Murder at the Gallop (1963)

Director:

George Pollock

Writers:

James P. Cavanagh (screenplay)
Agatha Christie (novel)

Release Date:

December 1963 (Austria)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

(The Raciest Mystery of the Season!)

Plot:

When a wealthy old man appears to have been "frightened to death" by a cat, Miss Marple suspects one of his four relatives, all heirs to his estate, of his murder.

Plot Keywords:

Miss Marple | Murder | Cat | Heart Attack | Heart Failure

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Margaret Rutherford	...	Miss Marple
Stringer Davis	...	Mr. Stringer
Robert Morley	...	Hector Enderby
Flora Robson	...	Miss Milchrest
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell	...	Inspector Craddock (as Charles Tingwell)
Gordon Harris	...	Sergeant Bacon
Robert Urquhart	...	George Crossfield
Katya Douglas	...	Rosamund Shane
James Villiers	...	Michael Shane
Noel Howlett	...	Mr. Trundell
Finlay Currie	...	Old Enderby
Duncan Lamont	...	Hillman
Kevin Stoney	...	Doctor Markwell

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie's Murder at the Gallop (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 | UK:U | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Aldenham, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

George H. Brown Productions

Trivia:

When reporting the second murder to the police on the phone, Miss Marple uses the phrase "Murder most foul". A quote from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", it was reused as the title of the following Miss Marple movie.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As was customary film practice at the time, the lightbeam from Crossfield's torch in Black Jack's stable was provided by an actual studio light rather than the actor's prop. This is obvious as the light spot on the wall remains fairly constant whilst the character moves frantically - and at one point the torch casts a clear shadow in its own light.

Quotes:

Miss Jane Marple: [attempting to console her dance partner, who is dismayed that the orchestra has chosen to play a rock song] One must be tolerant of the young, Mr. Enderby. I remember my dear mama was quite horrified when she caught me dancing the Charleston in public.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Agatha Christie: Poirot: After the Funeral (#10.3)" (2006)

Pleasant, Light-Hearted Entertainment

The frustrating thing about Agatha Christie novels is that some of them have alternate titles. With some dismay, I realized, a few minutes into "Murder At The Gallop", that the film is the cinema version of a book I had finished not two months earlier, "After The Funeral" (a.k.a. "Funerals Are Fatal"). There would be no new whodunit puzzle for me here.

"After The Funeral" features Hercule Poirot; "Murder At The Gallop" features Miss Marple. The story is basically the same in both book and film, and is a typical Christie whodunit. I think I prefer the book to the film, as the book has more suspects. The film has minimal suspense except near the end. And I find Robert Morley's performance to be slightly annoying.

Still, "Murder At The Gallop" is an OK whodunit for a rainy Sunday afternoon. The main attraction really is the wonderful Margaret Rutherford, who plays Miss Marple. With her feisty determination, this is really her show. To see a woman of 71 in an evening gown dancing The Twist is reason enough to watch.