Actress Margaret Rutherford on This Day in History

This Day in History: English actress Margaret Rutherford died on this day in 1972. My wife and I are a big fans of her portrayal as Agatha Christie's "Miss Marple." She appeared four times as amateur detective Miss Marple in the early 60's. Oddly, her second and third movies – Murder at the Gallop and Murder Most Foul – were both based on Hercules Poirot novels, while 1964’s Murder Ahoy! wasn’t based on any of Christie works. At the time, she insisted on wearing her own clothes for the part and having her husband appear alongside her.

When fans were asked for their favorite Miss Marple actress, Margaret Rutherford came in second behind Joan Hickson. Interestingly, Hickson had previously had a small part in Margaret Rutherford’s Miss Marple movie "Murder, She Said." Rounding out the top 5 best Miss Marple's were Geraldine McEwan, Julia McKenzie and Angela Lansbury (1980)...who would go on to better things as Jessica Fletcher in TV’s Murder, She Wrote.

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