Harry & Son (1984)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Paul Newman

Writers:

Ronald Buck (writer)
Paul Newman (writer)

Release Date:

2 March 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

They're two men with nothing in common. They're father and son.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Pet Shop | Childbirth | Father Son Relationship | Beer

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Harry Keach
Robby Benson	...	Howard Keach
Ellen Barkin	...	Katie Wilowski
Wilford Brimley	...	Tom Keach
Judith Ivey	...	Sally
Ossie Davis	...	Raymond
Morgan Freeman	...	Siemanowski
Joanne Woodward	...	Lilly
Katherine Borowitz	...	Nina
Maury Chaykin	...	Lawrence
Michael Brockman	...	Al
Cathy Cahill	...	Waitress
Robert Goodman	...	Andy
Tom Nowicki	...	Tommy
Claudia Robinson	...	Nurse
Russ Wheeler	...	Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joseph Alva	...	Young Man
Jerry Barrett	...	Cop
Harold Bergman	...	Night Watchman
Suzanne M. Brierley	...	Beauty Parlor Woman
Leroy Dukes	...	2nd Construction Worker
Dennis Edwards	...	Iron Construction Worker
Jeffrey Finn	...	Motorcyclist
Patricia A. Frye	...	2nd Factory Girl
Nicole Gian	...	Bianca
Joe Hess	...	1st Worker
Jack Kassewitz	...	Parrot
Will Knickerbocker	...	Willie
Terry Miller	...	Surplus Clerk
Don Moody	...	1st Construction Worker
Dave Mungenast Sr.	...	Max
Al Nesor	...	Taxi Driver
Gilberto Costa Nunes	...	Spanish Parrot
Jill Selkowitz	...	1st Factory Girl
Janis Siegel	...	Woman Driver
Joseph Sikora	...	Young Man
Mark Anthony Wade	...	Delivery Man
George Warren	...	Superintendent
Fred M. Wilkins	...	Concrete Mix Operator
Bunny Yeager	...	Marina Bar Waitress

Directed by
Paul Newman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ronald Buck		writer
Paul Newman		writer

Produced by
Ronald Buck	....	producer
Malcolm R. Harding	....	associate producer
Paul Newman	....	producer

Original Music by
Henry Mancini

Cinematography by
Donald McAlpine

Film Editing by
Dede Allen

Casting by
Vicki Huff
Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by
Henry Bumstead

Costume Design by
Linda Benedict-Pierce		(as Linda Benedict)
Mary Lou Byrd
Mary Fleming

Production Management
Malcolm R. Harding	....	unit production manager
Kerry Orent	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stan Barrett	....	second unit director
Rafael Elortegui	....	second assistant director
Michelle Marx	....	first assistant director: second unit
David McGiffert	....	first assistant director

Art Department
John Balling	....	charge scenic

Sound Department
Stan Bochner	....	sound editor
Richard P. Cirincione	....	supervising sound editor
Tom Fleischman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Randal A. Goya	....	foley mixer
Neil L. Kaufman	....	sound editor
Peter Odabashian	....	sound editor
Philip Rogers	....	sound recordist
William S. Scharf	....	adr editor

Special Effects by
James L. Roberts	....	special effects

Stunts
Stan Barrett	....	stunt coordinator
Michael Brockman	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
William D. Barber	....	first assistant camera
Jerry Bertolami	....	dolly grip
Jack Lee Gary	....	second assistant camera
Ed Knott Jr.	....	key grip
Michael McGowan	....	camera operator

Casting Department
Dee Miller	....	location casting

Editorial Department
Richard P. Cirincione	....	associate editor
Richard Friedlander	....	apprentice editor
William Kruzykowski	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Dan Wallin	....	music scoring mixer
Celia Weiner	....	music editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Jack Cowden	....	script supervisor
Raymond DeCapite	....	suggested by the novel "A Lost King" by
Marcia Franklin	....	assistant: Mr. Newman
Max Manlove	....	production coordinator
Tom Miller	....	unit publicist
Ann Tait	....	production controller (as Ann Tait-Rourk)

Distributors

• Flashstar Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Orion Pictures Corporation
• Roadshow Home Video

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints by (as DeLuxe)
• Lynn Stalmaster, Toni Howard & Associates  casting

Also Known As:

Harry and Son (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Norway:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:7 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Broward County, Florida, USA

Trivia:

Tom Cruise auditioned for the role of 'Howard Keach'.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dèmoni (1985)

"Just Part Of The Ritual"

You see, it can be done. It is possible, even in the last decades of the 20th century, to make a good feature film that concentrates on character and eschews action. We don't need car chases to help us through the story, because we care about Harry and Howie and want to see what befalls them. Paul Newman co-wrote, directed and produced this absorbing tale of father and son, continuing his long tradition of intelligent movie-making.

Harry works the wrecking ball on a demolition site. He is a gruff, inarticulate fifty-something who likes his job. Howie is maybe 20, a dreamy young man who wants to be a writer. He has no real work, dividing his time between the car wash where he has a part-time job, his surf board and the family's hot tub, in which he does most of his writing.

And therein lies the conflict which drives this story. Harry was brought up not to question the importance of working for a living. His inflexible blue-collar morality is offended by Howie's lazy, self-indulgent lifestyle. Howie, on the other hand, grew up in a climate where self-expression and leisure activities count for more than the humdrum business of earning a living.

A medical condition forces Harry out of his job. Newman is impressive as the ageing, weakening man's man who is gutted by the loss of his livelihood, because to him it means the loss of his validity as a man. He sees Howie's vitality and intelligence and cannot come to terms with his son's lack of ambition. In one of their regular fights, Harry encapsulates the situation neatly. "I want a job and can't get one," he tells Howie. "You can, and don't."

Bright and personable, if a little too pretty in the John Travolta way, Bobby Benson plays Howie with enthusiasm. The contrast between the dour widower and his cheerful, energetic son is nicely conveyed. Supporting the two central performances are Joanne Woodward as Lillie and Ellen Barkin (Katie). Lillie is a friend of the family who develops a 'thing' about Harry. Her daughter Katie is a girl of easy morals whose relationship with Howie rekindles after a break-up.

Nice touches include the black screen at the very start which is shattered by Harry's wrecking ball, and the backlighting which gives Katie a 'halo' as she sets out her ethical position. I didn't like the too-convenient cheque which arrives from John Davidson or the ease with which secretary Sally can be suborned for sex. For me, Benson overacts horribly in the 'discovery' scene. Indeed, what happens to Harry is an unnecessarily dramatic event in this gentle, understated film.