One footnote may be in order on Stuart Palmer's marvelous schoolmarm heroine, Hildegarde Withers. According to publishers Tom and Enid Schantz, Palmer was inspired to create Hildy after seeing actress Edna May Oliver on stage during the first run of Showboat. Palmer's first book about Hildy, The Penguin Pool Murders, appeared in 1931, and it was quickly turned into a movie - starring Edna May Oliver. James Gleason played Inspector Piper. Oliver played Hildy twice more in the movies before bowing out of future projects. Unfortunately, I think the movie's out of circulation at the moment, but keep an eye on late night classic movie reruns.
A Google search turned up this still of Oliver and Gleason, apparently from Murder on a Honeymoon, which appears to be based on The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree, which I reviewed here a couple of years back. Some day, I'd love to see these movies!
Les, I have to get my hands on these books! I vaguely remember seeing the Penguin one many MANY years ago. LOVE James Gleason. He was born playing a cop. :)
Posted by: Yvette | February 18, 2011 at 06:51 PM
The Rue Morgue Press has republished several of them (including "The Penguin Pool Murders" and "The Puzzle of the Pepper Tree," so they should still be readily available. If you rely on the library, don't forget the joy of the interlibrary loan - a friend of mine checked recently and found quite a few Stuart Palmer books available that way. And you're right; James Gleason was indeed born to play cops!
Posted by: Les Blatt | February 18, 2011 at 06:59 PM