The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945) User Reviews (50)

what a shrew

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 28 April 2012]

Geraldine Fitzgerald is the sister from hell in "The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry," a 1945 film directed by Robert Siodmak, who knows a thing or two about suspense. The film stars George Sanders, Ella Raines, Moyna Macgill (Angela Lansbury's mother), and Sara Algood.

The Quincy family, a brother (Sanders) and two sisters (Macgill and Fitzgerald) live in an big, old house - all that was left to them by their parents. Harry is the head designer of patterns in a cloth family; his sister Lettie (Fitzgerald) is a professional invalid; and his other sister, Hester (Macgill), is a rather silly, complaining woman who feels unappreciated.

When a New York firm comes to town to look at the cloth factory, Harry meets and falls in love with Deborah (Raines) and announces they are going to be married. Hester is thrilled beyond belief for him; Lettie, on the other hand, is very upset. Deborah has her number immediately and is determined not to allow Lettie to break up her relationship with Harry.

Lettie and Hester are supposed to move into another house, but that doesn't happen. On the day Harry and Deborah are to leave for Boston to be married, Lettie has one of her "attacks" and Harry refuses to leave town. Deborah realizes that he will never leave his sisters and walks out of his life. When Harry finds out that Lettie's inability to find a suitable house after six months and her illness were just manipulations to drive Deborah away, something in him snaps.

Based on a play, this film proved somewhat controversial. Censorship would not allow the original ending, so five different endings were filmed and shown in preview. The ending that was chosen is derivative, drawing on a device used successfully in the past.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I really loved the way it ended, in spite of some people seeing it as a cop-out. I liked it because of my sympathy for Harry, so well portrayed by George Sanders, who was cast against type here.

Geraldine Fitzgerald gives a fantastic performance as the awful Lettie, an unbelievable shrew. Fitzgerald was perfect. Macgill is excellent as well, likable because she sincerely wants the best for Harry, and annoying because she's a whiner. Ella Raines made a lovely Deborah.

Very entertaining - I loved it!

The last of the Quincey's.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 11 March 2010]

Robert Siodmak directs this psychological film noir that is based on the Broadway play Uncle Harry by Thomas Job. It stars George Sanders, Ella Raines, Geraldine Fitzgerald & Moyna MacGill. The story follows Harry Quincey (Sanders) a shy clothes designer in small town New England. He lives with his two sisters, the pretty but manipulative Lettie (Fitzgerald) and the more scatty and care free Hester (MacGill). Into his life comes the gorgeous Deborah Brown (Raines) who quickly brings colour to his otherwise dull existence. But Lettie is far from impressed and sets about doing all she can to stop the couple getting married and living together. Her actions will have dire consequences for all of the Quincey family.

Though falling some way short of the noir standards of Siodmak's best genre efforts ("The Killers"/"Criss Cross"), this none the less is a dandy piece dealing in various forms of obsession. Finding that it's produced by Joan Harrison gives weight to the notion that this is more a "Hitchcockian" small town thriller than an overtly film noir piece. Harrison of course wrote a number of screenplays for "Hitchcock", and sure enough as the film unfolds one feels like we are involved in something the big director would have revelled in. Quite what "Hitch" would have made of the palaver surrounding the ending of the film, one can only imagine, but yet again a nifty 40s thriller is saddled with an ending that has caused division across the decades.

Because of the Hays Code, five different endings were tested for the film, with the one chosen vastly different to the one in the play. So while I personally find the existing ending quirky, and certainly not film destroying, it's sad that the incestuous elements of the source have been jettisoned and therefore taking away a crucial dark edge to the turn of events in the last quarter of the film. Harrison was incensed and promptly quit Universal Pictures in protest. With hindsight now, they could have ended the film about ten minutes earlier and it would have worked better. But cest la vie and all that.

Sanders is superb, very touching as the shy, naive designer pushed to his limit by sibling suffocation. Fitzgerald is glamorous and nails the devious side of her character with much conviction. While Raines, a touch underused due to the story, has a hard quality that puts one in mind of a certain Lauren Bacall, and that to my mind is very much a good thing. Some food for thought though, I couldn't help wonder about if the roles had been reversed. Raines playing manipulative bitch and Fitzgerald the love interest definitely cries out as a winner me thinks.

It's a conventional story, but one that has depth and boasts a director capable of crafting the right sort of itchy mood. There's no technical trickery exactly, but attention to detail exists and between them the makers have produced an intelligent and gripping film, that, in spite of some foregoing of dark emotional undercurrents, is very recommended to noir and "Hitchcockian" supporters. 7.5/10

" Harry's Strange Dilemma "

[PamelaShort · 7/10 · 27 October 2013]

Perhaps because I have a fondness for older movies, that is why I find this rather quirky film very amusing. Despite the strange and annoying obsession the younger sister has for controlling her brother's life, this story is filled with so many surprising twists, it kept me in sufficient suspense to see it through. Geraldine Fitzgerald gives a superb performance as Lettie, the needy, and manipulative sister. I found George Sanders performance touching as the patient, tender-hearted older brother Harry, caught between his loyalty to his sister and his first serious love, for the sophisticated Deborah Brown ( Ella Raines ), the self-assured woman he wants to marry. Ella Raines gives a strong and confident performance and the cattish attitude both Fitzgerald and Raines have towards each other is most entertaining. Moyna MacGill is lovely in her role as the kindly and sympathetic sister Hester. This is another film I will not give a synopsis for, rather I encourage the reader to watch and be their own judge of this interesting story with it's very unexpected ending.

A small, sweet, unusual film dominated by George Sanders

[secondtake · 15 August 2011]

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945)

George Sanders is a wonder of subtlety, and he rules this movie almost from secrecy he's so quiet and nondescript to a T. He lives in a small town with all the usual small town ways, including insularity. There are three women around him: a plain sister who is simple and sweet and loves him, a beautiful sister who is obsessed with keeping him a bachelor, and a newcomer, a New Yorker who is in town because of the fabric factory that dominates the town.

This is pretty much the set up, and it's plenty because it is the subtle and not so subtle interactions and cross purposes of these three women and the somewhat hapless Mr. Sanders that makes the movie. It's really funny and sad and romantic in its own quirky way. It never loses its way, and the types that each women represent get developed with clarity enough to make you really want what Sanders wants. And doesn't get.

The director Robert Siodmak would be famous soon for a series of great film noirs, but it was his next film that seems to mark a transition, "Spiral Staircase." In that, the photography soars and the sinister aspects surrounding ordinary people add a level of intrigue and fear that this movie simply doesn't want to have. And so you might in some ways find it a little plain, a little sweet without the hard edge that the nasty sister is meant to alone supply. Still, she convinces me just fine, and I rather like the confident New York woman (a little like Bacall in this way).

It does come around to Sanders, the man who committed suicide with a note saying he was just a little bored with life. You can feel that in him here, remarkably. He's so perfectly weary, and yet rather content still. In fact, one treat in the middle of things is him playing piano (he does play) and singing. A remarkable man and unusual actor, worth seeing here.

The trouble with Harry

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 22 December 2007]

Try to imagine Harry, an aging bachelor who lives in Corinth, New Hampshire, with his two sisters. It's enough to send anyone to commit a crime just so he can get away from these two vultures that totally dominate his life. Harry Quincy, and his siblings, are local aristocracy who are confined to share the big family mansion. The two sisters, Letty and Hester are constantly quarreling about the most menial things.

When sophisticated Deborah Brown appears in the picture, Harry sees a way out to escape his poor existence in the provincial town. Little does he realize that Lettie, his domineering sister, wants for him. This turns Harry into a hatred for the sister that evidently feels another kind of love for his brother. After a bitter quarrel between Lettie and Hester, he decides he must take corrective action to get rid of his problems. In turn, he will destroy the cozy family life he, and his siblings, enjoyed.

"The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry" is a film that was ahead of its times in the subtle way it dealt with sibling incest, which is behind the action. Based on a stage play, this feature, directed by Robert Siodmak, was greatly distorted by the Hays Commission in an ending that frankly, doesn't make much sense and doesn't add anything to our enjoyment of it. As a matter of fact, the warning at the end, doesn't quite make sense. We have all been led to believe one thing, yet the arrival of Deborah, out of nowhere, and the dream sequence, doesn't add up. Yet, in spite of the flaws, out attention is held because of the story and what has come before this let down of a finale.

George Sanders does wonders with his Harry Quincy, the man who might be involved with his own sister. This was one of his best movies and he contributes to the enjoyment of this melodrama. Lovely Geraldine Fitzgerald plays the strident sister Letty. She is also quite effective in the way she plays the part of the sister who might be involved in more ways than one with her own brother. Moyna Macgill, (Angela Lansbury's mother) has also great fun as Hester, the other sister. Sara Allwood appears as the family cook. Ella Raines makes a sophisticated Deborah Brown.

Who knows what the film would have turned out like if Robert Siodmak, the director, would have been able to do the story as he probably conceived it.

Strange, indeed...especially the artificial ending

[mjneu59 · 6/10 · 5 January 2011]

The setting is a small New England town where the residents are, according to the disembodied narrator, "not much different from yourselves", which means, of course, that they're perfectly willing to contemplate murder when a loved one becomes an insufferable nuisance. George Sanders plays an otherwise kindly bachelor forced to take drastic measures after a too-possessive younger sister spoils his plans to wed a beautiful, sophisticated big city girl. His plot backfires, naturally, and the consequences proved to be so downbeat that a bogus Little Nemo epilogue had to be added by studio censors. It never was a major motion picture, but when seen today is certainly an enjoyable and well-crafted diversion.

Even with a hard to believe ending, this was a very good film.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 29 May 2011]

George Sanders plays a nice middle-aged man living with his two sisters. One is a nice person--a widow. The other is a very manipulative and needy lady (Geraldine Fitzgerald)--and the full extent of her control over him becomes apparent later in the movie. Sanders meets a much younger lady (Ella Raines) and they fall in love and plan on marrying. However, Fitzgerald is determined to to destroy this marriage--and much of it seems for very selfish reasons because she doesn't want to give up living in the family home with her brother. However, after Fitzgerald gets her wish, she gets far more than she bargained for when Sanders snaps and comes up with a way to get revenge.

There are so many twists and surprises in the film, I don't want to say more about the plot. Suffice to say that some completely caught me off-guard. Generally, this was a good thing but when it comes to the ending some might not like just how strange a twist it is--after all, it seemed to come from out of left field and lacked believability. It was, however, enjoyable--so perhaps it was for the best.

Fortunately for the film, in addition to the nice script the acting is quite nice--particularly by Fitzgerald. As for Sanders, he's wonderful as always but this role is far different than what you'd usually expect for him--and it's a nice change of pace.

Weak ending lets down interesting film

[chaplinpricefan · 7/10 · 20 March 2015]

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry was different to what I had been expecting. I was expecting a cushy little number about a family life which becomes disrupted. However, the film was edgier and much more daring than I initially anticipated.

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry tells the story of Harry, a middle-aged man who lives with his two sisters: the good-natured widow Hester, and the young, beautiful but unstable Lettie, who is self-centred, possessive and a hypochondriac. Harry begins seeing a co-worker and becomes engaged to her, and it soon becomes clear just how possessive of her brother Lettie exactly is...

The film explores the idea of dependency and dares to hint at the idea of incest between Harry and Lettie, something which would be shocking today, never mind in the 40s. Harry and Lettie's strange relationship will surely intrigue viewers and keep them captivated till the very end. The movie takes a few twists and turns - some predictable, others genuinely shocking, before drawing to a rather dull, cliché conclusion. Unfortunately, the movie, which held solid potential all the way through, is let down by a bad ending. It's not that the ending is bad as much as it is hurried and vague. I had to re-watch the last three minutes to fully understand what was happening. With a little more time and thought in the script, I'm sure a better ending could have been added.

All the actors involved were simply wonderful. People who are familiar with George Sanders' work are in for a pleasant surprise as he portrays a rare protagonist role. He's excellent in it, too - sympathetic, comfortable and believable. Geraldine Fitzgerald is captivating and alluring as Lettie, giving her character a dangerous edge. Ella Raines gives a great performance as Harry's new girlfriend. Moyna Macgill and Sara Allgood are also very good in their roles and offer solid support for a brilliant lead cast.

I just wish the ending was as gripping and daring as the rest of the film. However, I suppose we can't expect too much from an 80 minute B movie from the 40s. Perhaps if the film were to be remade today, it would be rewarded with a much more fitting ending.

"Well that's a pretty kettle of fish"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 7/10 · 29 June 2017]

Based on a play by Thomas Job and directed by the always interesting Robert Siodmak 'Uncle Harry' or 'The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry' concerns a man from a once leading family in a small town who lives quietly with his two sisters whose whole world changes when a younger woman from New York meets him in the course of business. It's not a fast paced thriller but slowly builds up quietly to the ending. Some people have issues with the ending and indeed it could be better but for most of the film Siodmak keeps a sure hand on the narrative flow.

The film is helped by a lovely performance from George Sanders, surely one of the best in his long career. You fervently want him to escape the two sisters he is hemmed in by. One of the sisters is played very skilfully by Geraldine Fitzgerald, selfish, neurotic and possessive. Her last scene with Sanders is electric. Good support is supplied by Ella Raines, Sara Allgood and Moyna MacGill as the other sister.

A good story with a questionable conclusion.

A Well-Acted Psychological Drama

[seymourblack-1 · 8/10 · 29 November 2017]

Based on the play "Uncle Harry" by Thomas Job, this movie is a gripping psychological drama in which romance, obsession and murder all feature prominently. Its story charts how the mundane, well- ordered lives of three siblings who live together are suddenly disrupted by the arrival of someone who provokes strong emotions in two of them, and in so doing, brings the presence of some very dark desires to the surface.

Middle-aged bachelor Harry Melville Quincey (George Sanders) leads a desperately dull existence in the small town of Corinth, New Hampshire where he spends his working days as a fabric designer in the local mill until he returns to his home where he lives with his two squabbling sisters, Lettie (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and Hester (Moyna MacGill). Lettie is a spoilt and selfish young woman who spends her days in bed complaining about a series of imaginary illnesses and bickering with her older, widowed sister, who she criticises for gossiping with some of the townsfolk. Harry's life suddenly brightens up when Deborah Brown (Ella Raines), a designer from the company's New York City office, arrives on the scene and is obviously instantly attracted to the man who the younger employees at the mill affectionately call "Uncle Harry".

Harry and Deborah soon get to know each other better, fall in love and decide to get married. Hester is genuinely happy for her brother but Lettie, who's very attached to Harry and likes to monopolise his attention, easily becomes jealous of anyone (even his dog) who takes his attention away from her. As a cultivated person, she doesn't overtly show her displeasure at the presence of Deborah but instead, in her own refined and affected way, tries to discourage or undermine the relationship. When her scheming fails and it becomes clear that the two sisters should vacate the house for the future newlyweds to move in, Lettie uses the opportunity to frustrate the couple's plans by saying that every house that's offered to her is unsuitable. This goes on for so long that Harry and Deborah decide, in desperation, to elope together. On the day when they're ready to leave town and get married, Lettie fakes a collapse, gets rushed into hospital and Harry's conscience compels him to abandon his plans and instead, rush to her side.

Harry's actions result in Deborah returning to New York City alone and he later hears that she has new marriage plans in place. In his sadness, he reflects on Deborah's words when she said that "Lettie has no intention of setting you free, not as long as she lives" and this inspires him to take revenge on his evil sister by using the poison that she'd bought to administer to his sick old dog called "Weary". The ramifications of his actions, however, go far beyond anything he could ever have imagined.

As a rather passive man who'd felt a great responsibility to support his two sisters, Harry had tolerated their arguments and eccentricities and dutifully did what he considered to be the right thing until he realised how destructive Lettie's feelings for him had become and this provoked a profound change in him (which is contradicted by the movie's absurd censor-imposed ending). George Sanders, in an excellent performance, makes his character's descent to the dark side understandable and Ella Raines, whose expressions are priceless, is a pleasure to watch as her character never, even for a second, gets taken in by Lettie's antics. Sanders and Raines are also good in their scenes together and generate a few laughs when they launch into a rather risqué conversation about stargazer Harry's 9" telescope.

Geraldine Fitzgerald is also perfectly cast as the manipulative Lettie who asserts that she has always known what's best for Harry and says that her devotion to him was the main reason why she never married.

"The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry" is a fine, well-acted movie which features a tagged-on ending which was necessary to placate the demands of the censor who, it seems, must have been totally unconcerned about the story's various allusions to Lettie's incestuous feelings for her brother.

"Why do we torture ourselves trying to find out what's good and evil?"

[HenryHextonEsq · 7/10 · 20 July 2010]

Well-acted and neatly translated to the screen, "The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry" is an enjoyable and at times intriguing Universal picture, something of a mix between woman's picture, crime narrative and familial melodrama.

As another IMDb reviewer says, this could have made excellent material for Hitchcock to work with; whilst Siodmak's handling is lacking in the sort of tension and suspense old Alf would have brought, he does create a memorable melodrama with reflective moments.

Sanders is excellent as the 'good guy' lead, playing a thoughtful and rather hidebound man looking to break away from his somewhat stifling New Hampshire small-town life. The Quincy family, including the possessive Lettie (Geraldine Fitzgerald), are thrown into sharp contrast by the outgoing urban girl, Deborah Brown - played with an easy-going warmth by Ella Raines. Lettie and Deborah embody the contrasting options that Harry has open to him in life: stifling, picturesque seclusion, the country versus sensual adventurousness, the city. Miss Brown with her New York city flat and 'library of detective stories' is an immensely attractive figure, and it is testament to Sanders' acting ability that he conveys the depth of tradition and family ties that make it a more complicated 'choice'.

Overall, a very satisfactory New England melodrama that does not outstay its welcome at a lean 77 minutes, and provides excellent work for Sanders, Raines and Fitzgerald.

The Girl From New York City..."Not Bad For An Out Of Towner"

[davidcarniglia · 8/10 · 3 January 2021]

George Sanders hardly has the psychic space for a girlfriend in this melodrama. He lives with his sisters, Hester and Lettie (Moyna MacGill) and Geraldine Fitzgerald). When Debbie (Ella Raines) comes into the picture, the pot boils. Why? Because it seems that Lettie wants to keep Harry (Sanders) for herself. Harry meets Deborah, a buyer who visits his clothing design firm. Later, Harry comes home, and looks in on Lettie.

At dinner, it's obvious that both Lettie and the housekeeper fuss over Harry; Hester takes his side, but has a ax to grind with her sister. He announces that he's going out--to show Deborah the town. Their big date is a women's softball game. Strangely, she goes off with another guy and his daughter, dragging Harry along. Deborah's smooth, from the city; this is small town New England. He seems older and stodgy compared to her. He has a makeshift observatory in an old shed.

She's nervy enough to spontaneously mess with one of his paintings. Now it's Hester who's getting nosy--spying from the house. They invite her to tea the next day. For some reason Lettie mentions poison. The big news is that Deborah is staying in town, and will be working on-site more or less with Harry. There's a more or less lecture from both sisters: "people talk" about outsiders, loose women is what they might really mean. Deborah's response is that Harry has a standing invitation to her hotel.

There's some apparent foreshadowing, as Harry digs a grave for their just dead dog. One fly in the ointment is John (Craig Reynolds); he was the guy at the ballgame, and the one who plans to take Deborah to Europe. That makes Harry jealous enough that he puts a move on her at the office. I guess that's all she needed, as soon they're engaged. But, of course, the sisters make it impossible to move out and give the couple the house. He tells Deborah that as soon as he goes back there he's suddenly "in an old groove." Lettie's groove that is; at any rate, six months goes by and no change, no wedding.

He finds a vial of poison in a desk there. Lettie comes calling on Deborah. She talks about the house-hunting, and quickly segues into asking the bride to be to live in their guest room! Then she out and out tells her they should postpone the wedding. "Didn't you ever expect Harry to get married?" "No". Well, that's clear enough. She gets in Deborah's face even uglier. The consequence of that is: to go to the city right after the marriage and live at her place there. I bet he doesn't follow up. Lettie has an 'attack'; with superb timing, little sister plays her trump card. Sure enough, after a bitter argument, Deborah gives up, and stomps off.

But--look! It's worse than that. She marries John. Sure enough, in the next scene, he's back at the house; Lettie acts like he had "an affair." Hester blows up, telling both of them that Lettie has done what we already know--sabotage Harry completely. Left alone downstairs, he messes with the poison. He goes to the local club that night; the pharmacist unwittingly let's him know that the poison Lettie bought acts immediately and painlessly (that's what they gave to the old dog). If I were him, having lost big time with Deborah, I'd seek out that blond who keeps popping up.

Instead, Harry has a cunning plan. Back at the shed, Lettie 'apologizes' for wrecking his engagement. Hey, Harry, what about that bedtime cup of cocoa? With all this build-up I almost expect all of them to drink the doggy-death stuff. "My it's sweet!," says Lettie. What's not so cool is that he gets distracted; Lettie just sips the cocoa, and gives it to her sister. Plunk! One elder sister hits the deck. Harry killed the 'wrong' sister; Lettie knows the chocolate was intended for her. The interesting thing is: it's Lettie who bought the poison; it's Lettie who served the poison to her. Plus a litany of do-gooder busybody prying into Hester's life generally.

The perfect crime? Let's see what the verdict is. Winner! Lettie's found guilty. That's my reaction; more rationally, Harry is depressed. In effect, he's responsible for two deaths. All because he couldn't stand up to Lettie. So, he confesses. The problem is, no one believes him. It really looks like he's just trying to save her. Suppose she validates his confession? Let's see about that. It's the night before her planned execution. With the D.A. listening from a corridor, the brother and sister discuss what happened. This is amazing. She's going to take the blame, and be executed.

That way, she'll completely sabotage the rest of his life by letting him live with his guilt. Even in death, she controls him. Truly a gothic story of love and loss. But then, in a wave of redemption, Deborah shows up--not married after all--and still aching to marry him. The end. It's conventional wisdom that the very abrupt and very happy ending was needed to satisfy the production code. Probably so. It detracts from what nearly ends up being a dark tragedy which, like a fairy tale, turns out happily ever after. I could fathom the huge slice of luck that shields him from the law; but to get that and his dream bride is a stretch.

Nevertheless, The Strange Affair is engrossing from beginning to (almost) the end. Raines, especially, is great as the confident career woman who's nonetheless fairly conventional (that's as much a feature of the production code as the feel-good ending). Strangely, there's more scenes of Sanders with the Fitzgerald and MacGill than with Raines; that emphasizes the dynamics of the dysfunctional family. Even a little of the girlfriend/fiance is enough to disrupt doings at the old house.

The star-gazing is a great metaphor. Deborah looks beyond the small town; Harry once did, and wants to do so again. That he gets his wish doesn't really change the fact that he got away with murder.

Falling in love can be deadly...

[chris_gaskin123 · 7/10 · 18 April 2005]

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry came on during the small hours on BBC2 recently and I was pleased I set the video.

Harry Quincey works in a mill and has never married. He lives with his two sisters, Lettie and Hester, who is a widow. He falls in love with one of his colleagues and Lettie certainly doesn't approve of this as she wants the three of them to live altogether for good. Lettie then poisons a drink but Hester drinks it by accident and is killed. Lettie is charged with her murder and Harry and his new love go to live elsewhere.

The cast includes an excellent performance from George Sanders as Harry and Geraldine Fitzgerald and Moyna MacGill as his sisters.

This movie is a good way to spend an hour and twenty minutes one afternoon or evening. Excellent.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Good melodrama

[chris-459 · 4/10 · 16 September 2000]

I voted 5 for "The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry", but maybe it was a bit unfair, because the film is good. I liked it, but I expected more from the title... I feel they could've done something even better with that script. Something seems to be missing. I think that what is most accomplished in this picture is the idea of "incest", because you can't deny there is some sort of sexual attraction between Harry (George Sanders) and Lettie (Geraldine Fitzgerald). That is shown in a subtle way and it is, in my opinion, one of the themes of the film.

The other theme is of course that dependence between the brother and the two sisters. The sisters depend on him for money and he depends on them to be taken care of.

I can't help comparing Siodmak's work with that of Alfred Hitchcock. It always looks like Hitchcock could do better, but then you would loose Siodmak's touch and I don't think that would be good.

1940s Censorship Required A Different Ending...

[Doylenf · 12 May 2001]

I strongly disagree with Norm Vogel's comments regarding Leonard Maltin's remark about "censorship" and the ending. Without giving the ending away, I can only say that because of the strict censorship code that existed in 1945, the ending HAD TO BE CHANGED to conform with the rules involving crime and punishment. Thus, the film is weakened in straying from the original ending that was used in the stage play on which this is based--and which had more impact.

George Sanders gives a quietly effective performance as the harried man torn between two sisters, one of whom has a neurotic stranglehold on his affections (Geraldine Fitzgerald). Interesting melodrama given taut direction by Robert Siodmak. Ella Raines is effective in a sympathetic role and Geraldine Fitzgerald is fascinating as a hypochondriac, whining sister who makes Harry's life miserable.

Again, Leonard Maltin was right--censorship had everything to do with the ending.

Hollywood Censorship Destroys

[cmeneken-1 · 7/10 · 2 February 2011]

The Trouble with Harry is the trouble with Hollywood, the fact that the right-wing timid moguls bowed to reactionary forces and drove out much of the creativity from the movies. Their code ensured that nothing unpleasant or amoral, in their eyes, would be allowed into the cinema, so anything with an edge, or against the grain, or left of center was watered down or erased from films. All of this culminated with the Anti communist Witch Hunt which removed the last vestiges of talent, honesty, and integrity, but preserved for us such hypocrites as R Reagan. The reason many of us like the film noir is that this conservative tendency was less noticeable in the dark crime melodramas of the late 40'a and early 50's since no one cared that much about B movies. Still, when Hollywood had a chance, like in the ending in this film, they would ruin a film. In fact, censorship and its companion greed still rules American films, almost without exception.

Deconstructing Harry

[sol- · 6/10 · 17 November 2017]

Living with his two unmarried sisters in the family mansion, a cloth designer struggles to maintain a romance against the objections of his younger sister who is a little too worried in this unusual noir entry from Robert Siodmak. The narrative has several interesting dynamics with ambiguity as to whether the sister is more concerned about possibly losing the family home or simply jealous of their intimate relationship. Unanswered questions also abound in terms of how and why the brother has come to be so subservient, letting his sisters dominate his life. With so much left up in the air, the first hour of the film is an uneven ride, but the final twenty minutes are utterly gripping with a series of thought-provoking twists thrown into the mix. The very last twist admittedly does not quite work (apparently it was forced on by the censors), but the character dynamics are otherwise excellent in this final stretch of the movie. With good performances all round, this is an easy film to recommend for the bits and pieces that do work. The script may not be airtight, but this is still a solid portrait of guilt, rivalry and tension between grown siblings who are still as petty as children at times.

Electric ending!

[billsoccer · 7/10 · 4 January 2021]

George Sanders plays an unusual role here - basically henpecked bachelor living with 2 eccentric sisters. He develops an unexpected romance which is increasingly resisted by one of the sisters. He finds himself unable to separate himself from this sister and loses his love - and interest in life basically. He ends up murdering the troublesome sister and too late - confesses to the crime. All somewhat pedestrian thus far. Then, the ending! I'm shocked at the the reviews that don't like it - it's what makes the references to Hitchcock reasonable.

This film has good bones but missed a real opportunity to be a "classic" due to watered down themes

[primona · 7/10 · 17 February 2013]

This film is pretty original as we don't often see movies about the relationship between a brother and his two strong-willed sisters. Harry is a middle-aged bachelor who lives with his two sisters, Lettie and Hester. The family was once rich but lost their money during the Depression. Now the two sisters depend on Harry who works at the fabric mill making prints. Lettie is the pretty, spoiled sister that feigns illnesses for attention and is obsessed with the family staying together; particularly her and Harry. Hester is the feisty, practical widowed sister that knows Lettie's illnesses are faked and frequently argues with her. Harry is caught in the middle of it all, living a mundane existence before he meets beautiful, young female designer Deborah. What you essentially get is a love triangle of sorts between Harry, Deborah, and his needy sister Lettie and the consequences of their decisions.

This movie has good bones but it's missing the complexity and richness for a really good film noir. All the characters are pretty one-dimensional and you find yourself wanting more background on the characters and relationships like how Lettie and Harry became so co-dependent on one another (due to censorship, the film couldn't address what was obviously incestuous feelings by Lettie or both Lettie and Harry).

I'd love to see a remake of this film with some extra depth and without the production codes of the time. It has all the makings to be a classic.

Beware of big city visitors, mild-mannered painters and over-bearing sisters!

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 26 June 2015]

George Sanders always played it cool, whether it be the obvious lover of Maxim DeWinter's late wife in "Rebecca", the nobleman adviser of the title character in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" or even the acerbic columnist of "All About Eve". Even his ultra villains (pirates, nefarious military leaders) had a twinkle in the eye of their villainy. So when Sanders played a "good guy", audiences were very wary. From the very start of this movie, it is quite stunning to see him playing such a calm, mild-mannered character, a beloved member of his community who has never married and is seemingly devoted to his two spinster sisters, the seemingly much older Moyna Macgill (who complains that nobody pays any attention to her) and the plant-obsessed beauty Geraldine Fitzgerald who on the surface appears to be quite normal but is really more grasping than how MacGill seems to be. When their cozy little world is interrupted by a visitor from New York (Ella Raines) who falls in love with Sanders, the sisters act pleased, but are they really, and how will Sanders respond when he finds out the efforts made to keep him and Raines from marrying?

A medium sized town in Massachussatts is the setting for this drama of the destruction of family and the inner-workings of one's mind when one is pushed to the limits and to the point of no return. The twists and turns in the plot become quite aggravating with the way the story unfolds, but in watching Sanders suddenly very slowly snap after Raines leaves him for another man (realizing that Fitzgerald is always going to be a thorn in their side), you can understand why the writers choose to play it out the way they do. The performances are all excellent with small town U.S.A. atmosphere perfectly designed. Harry Von Zell adds bombastic humor as the drug store clerk who drunkenly drops a bombshell on Sanders.

Then, there's Sara Allgood, the veteran Irish actress, giving her all to the lovable but crotchety cook who constantly argues with Macgill over everything and anything, from gooseberry pie to too much sugar in the coffee. Their arguments aren't just light-hearted banter for humor sake: they really seem like they are serious about what they are fighting for. The argument erupts even further when Macgill reveals the truth about what sister Fitzgerald has been up to, and it is the performance through Sanders' eyes which reveals the inner turmoil he's been undergoing, living with three women and basically under a rock as he discovers the life he's given up to cater to their needs. Not many movies really give a hint into the future of psychology with realistic portrayals of passive/aggressive neurotics like Fitzgerald, and the thundering volcano that can erupt at any time when somebody seemingly cool, calm and collected realizes what a sap they've been.

Sanders puts cad but not malice on hold as Uncle Henry

[st-shot · 8/10 · 3 May 2016]

Sound cinema's greatest cad George Sanders does a 180 as Uncle Henry, a shy, retiring much put upon brother in this charming and malevolent Robert Siodmak light noir.

Cloth designer Harry Quincy lives a quiet life in servitude to his two needy sisters in a New England town. Sister, Lettie is particularly demanding feigning constant fragility that calls for a lot of Henry's time. When a visitor comes on strong at the office his life is transformed much to the dismay of his possessive sister who now turns on the full court press to abort his intended marriage.

It's odd and vastly entertaining to watch Sanders defer to physically delicate harridan Geraldine Fitzgerald. Sanders pulls off his grand stretch with room to spare, garnering our sympathy and passive support for offing the monstrous Lettie; convincingly played by Eileen Fitzgerald firing off a combo of cutting remarks and hateful glances. Moyna Magill as sister Hester whines as well but transitions at times to the the most logical person in the room. As the love interest Ella Raines comes on as a man eater full steam to Henry but is no match for sister Lettie.

This is director Siodmak's last light film before delving into the darkest (and some of the best) noir in history and while cannot be argued that Henry is a well paced suspense thriller along with the fact it is a given if ever their was a man with original sin it was Sanders the film sells out and while some may be disappointed by this ending you'll never stop pulling for George for a change.

The Quincey's

[BILLYBOY-10 · 6/10 · 21 December 2010]

Harry lives with his two sisters. Hester is a widow. She's the nice one although ever- suffering. Lettie is younger, in her 40's, unmarried and much, much too devoted to Harry. Everything is relatively peachy with the three; they are the last of a once highly prominent family but since the lost the family fortune in the stock market crash of 1929, they have been reduced to gradual decay and Harry supports them in the gloomy old family home by working at the local textile mill as a fabric designer. Harry is an effete, sullen, boring, lump of milk-toast played by George Sanders of ( one of Zsa-Zsa Gabor's stable of ex's).

Enter sexy,slinky, Lauren Bacall-Veronica Lake look-alike, Debrorah from NYC and the movie picks up. Sister Lettie is totally. possessive,manipulating and controlling. She will not stand by and see her precious Harry attend to, let alone marry Deborah. After she fails to intimidate Deb, Lettie fakes Illness and Deb leaves Harry as Harry

dumps their wedding plans to attend to ailing sister Lettie.

Soon Harry discovers Lettie has connived all along to destroy Harry's marriage to Deb. He is angry so he poisons her cocoa but good sister Hester drinks it instead. Since Lettie and Hester had been fighting and since Lettie has bought the poison, they arrest and convict her even tho Lettie knows Harry meant to poison her.

On the eve of Lettie's execution, Harry, guilt-ridden mess, confesses but nobody believes him and Lettie refuses to attest to his confession as she sees a future for Harry as a guilt-ridden mess. Harry goes home & in walks Deborah, she has come back to him, and then dead sister Hester walks in. The part of the movie where Harry poisons Lettie 's tea and then on has been a dream! Harry & Deb walk off to be married. The End. Definitely a nice drama piece, good twist ending so everyone is alive, no harm done. Not noir by any stretch, just good old B&W soap.

It's great to see George Sanders playing a normal person for a change...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 16 October 2018]

...or ALMOST normal I should say. Plus for once Geraldine Fitzgerald is given a part that she can sink her teeth into instead of the many bland "pass the salt" parts she otherwise got.

So George Sanders plays Harry Quincey, brother of Hester (Moyna McGill), and Lettie (Geraldine Fitzgerald). Hester is a widow. Lettie and Harry have never married and are now middle aged. They were once a wealthy prominent family, but lost their money in the Depression, and all they have left of their fortune is their sprawling old mansion. Harry supports his sisters by working in the mill as a pattern designer. It was a long social fall, especially if you consider that the siblings were grown when it happened - they can remember the trappings of wealth - but they have seemed to adjust well. Harry likes to joke with the younger workers at the mill, and enjoys a night out once a week at his "club" where other male townsfolk congregate, play piano, and drink beer.

Lettie...well, she never really had to adjust. She either feigns illness or is a hypochondriac, probably a little bit of both. This allows her to pretty much just lie around the big house all day. And she has basically replaced both husband and father with Harry, to whom she closely clings to the point where her attention seems somewhat incestuous, but just emotionally so.

And then one day a "fashion expert" from New York comes to the plant where Harry works - Ella Raines as Deborah. She is a good 15 years younger than Harry, but the two end up falling in love. This is something Lettie didn't count on! Harry getting married! So the plan is that Hester and Lettie will find some other place to live, but months pass and Lettie claims no house in town for rent will do. Lettie's passive aggressive tactics eventually work, and Deborah breaks up with Harry and returns to New York. Later there is news of her marriage to someone else. Afterwards, Lettie makes a remarkable recovery from a serious illness she was feigning and leaves Harry fuming. The final straw is when he finds out Lettie did something else, unrelated, months before, in spite of how Harry felt. Harry now realizes Lettie does not just depend on him, she uses him to always get her way. And looking at some poison Lettie had bought months earlier stashed in a desk, Harry is thinking there is only one way out and he is not thinking suicide either.

So now we are in Hitchcock territory, but like with Hitchcock, these things rarely work out as planned. If you want to know what I mean watch and find out.

This is a great little noir that bothers to incorporate the Great Depression into its plot but not the very recently ended - as in days - WWII. People were probably ready for an escape from that almost four year nightmare, the Depression seemed far away by now, and this little film fit the bill. Highly recommended.

Thought it was going to end

[Delrvich · 6/10 · 30 January 2021]

As a black comedy or noir, but, the ending spoils it. Seemed like an alternate ending was used.

uncle harry

[mossgrymk · 5/10 · 19 January 2021]

Previous reviewer calls the ending "electric". Well, maybe in the sense of electroshock that is used to render its subject docile and stupid. In other words, and to mix the metaphor, this film was going pretty good, with a nice "Ambersons" like feel for the more stifling conventions of American small town family life, until it was kneecapped by the Hays Office in its final minutes. Kinda surprised that Siodmak, who refused to participate in the travesty, put his name on the thing. Give it a C.