Hitchcock does a comedy!

Other than the screwball comedy "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", the film "The Trouble With Harry" pretty much marks Alfred Hitchcocks major foray into the world of comedy. Even here, the story focuses on murder, although murder of a very funny sort.

One beautiful, autumn day in a charming New England town, a little boy walks through the woods and discovers a dead man lying on the ground. He runs home to tell his mother. Gradually, the corpse causes more trouble for everyone dead than he ever could have alive, although apparently not by much. As fate would have it, an elderly ex-captain (wonderfully played by Edmund Gwenn) has been out hunting, and naturally thinks he shot the man. So he buries him. OK, problem solved. Or is it?

But of course the Captain isn't the only one who thinks they are responsible for Harry's death. The little boys' mother is none other than the lovely young widowed mother, played by Shirley McLaine in her debut film, and the wife of Harry. She married him when her first husband died, abandoned him when he refused to consumate their marriage,and ran off to live a new life. But now Harry has found her, and she thinks she may have murdered him accidentally.

But of course, she's not the only one either. Miss Gravely, the town spinster (and a bit of a stereotype that should have vanished by 1955 and the only thing in the movie that rings slightly false)thinks SHE killed Harry in self defense.

Then a local painter comes by and manages, in the course of one day, to meet and fall in love with the young mother, not to mention help the entire group bury and dig up Harry again about 4 or 5 more times.

Now, nothing in this review does the film justice. A dead guy that a lot of people think they killed and keep burying and digging up could be prosaic or tasteless very easily, but The Trouble With Harry is neither one. It is a charming, funny, and very witty black comedy acted by a troupe of truly talented actors. If all you've ever seen Edmund Gwenn do is play Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street, then this film is an especial treat.

John Forsythe does an excellent job playing the local painter and romantic lead. In another film, he'd be a conventional romantic hero, but in this film, populated by quirky characters, he is just another quirky character. As he is described in the film "Your name came up when we were talking about strange people". Of course, everyone around here is strange. There are no "normal" people for comparison, and it is there world you, as viewer, must inhabit, and it is a wonderful place to inhabit for a couple of hours.

Well, needless to say, the mystery of Harry's death is cleared up, the young couple falls in love, the old couple falls in love, a lot turns out to be exactly as it seemed, and quite a lot does not.

This is a wonderful, funny film. It has subtlety and wit, the acting is quite good, and the writing is simply enchanting. The scenery is gorgeous. See this film on a big screen if you possibly can! The incredible Vermont autumn must be seen to be believed. If you can't, a large color TV would also do.

But however you see it...SEE IT