Murder She Said (1961)

My Review

“Murder She Said” is a crime drama about an elderly woman who witnesses a murder on a passing train. The police do not believe her when she reports the crime, so she goes undercover as a maid to solve the crime herself. Director George Pollock skillfully put together this comedy-mystery adapted from “4.50 from Paddington,” a 1957 crime novel by Agatha Christie. This marks the first film appearance of Christie’s character as a female spinster detective who is underestimated due people’s perception of her as merely a clueless elderly woman.

Margaret Rutherford is perfect in the role, supported by co-stars Arthur Kennedy, Muriel Pavlow, and James Robertson Justice. The watchable “Murder She Said” was popular at the box office for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which prompted three sequels with Rutherford in 1963, 1964, and 1965. This film also served as an inspiration for the long-running television crime drama on CBS “Murder She Wrote” (1984-1996) starring Angela Lansbury.