The Trouble with Harry
| The Trouble With Harry | |
|---|---|
 Original VistaVision poster |
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| Directed by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Produced by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Screenplay by | John Michael Hayes |
| Story by | Jack Trevor Story |
| Starring | Edmund Gwenn John Forsythe Shirley MacLaine Mildred Natwick Mildred Dunnock Jerry Mathers Royal Dano |
| Music by | Bernard Herrmann |
| Cinematography | Robert Burks |
| Editing by | Alma Macrorie |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures Universal Pictures (1984-present) |
| Release date(s) | October 3, 1955 |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.2 million |
The Trouble with Harry is a 1955 American black comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Jack Trevor Story. It was released in the United States on October 3, 1955 then rereleased once the distribution rights were acquired by Universal Pictures in 1984. The film starred John Forsythe and Edmund Gwenn; Shirley MacLaine and Jerry Mathers co-starred, both in their first film roles.
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[edit] Plot
The quirky but down-to-earth residents of a small village in Vermont in the fall are faced with the freshly dead body of Harry Worp (Phillip Truex), which has inconveniently appeared on the hillside above the town. The problem of what to do with the body and, more importantly, how and why Harry was killed is the "Trouble With Harry".
Three of the main characters in the film each believe that they are the one who actually killed Harry. Captain Albert Wiles (Edmund Gwenn) is sure that he killed the man with a stray shot from his rifle when rabbit hunting. Miss Ivy Gravely (Mildred Natwick) feels that the man died after a blow from her hiking boot. And the feisty young Jennifer Rogers (Shirley MacLaine), the estranged wife of Harry who lives in the village along with her small son Arnie (Jerry Mathers), believes that he died after she hit him with a milk bottle. Sam Marlowe (John Forsythe), an attractive and free-spirited artist, is quite open-minded about the whole event and is prepared to help his good-natured friends and neighbors in any way he can. In any case, nobody is upset about this death.
However, none of the principal characters want the body to come to the attention of the "authorities" in the form of cold, humorless Deputy Sheriff Calvin Wiggs (Royal Dano). The main characters conceal the body by burying it and then have to dig it up again. This happens several times. The body is also concealed at one point by hiding it in a bathtub.
In the end it is established that Harry actually died of natural causes; no foul play was involved. In the meantime, Sam and Jennifer have fallen in love, as have the Captain and Miss Gravely. Sam has been able to sell his paintings to a passing millionaire. The artist refuses to accept money and instead requests a few simple gifts for his friends and himself.
[edit] Production
Although one of Hitchcock's few true comedies (though most of his films had some element of tongue-in-cheek or macabre humor), the film was a box office disappointment.
The film also contained what was, at the time, frank dialogue. This is seen when John Forsythe's character unabashedly tells MacLaine's character that he would like to paint a nude portrait of her. The statement by Forsythe's character was quite racy for its time. Originally, Hitchcock had anonymously bought the movie rights of the novel for $11,000. [1]
The film was unavailable for nearly 30 years after its initial release, after Hitchcock bought back the rights to the film. It was finally reissued in 1984, and has since been issued on VHS and DVD.
The Trouble With Harry is also notable as a landmark in Hitchcock's canon as it marked the beginning of several highly regarded collaborations with composer Bernard Herrmann.
A song sung by John Forsythe's character, "Flaggin' the Train to Tuscaloosa" was written by Raymond Scott.
Several scenes in the film had to be shot in a rented high school gym because of rain. In the gym, a 500 lb (226 kg) Technicolor camera fell from a great height and barely missed hitting Hitchcock.
The scenery was shot in Craftsbury, Vermont. Ostensibly, the movie takes place entirely in town. Assuming that the town would be in full foliage, the company showed up for outdoor shots on September 27, 1954. To the filmmakers' shock, there was hardly any foliage left; to achieve a full effect, leaves were glued to the trees.[2]
While this movie was a financial failure in the U.S., it played for a year in England and Rome, and a year and a half in France. Full details on the making of the film are in Steven DeRosa's book Writing with Hitchcock.[3]
Alfred Hitchcock's cameo is a signature occurrence in most of his films. In The Trouble With Harry he can be seen 21 minutes into the film as he walks past a parked limousine while an old man looks at paintings for sale at the roadside stand.
[edit] Other media references
A "cash-in" single titled "The Trouble With Harry" by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. using the pseudonym of "Alfi & Harry" was released in early 1956. In the US the song reached # 44 position on the Billboard charts, in the UK it charted at its peak position of number 15. The title aside, the record had no connection with the film.
Bernard Hermann's title score for this film can be heard in a 2010 Volkswagen commercial.
[edit] Notes
- ^ [iMDB.com "iMDB.com"]. iMDB.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ^ Barton Chronicle book review retrieved August 21, 2009
- ^ Writing with Hitchcock
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: The Trouble with Harry |
- The Trouble With Harry at the Internet Movie Database
- The Trouble With Harry at AllRovi
- Profile of Hitchcock at Senses of Cinema website, giving particular attention to The Trouble With Harry
- The Trouble With Harry Screenshot Gallery at Alfred Hitchcock Fans Online
- The Trouble With Harry Eyegate Gallery
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