Which actress played Miss Marple in the 1961 film 'Murder, She Said'?

Margaret Rutherford played Miss Marple in the 1961 film “Murder, She Said.” The British mystery comedy was the first of four MGM films in which Rutherford portrayed Agatha Christie’s village sleuth.

The film adapts Christie’s 1957 novel 4:50 from Paddington, although it changes the story substantially. In the novel, Elspeth McGillicuddy witnesses the murder, while Miss Marple later investigates. The film combines those roles, making Marple the witness and sending her undercover as a housekeeper.

Rutherford’s Marple is notably more eccentric and energetic than Christie’s literary character. Her performance helped define the popular screen image of Miss Marple, but it should not be confused with Joan Hickson’s later television portrayal. Hickson appears in this film only as Mrs Kidder, years before starring as Marple in the BBC series.

Rutherford returned in Murder at the Gallop, Murder Most Foul and Murder Ahoy! She also made a brief Marple appearance in The Alphabet Murders, a Hercule Poirot parody.