Hildegarde Withers

Hildegarde Withers is a fictional character created by Stuart Palmer who appeared in several films and novels.

Miss Withers is a fiftyish schoolteacher who is an amateur sleuth on the side. Her adventures are usually comic but are nevertheless straightforward mysteries. She is a sort of variation on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. "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. However, she is a romantic at heart and will extend herself to help young lovers." [Penzler, Otto, "et al". "Detectionary". Woodstock, New York: Overlook Press, 1977. ISBN 0-87951-041-2]

Edna May Oliver starred in the first three screen adaptations, produced by RKO Radio Pictures, and is considered the definitive Miss Withers. When Oliver left RKO in 1935 to sign with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, RKO attempted to continue the series with Helen Broderick and then ZaSu Pitts, but Oliver's presence was sorely missed and the films were poorly received. Author Palmer approved of Oliver's characterization so much that he gave the actress a mention in his Hollywood-based Withers novel "The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan."

In 1972, CBS made a Withers television movie with Eve Arden that was well-received but curiously failed to produce any sequels.

Hildegarde Withers films

* "Penguin Pool Murder" (1932), portrayed by Edna May Oliver
* "Murder on the Blackboard" (1934), starring Oliver
* "Murder on a Honeymoon" (1935), featuring Oliver (based on "The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree", 1934)
* "Murder on a Bridle Path" (1936), with Helen Broderick
* "The Plot Thickens" (1936), played by ZaSu Pitts
* "Forty Naughty Girls" (1937), with Pitts
* "A Very Missing Person" (1972), featuring Eve Arden

* 1950s lost TV sitcom pilot "Amazing Miss Withers", starring Agnes Moorehead and Paul Kelly

Hildegarde Withers novels by Stuart Palmer

* "The Penguin Pool Murder" (1931)
* "Murder on the Blackboard" (1932)
* "The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree" (1934)
* "The Puzzle of the Silver Persian" (1934)
* "The Puzzle of the Red Stallion" (1935)
* "The Puzzle of the Blue Banderilla" (1937)
* "Miss Withers Regrets" (1941)
* "The Puzzle of the Happy Hooligan" (1941)
* "The Riddles of Hildegarde Withers" (1947), an anthology of short stories
* "Four Lost Ladies" (1949)
* "The Green Ace" (1950)
* "The Monkey Murder" (1951)
* "Nipped in the Bud" (1951)
* "Cold Poison" (1954)
* "The People Vs. Withers and Malone" (1963), written with Craig Rice
* "Hildegarde Withers Makes the Scene" (1969), completed by Fletcher Flora after Palmer's death

References

External links

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