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IMDb > Harper (1966)
Harper
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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   1,920 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Jack Smight
Writers:
William Goldman (screenplay)
Ross Macdonald (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Harper on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 February 1966 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Mystery | Drama more
Tagline:
This is a different kind of cat named Harper... and excitement clings to him like a dame! more
Plot:
Lew Harper, a cool private investigator, is hired by a wealthy California matron to locate her kidnapped husband. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
2 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Not So Cool Side Of Newman
 (From New York Post. 17 April 2009, 11:32 PM, PDT)

Shelley Winters: 1920-2006
 (From IMDb News. 14 January 2006)

User Comments:
Great fun... more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Paul Newman ... Lew Harper

Lauren Bacall ... Mrs. 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
Roy Jenson ... Puddler
Strother Martin ... Claude
Martin West ... Deputy
Jacqueline deWit ... Mrs. Kronberg (as Jacqueline de Wit)
Eugene Iglesias ... Felix
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Moving Target (UK)
more
Runtime:
121 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #21071) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The opening credits sequence (where Harper makes himself a terrible cup of coffee, among other things) was written and shot after the first cut of the film had already been delivered to the studio. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The front license plate on Harper's Porsche changes locations from above the bumper to below in the middle of the opening scene. more
Quotes:
Lew Harper: [Sees Ralph's gaudy bedroom] Wow! No wonder your old man took to the sauce. I would, too, if I had to sleep in here. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Drive-in Movie Memories (2001) more
Soundtrack:
Livin' Alone more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
15 out of 24 people found the following comment useful:-
Great fun..., 6 September 2005
7/10
Author: pljewkes from Boston, MA

Until CHINATOWN, HARPER was probably the most mature private eye movie Hollywood ever produced. Paul Newman is dynamite as the scrappy, somewhat goofy title character, hired by wealthy Lauren Bacall to find her missing husband. Newman gets more than he bargained for as he runs into one flaky character after another: Shelley Winters as a bloated former child star, Julie Harris as a junkie, Pamela Tiffen as Bacall's extremely bitchy stepdaughter, Robert Wagner as a private-eye wannabe, and, best of all, Strother Martin as nasty, new-age guru. Not much of what happens really ties together, but it's all very fun to watch. The performers are all terrific and the pseudo jazz score is another plus. Featuring Arthur Hill, Robert Webber and Janet Leigh, underutilized as Newman's frustrated ex-wife.

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the very end (spoilers) mbruckner
Quotable Newman quotes compsecure
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Doesn't Shelley Winters look 'triffic' in this movie! hkjohn2001a
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The Mansion... famous??? belikemichaeldotcom
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