Harry's War (1981)

Director:

Kieth Merrill

Writer:

Kieth Merrill (writer)

Release Date:

March 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

After his aunt dies of a heart attack while fighting the IRS, Harry Johnson decides to take up the cause.

Plot Keywords:

Internal Revenue Service | Libertarian | Tank | Gun | Independent Film

Cast

Edward Herrmann	...	Harry Johnson
Geraldine Page	...	'Aunt' Beverly
Karen Grassle	...	Kathy
David Ogden Stiers	...	Ernie
Salome Jens	...	Wilda
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Sgt. Billy (as Elisha Cook)
James Ray	...	Commissioner
Douglas Dirkson	...	Draper
Jerrold Ziman	...	IRS Attorney
Jim McKrell	...	Newsman
Noble Willingham	...	Major Andrews
Prentiss Rowe	...	Sheriff
Vernon Weddle	...	Ponde
Max Lewin	...	Judge
Alan Cherry	...	Agent #1

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

St. George, Utah, USA

Company:

Taft International Pictures

Loved the movie, but wondered where it went.

In 1981 I worked in an office adjacent to a Vidio rental store, where I would visit frequently to rent movies. Although, I must have missed any theatrical release, I found "Harry's War" on the video racks. My wife and I watched it and were fascinated by the almost sacrilegious shots taken at the "IRS" in the movie. As we at the were embroiled in a conflict with the "IRS", it hit really close to home. As a result we talked about the movie constantly to friends and acquaintances. Many of them showed and interest and we decided to rent the movie again and invite a few of these friends over to view it on our Television. We were surprised however to find that the movie was missing from the shelves. This was very unexpected as there had been at least a dozen copies. When I questioned the store owner, he stated that the distribution company had re-called the movie without explanation. At that point I began searching other Video rental stores and must have contacted 20 or 30 different stores without finding it. In fact, I could not even find anyone who recalled having the movie. At this point I began to suspect foul play. I did not have access to the internet at the time, but I did research and called a number of Video suppliers, including the one that our store said the movie had come to him from. Once again, I could not find out what had happened to the movie, or even get anyone to admit that they had heard of it. At this point I was beginning to doubt my own sanity. If I had not watched it with my wife, I may have thought I dreamed it up. I have repeated this story many times down through the years and never found anyone who would, or could verify that they had seen the movie. You can imagine my surprise at finding it in this data base. I had eventually (99%) come to the conclusion that the Government (ie IRS), had been instrumental in quashing the movie, as it was extremely (rightfully) prejudicial to the IRS's tactics of collection. I'm still waiting to find out.