The Trouble with Harry
Encyclopedia
The Trouble With Harry is a 1955 American black comedy
film directed by Alfred Hitchcock
, based on the 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.
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.
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 Shirley MacLaine's character that he would like to paint a nude portrait of her. Comparatively tame by today's standards, the statement by Forsythe's character was quite racy for its time.
The film was unavailable for nearly thirty 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
, who went on to score some of Hitchcock's best known films including Vertigo
, North by Northwest
and Psycho
. 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 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.
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.
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.
.
Bernard Hermann's title score for this film can be heard in a 2010 Volkswagen
commercial.
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
film directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, based on the novel of the same name by Jack Trevor Story
Jack Trevor Story
Jack Trevor Story was a British novelist, publishing prolifically from the 1940s to the 1970s. His best-known work is the story for Alfred Hitchcock's comedy The Trouble With Harry, the Albert Argyle trilogy , and his Horace Spurgeon novels Jack Trevor Story (30 March 1917 - 5 December 1991) was a...
. It was released in the United States on October 3, 1955 then rereleased once the distribution rights were acquired by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
in 1984. The film starred John Forsythe
John Forsythe
John Forsythe was an American stage, television and film actor. Forsythe starred in three television series, spanning four decades and three genres: as single playboy father Bentley Gregg in the sitcom Bachelor Father ; as the unseen millionaire Charles Townsend on the crime drama Charlie's...
and Edmund Gwenn
Edmund Gwenn
Edmund Gwenn was an English theatre and film actor.-Background:Born Edmund John Kellaway in Wandsworth, London , and educated at St. Olave's School and later at King's College London, Gwenn began his acting career in the theatre in 1895...
; Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
and Jerry Mathers
Jerry Mathers
Gerald Patrick "Jerry" Mathers is an American television, film, and stage actor. Mathers is best known for his role in the television sitcom series Leave It to Beaver , in which he played Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the younger son of archetypal suburban couple June and Ward Cleaver , and the brother...
co-starred, both in their first film roles.
Plot
The quirky but down-to-earth residents of a small village in VermontVermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
in the fall
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
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
Edmund Gwenn
Edmund Gwenn was an English theatre and film actor.-Background:Born Edmund John Kellaway in Wandsworth, London , and educated at St. Olave's School and later at King's College London, Gwenn began his acting career in the theatre in 1895...
) is sure that he killed the man with a stray shot from his rifle when rabbit hunting. Miss Ivy Gravely (Mildred Natwick
Mildred Natwick
Mildred Natwick was an American stage and film actress.- Early life :A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born to Joseph and Mildred Marion Dawes Natwick. She graduated from the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore...
) feels that the man died after a blow from her hiking boot. And the feisty young Jennifer Rogers (Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
), the estranged wife of Harry who lives in the village along with her small son Arnie (Jerry Mathers
Jerry Mathers
Gerald Patrick "Jerry" Mathers is an American television, film, and stage actor. Mathers is best known for his role in the television sitcom series Leave It to Beaver , in which he played Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the younger son of archetypal suburban couple June and Ward Cleaver , and the brother...
), believes that he died after she hit him with a milk bottle. Sam Marlowe (John Forsythe
John Forsythe
John Forsythe was an American stage, television and film actor. Forsythe starred in three television series, spanning four decades and three genres: as single playboy father Bentley Gregg in the sitcom Bachelor Father ; as the unseen millionaire Charles Townsend on the crime drama Charlie's...
), 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
Royal Dano
Royal Edward Dano was an American film and television character actor.-Early life:Dano was born in New York City to Mary Josephine , an Irish immigrant, and Caleb Edward Dano, a printer for newspapers. He reportedly left home at the age of twelve and at various intervals, lived in Florida, Texas...
). 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.
Production
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
disappointment.
The film also contained what was, at the time, frank dialogue. This is seen when John Forsythe's character unabashedly tells Shirley MacLaine's character that he would like to paint a nude portrait of her. Comparatively tame by today's standards, the statement by Forsythe's character was quite racy for its time.
The film was unavailable for nearly thirty 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
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
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
Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo...
, who went on to score some of Hitchcock's best known films including Vertigo
Vertigo (film)
Vertigo is a 1958 psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A...
, North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
and Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
. A song sung by John Forsythe's character, "Flaggin' the Train to Tuscaloosa" was written by Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott was an American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor....
.
Several scenes in the film had to be shot in a rented high school gym because of rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
. In the gym, a 500 lb (226 kg) Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
camera fell from a great height and barely missed hitting Hitchcock.
The scenery shot in Craftsbury, Vermont
Craftsbury, Vermont
Craftsbury is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. The town includes the four unincorporated villages of Craftsbury Common, Mill Village, North Craftsbury and East Craftsbury.-Town:...
. 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.
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.
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.
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 March 1956. It charted in the UK at its peak position of number 15. The title aside, the record had no connection with the film although Bagadasarian had a minor role (as the music composer) in Hitchcock's film Rear WindowRear Window
Rear Window is a 1954 American suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by John Michael Hayes and based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder"...
.
Bernard Hermann's title score for this film can be heard in a 2010 Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
commercial.
External links
- 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