On September 15, 1890 Agatha Christie was born. I don’t think I need to list her novels, short stories and plays. Everyone is familiar with one, two, three or dozens of her mysteries. My mom is, and always was, a mystery fan so I grew up with Patricia Wentworth, Dorothy Sayers, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh, Josephine Tey and, most of all, Agatha Christie. Mom’s top authors were the Pantheon of British ladies of mystery.
I remember reading “Death Comes as the End” when I was in elementary school. It was my first Christie and I’m pretty sure my obsession with Boris Karloff’s Mummy movies was the motivation to pick up a mystery set in ancient Egypt.
Christie’s travels with her archeologist/Egyptologist husband influenced many of her stories — although “Death on the Nile” seems to be the one that everyone remembers. The many movie and TV versions have made this one of the Christies that even non-mystery readers remember. Personally, I think David Suchet is the most convincing Hercule Poirot, but Peter Ustinov in the 1978 film was amazing! The rest of that cast wasn’t half bad either — Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, George Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Olivia Hussey, Jack Warden and the then thoroughly crush-worthy Simon MacCorkindale.
“The Mouse Trap” is not a good play, but it has run and run and run all over the world for decades. I’m still trying to forget my junior high school production.
Let’s raise a glass to Miss Marple, Hercule, Tommy & Tuppence and the rest of her brilliant creations!
I saw this poster in a French restaurant in SoHo (NYC) for the Christie play, The Mousetrap in French.
Like you I think that David Suchet does Christie’s Poirot the most justice but I did enjoy Peter Ustinov’s version so much more. He was truly entertaining.
There have been a variety of Miss Marples and I was always drawn to her character. Margaret Rutherford was unbeatable in the role for me but of the TV versions I’d say probably Joan Hickson. You could almost see her nose twitch at the first sign of trouble.
xxx Huge Hugs Candy xxx
I have a great fondness for those old Margaret Rutherford films. I saw them over and over again on TV as a child. Still, Joan Hickson nails Christie’s creation where Rutherford created her own private detective persona. After drafting this post, I started to wonder if I should revisit some of the lesser known books and stories, just for fun.
I haven’t as yet read any of her work. Mysteries were never a big thing for me growing up. But I do remember Murder she Wrote every Sunday night. The reach of one person through history can be very profound.
Agatha Christie was, no doubt, the original role model for the author in Murder She Wrote. The idea of an older woman pounding out mysteries featuring characters who were often old & wise, or eccentric & brilliant, and often on the receiving end of low expectations because of their status. Makes for great stories and scripts.
I’m another Agatha Christie fan, but while I know and love all the more famous ones, it’s Ten Little Indians that sticks in my mind. It’s been done to death [excuse the pun] since then, but I remember feeling a creeping horror for the characters as they were picked off, one by one.
I LOVE 10 Little Indians!
Christie created a classic scenario that can be reworked into thousands of different incarnations. Maybe it’s because you’re a science fiction author, but what about this one — the inhabitants of a far away space station picked off one-by-one? LOL…