)
Bernard Brown	...	Harold Crackenthorpe
Robert East	...	Alfred Crackenthorpe
John Hallam	...	Cedric Crackenthorpe
Alan Penn	...	Patmore
David Waller	...	Chief Inspector Duckham
Will Tacey	...	Arthur Wimborne
Jean Boht	...	Madame Joliet
David Allen	...	Pianist
Naomi Sorkin	...	Dancer
Derek Deane	...	Dancer
Emma Hitching	...	Francoise
Richard Ashley	...	Detective Sergeant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Hoye	...	PC Jones (uncredited)

Directed by
Martyn Friend

Writing credits
Agatha Christie		(novel)
T.R. Bowen		(screenplay)

Produced by
George Gallaccio	....	producer

Original Music by
Ken Howard

Cinematography by
John Walker		(photography)

Film Editing by
Bernard Ashby

Production Design by
Raymond Cusick		(as Ray Cusick)

Art Direction by
Paul Cowell

Costume Design by
Judy Pepperdine

Makeup Department
Sylvia Thornton	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Peter Markham	....	production manager

Art Department
Paul Birkbeck	....	title illustrations
Linda Sherwood-Page	....	graphic designer
Francis Smith	....	props buyer

Sound Department
Malcolm Campbell	....	sound recordist
Colin Goudie	....	dubbing editor
Michael Horwood	....	dubbing mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Turner	....	gaffer
Mike House	....	grip (uncredited)
John Ward	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jane Spicer	....	costume assistant

Music Department
John Altman	....	musical director
Alan Blaikley	....	composer: title music
Ken Howard	....	composer: title music

Other crew
Kate Bradley	....	location manager
Martin Coates	....	assistant floor manager
Patricia Greenland	....	production assistant
Julia L. Jones	....	assistant floor manager
Anna Kalnars	....	production associate
Verity Smith	....	assistant floor manager

Production Companies

• 7 Network
• A&E Television Networks
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1987) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• A&E Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• A&E Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• A&E Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• A&E Television Networks (198?) (USA) (TV)
• Elephant Films (2006) (France) (DVD)
• Just Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"4.50 from Paddington" - UK (original title)

Runtime:

UK:110 min | USA:110 min

Country:

UK | Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Marylebone Station, Marylebone, London, England, UK

Company:

7 Network

Trivia:

When Miss Marple goes to meet Lucy for the first time at her club the interior is the same location used for Bertram's Hotel in "At Bertram's Hotel".

Quotes:

Miss Jane Marple:But of course you must go on searching, Inspector! Now you might say that Elspeth is not a sophisticated person, but, I assure you, she has both feet firmly on the ground. She saw what she saw!

Movie Connections:

Version of Crime Is Our Business (2008)

"Streets ahead of ITV's Miss Marple series."

Miss Marple's best friend, Elspeth McGillicuddy (Mona Bruce), witnesses a man strangling a woman on a passing train. When nobody believes her, Miss Marple (Joan Hickson), conducts her own investigation in order to bring the culprit to justice.

Carefully constructed adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1957 mystery of the same name. It was filmed twenty-seven years earlier as MURDER SHE SAID (1962) with Margaret Rutherford playing Miss Marple. Interestingly Joan Hickson appeared in the latter film as the Crackenthorpe's housekeeper Mrs Kidder. Rutherford wasn't exactly faithful to Christie's original character, but she made the part entirely her own and she was always a joy to watch. Hickson makes a convincing Miss Marple and she is more to the letter of the book than Rutherford, but alongside each other they are still the best two actresses to have played the character. This film moves at a good pace and Hickson is most ably assisted by a first rate supporting cast including Maurice Denham as Luther Crackenthorpe, Joanna David as Emma Crackenthorpe, Jill Meager as Lucy Eyelesbarrow and John Hallam as Cedric Crackenthorpe. The only slight weakness in the film is that it sometimes tends towards the stodginess of an old drawing room play, which was quite common with so many of the BBC's dramas at this time. Still there is a good feeling for period detail and this is streets ahead of ITV's latest attempt to bring Miss Marple to television. See Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Body In The Library (2004).