Question 1

Why did the Hildegarde Withers series stop after three films?

Accepted Answer

Edna May Oliver left her RKO contract in 1935, halting the series. The studio tried other actresses but audience interest was negligible, and novelist Stuart Palmer was unhappy with the attempts.

Question 2

Where was the New York Aquarium located when the film was set?

Accepted Answer

The New York Aquarium, where the murder occurs, was on the southern tip of Manhattan in Battery Park from 1896 until 1941. It moved to Coney Island in 1957.

Question 3

What is the reference behind the telephone operator calling Hildegarde Withers 'Lydia Pinkham'?

Accepted Answer

Lydia Pinkham brewed alcohol-based elixirs marketed as a 'women's tonic' for menstrual and menopausal pains.

Question 4

Which real-life murder case is alluded to by Inspector Piper?

Accepted Answer

The Ruth Snyder-Judd Gray murder case of 1927, a notoriously inept crime of passion. It inspired 'Double Indemnity' and 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' according to James M. Cain.

Question 5

How many times did Edna May Oliver play Hildegarde Withers?

Accepted Answer

Three times: 'Penguin Pool Murder' (1932), 'Murder on the Blackboard' (1934), and 'Murder on a Honeymoon' (1935).

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Penguin Pool Murder

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