When Paul Newman passed away last month I read in a lot of places of stories that included people saying their favorite Paul Newman films. Most people seemed to list Cool Hand Luke as their favorite. High marks also for The Hustler, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Sting. When me and Jessica talked about it that night on The Radio Dan Show, we both leaned toward The Verdict. And to be honest that still is my pick for the best Newman performance.
However as an overall movie I do believe I have a new favorite: Harper.
Harper is not a classic and probably isn’t even great. But it sure is fun. It was released in 1966 and it almost seems like a period piece now. Harper IS 1966 in every way it can be. At the time it was released the movie was a bit of a throwback. The detective picture, once in vogue in the 1940s and 1950s was on the wain. So just as much as today it’s a portrait of the swinging (mid) 60s, back then it was a nod to a bygone genre.
For me detective movies aren’t about the crimes the PI solves, but rather about attitudes and atmosphere. The journey is much better than the destination. So when you are watching Harper and you see Paul Newman go through the paces of question people, getting beaten up (all PIs must get a beat down at some point I guess), and chase clues all over California it’s what make the movie move.
Paul Newman stars as Lew Harper (natch) a broken down sort of PI (the best kind, ya know). There’s a great opening sequence with him fishing old coffee grounds out of the garbage to make a cup of Joe. Screenwriter William Goldman says on the DVD commentary that it was most important part of the film because it establishes who the guy is. Clearly we are not talking about a guy doing too well for himself.
Harper spends the movie looking for a missing millionaire. Wife to cold Lauren Bacall and father to hot Pamela Tiffin, the guy was a certified creep and there’s plenty of suspects who could have kidnapped him. So now you sit back and watch Harper go make the rounds. Newman seems to be having a lot of fun in the role, so naturally I had a lot of fun watching him.
Harper did very well for itself, both critically and commercially. It’s a shame that this didn’t turn into a series of films. The source material (Ross McDonald’s Lew Archer novels) was certainly there. By the time Hollywood decided to revisit the character (1975’s The Drowning Pool) the swinging 60s was a memory and Newman was now about 50 years old.
So this week when you head out to the video store do yourself a favor and check to see if this have this classic on hand. I think it’s worth a look.
And dig the goofy trailer they made for it. Sounds like George Segal is doing the voice over.
The Radio Dan Show 