She’s not cool, but spinster sleuth Jane Marple remains one of my favorite mystery mavens. So I was very pleased to find AGATHA CHRISTIE’S MISS MARPLE GIFT SET under the Christmas Tree.
This is a three disc set starring Joan Hickson, who I consider to be the quintessential Miss M. The episodes include The Body in the Library, A Pocketful of Rye, and A Murder in Announced, which completes my Miss Marple collection — at least for the time being.
I was first introduced to the celluloid Miss Marple through the boisterous Margaret Rutherford movies. I had already read a few of the mysteries (my mother considering them safe fare for a pre-adolescent) and I was mightily outraged at Rutherford’s take on the shrewd and gentle Miss M. No, I had no sense of humor in those days.
And you have to admit, Margaret Rutherford’s broad (and I do mean broad) portrayal of the Scourge of St. Mary Mead was not exactly Christie-esque. However, Mr. Thrilling bought me the Rutherford collection two years ago, and I have to confess the four disc set is actually a lot of fun — zero to do with the books, of course, but fun in its own right.
Of course when I discovered the Joan Hickson Miss Marples I knew I was in the presence of The Real Thing. Joan Hickson was exactly how I pictured Miss Marple: voice, clothes, manner, expression — perfect in every detail. And the episodes themselves were beautifully produced, faithful to Christie, well-acted — perfect.
Unfortunately Hickson only lived to make twelve (I think — I’d love to be corrected on this point) episodes.
The current Miss Marple, Geraldine McEwan, is not quite as successful. It’s not all McEwan’s fault — in fact, although I think she overplays it, I didn’t mind her twittery, dithery, more youthful Marple. The writing, unfortunately, is atrocious. All kinds of liberties are taken with Christie’s clever tales and the result is strained and cliched.
So far I haven’t been moved to purchase any of these.
I did spend several evenings watching and rewatching all the Joan Hickson Miss Marples — I’ve decided that they are my mystery “comfort views.”
So…any uncool favorite sleuths you want to share? Any opinions on the various Miss Marples? Let me ask this, when was the last time you read an Agatha Christie novel?
-
I couldn’t agree more - Joan Hickson IS Miss Marple. I have to confess it has been a long time since I’ve read a Christie novel. I bought a bunch of used copies a few years ago but haven’t started re-reading. Sounds like a New Year’s resolution! While I adore Jane Marple, my favorite sleuths are pretty cool: Kate Shugak, Sharon McCone, Kinsey Millhone & of course, Grace Hollister!
by Robin
on January 9th, 2008 at 7:40 am
-
Don’t kick me out of the club, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a Christie novel. Boy, that’s like saying you went to BSU rather than Harvard. But it got me thinking about the types of mysterys I really enjoy and its the ones who characters have a life outside the mystery. A real life. I’ve been inching through a Ridley Peterson novel for about six months now, and I realize now that I’m at the end, I never really connected with any of the characters. Which makes me sad because I really want to read his Sun Valley Series being from the most beautiful state in the world in a past life (Idaho).
Now Maggie Sefton’s Kelly Flynn I just love. I think its because she has a life that I can relate to. And maybe her Colorado setting was making me a little home sick. And I like Tess Gerritsen’s Boston cop character even though I have nothing in common with her except maybe her stubbornness. 
But I’m reading Elizabeth George’s A Great Deliverance, and I don’t know if its the time period or the writing, but I’m having a difficult time getting into the story. But I loved Diana’s Grace too. I think even though she was outside my knowledge range (I’ve never been out of the country) I felt like I could relate.
So I go into a new author slowly with tenative steps because I really want to be swept away by the story and I’m disappointed when I’m not.
by Lynn
on January 9th, 2008 at 8:33 am
-
Oh, I agree with Diana! My favorites of all time are Agatha Christie books. I have the complete collection. About once every other month, I’ll choose one of her books to re-read just for the enjoyment. I too have the Margaret Rutherford TV Series of Miss Marple and will add more to my collection soon. Actually I like all the actresses who have played Miss Marple.
Other TV Series Collections that I have and love are:
Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford)
Charlie Chan
The Thin Man
Mr. Motto
Sherlock Holmes
What fun these old movies are to watch!
Grace Hollister - she is so interesting. I just love Diana’s “Poetic Death Mystery” Series! Of course being a fan, I wish 10 books at a time came out at once - It would be great to read one book after another. Just can’t get enough of Grace!!!
by SallieB
on January 9th, 2008 at 11:06 am
-
I like Geraldine McEwan okay, but I have to agree with you on the writing of her version of Miss Marple. Makes me think the writers have never read an Agatha Christie book in their lives. And when they stuck Miss Marple in the middle of a Tommy & Tuppence story I nearly had a cow.
Lord Peter Wimsey isn’t exactly what I’d call cool. Okay, he’s rich but he’s not good-looking, though I guess he is kind of suave & debonair. For me, the Edward Petherbridge (sp?) version is dead-on perfect. I saw a couple of the Ian Carmichael episodes and didn’t care for him at all.
-
Oh, and it’s been a couple of months since I read a Christie book.
-
Diana, congrats on the great Christmas gift! One of the most treasured gifts I received from the Professor about a dozen years ago was an autographed copy of DEATH ON THE NILE. After that, he was definitely on my *good* list for a very long time!
I’m getting used to Geraldine McEwan but of course agree Hickson was the greatest Miss Marple. I recently caught Margaret Rutherford in MURDER MOST FOUL on TCM & it was indeed a sheer hoot. Never was the real Jane to me, but totally fun & campy.
I love to escape to the various worlds of sleuthdom, (is that a word?) both in books & on the screen. Everything from Christie & A.C. Doyle down to Grafton, Evanovich & Elizabeth George hold my interest. I’ve been a total mystery junkie most of my life, so the list is too long to even try to recall, but here are some of my very favorites (mostly set decades ago) of the “uncoolness” variety, off the top of my head, of course agreeing with SallieB & Tori :
Ngaio Marsh- CID Det. Roderick Alleyn & his lovely wife Agatha “Troy”, the painter (lots of theater & art world settings)
Richard & Frances Lockridge- Mr. & Mrs. North series (aka Jerry & Pam, always getting into jams)
Dorothy L. Sayers- Lord Peter Wimsey & Harriet Vane (’nuff said)
Georges Simenon- Inspector Maigrette (with his pipe & aperitifs and oh-so-French ways)
M.C. Beaton - Hamish MacBeth series, set in the Scottish Highlands
Carolyn G.Hart- Death on Demand Series, featuring the nosy mystery bookstore owner Annie Darling & loveably wealthy private investigator hubby Max
Anne George- The wacky Southern Sisters series, set in B’ham, Alabama
Those with higher “coolness” quotient:
Rex Stout- Nero Wolfe & his handsome, charming assistant Archie Goodwin (whom I still carry a torch for)
Dashiell Hammett- The fabulous Nick & Nora Charles and The Thin Man series onscreen
P.D. James- Inspector Adam Dalgleish (kinda brooding & introspective & loves poetry)
I am addicted to all the British mystery series on BBCAmerica, PBS and A&E, and try to never miss one!
by Texas Lynn
on January 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
-
Oh, I forgot to mention that around this time last year I reread Agatha Christie’s book of short stories THE TUESDAY CLUB MURDERS.
by Texas Lynn
on January 9th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
-
Diane, couldn’t agree with you more about Joan Hickman. Did you know she had a small part in one of the Margaret Rutheford stories?
I’m always looking for the oldest copy of an Agatha Christie that I can find. Several books I reread every decade. One that had never been a favorite until recently is Third Girl. Nostalgia at work here for the my youth when I went to work in NYC with the airlines and had to have roomates to afford an apartment.
The McEwan stories annoy me because they not only take liberties with the stories, they mix them together. One was definitely part the real story and a Tommy and Tuppence mix. Very annoying when you know most of the stories by heart.
Are you enjoying, or have you enjoyed, the Rosemary and Thyme series? We never got it here on PBS, I had to rent from Netflix and I’m thinking of getting them again.
Patg
by patg
on January 9th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
-
I totally agree with you about the different people portraying Miss Marple: Joan Hickson has always been my favourite, and I am unconvinced by Geraldine McEwan.
Rosemary and Thyme is good fun - I find that Pam Ferris is a versatile actress too.
by Rudolf
on January 9th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
-
Robin, I think you’ll find the books very comforting, very relaxing. And Christie is so clever. She takes such a hit over chracterization, but her characterizations are actually quite shrewd.
Hey, very nice blog, by the way.
-
Okay, Lynn, but we’re putting you on probation! ;-D
Seriously, I think all mystery fans should read at least one Christie — they’re really quite short, maybe 45,000 - 50,000 words most of them. I suggest SLEEPING MURDER. I bet you’d enjoy it.
I know what you mean about stepping carefully with new authors, but isn’t it a joy whenyou discover a new series or a new writer you love? It’s like finding gold or something.
Oh, and thanks to you and Robin for the kind words about Grace.
-
Sallie, I love Charlie Chan too! I don’t care what anybody says. And the Thin Man movies, most definitely. And Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes.
Hey, did someone put you ladies up to this? What’s with all these kind comments about Grace Hollister? My head is swelling!
-
And when they stuck Miss Marple in the middle of a Tommy & Tuppence story I nearly had a cow.
OH. MY. GOD. Was that insane or what? And giving Tuppence a drinking problem. That was what I really couldn’t handle.
Lord Peter Wimsey isn’t exactly what I’d call cool. Okay, he’s rich but he’s not good-looking, though I guess he is kind of suave & debonair. For me, the Edward Petherbridge (sp?) version is dead-on perfect. I saw a couple of the Ian Carmichael episodes and didn’t care for him at all.
I was quite sure no one could get Lord Peter right until I saw the (weirdly titled) HARRIET VANE MYSTERIES with Edward Petherbridge. He IS perfect, you’re right. Carmichael seemed too affected, too stuffy, too conscious he was in a period piece.
-
Ooh, Texas Lynn, an autographed copy! That is one sweet gift!
You know, I’ve never sat down and read a Mr. and Mrs. North book. I’ve got three or four of them around here. I think I have a New Year’s resolution.
-
Come to think of it, I’ve yet to read The Tuesday Club murders. I don’t even think I own it yet!
-
Pat, yes, my sister and I spotted Hickson when we were watching the Rutherfords. Wasn’t that a quirky little coincidence?
You know, I never got into the Rosemary and Thyme series. Perhaps I need to give it another shot. It would be nice to have another series to love.
-
Rudolf, I feel some sympathy for McEwan following in Hickson’s footsteps. How do you follow perfection — and Hickson is generally held to be the perfect Marple. She does have a tendency to play it like she’s the good witch in a children’s play. That sort of friendly fumbling shtick…it gets old. A better script would help; the current writers can’t seem to pass up a cliche.
-
When I say “she” I mean McEwan, naturally, not Hickson!
-
I’ll get Sleeping Murder Friday when I hit the library to pay my fines. I got Writing and Selling your Mystery Novel by Hallie Ephron (recommended on WC) a few weeks ago and of course, like any good course, it has a reading list. And the first on the list, And Then There Were None: Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie. So it looks like I have a few books to read.
As far as the comments about Grace, you deserve them. I’m looking forward to reading the Yoga series. Maybe it will get me started watching and using that DVD I bought.
by Lynn
on January 9th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
-
As far as the comments about Grace, you deserve them. I’m looking forward to reading the Yoga series. Maybe it will get me started watching and using that DVD I bought.
Thanks so much, Lynn!
-
Funny you should ask - I just finished Murder for Christmas. I think my favorite televised Christie is with David Suchet as Poirot. He’s wonderful, better than Ustinov, and the supporting cast (Miss Lemon, Hastings, and Japp et al) is just right.
Favorite uncool sleuths? Hard to choose, but I think it would be Charlotte MacLeod’s Sarah Kelling.
by Karen
on January 10th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
-
I do agree, Karen, David Suchet’s Poirot is excellent. I’ve enjoyed some of the other portrayals, but Suchet really matched my own imagined Poirot.
I enjoy the old-fashioned feel to the Sarah Kelling stories. I’ve only read four or five, but I always enjoy the mood of them. Sarah’s just a little bit stiff, a little out-of-sync, and I like that about her.
-
Agatha Christie…didn’t she write the Poirot mysteries, too? I have a funny story to share one of these days about Poirot.
I used to LOVE Charlie Chan when I was a kid. The old B&W movies AND the cartoon. I really long for those days lately…A bit off topic, but what I wouldn’t give for another Horror Movie Saturday or an old B&W Charlie Chan Movie on Sundays (Or Blondie, Shirley Temple, or Tarzan Sundays as well). I also used to love Nancy Drew. I probably have an old Nancy Drew novel around here somewhere. Hardy Boys, not so much….My brother and our cousin used to dance around and jump on the furniture singing “Da Do Ron Ron”
by Traci
on January 11th, 2008 at 1:56 am
-
I also used to love Nancy Drew. I probably have an old Nancy Drew novel around here somewhere. Hardy Boys, not so much….My brother and our cousin used to dance around and jump on the furniture singing “Da Do Ron Ron”
Funny you should mention this. We’re celebrating my niece’s birthday tonight, and I bought her seasons one and two of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mystery series. They’re fun — there’s some nostalgic value to them for sure — and I think she’ll get a kick out of them. Nearly as big a kick as I get out of watching Parker Stevenson’s hair in action.
-
Can you imaginge being asked to play “Miss Marple” by Agatha Christie? Evidently Ms. Christie wasn’t a big fan of M. Rutherford as Miss Marple and told Joan Hickson that she would love for her to star in that role. Wow! what an honor.
by Ealasaid Cameron
on January 11th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
-
Can you imaginge being asked to play “Miss Marple” by Agatha Christie? Evidently Ms. Christie wasn’t a big fan of M. Rutherford as Miss Marple and told Joan Hickson that she would love for her to star in that role. Wow! what an honor.
I can see why Christie might have a problem or two with the Rutherfords. Any resemblance to her own work would be entirely coincidental. Yes, I’d read that about Christie tapping Hickson for the role — what a feeling of confidence that must have given her!
-
Yes, the perfect Christmas gift. When I was Christmas shopping, I came across the other Miss Marple Boxed set, with NINE Joan Hickson mysteries, and bought it with my carefully husbanded birthday money (my birthday’s in May). I’ve been ekeing them out one at a time to make them last. And now of course I need to get the remaining 3, since The Body in the Library and A Murder is Announced are two of my favourites.
Sheer bliss.
by Susan D
on January 13th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
-
Susan, I wish I’d had the discipline to eke them out. I gobbled them down like Christmas chocolates, and then watched them three more times, and then took out the first boxed set, and watched all THOSE.
Yes, it was truly blissful. Luckily, they do hold up well to repeated viewings.
-
I just bought the first set with Joan Hickson (the one with 9 movies) for only $20 on Ebay…brand-new, factory-sealed!!! Love Miss Marple…have taped all of the McEwan movies, but have never seen Hickson or Rutherford. There’s a whole new world of Marple out there waiting for me =)
I’m so excited to get them!!!
By the way, I’ve told my beautiful kitty Tara that she’s lucky I’m a Gone with the Wind fanatic as well as a cozy fanatic, or she may have been named Miss Marple, or Agatha, or… LOL
by Melissa
on January 15th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
-
Wow, Melissa, that IS a good deal.
You know, I think Miss Marple is quite a good name for a cat.
-
I agree, it’s a great name for a cat…there’s actually a new cozy series out this spring with a cat named Miss Marple. But Tara is a beautiful tortie, and as cute as Miss Marple is, it wasn’t quite elegant enough =)
by Melissa
on January 16th, 2008 at 10:04 am
-
But Tara is a beautiful tortie, and as cute as Miss Marple is, it wasn’t quite elegant enough =)
True. There’s nothing terribly feline about our divine Miss M.
-
Regarding Poirot series, I love David Suchet, however I do not like the portrail of Miss Lemon. After seeing a few of the TV series, I got my collection out and started looking her up. Sorry, that is not SHE! The TV writers changed her too much, and as the series progressed she became more and more a modern woman. No No No!
by patg
on January 29th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
-
Pat, I remember Miss Lemon bothered me at first, but I got used to her. Now I can’t remember what it was that didn’t feel right! I need to go back and read the books.
