- Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
- September 30, 1955 (Barre, Vermont)
- Based on the 1950 novel The Trouble with Harry by Jack Trevor Story
When a man’s body is found in the woods, a group finds themselves not only asking how he was killed but why.
The Trouble with Harry is a lesser-known Hitchcock movie. It was not a roaring success upon its release, and since then it’s only intermittently from what I’ve read made appearances on television with a theatrical re-release once Universal got the rights to it. That led to DVD and VHS, and finally a Blu-ray release. Part of the problem maybe is that it’s so different from anything Hitchcock is known for. Rather than an intense thriller thriller with some tongue-in-cheek elements, this is a tongue-in-cheek comedy.
The Trouble with Harry is based on a 1950 novel of the same name by Jack Trevor Story. It’s part murder mystery and part near absurdist comedy where a rabbit hunting accident is believed to have killed a man. A simple situation that could be easily resolved builds to a point at which a solution that serves all is almost out of reach.
Part of the joke of the film is that nothing happens. What looks like a murder is not. Much of the movie is split between the personal relationships of the main characters as they intersect with issues of the body be it covering up a presumed accident or solving a presumed crime. We get a look at quirky New England smalltown life with an assortment of unique characters. It’s a small cast yet not so small you’re wondering why there are not more people around. Each brings something unique to the movie.
Amongst this cast is a young Jerry Mathers as the odd kid Arnie Rogers whose unique nature could be seen as ‘humorous toddler’ but actual is important for the story. When his character first walked on screen, I couldn’t remember where I had seen the boy before. Until now I really thought Mathers showed up on the scene with Leave It to Beaver and that was it. Who knew he did a Hitchcock movie?
One of the hallmarks of this story is that nobody really cares about the body of Harry (an uncredited Philip Truex). Characters either never notice he is dead or are more concerned with avoiding blame for any possible crime. Though not your typical Hitchcock mystery it is still a type of mystery. The question is who (if anybody) killed Harry and why.
Humor is derived from the complications of hiding the body or answering questions without incorrectly making someone look guilty. Some jokes border on macabre with others coming down to the reaction in a given scenario.
What’s an old movie without a little romance? John Forsythe as local artist Sam Marlowe and Shirley MacLaine as single mother and twice widowed Jennifer Rogers develop a connection that is both love and lust. Marlowe bluntly in an explicit-for-the-time line says he wants to paint her in the nude. Capt. Albert Wiles (Edmund Miracle on 34th Street Gwenn) and Miss Ivy Gravely (Mildred Natwick) share a long simmering attraction that only comes forth when she needs to deal with her presumed involvement in Harry’s demise.
John Forsythe and Shirley MacLaine have almost as much time on camera as Edmund Gwenn and Mildred Natwick. When all four are together Gwenn and Natwick deservedly take the spotlight away from Forsythe and MacLaine. While there is clear sexual attraction between Jennifer and Sam, Miss Gravely is doing her best to be alluring and sexual to Capt. Wiles even if what caused her to finally act was to save herself.
Wiles thinks he did it because of a stray shot when hunting rabbits. Jennifer thinks her blow to his head did it when Harry showed up unexpectedly at her door to rekindle their relationship. Miss Gravely thinks her hiking boot strike when he came out of the bushes after his encounter with Jennifer did it. And Sam? He just happens to be nearby and is willing to help out his friends coverup a death because that is not the sign of someone with psychological issues at all.
If there is a villain in this it is Deputy Sheriff Calvin Wiggs (Royal Dano) and he’s not even a bad guy. He’s just doing his job. After getting clued into something going on by a local tramp (Barry Macollum) that took Harry’s shoes, he tries to figure out where the reported body is and if the odd actions of his various neighbors indicate involvement.
Most of my experience with John Forsythe comes from the television series Dynasty and what little I can remember from that along with being the voice in Charlie’s Angels. I know he had a career before Blake Carrington or Charlie Townsend but I never knew it involved the likes of Hitchcock. The chemistry between Forsythe and Shirley McLaine is undeniable. It is an almost immediate spark.
McLaine is very matter of fact and never plays her character as mean. Her gratitude over the death, no matter the reason, of Harry is never framed as cold. None of the characters ever get put in a bad light no matter what they do with or over the body. Nobody’s obnoxious or annoying-even Jerry Mathers as Arnie! Kids in a movie always dangerous. Yet Hitchcock managed to avoid the danger.
Being a masterful director Hitchcock introduces the solution rather quietly before a solution is even truly needed in a bit of “Who’s on first” style humor. You grow to like these characters and as the story moves along want a happy ending that becomes increasing impossible. The important moment is almost forgotten about until the woman saves the day.
Some could see subtle commentary on ‘50s morality with the conservative yet flexible culture of smalltown life and the appearance of the millionaire looking to buy Sam’s paintings or how characters dance around their desires rather than outright asking to boink. All this taking place in some of the most beautiful scenery photographed outside of a Western.
There are no nail-biting moments or elements of suspense. This is devoid of almost all the Hitchcock trademarks beyond his cameo that I only found out about when writing this. It forces he as a director and the actors to create strong characters.
Maybe not as edgy as it once was, The Trouble with Harry is still a funny movie from a master director. Excellent viewing for cinema and Hitchcock fans.
Warren Watched A Movie 