Murder Ahoy!
Encyclopedia
Murder Ahoy! is the last of four Miss Marple
films, made by MGM and starring Margaret Rutherford
. As in the three previous films, Margaret Rutherford plays Miss Jane Marple, Bud Tingwell is (Chief) Inspector Craddock and Stringer Davis
(Rutherford's real-life husband) plays Mr Stringer.
The film was made in 1964 and directed by George Pollock, with David Pursall and Jack Seddon credited with the script. The music was by Ron Goodwin
.
Unlike the previous three that were very loosely based on novels by Agatha Christie
, this one was not and it employs an original screenplay. It does, however, borrow a few obscure plot details from They Do It with Mirrors
(but otherwise bears no resemblance at all to that Miss Marple novel); and it pays at least nominal homage to Christie's long-running play, The Mousetrap
.
, HMS Battledore, which has been purchased by a Trust for the rehabilitation of young criminals, and intended by the founder to put backbone into young jellyfish.
Shortly after joining the board of management of the Trust, Miss Marple witnesses the sudden death of a fellow trustee, who has just returned from a surprise visit to the ship. She manages to obtain a small sample of his snuff
, which is found to have been poisoned. Against police advice, she visits the ship, much to the distress of the Captain and officers.
On her first night on board, one officer is murdered - run through with a sword and then hanged. As the police investigation proceeds, the assistant matron is killed, apparently by a poisoned mousetrap.
Miss Marple sets a trap by pretending to be left alone at night on the deserted ship, but secretly smuggling in Chief Inspector Craddock and another policeman. She finds a large sum of money hidden in a cannon which turns out to have been embezzled by Commander Breeze-Connington, money he feels is owed to him after he was passed over for promotion. It was protected by a mousetrap. After the commander appears and admits all, Miss Marple calls out to the police inspector to make the arrest, but he and his colleague have accidentally been locked in and cannot help. Miss Marple and Breeze-Connington engage in a ferocious fencing match, before she is disarmed. Just as he is about to administer the coup de grace, however, he is hit over the head from behind by Mr. Stringer who, alarmed at what might be going on, had secretly rowed out in the dark.
The finale is a court martial for Captain Rhumstone who has been accused of mismanagement. Thinking he has been found guilty, he announces his intention to marry Matron, an option previously denied to him because of rules of celibacy in post. Then he realises the sword is pointing in his favour and that he is innocent, but still wants to marry Matron. Margaret Rutherford smilingly tells him the board of trustees has just changed the rules, so all ends happily.
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...
films, made by MGM 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 in the three previous films, Margaret Rutherford plays Miss Jane Marple, Bud Tingwell is (Chief) 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) plays Mr Stringer.
The film was made in 1964 and directed by George Pollock, with David Pursall and Jack Seddon credited with the script. 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....
.
Unlike the previous three that were very loosely based on novels by Agatha Christie
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...
, this one was not and it employs an original screenplay. It does, however, borrow a few obscure plot details from They Do It with Mirrors
They Do It with Mirrors
They Do It With Mirrors is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1952 under the title of Murder with Mirrors and in UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 17 in the same year under Christie's original title. The US edition...
(but otherwise bears no resemblance at all to that Miss Marple novel); and it pays at least nominal homage to Christie's long-running play, The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap opened in the West End of London in 1952, and has been running continuously since then. It has the longest initial run of any play in history, with over 24,500 performances so far. It is the longest running show of the modern...
.
Plot
The action takes places mainly on board an old wooden-walled battleshipBattleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
, HMS Battledore, which has been purchased by a Trust for the rehabilitation of young criminals, and intended by the founder to put backbone into young jellyfish.
Shortly after joining the board of management of the Trust, Miss Marple witnesses the sudden death of a fellow trustee, who has just returned from a surprise visit to the ship. She manages to obtain a small sample of his snuff
Snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
, which is found to have been poisoned. Against police advice, she visits the ship, much to the distress of the Captain and officers.
On her first night on board, one officer is murdered - run through with a sword and then hanged. As the police investigation proceeds, the assistant matron is killed, apparently by a poisoned mousetrap.
Miss Marple sets a trap by pretending to be left alone at night on the deserted ship, but secretly smuggling in Chief Inspector Craddock and another policeman. She finds a large sum of money hidden in a cannon which turns out to have been embezzled by Commander Breeze-Connington, money he feels is owed to him after he was passed over for promotion. It was protected by a mousetrap. After the commander appears and admits all, Miss Marple calls out to the police inspector to make the arrest, but he and his colleague have accidentally been locked in and cannot help. Miss Marple and Breeze-Connington engage in a ferocious fencing match, before she is disarmed. Just as he is about to administer the coup de grace, however, he is hit over the head from behind by Mr. Stringer who, alarmed at what might be going on, had secretly rowed out in the dark.
The finale is a court martial for Captain Rhumstone who has been accused of mismanagement. Thinking he has been found guilty, he announces his intention to marry Matron, an option previously denied to him because of rules of celibacy in post. Then he realises the sword is pointing in his favour and that he is innocent, but still wants to marry Matron. Margaret Rutherford smilingly tells him the board of trustees has just changed the rules, so all ends happily.
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 Marple - Lionel JeffriesLionel JeffriesLionel Charles Jeffries was an English actor, screenwriter and film director.-Early life and career:Jeffries attended the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wimborne Minster, Dorset. In 1945, he received a commission in the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry...
- Captain Rhumstone - Bud Tingwell - Chief Inspector Craddock
- William MervynWilliam MervynWilliam Mervyn was an English actor best known for his portrayal of the Bishop in the clerical comedy All Gas and Gaiters.-Life and career:...
- Commander Breeze-Connington - Joan BenhamJoan BenhamJoan Benham was an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lady Prudence Fairfax in the ITV period drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
- Matron Alice Fanbraid - 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....
- Mr. Stringer - Nicholas ParsonsNicholas ParsonsNicholas Parsons OBE is a British actor and radio and television presenter.-Early life:...
- Dr. Crump - Miles MallesonMiles MallesonWilliam Miles Malleson was an English actor and dramatist, particularly known for his appearances in British comedy films of the 1930s to 1960s. Towards the end of his career he also appeared in cameo roles in several Hammer horror films, with a fairly large role in The Brides of Dracula as the...
- Bishop Faulkner - Henry OscarHenry OscarHenry Oscar was an English stage and film actor.Born as Henry Wale, he changed his name and began acting in 1911 and appeared in a wide range of films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much , Fire Over England , The Four Feathers , Hatter's Castle ,...
- Lord Rudkin - Derek NimmoDerek NimmoDerek Robert Nimmo was an English character actor. He was particularly associated with upper-class "silly-ass" roles, and clerical roles.-Career:...
- Sub-Lieutenant Humbert - Gerald CrossGerald CrossGerald Cross , was an English actor. Among his credits are Doctor Who, Francis Durbridge's The World of Tim Frazer and the Miss Marple films Murder, She Said and Murder Ahoy! .-External links:...
- Lieutenant Commander Dimchurch - Norma Foster - Assistant Matron Shirley Boston
- Terence EdmondTerence EdmondTerence Edmond was an English actor, who played PC Ian Sweet in 78 episodes of Z-Cars between 1962 and 1964....
- Sergeant Bacon - Francis MatthewsFrancis Matthews (actor)-Early life:Matthews attended St Michael's Jesuit College, Leeds and started his acting career with Leeds repertory theatre before service in the Royal Navy.-Career:...
- Lieutenant Compton - Lucy GriffithsLucy Griffiths (actress born 1919)Lucy Griffiths was a British character actress whose work spanned from the early 1950s through to the early 1980s....
- Millie - Bernard Adams - Dusty Miller
- Tony Quinn - Kelly
- Edna Petrie - Miss Pringle
- Roy HolderRoy HolderRoy Holder is an English television actor who has appeared in various programmes including Ace of Wands, Z-Cars, Spearhead, the Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani and Sorry! His first notable appearance on the screen was in the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind...
- Petty Officer Lamb - Ivor SalterIvor SalterIvor Salter was an English actor who appeared in character roles in numerous United Kingdom television productions and films from the early 1950s until the 1980s....
- Policeman - Henry Longhurst - Cecil Ffolly-Hardwicke
- Desmond Roberts - Sir Geoffrey Bucknose