A Stranger in Town

The directorial debut of George Pollock, who later made several more films about violent death in placid surroundings; but here the tone is much darker than in his Miss Marple mysteries and we get Chopin on the soundtrack rather than Ron Godwin's jaunty theme.

Mona Washbourne would have made a splendid Miss Marple, but instead of an eccentric old spinster stepping on the toes of the local constabulary the amateur sleuth is this time played by crew-cut yank Alex Nicol (who gets as warm a welcome from the locals as Spencer Tracy got in 'Bad Day at Black Rock'); although there are quite a few engaging performances by the other women in the cast (of whom I would like to have seen more of Mary Laura Wood & Betty Impey).