Murder at the Gallop Murder at the Gallop Murder at the Gallop (1963) is the second of four Miss Marple films made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was based on the novel "After the Funeral" by Agatha Christie, and starred Dame Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple, Charles "Bud" Tingwell as Inspector Craddock and Stringer Davis (Rutherford's real-life husband) as Jane Marple's friend Mr. Stringer. The film changes both the action and the characters. The original novel featured Hercule Poirot rather than Miss Marple, and Christie's trademark suspense was replaced by light comedy. The film also stars Sir Robert Morley and Dame Flora Robson and was
Miss Marple also has a remarkable ability to latch onto a casual comment and connect it to the case at hand. In several stories, she is able to rely on her acquaintance with Sir Henry Clithering, a retired commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, for official information when required. Miss Marple never married and has no close living relatives. Her nephew, the "well-known author" Raymond West appears in some stories including "Sleeping Murder" and "Ingots of Gold", which also feature his wife Joan, a modern artist (though prior to their marriage she is referred to as "Joyce Lemprière", in "The Thirteen Problems" stories).