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'''Miss Marple''' is, after [[Hercule Poirot]], the second of [[
She made her first appearance in the short story "The Tuesday Night Club" in 1927, and first featured in a novel in 1930, with ''The Murder at the Vicarage''. In all, she appeared in 12 novels and 24 short stories.
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Miss Jane Marple is a little old spinster lady living in the English village of St Mary Mead, with an occasional tendency to stumble into murder mysteries. Her gently ultra-conventional exterior hides a keen perception and wide-ranging understanding of human nature from which she gains insight that lets her proceed where the official detectives are baffled. The kicker is that this wisdom is derived entirely from her observation of one village's life; confronted with a horrific murder, she invariably can draw the 'village parallel' between the suspects' behaviour and some random schoolboy prank or irregularity with the church funds. ("Human nature is much the same everywhere, I find...")
Miss Marple's first screen adaptation was in 1961, when she was portrayed by Margaret Rutherford in four films beginning in that year. The films are well regarded as comedies, if not as adaptations. Only the first was even based on one of Christie's Miss Marple novels, and that not very closely. Also, Margaret Rutherford is the polar opposite of the sweet old lady of the novels, playing the character as essentially herself: burly, resolute and outspoken. Miss Marple has also been portrayed on film by [[Angela Lansbury]], who later went on to feature in another [[Little Old Lady Investigates]] role in ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' -- which itself owes a huge debt to the Marple mythos, in particular the small-town setting.
Of several television adaptations, the most faithful and best regarded is the BBC's ''Miss Marple'' series (1984-1992) of telefilms, starring Joan Hickson. More recently, ITV's ''Marple'' starring Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie (2004-present) is a much looser adaptation, as with the Rutherford series frequently sharing only the titles with the original novels.
* ''[[The Murder at the Vicarage]]'' (1930)
* ''[[
* ''[[The
* ''[[A Murder Is Announced]]'' (1950)
* ''[[They Do It
* ''[[A Pocket Full of Rye]]'' (1953)
* ''[[4.50
* ''[[The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side]]'' (1962)
* ''[[A Caribbean Mystery]]'' (1964)
* ''[[At Bertram's Hotel]]'' (1965)
* ''[[Nemesis (Christie novel)|Nemesis]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Sleeping Murder]]'' (written in 1940, published posthumously in 1976)
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{{franchisetropes}}
* [[Amateur Sleuth]]
* [[Annoying Patient]]
* [[Asshole Victim]]: Colonel Protheroe in ''[[Murder
* [[Big Screwed-Up Family]]: The Fortescues in ''A Pocket Full of Rye''.
* [[Black Sheep]]
* [[Busman's Holiday]]: ''A Caribbean Mystery'' and ''At Bertram's Hotel'' both have Jane being roped into solving a murder while on vacation.
* [[Canon Welding]]
* [[Close
* [[Comic Book Time]]
* [[The Ditz]]: Gladys in ''A Pocket Full of Rye''. It... [[Tear Jerker|doesn't end well for her]].
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* [[Have a Gay Old Time]]
* [[He Knows Too Much]]: Why Major Palgrave had to die in ''A Caribbean Mystery''.
* [[Important Character, Important Evidence]]
* [[The Ishmael]]: Vicar Clement in ''The Murder at the Vicarage'', Jerry Burton in ''The Moving Finger''.
* [[Little Old Lady Investigates]]
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* [[Never Found the Body]]
* [[Never One Murder]]
* [[New House, New Problems]]: In ''The Mirror Crack'd''.
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]
* [[Rear Window Witness]]
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* [[The Cat Came Back]]: In [[The BBC]] series, Inspector Slack is driven to annoyance, if not actual distraction, by the way Miss Marple keeps showing up whenever he tries to investigate anything in St Mary Mead.
* [[Gilligan Cut]]: From the BBC version of "The Body in the Library".
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* [[Hand of Death]]: A frequent occurrence in the BBC versions.
* [[Makeover Montage]]: In "The Moving Finger".
* [[Right Behind Me]]: In the BBC "They Do It With Mirrors". Chief Inspector Slack [[Genre Savvy|almost seems to be expecting Miss Marple to turn up]]. He mentions that he keeps thinking of "that old busybody from St Mary Mead" -- and promptly hears her polite "Good morning, Chief Inspector" from behind him. His expression borders on [[Oh Crap]].
* [[Sexophone]]: Any time Lucky Dyson shows up in the BBC "A Caribbean Mystery".
* [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]]: Inspector Duckham for Inspector Craddock in the BBC adaptation of "4:50 From Paddington".
* [[You Look Familiar]]: Many years before starring in the BBC series, Joan Hickson played a housekeeper in one of the Margaret Rutherford films.
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[[Category:Mystery Literature]]
[[Category:Miss Marple]]
[[Category:
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