Although the evidence appears to be overwhelming in the strangulation murder of a blackmailer, Miss Marple's sole 'not guilty' vote han gs the jury 11-1. She becomes convinced that the real murderer is a member of a local theatrical troupe, so she joins them in order to gather information. The clues lead back many years to a single disastrously unsuccessful 1951 performance of a dreadful play written by the group's hammy director, H. Driffold Cosgood. Although at that time, several of the current cast members were only children, more murders follow before Miss Marple ultimately exposes the killer. 英国影片片长90分，根據Mrs. McGinty's Dead改編，原著是波羅故事。因影片将主角变为马普尔小姐和剧情的更改引起原小說作者克里斯蒂强烈不满，影片本身也遭遇票房和评论惨败。主演Margaret Rutherford还出演過另外3部以马普尔小姐为主角的电影，其中1部亦是根据波洛故事改编(「葬礼之后」)，另1部是原创剧本。80年代在多部电视剧中扮演塔彭丝的Francesca Annis也在本片中扮演一个小角色。
