Movie Type: Detective Film, Post-Noir (Modern Noir)
Themes: Missing Persons, Private Eyes
Main Cast: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris, Arthur Hill, Janet Leigh
Release Year: 1966
Country: US
Run Time: 121 minutes
Plot
Screenwriter William Goldman has claimed that Paul Newman agreed to do Harper, the film that established the grateful writer's career, only because he was working unhappily on Lady L. (1965) in Europe, and was looking for something as unlike that film as possible. He stars as Lew Harper, a hip L.A. private dick whose business has gotten so bad that he's re-using his coffee grounds. At the suggestion of his friend, attorney Albert Graves (Arthur Hill), the detective takes on the investigation of the disappearance of the wealthy husband of waspish cripple Elaine Sampson (Lauren Bacall). After finding a photograph of former actress Fay Estabrook (Shelley Winters), Harper locates the alcoholic actress in a bar, plies her with booze, and takes her home to search her apartment while she's unconscious. There he takes a call which leads him to another bar to meet Betty Fraley (Julie Harris), a singer with a heroin problem. To curtail his inquisitive behavior, some large and unpleasant gentleman beat him up outside the saloon. Hoping for sympathy from his soon to be ex-wife (Janet Leigh), who has just filed divorce papers, the weary detective is much more successful than he has any right to expect. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
Alfred Sweeney - Art Director, Sally Edwards - Costume Designer, William Smith - Costume Designer, Jack Smight - Director, Stefan Arnsten - Editor, Johnny Mandel - Composer (Music Score), Andre Previn - Songwriter, Dory Previn - Songwriter, Conrad L. Hall - Cinematographer, Jerry Gershwin - Producer, Elliott Kastner - Producer, Claude E. Carpenter - Set Designer, William Goldman - Screenwriter, Ross MacDonald - Book Author
Harper is a 1966 film written by William Goldman from a novel by Ross Macdonald. The movie starred Paul Newman as the eponymous Lew Harper (Lew Archer in the novel). The original music score was composed by Johnny Mandel. Goldman received a 1967 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. Shelley Winters played the once-gorgeous former starlet Fay Estabrook, who is now an alcoholic.
The film was released in the UK as The Moving Target, which is the title of the novel. Newman reprised the role again in a sequel, The Drowning Pool, made in 1975.
It is believed that the main character's name was changed to Harper because of Newman's success in films involving the letter 'H' (Hud, The Hustler, Hombre).
Frank Sinatra was originally offered the role, but turned it down.
