Second version of Murder on a Blackboard
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Murder on the Blackboard
armstro — 18 years ago(February 01, 2008 11:26 PM)
It seems as though I have seen two versions of this film, both starring Edma Mae Oliver. In the first version, Hildegarde Withers solves the crime along with the usual help from Inspector Piper. This is certainly a fun picture. But in the second verson, Hildegarde is a lush who makes full use of a bottle whenever she can find one. This makes it one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
Has anyone else seen this second verson. Is a tape or disk available?
Thanks,
FWA -
aldiboronti — 10 years ago(July 01, 2015 01:28 AM)
You're certainly confused. The studio would not have made a version in which Miss Oliver was a lush as this was part of a series of movies in which she played the same character. And I'm pretty sure if Edna Mae were alive you could expect an appropriately withering response from her at the very notion.
But this is a gag, right? -
ZolotoyRetriever — 1 year ago(January 13, 2025 05:56 PM)
In the books by Stuart Palmer that these movies are based on, Hildegarde Withers is a partial variation on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. She's described as "A lean, angular spinster lady, her unusual hats and the black cotton umbrella she carries are her trademark. … Hildegarde collects tropical fish,
abhors alcohol and tobacco
, and appears to have an irritable disposition."
I would mention, though, that in
Murder on the Blackboard
, Ms. Withers does indeed take a wee shot of alcohol twice in the movie. Also, after confronting the intoxicated janitor, she gets a whiff of the alcohol on him and comments rather approvingly, "It appears to be bonded stuff." This was surprising in light of the fact that the books made her out to be a teetotaling prude.
The second version you describe sounds highly unlikely. I've seen the other two movies where Edna Mae Oliver plays Hildegarde Withers, and neither of them have her anywhere near an alcoholic beverage.