In the early 1960s, MGM made a series of Miss Marple comedies starring Margaret Rutherford as the indomitable sleuth. The films were loosely based on Agatha Christie’s works, and the author herself was decidedly NOT a fan of these comedies. Love it or hate it, Rutherford does make the role of Miss Marple her own! The films also feature Rutherford’s real-life husband and actor, Stringer Davis, in the role of village librarian Mr. Stringer, a role created just for the films.

Quite a few years ago, I purchased a box set of all 4 films in the series: Murder, She Said (1961), Murder at the Gallop (1963), Murder Most Foul (1964), and Murder Ahoy! (1964). I had never gotten around to watching them all — until now. Oversight corrected!

Because all the films follow a basic formula, I thought it made sense to do one big post comparing-and-contrasting aspects and themes from the entire series. (It has taken me WEEKS, y’all, to watch all the films, rewatch them for note-taking and analysis purposes, create photo collages, and finally put together this post. All for the love of reel librarians. ❤ )

Therefore, heads up:

• This is a MARATHON post, so buckle up for the reel librarian (bicycle) ride
• Potential spoilers ahead

Below is the trailer for the first (and best) in the series, Murder, She Said, so you can get a sense of the jaunty and lighthearted feel of the movies. You can first see Mr. Stringer 49 seconds into the trailer below. The main musical theme is also so catchy, you’ll find yourself humming it for days. No, it’s just me, then? 😉

Let’s start with the basics

First things first, let’s provide some context with the basics of each film. All the films were directed by George Pollock and starred Margaret Rutherford played the role of Miss Marple. All the films also featured Stringer Davis as village librarian Mr. Stringer and Charles Tingwell as Inspector Craddock.

Murder, She Said (1961):

• Source:
  Based on Agatha Christie’s 1957 novel, 4.50 from Paddington, aka What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!, featuring Miss Marple
• Movie plot:
  While traveling by train, Miss Marple witnesses the strangling of a woman in the carriage of a passing train. With the aid of her friend, Mr. Stringer, she figures out the body must have been thrown off the train near Ackenthorpe Hall. When the police don’t take her seriously, she takes a job as a housemaid at Ackenthorpe Hall in order to conduct her own investigation.

Fun fact:
A young Joan Hickson co-stars as Mrs. Kidder;
Hickson would later star as Miss Marple in the long-running BBC Miss Marple TV series!

Murder at the Gallop (1963):

• Source:
  Based on Agatha Christie’s 1953 novel, After the Funeral, aka Funerals are Fatal — which features Hercule Poirot as the sleuth, NOT Miss Marple!
• Movie plot:
  When Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer are out soliciting donations for a charity, they visit the reclusive Mr. Enderby, arriving at his estate just in time to witness his death. Miss Marple, suspicious that Mr. Enderby’s death is not accidental, becomes even more suspicious when his sister, Cora, is murdered. When the police don’t take her seriously, Miss Marple books a stay at a riding school/hotel run by one of Mr. Enderby’s heirs in order to conduct her own investigation.

Fun fact:
Miss Marple refers to an Agatha Christie novel, The Ninth Life, which is a made-up title!

Murder Most Foul (1964):

• Source:
  Based (very, very loosely) on Agatha Christie’s 1953 novel, Mrs. McGinty’s Dead, aka Blood Will Tell — which, again, features Hercule Poirot as the sleuth, NOT Miss Marple!
• Plot:
  Mrs. McGinty, a former actress, is found murdered, and her lodger is suspected of the crime. During the trial, Miss Marple is the lone holdout on the jury, believing the lodger innocent. When the police don’t take her seriously — are we sensing a pattern here?! — Miss Marple joins a regional theatre company in order to conduct her own investigation.

Fun fact:
The movie title comes from a line from Hamlet, when the Ghost comments about his own death,
“Murder most foul as in the best it is /
But this most foul, strange, and unnatural.”

Murder Ahoy! (1964):

• Source:
  Based on Agatha Christie’s characters and not on any particular source novel. However, there are plot similarities to Agatha Christie’s 1952 novel, They Do It with Mirrors, aka Murder with Mirrors, which features Miss Marple as the central sleuth.
• Plot:
  Shortly after joining a local trust’s board of directors, Miss Marple witnesses the death of a fellow trustee. She doesn’t believe his death is an accident, and she thinks there’s something fishy about HMS Battledore, a ship the Trust purchased for the rehabilitation of young criminals. When the police don’t take her seriously — what else is new?! — she boards the ship in order to conduct her own investigation.

Fun fact:
There’s a tongue-in-cheek reference in the movie to Agatha Christie’s long-running play, The Mousetrap, which premiered in 1952.

Mr. Stringer’s screen time

As I watched each movie in the series, I kept track of how much screen time Mr. Stringer had in each movie, to see if his role ever increased with subsequent films.

	Murder, She Said  (1961)	Murder at the Gallop  (1963)	Murder Most Foul  (1964)	Murder Ahoy!  (1964)
Stringer’s screen time (mins)	~15 mins	~18 mins	~19 mins	~19 mins
Stringer’s screen time (%)	17% of total runtime	22% of total runtime	21% of total runtime	21% of total runtime

As you can see from the table above, Mr. Stringer’s role definitely increased after the first film, in which he was only onscreen for a total of 15 minutes, or 17% of the film’s total runtime. In subsequent films, Mr. Stringer’s screen time remained pretty consistent, between 18-19 minutes, or 21-22% of each film’s total runtime.

Mr. Stringer’s role

Mr. Stringer, the village librarian, is not a character borne of Agatha Christie’s imagination, yet he is a recurring character in each film of the series. Why, then, was this character created for the series?

“Her husband and closest companion, Stringer Davis, was pulled in for the ride as well in a part that was created especially for him at Rutherford’s insistence. As the timid librarian Jim Stringer, he was the perfect partner for the indomitable Jane.”

The Metzinger Sisters, Silver Scenes, 2014

In a biography of Margaret Rutherford, Andy Merriman also wrote that Rutherford, in her 70s during the filming of the series, insisted on having her husband appear alongside her.

By all accounts, Stringer Davis and Margaret Rutherford were devoted to each other, with Davis accompanying his wife wherever and whenever she was filming. Their relationship was a lifelong love story. They married in 1945 after a 15-year courtship, and they were together until Rutherford’s death in 1972. Davis took care of Rutherford in her last years, after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He died in 1973, only a year after the love of his life passed away.

Mr. Stringer’s role stays consistent throughout the series, and his character and personality never change. Although a supporting character, his role is vital in moving the plot forward. He is there as a companion to Miss Marple, a steady, adoring, supportive sidekick. He is a supporting character who fulfills two major character types in each film:

• Information Provider — Miss Marple sends Mr. Stringer on various research quests in each film, so he literally provides information to her (and the audience).
• Comic Relief — He plays the “straight man” in their comic relationship. Miss Marple makes jokes or says something outrageous, Mr. Stringer reacts, the audience laughs. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Film critic David Cornelius also highlights Mr. Stringer’s comic role:

“She [Miss Marple] teams up with her librarian friend to crack the case when the police ignore her […] The librarian friend, played by Stringer Davis, would appear as comic relief in all four Marple films, perhaps because the filmmakers felt that Miss Marple needed a Watson-ish sidekick.”

David Cornelius, DVD Talk review, March 2006

Therefore, each film in the series ends up in the Class III category, films in which the librarian(s) plays a secondary role.

A librarian by any other name…

Although Mr. Stringer plays the village librarian, does the word “librarian” ever actually get said out loud in the series? In a word… NO. The closest we get is in the second film, Murder at the Gallop (1963), when Miss Marple describes Mr. Stringer as “custodian of the local library.”

Mr. Stringer as Information Provider and the importance of research

As I mentioned above, Mr. Stringer’s successful research quests always save the day. It is clear that Miss Marple trusts Mr. Stringer. Because Miss Marple trusts him — and I would argue also because he’s a librarian — the audience trusts him. Mr. Stringer makes it possible for Miss Marple to have her “aha!” moment at the end of each movie. I will now highlight Mr. Stringer’s major research quests in each film.

Mr. Stringer’s research quest in Murder, She Said (1961):

At 53 minutes into the first film, Mr. Stringer bicycles to Miss Marple’s house for a nightcap (a “small beer”) and plotting. They’re interrupted by Inspector Craddock, who tries to warn them off the case. (It doesn’t work.)

Miss Marple: Well now, how did you get on at the probate registry?

Mr. Stringer: Really Miss Marple, I think in view of what the inspector said —

Miss Marple [interrupting]: Did you see the will?

Mr. Stringer: Yes.

Miss Marple [while uncorking the beer]: What did it say?

Mr. Stringer: Well, old Mr. Ackenthorpe’s father obviously didn’t get on very well with him.

Miss Marple: I’m not surprised at that. Go on.

Mr. Stringer: You see, the house and the income from the family fortune are his, but he can’t touch the fortune itself. That’s the first point.

Miss Marple: Yes? [hands Mr. Stringer a beer.]

Mr. Stringer’s research quest in Murder at the Gallop (1963):

At 1 hour and 5 minutes into this film, Mr. Stringer is in Miss Marple’s hotel room. From underneath her bureau, Miss Marple takes out a painting that’s all wrapped up in paper and string and hands the parcel to Mr. Stringer.

Miss Marple: Now you are, please, to take this to London to the art dealers. They will appraise it. And get it back here as quickly as you can. 

Mr. Stringer: All right, if it will help. 

Miss Marple: Well, I’m hopeful it will not only help but clinch the whole matter, so to speak.

When Mr. Stringer comes back from London, they continue their conversation.

Miss Marple: What did you find out? 

Mr. Stringer: You were quite right, Miss Marple. It’s worth at least 50,000 pounds.

Miss Marple: I knew it. Then it was that picture after all. 

Mr. Stringer: It certainly was. 

Miss Marple: Excellent. We can now proceed with certainty. 

Mr. Stringer’s research quest in Murder Most Foul (1964):

At 45 minutes into the third film, Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer meet in a public garden and sit on a bench.

Miss Marple: It seems to me what whomever Mrs. McGinty was blackmailing must have had some connection with the production of this play in 1951, and is with the Cosgood Company.[…] Now, what organization would be likely to keep a record of all professional theatrical productions?

Mr. Stringer: The censorship people, I suppose.

Miss Marple: To be sure. The Lord Chamberlain’s office in London. I should be obliged if you would go there posthaste and inquire into the history of this play. Where it was produced in 1951, who was in it, and so on.

[…]

Mr. Stringer: Very well, Miss Marple. I’ll take the next train up. 

About 10 minutes later, Mr. Stringer then calls Miss Marple up from a public phone booth in order to relay the results of his research. He looks extremely pleased with himself!

Mr. Stringer: You were right, Miss Marple. Remember September was put on in 1951, a tryout performance at Pebblestone-on-Sea.

Miss Marple: Very interesting. Particularly as the author claims that he’s only recently completed the work.

Mr. Stringer: Oh, well, that may have been embarrassment. You see, the Lord Chamberlain’s office particularly remembers it because it was booed off the stage halfway through the second act.

Miss Marple: That doesn’t surprise me in the least. The point is, was there anyone we know in it?

Mr. Stringer: I have obtained a full cast list, and in it occurs the name of Margaret McGinty. 

Miss Marple: What? Really? Excellent. Now, tell me, apart from Mr. Cosgood, who else in this company was connected with this production? No one? You sure? Yes. All right, Jim. I was just thinking. Of course, it’s possible that someone has since changed his or her name. Look, Jim. Drop the cast list in to me at Westward Ho!, will you? Thank you. Goodbye.

Mr. Stringer’s research quest in Murder Ahoy! (1964):

A little over 52 minutes into the fourth and final film, Miss Marple breaks some bad news to Mr. Stringer, that he’s a suspect in a murder! But after she gives him some brandy to help with get over the shock (“Me? A murderer?”), she has a research-related task for him to do.

Miss Marple: I found this envelope in Compton’s sea chest, and it had been steamed open. […] Mr. Stringer, you must return to Milchester at once. Go and see the secretary of the trust, Miss Pringle, and ask her what kind of communication from the ship would likely to be contained in an unusual envelope of this sort. 

Mr. Stringer: But, Miss Marple, the police. I thought you said I was to lie low. 

Miss Marple: Well, use the back stairs, turn up your collar, and pull down your cap. Goodbye. Good luck. 

Mr. Stringer gets the requested information back to Miss Marple in an unexpected way. He ties the evidence around a rock, rows out to the boat Miss Marple’s staying in, and then throws the rock through her window. Only problem is, his aim is too good; the rock hits Inspector Craddock in the head, and Craddock passes out. AWKWARD.

Miss Marple:  Do you know who threw that rock? My friend Mr. Stringer.

Inspector Craddock: Mr. Stringer?!

Miss Marple: Yes, and you’ll thank him for it. I found this envelope in Compton’s cabin after his death. 

Inspector Craddock: Assaulting a police officer, withholding information… again.

Miss Marple: Now, don’t be petty, Chief Inspector. This type of envelope is used for the ship’s quarterly report to the trustees, and Mr. Stringer has enclosed the latest example for our perusal.

Mr. Stringer as Comic Relief

While Mr. Stringer rarely makes a joke himself — at least, not intentionally — he does regularly find himself in the most ridiculously awkward situations. Behold:

Comic relief in Murder, She Said (1961):

In Murder, She Said (1961), he dresses up as a train worker, and for his efforts, he nearly gets run over by a train. Poor Mr. Stringer.

He then (awkwardly) assists Miss Marple — “Mr. Stringer, will you kindly give me a leg up?” — so she can take a peek over a wall.

Comic relief in Murder at the Gallop (1963):

Early in Murder at the Gallop (1963), Mr. Stringer once again gets roped into physically assisting Miss Marple so she can have another peek into somewhere off limits, this time the room in which the heirs of the murdered man react to the contents of his last will and testament.

And now for the comic moment that even made this film’s trailer — Miss Marple and Mr. Stringer DO THE TWIST. As you can see below, Mr. Stringer realllly gets into it!

Comic relief in Murder Most Foul (1964):

Early in Murder Most Foul (1964), Miss Marple calls on the sister of the deceased woman, using an excuse of collecting things for the church jumble sale. Hidden in the jumble? Mr. Stringer! He’s hiding until called upon to pop out and pretend to be a bookseller, so that Miss Marple can snoop while the sister is distracted. As you do.

Comic relief in Murder Ahoy! (1964):

In the final film, Murder Ahoy! (1964), Mr. Stringer is tasked with following a group of delinquent boys who come ashore. His ingenious hiding place? A tramp’s boat! He gets discovered almost immediately by the tramp, who demands to know “why a grand gentleman like yourself who’s able to live in a lovely hotel like that is wanting to sleep in my bed.”

Library scenes

There are a few library scenes in the series, but Mr. Stringer, the village librarian, is only seen in an actual library in the first film. Fittingly, this scene serves as our introduction to this reel librarian.

Public library scene in Murder, She Said (1961)

This scene occurs at 7 1/2 minutes into the film, after Miss Marple gets upset at Inspector Craddock’s insinuation that she’s been hallucinating a murder. She grabs three books stacked up on a bench in her hall and walks to the library.

We then see Mr. Stringer talking with another patron, a hard-faced and no-nonsense woman, who is inquiring about a newly published mystery novel.

Mr. Stringer: I’m sorry, Mrs. Stainton, The Hatrack Hanging, Falcon-Smith’s latest, I’m afraid we haven’t received our copy yet.

Mrs. Stainton: Plain inefficiency. Anyway, I want to know the moment it comes in.

Mr. Stringer: Of course, of course, Mrs. Stainton.

When Miss Marple comes into the library, his face lights up. We see more of the library as she walks by rows of bookcases and past a young man in the background flipping through a book. Mrs. Stainton stalks off upon Miss Marple’s arrival, and Mr. Stringer reveals his favoritism — and his ability to lie!

Mr. Stringer puts up a finger — in effect, shushing Miss Marple. He then pulls out a book from under the desk, The Hatrack Hanging.

Mr. Stringer: I’ve been keeping it for you.

Miss Marple pulls him into the stacks and asks if he thinks she’s unstable or given to hallucinations. Mr. Stringer seems properly horrified at the suggestion. (His job, first and always, is to reassure and support Miss Marple, and he does an excellent job of it.) Miss Marple then reveals to the audience why she and Mr. Stringer are qualified to investigate the murder on their own.

Miss Marple: Mr. Stringer, how many detective novels would you say we have read over the years?

Mr. Stringer: Impossible to say. Certainly many hundred.

Miss Marple: Yes. Which gives us, wouldn’t you agree, a certain knowledge of the criminal mind?

Mr. Stringer: Oh, most assuredly.

Miss Marple: Well, this is where we put that knowledge to the test. 

Mr. Stringer: We?

Miss Marple: Yes. We.

(I would also argue that this short exchange also explains why Mr. Stringer’s character was made a librarian, because OF COURSE a librarian would have ready and steady access to detective novels.)

Mrs. Stainton interrupts this bit of camaraderie when she walks back to the front desk and discovers The Hatrack Hanging book! Uh-oh…

Mrs. Stainton: So it has come in!

Mr. Stringer [oh-so-innocently]: Oh, has it?

Mrs. Stainton [to Miss Marple]: Well? I think I have first call.

Miss Marple: I don’t think you’ll like it, Hilda. Too obvious. The mother did it, of course.

Mrs. Stainton: How could you possibly know that? The book has only just come in.

Miss Marple: It always is with Falcon-Smith — a deprived child, you know.

Miss Marple then sails away, clearly the winner of this verbal cat fight. She calls back to invite Mr. Stringer for tea, which he eagerly accepts.

Still smiling, Mr. Stringer picks up a stamp, as Mrs. Stainton looks sourly back at Miss Marple.

The entire library scene lasts only a couple of minutes, but we learn several things, including:

• The library is used by a variety of patrons of different ages.
• The library must have a well-stocked collection of detective and mystery novels.
• The library set is filled with books without call numbers. (Sigh.)
• Mr. Stringer engages in occupational tasks, such as stamping.
• Mr. Stringer is a very capable liar.

Private library scene in Murder Ahoy! (1964)

Around 15 minutes into the final film, Miss Marple connects the first murder to the plot in a book entitled The Doom Box. But this time, the book doesn’t live in the village library, but rather Miss Marple’s private library.

Miss Marple: Propel me please, Jim.

Mr. Stringer pushes the stepladder forward, as Miss Marple scans titles. (Her private library is beautiful, isn’t it?!) Also, library ladder alert!

Miss Marple: Oh, here we are. The Doom Box by J. Plantaganet Corby. Here it is. Now listen. “And so, me lad, declared Sefton Harricott: Jacob Rushton did indeed suffer a heart attack, but it was induced by a noxious substance in his snuff.”

Mr. Stringer: Oh, Miss Marple, I’m beginning to —

Miss Marple: Wait. “The murderer, continued Harricott, made one error. He failed to remove the incriminating residue from the snuff box.” A mistake our murderer no doubt imagines he has not made.

Mr. Stringer: Oh. But why should anyone want to do such a thing?

Miss Marple: That, Mr. Stringer, is the question. Poor Mr. Ffolly-Hardwicke had just returned from our ship. He had something important to say. He never said it. I wonder. Yes, that’s where the motive must lie. Mr. Stringer, there is something going on aboard the Battledore.

Mr. Stringer: Oh, goodness.

This scene is vital for propelling the plot forward (just as Mr. Stringer propels Miss Marple forward, hah! 😉 ). It leads Miss Marple to the boat to investigate up close… and it leads us to the next library scene!

Ship’s library scene in Murder Ahoy! (1964)

A little over an hour into the final film, Miss Marple is back to sleuthing and skulking again at night. There’s a ship’s library, which is clearly marked on the door (although there is no hint of a librarian on board the ship, not even when the crew introduced themselves earlier to Miss Marple).

The ship’s library looks pretty extensive, as multiple bookcases can be glimpsed behind Miss Marple. Even though, once again, there are NO CALL NUMBERS (sigh), Miss Marple easily finds the The Doom Box book on the shelves!

This is a vital clue, as it proves Miss Marple’s theory about the first murder. She later uses this same book to catch the killer in the final act!

Books, book, books

Beyond the library, books themselves are quite important throughout the series — providing information, clues, and sometimes even alibis! It makes sense to me that in a series with a recurring reel librarian character, that books themselves also tie in heavily into each film. Let’s explore how books are further highlighted in each film.

Books in Murder, She Said (1961)

During the opening scene when Miss Marple travels on the 4.50 train to Paddington train, she is reading a pulp mystery novel, Death Has Windows by Michael Southcott. Turns out, this was a fictitious novel mocked up by the production team! This establishes the tone early on that Miss Marple loves to read mystery and detective novels. But that same pulp mystery novel, with its lurid cover, also leads the train attendant to think Miss Marple’s dreamed what she says she saw!

This theme continues, as near the end of the film, Miss Marple has a paperback copy of Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie. This time, the book is a real one, a novel Christie wrote that was published in the UK in 1939 and published as Easy to Kill in the U.S.

At almost 43 minutes into the film, Miss Marple calls up Mr. Stringer, who is in his pajamas in bed (scandale!), and we get to glimpse a tall stack of books on his bedside table. What I especially loved is that the book on top of the stack is entitled A Hell of a Woman.

Indeed, Miss Marple is a hell of a woman. 😉

Books in Murder at the Gallop (1963)

At 23 minutes into the second film, Inspector Craddock is interviewing Miss Milchrest, the companion to the murdered woman.

Inspector Craddock: When did you see her last?

Miss Milchrest: Just before I went to the library.

True, this is a direct reference to a library — and an indirect reference to books in said library — but I laughed out loud that a trip to the library was being used as an alibi!

And was she referring to Mr. Stringer’s library? That part is never clearly stated, but it’s possible.

Books in Murder Most Foul (1964)

I’ve already mentioned how early on in this third film, Mr. Stringer hides amidst the jumble sale items in a wagon while Miss Marple distracts the murdered woman’s sister, Gladys. Mr. Stringer then poses as a bookseller — a most appropriate ruse for a librarian, right?!

Gladys: Well, you are from the insurance, aren’t you?

Mr. Stringer: Oh, no, madam. No. I was hoping to interest you in improving your mind. I was wondering if you’d allow me to show you the new Wonder Book. 

Although Mr. Stringer first gets mistaken for an insurance salesman (hah!), he successfully distracts Gladys from Miss Marple snooping around upstairs. After Miss Marple comes back down the stairs, he hurries to help her out and leaves the Wonder Book with Gladys.

Almost an hour after that scene, at 1 hour and 15 minutes into the film, Miss Marple visits a theatrical agent, Mr. Tumbrill, who opens up a book to a large photograph of an actress. This photograph, along with Mr. Tumbrill’s information, provides a clue for Miss Marple to narrow down the potential murderer.

Books in Murder Ahoy! (1964)

We’ve already gotten a lovely view of Miss Marple’s private library, as seen when she figures out the first murder was described in a book she has a personal copy of, entitled The Doom Box.

Here are other titles that can be glimpsed in Miss Marple’s private library:

We see Miss Marple’s impressive library. It is composed mainly of Pan and Penguin crime paperbacks (including duplicate editions of “Follow the Saint” by Leslie Charteris and Georgette Heyer’s “The Foundling”; Edgar Wallace is another of her favourite authors) alongside crossword, quiz and limerick books, Noël Coward’s “Pomp and Circumstance” and “Return to Peyton Place” by Grace Metalious. There are also copies of Agatha Christie’s “Three Act Tragedy”, “Appointment With Death” – and intriguingly, the Miss Marple short story anthology “The Thirteen Problems”.

From IMDb.com’s Trivia page for Murder Ahoy (1964)

The Doom Box comes up again and again throughout this film!

At 1 hour and 10 minutes, Miss Marple describes the (second) murder to Inspector Craddock, and this murder is also outlined in The Doom Box! This conversation gets cut short when Stringer beans Craddock with a rock.

Then, five minutes later, everyone is going ashore to participate in the festivities for Trafalgar Day. Everyone except for Miss Marple, of course. As everyone crowds around her state room, she displays the copy of The Doom Box that she took from the ship’s library.

This is a rattling good detective yarn, you know. I borrowed it from the ship’s library. I know only one of you has read it, but I suggest that all of you do. I’ve just got up to the most exciting part, when —. Well, I hope I won’t be giving too much away when I say the answer is a mousetrap.

This book is a (mouse)trap, of course, to catch the killer!

Mr. Stringer’s relationship with Miss Marple

Miss Marple turns down two offers of marriages in the series (!!), neither one from Mr. Stringer. However, she alludes to Mr. Stringer while turning down an offer of marriage in Murder, She Said (1961):

Miss Marple: If ever I do embark on such a venture, there is someone else.

And in the very next scene, as Miss Marple leaves, Mr. Stringer is there to pick her up. (Always.) As they drive away, we see a sign a young boy hung on back of the car, a “Just Married” sign. Their close, affectionate relationship is front and center from the very beginning (and end!).

Throughout the series, we also get treated to many closeups of Mr. Stringer looking adoringly at Miss Marple. It’s really quite touching, and this recurring theme brings in a very sweet and human aspect to this reel librarian character.

And it wasn’t until I put the above collage together that I realized that Mr. Stringer is almost always seen, from the audience’s perspective, to the right of Miss Marple. A visual affirmation that he is her right-hand man? Makes me think of Wong in the Doctor Strange movie…

Mr. Stringer’s style

Margaret Rutherford provided her own wardrobe for the Miss Marple movies, rewearing many of the same items throughout the entire series. I’m particularly enamored of her wool cape, complete with attached scarf. We see this cape for the first time as she heads out to the village library.

Mr. Stringer matches Miss Marple, tweed for tweed. (To my mind, it’s also highly likely that Stringer Davis is wearing his own clothes for the role, as his real-life wife did, but I have not read that confirmed anywhere.) As Mr. Stringer, he almost always dresses formally, in a suit and tie, befitting his professional status as a librarian. He also often wears a clock pin; ever practical and punctual, our Mr. Stringer. (Can you tell I have a soft spot for this reel librarian character? Bias alert!)

As you can see in the collage below, even when he’s washing dishes, he keeps his tie on! And when he’s bicycling or out and about, he often changes into a natty knickerbocker tweed suit and cap. And when he’s off duty, like when directing a community play in Murder Most Foul (1964), he’s still in tweeds, but in a jacket with a more unstructured cut. A little old-fashioned, sure, but he never wears anything impractical or inappropriate to the occasion.

Mr. Stringer in action

Although there is only one major scene of Mr. Stringer, the village librarian, working in an actual library, we do get to see him being quite active outside the library. We see him riding a bicycle in Murder, She Said (1961) and a tricycle in Murder at the Gallop (1963). He also dons shorts (!) for a jog in Murder Most Foul (1964), and he gets in some nighttime rowing in Murder Ahoy! (1964).

Dare I suggest that Mr. Stringer has turned out to be one of the most physically active reel librarians ever?! Reminder: Stringer Davis was born in 1899, which means he was in his 60s during the filming of this series. #GoStringer

Mr. Stringer’s facial expressions

Stringer Davis is a joy to watch in these films, due to his expressive face. I’ve already mentioned the sweetness he conveys in his adoring gazes at Miss Marple. Even in a scene in which he had little to no dialogue, he shines because his face is always fully reacting in the moment. We get treated to multiple full-screen closeups of Mr. Stringer’s facial expressions in each film in the series. Bless.

Mr. Stringer’s facial expressions in Murder, She Said (1961):

Mr. Stringer’s facial expressions in Murder at the Gallop (1963):

Mr. Stringer’s facial expressions in Murder Most Foul (1964):

Mr. Stringer’s facial expressions in Murder Ahoy! (1964):

Mr. Stringer’s words of wisdom

Here are a few final, memorable quotes from this reel librarian character (beyond all the “Dear me” and “But, surely” remarks that often punctuate his conversations with the more forcible Miss Marple). Mr. Stringer’s character has been described as timid; I would venture that he is often the voice of caution and common sense.

Quotes from Murder Most Foul (1964)

I thought it advisable to get into peak condition for any emergency. Is there one already?

I was hoping to interest you in improving your mind.

I’ll leave you the book, Mrs. Thomas. Brood on it, will you? Brood on it.

Quotes from Murder at the Gallop (1963)

I really must be getting back to the library, Miss Marple.

I fear we’re taking the grave risk of seeming inquisitive.

Miss Marple: ‘Tittle-tattling busybody,’ I believe were his words. 
Mr. Stringer: No. Yours. 

Quotes from Murder, She Said (1961)

Miss Marple, whatever it is: No, no, no.

Miss Marple, prudence demands a retreat.

Final thoughts?

I agree with Mr. Stringer, prudence demands a retreat here, too, regarding this blog post. We librarians gotta stick together! 😉

Any final thoughts you would like to add this deep dive into Mr. Stringer’s role in MGM’s Miss Marple series of movies? Have you seen one or all of the movies? Please leave a comment and share!

Sources used

• Cornelius, David. “The Agatha Christie Miss Marple Movie Collection.” DVD Talk, 14 March 2006.
• “Margaret Rutherford” via Wikipedia is licensed under CC BY SA 3.0.
• Merriman, Andy. Margaret Rutherford: Dreadnought with Good Manners. London: Aurum, 2009.
• Metzinger, Constance, and Diana Metzinger. “The Miss Marple Mysteries with Margaret Rutherford.” Silver Scenes: A Blog for Classic Film Lovers, 17 March 2014.
• Murder Ahoy. Dir. George Pollock. Perf. Margaret Rutherford, Lionel Jeffries, Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell, Stringer Davis. MGM, 1964.
• “Murder Ahoy!” via Wikipedia is licensed under a CC BY SA 3.0 license.
• “Murder Ahoy (1964).” Internet Movie Database, n.d.
• Murder at the Gallop. Dir. George Pollock. Perf. Margaret Rutherford, Robert Morley, Flora Robson, Stringer Davis. MGM, 1963. 
• “Murder at the Gallop” via Wikipedia is licensed under a CC BY SA 3.0 license.
• “Murder at the Gallop (1963) — Trivia.” Internet Movie Database, n.d.
• Murder Most Foul. Dir. George Pollock. Perf. Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, Stringer Davis. MGM, 1964. 
• “Murder Most Foul” via Wikipedia is licensed under a CC BY SA 3.0 license.
• “Murder Most Foul (1964) — Trivia.” Internet Movie Database, n.d.
• Murder, She Said. Dir. George Pollock. Perf. Margaret Rutherford, Arthur Kennedy, Stringer Davis. MGM, 1961.
• “Murder, She Said” via Wikipedia is licensed under a CC BY SA 3.0 license.
• “Murder She Said (1961) — Trivia.” Internet Movie Database, n.d.
• “Stringer Davis” via Wikipedia is licensed under a CC BY SA 3.0 license.