Difference between revisions of "Miss Marple: 4:50 from Paddington"

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'''4.50 from Paddington''' is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie, first published in November 1957.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4.50_from_Paddington 4.50 from Paddington on Wikipedia] (retrieved 7 January 2017)</ref> Mrs. McGillicuddy, a friend of Miss Marple's, sees a woman being strangled in a passing train running parallel to her own. When police cannot find a body and doubt the story, Miss Marple enlists a professional housekeeper to go undercover.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092497/ Internet Movie Database] (retrieved 7 January 2017)</ref>  
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'''4.50 from Paddington''' is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie, first published in November 1957.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4.50_from_Paddington 4.50 from Paddington on Wikipedia] (retrieved 7 January 2017)</ref> Mrs. McGillicuddy, a friend of Miss Marple's, sees a woman being strangled in a train running parallel to her own. When police cannot find a body and doubt the story, Miss Marple enlists professional housekeeper Lucy Eyelesbarrow to go undercover.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092497/ Internet Movie Database] (retrieved 7 January 2017)</ref>  
  
This version is a full length BBC TV movie first broadcast on 25 February 1987 featuring Joan Hickson as Miss Marple and Mona Bruce as Mrs. McGillicuddy.  
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Several film and television versions of the novel have been produced. The version filmed on the SVR is a full length BBC TV movie first broadcast on 25 February 1987 featuring Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, Mona Bruce as Mrs. McGillicuddy and Jill Meager as Lucy.
  
 
==Filming on the SVR==
 
==Filming on the SVR==
Filming saw the most intense use of the railway since [[The Seven-Per-Cent Solution]], involving multiple locos and use of the re-laid section of the [[Stourport Branch | Stourport branch]], necessary to film the sequences of parallel running trains. The actress witnessing the crime was seated in a compartment of [[GWR 5883 Brake Third]]<ref>SVR News 149, Winter 2004-05</ref><ref group="note">The article in SVR news, written many years after filming took place, states this was Joan Hickson (Miss Marple). However the film plot suggests it would have been Mona Bruce</ref>.
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Filming saw the most intense use of the railway since [[The Seven-Per-Cent Solution]], involving multiple locos and use of the re-laid section of the [[Stourport Branch | Stourport branch]], necessary to film the sequences of parallel running trains.  
  
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For the main scene, [[80079]] was the locomotive on the first train, the “4.33 stopping at all stations to Brackhampton”, while former resident [[6960|6960 Raveningham Hall]] was the locomotive for Mrs. McGillicuddy’s 4.50 train. The two locomotives and their trains were filmed running parallel from the window of [[Bewdley South signal box]] and in a head on view of the two smokeboxes. Shots of the crime taking place on the adjacent train were filmed from the window of Mrs McGillicuddy's compartment.
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In a second scene, Miss Marple and Mrs McGillicuddy retrace the journey to Brackhampton looking look for possible locations where a body might have been thrown from the train. Their train, hauled by [[4566]], was filmed in the vicinity of [[Safari Park|Safari Park Curve]] with Burlish Top visible in the background. Having established that an embankment near 'Rutherford Hall' was the only possible location, they arrive at Brackhampton ([[Bewdley|Bewdley platform 2]]), where the two ladies alight from their compartment on [[GWR 5883 Brake Third]].<ref group="note">The carriage number is visible on the opened door. The carriage was also the subject of an article in SVR News 149, Winter 2004-05</ref>
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At Miss Marple's request, Lucy Eylesbarrow secures temporary employment at the Hall to investigate. While searching the embankment for clues, 6960 is briefly seen again at the head of a passing train.
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A small anachronism; the film includes several references to the crime taking place on the day of the launch of Sputnik I, dating it to October 1957. After 1951 [[Carriage and Wagon numbering |GWR carriages were renumbered]] with additional letters to account for the introduction of Mk 1 stock. However the GWR carriages seen on the 4.33 at Paddington still have (fictional) GWR-style numbers like 6041 rather than the period correct W6041W.
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==See also==
 
==See also==
 
[[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway]]
 
[[List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway]]

Revision as of 00:00, 28 January 2020

4.50 from Paddington is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie, first published in November 1957.[1] Mrs. McGillicuddy, a friend of Miss Marple's, sees a woman being strangled in a train running parallel to her own. When police cannot find a body and doubt the story, Miss Marple enlists professional housekeeper Lucy Eyelesbarrow to go undercover.[2]

Several film and television versions of the novel have been produced. The version filmed on the SVRSevern Valley Railway is a full length BBC TV movie first broadcast on 25 February 1987 featuring Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, Mona Bruce as Mrs. McGillicuddy and Jill Meager as Lucy.

Filming on the SVRSevern Valley Railway

Filming saw the most intense use of the railway since The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, involving multiple locos and use of the re-laid section of the Stourport branch, necessary to film the sequences of parallel running trains.

For the main scene, 80079 was the locomotive on the first train, the “4.33 stopping at all stations to Brackhampton”, while former resident 6960 Raveningham Hall was the locomotive for Mrs. McGillicuddy’s 4.50 train. The two locomotives and their trains were filmed running parallel from the window of Bewdley South signal box and in a head on view of the two smokeboxes. Shots of the crime taking place on the adjacent train were filmed from the window of Mrs McGillicuddy's compartment.

In a second scene, Miss Marple and Mrs McGillicuddy retrace the journey to Brackhampton looking look for possible locations where a body might have been thrown from the train. Their train, hauled by 4566, was filmed in the vicinity of Safari Park Curve with Burlish Top visible in the background. Having established that an embankment near 'Rutherford Hall' was the only possible location, they arrive at Brackhampton (Bewdley platform 2), where the two ladies alight from their compartment on GWR 5883 Brake Third.[note 1]

At Miss Marple's request, Lucy Eylesbarrow secures temporary employment at the Hall to investigate. While searching the embankment for clues, 6960 is briefly seen again at the head of a passing train.

A small anachronism; the film includes several references to the crime taking place on the day of the launch of Sputnik I, dating it to October 1957. After 1951 GWR carriages were renumbered with additional letters to account for the introduction of Mk 1 stock. However the GWRGreat Western Railway carriages seen on the 4.33 at Paddington still have (fictional) GWRGreat Western Railway-style numbers like 6041 rather than the period correct W6041W.

See also

List of film and TV productions filmed on the Severn Valley Railway

References

  1. 4.50 from Paddington on Wikipedia (retrieved 7 January 2017)
  2. Internet Movie Database (retrieved 7 January 2017)

Notes

  1. The carriage number is visible on the opened door. The carriage was also the subject of an article in SVRSevern Valley Railway News 149, Winter 2004-05

Links