The Trouble With Harry (1955)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  No lost masterpiece here - slightly amusing Hitchcock black comedy. The male leads are leaden but Shirley MacClaine is smart sexy quirky cute right out of the gates.

• Graham J

  
  Hitchcock's black comedy classic is a different direction for the master and he adapts well.

• Randy T

  
  Hitchcock's delightful but somewhat shallow dabbling into dark comedy featuring a young and absolutely beautiful Shirley MacLaine.

• Anthony L

  
  The Trouble with Harry is Hitchcock at his most playful. It is also possibly his best cast. If you don't find the dark comedy funny, then you can at least appreciate the fantastic performances, particularly from Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe and Shirley MacLaine, in her excellent… More
  The Trouble with Harry is Hitchcock at his most playful. It is also possibly his best cast. If you don't find the dark comedy funny, then you can at least appreciate the fantastic performances, particularly from Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe and Shirley MacLaine, in her excellent motion picture debut. This movie has influenced many a film, not all great but the 'Comedy of errors' was born, yet another example of a genres practically invented by Hitchcock. Great stuff!

• AJ V

  
  One of my top favourite Hitchcock movies because it's not just a thriller and not just a comedy, but it's a dark comedy. I love it, and I highly recommend it.

• Conner R

  
  The most underrated Hitchcock film ever made, an absolutely brilliant work of art. It’s really the birth of Black Comedy and still one of the best. The cast is perfect, no names at the time, but they know exactly what they’re doing and really make the script work. This is also one… More
  The most underrated Hitchcock film ever made, an absolutely brilliant work of art. It’s really the birth of Black Comedy and still one of the best. The cast is perfect, no names at the time, but they know exactly what they’re doing and really make the script work. This is also one of the few times I’ve thought Hitchcock’s love for indoor sets was as effective as he planned them it to be. The fake looking town just adds to the hilarious nature of the plot. You’d think by the premise that it would be a horror movie too, when else do bodies get dug and buried six times? I think this is the most personal Hitchcock ever got in his films because you can see exactly where he was going and what he wanted to say by making this.

• Lady D

  
  A dark comedy that is a truly underestimated Hitchcock film, but perhaps one that is more of an acquired taste depending on your humour. It is a tad corny in places, but love the dryness of the comedy throughout whilst dealing with a pretty grim and dark subject matter. Although I… More
  A dark comedy that is a truly underestimated Hitchcock film, but perhaps one that is more of an acquired taste depending on your humour. It is a tad corny in places, but love the dryness of the comedy throughout whilst dealing with a pretty grim and dark subject matter. Although I haven't rated it really highly this has still become an instant favourite for me.

• William S

  
  Well we know that The Trouble With Harry is not a thriller - it's billed as a black comedy but the real trouble with The Trouble With Harry is that it is neither very black and is never comic. And only mildly entertaining for most of it's length. At times the story is so… More
  Well we know that The Trouble With Harry is not a thriller - it's billed as a black comedy but the real trouble with The Trouble With Harry is that it is neither very black and is never comic. And only mildly entertaining for most of it's length. At times the story is so tedious and irritating you suspect Hitch may have nodded off more than once. Edmund Gwenn witters on interminably - thinking aloud continually till I want to scream. Add to that John Forsythe's laughable (in the wrong way) faux-bohemian artist and I usually reach for the fast-forward. But... Over the years I have found it hard to completely dismiss. I find myself drawn to it on rainy Sundays or cold winter evenings - the cinematic equivalent of a hot toddy and a warm rug? Bob Burke's Technicolor photography is so beautiful - the rich Autumnal shades of red, yellow and brown are complimented by Bernard Herrmann's richly evocative score - this is Herrmann's first score for Hitch and it is quite possibly my favourite he wrote for him. The women are great. Mildred Dunnock as the brusque shopkeeper, Mrs Wiggs, is only a very small role but she leaves a lasting impression. Mildred Natwick as the lonely spinster Ivy Gravely is lovely. The scene where she buys a teacup and the care and thought she attaches to the purchase is quite touching and a little sad but is soured by Sam Marlowe's patronising and mocking of her - sneering at her deceit about her age, getting Wiggy to cut her hair [chopping it off!] and telling her to wear more make-up!. I enjoyed Shirley MacLaine's debut as well - her tomboy-single-mother is far too good for the smug and annoying Sam Marlowe! Don't be too hard on The Trouble With Harry. It's not ALL bad - just don't go into it with high expectations and you won't be that disappointed.

• Ken S

  
  The only thing sharper than the colors is the wit. Reminds me of a Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to the Forum...only British

• jay n

  
  Anything by Hitchcock is worth a look but this is a rather silly enterprise.

• Cassandra M

  
  This movie is fantastic. I don't think anyone except Hitchcock could have made such humour out of a dead body. Shirley MacLaine (in her first role) is delightful and Edmond Gwenn perfect. You'll see a young Jerry Mathers pre-dating Leave it to Beaver by a few years.… More
  This movie is fantastic. I don't think anyone except Hitchcock could have made such humour out of a dead body. Shirley MacLaine (in her first role) is delightful and Edmond Gwenn perfect. You'll see a young Jerry Mathers pre-dating Leave it to Beaver by a few years. Don't miss this little gem, it's as funny today as it was in 1955 and I suspect for a long time to come

• Pierluigi P

  
  A black comedy done by the master himself. tons of charm, wit, and sarcasm. nostalgic all the way.

• xGary X

  
  Now he's just messing with us! Hitch always claimed Psycho was a comedy, and here he has great fun with a motley collection of characters trying (and failing!) to dispose of a corpse. This black comedy is Hitch at his most playful.

• Jeremy S

  
  Alfred Hitchock what were you thinking?

• Michael G

  
  Beautiful scenery and a hilarious movie as well.

• Aaron N

  
  A Hitchcock comedy, and a very funny one. It involves a body and several characters that bury it and unbury it. It is very funny, very sweet, and has a wonderful score.

• Matthew Y

  
  A delightful and charming black comedy that makes light of dead bodies and murder. The Trouble With Harry is that he is dead. Who killed him and why? Each member of the community gradually stumbles upon Harry's body and each reacts differently. Some are concerned, others are… More
  A delightful and charming black comedy that makes light of dead bodies and murder. The Trouble With Harry is that he is dead. Who killed him and why? Each member of the community gradually stumbles upon Harry's body and each reacts differently. Some are concerned, others are indifferent, a few are glad but most are simply annoyed. "Now why'd you have to go and get yourself killed? Whats to be done with you now? What a nuisance." The film continues along it's humorous story that involves several people discovering who killed Harry...then discovering they actually couldn't have, than burying Harry...then realizing they must dig him up again, then burying him, then digging him up, then discovering who really killed him, then realizing they actually didn't and on and on and on until finally the whole story and truth behind Harry is unveiled in the films memorable conclusion. A delightful and undervalued Hitchcock film that is in terrible need of a re-discovery and re-evaluation.

• Daniel P

  
  <i>"...he was awful dirty after we'd dug him up."</i> A minor Hitchcock film, to be sure, but not without its pleasures - chief among them Shirley MacLaine's brilliant line delivery and a witty script. There's precious few Hitchcockian… More
  <i>"...he was awful dirty after we'd dug him up."</i> A minor Hitchcock film, to be sure, but not without its pleasures - chief among them Shirley MacLaine's brilliant line delivery and a witty script. There's precious few Hitchcockian flourishes here and the tone ("a romantic comedy that just happens to feature a corpse" states the trailer) is not what you'd expect from The Master of Suspense, but it's often funny and the final act is rather splendid.

• Curt C

  
  The trouble with Harry is, well, he's dead; and nobody knows quite what to do about it. This is probably the best black comedy I've ever seen, and it just comes to life with a sensational cast (Shirley MacLaine - the original hotty), quirky characters, sharp dialogue,… More
  The trouble with Harry is, well, he's dead; and nobody knows quite what to do about it. This is probably the best black comedy I've ever seen, and it just comes to life with a sensational cast (Shirley MacLaine - the original hotty), quirky characters, sharp dialogue, beautiful scenery, and lovely music. One of Hitchcock's most overlooked.

• Anastasia B

  
  excellent- so funny and so beyond its time.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings