The Trouble With Harry
The autumn leaves are near peak color in the quiet, idyllic village in Vermont. The music, a virtual lullaby, softly plays as the camera pans over the village where a church, fenced meadows and clapboard houses lie nestled within the rolling hills of the tranquil countryside.
A little boy with a toy gun makes his way along a ridge. Three shots ring out. Little Arnie Rogers takes cover behind a tree. He hears a man speaking sharply and then a thud. Resuming his walk Arnie (Jerry Mathers) discovers a body, a man dressed in a nice suit with blood oozing from a wound on his forehead. Arnie runs home for his mother.
Thus begins The Trouble With Harry, an unexpectedly sweet and delicate black comedy by the master of classic thrillers, Director Alfred Hitchcock. In this topsy-turvy tale no one seems to be upset at the dead man’s demise. Rather, they are concerned with how his death affects themselves and each other. But with thoughtful consideration and sincere affection they work together to protect each other from any unpleasant consequences arising from Harry’s death.
Harry is a stranger to the village. Of all the people who see Harry lying in the leaves on this warm, fall morning only one can identify him, and Jennifer Rogers (Shirley MacLaine) is glad to see Harry 'in a deep, wonderful sleep.' She instructs Arnie to forget he ever saw him. Arnie asks, 'Is there a special way to forget, Mommy?' She wisely replies, 'Just think of something else.'
But the trouble with Harry is that he refuses to stay forgotten. Captain Albert Wiles (Edmund Gwenn) was enjoying a morning of hunting when he stumbled across Harry and assumed he had shot him while aiming for a rabbit. Before he can hide the body six people walk by.
Sam Marlowe (John Forsythe) begins to sketch Harry’s feet before the fortuneless artist realizes they are attached to a body. Sam agrees to help the captain bury Harry if he determines that Mrs. Rogers genuinely wishes to be rid of him.
Over lemonade on her front porch Mrs. Rogers tells Mr. Marlowe the story of Harry, her second husband, and what she learned on her second wedding night. He asks, 'You didn’t learn on your first?' In this amusing scene we see the couple slip into a free and easy attraction for each other that will undoubtedly grow into genuine affection.
Convinced that no one cares what they do with Harry, Sam and Captain Wiles find a comfortable spot and bury Harry. But before long, new information comes to light and Harry is dug up. After an inspection of his wound, down he goes again.
In addition to a tramp who steals Harry’s shoes and the town’s quirky doctor who stumbles over Harry without noticing he is dead, Miss Ivy Gravely (Mildred Natwick) passes by Harry while out for a morning hike.
Seeing Captain Wiles in charge of the situation, she leaves it up to him to take care of the matter. They have such a pleasant conversation that Miss Gravely invites Captain Wiles to her house for coffee and blueberry muffins that afternoon.
Later, in the course of their conversation more information is revealed about Harry, and she insists on digging him up. After a reflective discussion with Jennifer and Sam it is decided that he should be buried again.
On the way back from the tiring task, Mrs. Wiggs, the proprietor of the emporium where Sam’s paintings are displayed, comes running with news that a millionaire wants to buy his paintings.
Sam can’t decide if he wants to sell his works of art, so he asks Jennifer what she thinks. She replies, 'It’s your genius, Sam. It’s up to you.' With that offering of confidence he makes a deal with the millionaire for an unconventional compensation for all his paintings. This is the scene that prompts Sam to ask Jennifer to marry him.
In a spontaneous moment back at Jennifer’s house Sam kisses Jennifer in what may be the tenderest kiss of all movie kisses. But suddenly he thinks of something and another discussion of Harry by the two couples leads to their digging him up a third time.
Before the evening is over the doctor and the deputy sheriff become involved, Harry is moved to the bathtub, tampering of evidence takes place and Captain Wiles confesses to a lie. The next morning, with the help of Arnie, Harry finally attains rest.
The Trouble With Harry was filmed in a small hamlet in Vermont, the most beautiful autumnal location in all of North America. The screenplay was adapted from the book of the same title by Jack Trevor Story. Shirley MacLaine and Jerry Mathers made their first film appearance and demonstrate their ability to complement the performances of the three established actors.
The circumstances surrounding the trouble with Harry seamlessly advance alongside the flowering romantic relationships of two sweet-natured couples. This mystery comedy is a classic sure to please thriller movie fans and romantic movie fans alike.