Sometimes a detective hero takes a life of its own. For instance, Agatha Christie created Miss Marple who is an elderly spinster who lives in St Mary Mead. Miss Marple has been read worldwide and the books are definitely a good read. However, sometimes, something weird and wonderful takes place when an actor takes on the part of a detective. This happened for me when four Miss Marple films were made starring the indomitable Margaret Rutherford. For me, Margaret Rutherford is Miss Marple.
What have I learned as a detective through watching Miss Marple? One of the first lessons she taught me is – do not be afraid of being a complete and utter nosy parker. In other words, eavesdropping is a valuable source of information. Of course, I would never dream of eavesdropping on your ordinary type of person – but if someone is a suspect, that is a different thing all together.
If budding detectives want to learn how to go under cover, watch all the Miss Marple films starring Margaret Rutherford. She often pretends to be what she is not. As kids, it is difficult to do this sometimes as we can’t really apply for jobs in places where crimes might have taken place. Although, the better you get at disguising yourself, the more likely you are to be believed.
Well budding detectives, you are probably asking what have kid detectives got in common with Miss Marple. It is simple, people think because Miss Marple is an old lady, that she is stupid and so they say things they shouldn’t say in front of her. People also do that with kids. The more I think about it, like Miss Marple, we have more chance of solving crime than adults because criminals become careless in front of us.
Have to go, Hamnet is shouting insults at me from the stone. He wants some company, I think.
Related articles
- 019 Miss Marple Short Stories (rodpfajardo.wordpress.com)
- Miss Marple: At Bertram’s Hotel [VHS] (harrys-travel.com)
- The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (danitorres.typepad.com)
- Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (christiefan.wordpress.com)
- The Amateur Sleuth (joanneguidoccio.com)