Ron Moody admitted career misstep after iconic Oliver! performance — ‘It was a mistake’ | Films | Entertainment

This afternoon Tottenham-born star Ron Moody performs opposite Margaret Rutherford in the 1964 Miss Marple film, Murder Most Foul, which airs at 2.10pm on Channel 5. The third Miss Marple film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, based on the iconic Agatha Christie novels, the story is loosely based on the 1952 novel Mrs McGinty’s Dead. It follows the a dissenting jury member, convinced a man had not murdered a famous actress. It sparks the investigations of Miss Marple, who joins a theatrical company in order to work out what happened for herself. While time goes on, Miss Marple becomes suspicious of the performer H. Driffold Cosgood, played by Moody, before another actor is shockingly found dead. She soon uncovers evil deeds linked to the theatre group, before the detective herself finds her own life is threatened.

The film and novel’s title comes from a William Shakespeare quote in Hamlet, where the Ghost remarks of his own death: “Murder most foul as in the best it is, but this most foul, strange and unnatural.”

The role for Moody came some four years before he seured the role of a lifetime in Lionel Bart’s musical rendition of the Charles Dickens tale, Oliver!. Featuring numbers such as Food, Glorious Food, Consider Yourself and I’d Do Anything, the film was an instant hit with fans.

As well as his own performances which earned him critical acclaim, the film itself has withstood the test of time, regularly being cited among the best flicks ever produced. The British Film Institute ranked it the 77th best in British cinema, while Time Out magazine voted it the 69th greatest.

Among the songs Moody performed as Fagon included Pick a Pocket or Two and Reviewing the situation, and his role helped the star earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The film itself earned some of the Oscar Award’s biggest gongs, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Moody would later reflect on the role during a 2012 interview with The Guardian where he described his excitement at being cast as Fagin, the character described in the Dickens’ novel as a “receiver of stolen goods”.

He said: “My proudest moment was the number ‘Reviewing the Situation’. I suspect that, because I gave my all to the role, and because I was working with such a fine team of people, it inhibited my future career.

“I turned down quite a few offers afterward because I thought the people didn’t come close to those I’d worked with on Oliver! — which in retrospect was a mistake.”

Moody also discussed how it was working with such a young cast of child actors, including Mark Lester as Oliver and Jack Wild as Artful Dodger, who became the fourth-youngest Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actor for his part in the film.

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He particularly enjoyed “their mischievous minds”, and Moody, who passed away at the age of 91 in 2015, recalled how he’d “always try to surprise them on camera to keep them alert”.

The star added: “I remember sticking my quill in my hat after noting down their pick-pocketing haul to make them laugh during the filming. Shani Wallis (Nancy) was always worrying about the quality of her work and, like me, would spend most of her off-screen time working in her trailer, but Oliver Reed (Bill Sykes) was a tease.

“People didn’t realise that behind those baleful eyes was a child who liked to tease: he enjoyed fixing his terrifying gaze on people until they cracked.

“He was a professional drunk. Although he was often in his cups, he never showed it and was always punctual and prepared.”

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After Moody’s death seven years ago, tributes were paid across the acting world, with stories being shared about the star who famously spoke of his biggest regret being turning down the chance to be a version of The Doctor in Doctor Who.

As well as the silver screen, Moody also earned a brilliant career on television, including as Jim Branning’s nemesis Edwin Caldecott on EastEnders, and playing the wizard Merlin on Disney’s A Kid in King Arthur’s Court.

Following his death, Theresa Moody, his widow, described how the star would be “greatly missed”, adding: “He brought joy to his family and to the hearts of many and will be greatly missed. He was singing until the end.”

Murder Most Foul airs from 2.10pm on Channel 5.