 In the opening minutes, as Miss Marple stares in wonderment at the  lobby of Bertrams Hotel, the manager is on the phone and says, "Uh,  no, Im afraid Miss Otis regrets shes unable to lunch today." The  line is from the 1934 Cole Porter (qv) song "Miss Otis Regrets"  performed by many artists including Ella Fitzgerald (qv) and  Nat ‘King’ Cole (qv), and more recently by Bette Midler (qv) on  the final episode of  _"Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The" (1962)_ (qv).