Harper (1966)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Jack Smight

Writers:

William Goldman (screenplay)
Ross Macdonald (novel)

Release Date:

23 February 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Tagline:

This is a different kind of cat named Harper... and excitement clings to him like a dame!

Plot:

Lew Harper, a cool private investigator, is hired by a wealthy California matron to locate her kidnapped husband.

Plot Keywords:

Foot Torture | Extramarital Affair | Torture | Reference To Macbeth | Scam

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Lew Harper
Lauren Bacall	...	Elaine Sampson
Julie Harris	...	Betty Fraley
Arthur Hill	...	Albert Graves
Janet Leigh	...	Susan Harper
Pamela Tiffin	...	Miranda Sampson
Robert Wagner	...	Allan Taggert
Robert Webber	...	Dwight Troy
Shelley Winters	...	Fay Estabrook
Harold Gould	...	Sheriff Spanner
Roy Jenson	...	Puddler
Strother Martin	...	Claude
Martin West	...	Deputy Sheriff
Jacqueline deWit	...	Mrs. Kronberg
Eugene Iglesias	...	Felix

Also Known As:

The Moving Target (UK)
Détective privé (France) [fr]
Detective's Story (Italy) [it]
F.B.I Fakellos 17, akros empisteftikon (Greece) [el]
Fall für Harper, Ein (West Germany) [de]
Harper (Sweden) [sv]
Harper (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Harper, Detective Privado (Portugal) [pt]
Harper, investigador privado (Spain) [es]
Lew Harper - privatdetektiv (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Lew Harper - yksityisetsivä (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Beverly House - N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The character Lew Harper is based on novelist Ross Macdonald's character Lew Archer. The name was changed for the film supposedly because Paul Newman had recently enjoyed success with Hud (1963) and the producers wanted the movie's title to begin with "H". Also, the Macdonald estate did not want the name "Archer" used in the movie.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Harper is first talking to Mrs. Sampson, she obviously moves her legs under the towel that is over her. She is supposed to be paralyzed and wheelchair bound because of a riding accident.

Quotes:

Dwight Troy: [about Fay Estabrook] Why are you interested in an old bag of worms like her?
Lew Harper: She's not an old bag of worms. She's the sexiest thing I ever seen.
Dwight Troy: Well I disagree, but then, you see, I am married to Miss Estabrook and I know whereof I speak.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Sting (1973)

Soundtrack:

Livin' Alone

Paul Newman's Turn As Private Eye Delivers

Sexy, schmaltzy & slick; all good words to describe this 1966 Paul Newman vehicle. Newman cast in the title role of HARPER is a 40ish 'Private Eye' living out of his small agency office pending divorce from his 'had it up to here' wife Susan played by Janet Leigh.

The movie starts out on an early California morning with LEW HARPER going to visit the extremely wealthy convalescent Elaine Sampson (Lauren Bacall) at her palatial mansion. Mrs. Sampson's husband has been missing for a day and one her husband's attorneys Albert Graves (Arthur Hill) has suggested that she hire his longtime friend HARPER to find the missing millionaire.

"Drink, Mr. Harper ?", offers Mrs.Sampson. "Not before lunch," the declining HARPER says as he spits out his gum. "(But) I thought you were a detective," inquires Mrs. Sampson. "New type," counters HARPER.

Mrs. Sampson's concern about her husband's alleged disappearance has little to do with his well being and more to do with his affability while drunk. Apparently Mr. Sampson has a history of going on drunken binges with "happy starlets" and giving away things. Also present at the house are Mrs. Sampson's ever snooping manservant Felix (Eugene Iglesias), step daughter Miranda (Pamela Tiffin), and Mr. Sampson's private pilot Alan Taggert (Robert Wagner) who was the last person to see Mr. Sampson.

HARPER goes on a whirlwind through southern California running into a variety of interesting supporting characters from fat boozy former starlet Faye Estabrook (Shelly Winters) who had been doing Mr. Sampson's astrology charts for the past several years, Faye's sadistic criminal husband Dwight Troy (Robert Webber), cabaret singer Betty Fraley (Julie Harris), and Claude (Strother Martin), a man to whom Mr. Sampson gave away a whole mountain that he has turned into a 'religious sanctuary'.

Throughout, HARPER is a 'smart Aleck', who runs circles around the inept police personnel, and is one step ahead of the rest of us.

Bright crisp colorful photography, to the point action as directed by Jack Smight, a terrific supporting cast (particularly Winters who didn't mind going out on a limb), & an easy background score. This film is fast paced, and thoroughly enjoyable. HARPER is Paul Newman's baby all the way.