While trying to solicit a donation for a local charity, Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford) and Mr. Stringer (Stringer Davis) knock on the door of Mr. Enderby (Finlay Currie). Enderby is a wealthy recluse. While knocking the door opens and Miss Marple, being Miss Marple, enters. Enderby is seen at the top of the stairs clutching his heart. He falls to his death. Miss Marple hears a noise and investigates. She finds a cat upstairs. Mr. Enderby was afraid of cats and therefore would not have one in the house.
Later Miss Marple visits Inspector Craddock (Bud Tingwell) for an update on the case. His view is that Enderby died of natural causes, case closed. Miss Marple believes he was murdered, and the cat was the weapon that brought about the heart attack. Since Craddock will not investigate, it is up to Miss Marple to solve the case.
While eavesdropping on the reading of the will Miss Marple learns that Enderby’s relatives, Cora Lansquenet, his sister, Hector Enderby (Robert Morley), his nephew, niece Rosamund Shane (Katya Douglas) and Cousin George Crossfield (Robert Urquhart) will inherit an equal portion of the estate. Enderby’s sister Cora also makes a cryptic statement that she believes her brother was murdered.
Miss Marple pays a visit to Cora to find out why she believes her brother’s death was not natural. When she gets there, she finds Cora dead. This time there is no doubt that it is murder. Cora was stabbed with a long hatpin. Cora’s mousy companion, Miss Milchrest (Flora Robson) says she was out at the time and has no idea who could have done it.
Miss Marple rents a room at the Gallop Hotel which is owned by Hector. All the other suspects are also staying there. Although Miss Marple is tenacious someone else has deduced who the murderer is and ends up next to be done away with. It’s up to Miss Marple and her friend Mr. Stringer to ferret out the clues and discover not only who the murderer is but why the victims were targeted.
“Murder at the Gallop” was released in 1963 and was directed by George Pollock. It is a murder mystery with undertones of humor and was based on the novel “After the Funeral” by Agatha Christie written in 1953. The original novel featured Hercule Poirot while the movie features Dame Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple. It is the second of four Miss Marple films that featured Dame Rutherford.
Stringer Davis (Mr. Stringer) was Dame Margaret Rutherford's husband. His character was added to the film and was never a part of Agatha Christie’s original story. Miss Marple mentions to Inspector Craddock that she read about a similar murder to Mr. Enderby’s in a novel by Agatha Christie called “The Ninth Life”. Christie never wrote any such novel.
The film includes a couple well known British actors. Robert Morley, who plays Hector Enderby, the owner of the Gallop Hotel, and Dame Flora Robson as Miss Milchrest. Morley appeared in “The African Queen” 1951, “The Old Dark House” 1963 and “Theater of Blood” 1973 among many others. Dame Robson acted for five decades. Her last appearance was of a Stygian Witch in “Clash of the Titans” 1981.