Plot summary

Miss Jane Marple (Dame Margaret Rutherford) investigates the sudden death of old Mr. Enderby (Finlay Currie), who died of a heart attack but was literally frightened to death by a cat. The man's fear of felines was well-known and Miss Jane Marple is convinced that his deadly encounter was planned, making his death a murder. Unable to convince Inspector Craddock (Charles 'Bud' Tingwell) that a crime has taken place, she decides to investigate. With the assistance of Mr. Stringer (Stringer Davis), she focuses on the four relatives who inherit Enderby's fortune and gathers every bit of gossip she can about them. When one of the four is found dead, she heads off to the Gallop Hotel, owned by old Enderby's nephew Hector Enderby (Robert Morley), and where the remaining guests are staying. When another of the relatives is killed, the field of suspects seems to narrow even more, but Miss Jane Marple has to plan a clever ruse for the killer to come out into the open.—garykmcd