Oh dear Harry

Movie
Original title	Oh dear Harry
Country of production	Germany
original language	German
Publishing year	1981
length	85 minutes
Age rating	FSK 6
Rod
Director	Jean Girault
script	Jean Girault ; Ralf Gregan ; Dieter Hallervorden ; Jacques Vilfrid
production	Lutz stallion ; Wolfgang Hesse
music	Hermann Weindorf
camera	Hermann Gruber
cut	Margot von Schlieffen
occupation
	Dieter Hallervorden : Harry App; Iris Berben : Jane; Jacques Marin : "Reverend" Paul; Manfred Lehmann : "Father" Benno; Lisa Helwig : Anni Rose; Karl Sibold : Hotel manager; Volker Prechtel : Floor waiter; Josef Moosholzer : Conductor; Nino Korda : Castello;

Oh dear Harry is a German crime comedy from 1981 by Jean Girault with Dieter Hallervorden in the leading role.

action

Harry App is a somewhat awkward and clumsy private investigator who lacks potential clients. For this reason, he accepts every possible job that brings in money - including that of the senior Anni Rose , which could bring him some cash. The elderly customer hires Harry to personally take her award-winning breeding rabbit “Mister Theo” to a breed show in Switzerland . Inevitably, the app takes on the unloved job of pet sitter.

At the same time, the crooks Paul and Benno have stolen a valuable painting and want to take it out of the country unobtrusively. For this purpose, the two dress up as clergymen and hide the picture in "Mister Theo's" transport box, of all places. Through a chain of events, Harry finally misses the train from Munich to Lausanne . Inevitably he plays hitchhiker and is taken by the attractive Jane in the car until the next train stop.

In the course of the plot he runs into Jane, who is also a detective, several times. Harry has to slip into a number of costumes and is roughly pushed off the train more than once by Paul and Benno. In the end, all those involved get to Lausanne in one piece, where the painting returns to legal ownership and the thieves are finally arrested. The clever Anni Rose picks up the gangsters' money, "Mister Theo" gets his award and Harry and Jane get nothing in the end.

Trivia

Hallervordens role name Harry App is a corruption and Germanization of the English term "Hurry up!", Which means something like "Hurry up!"
As in his later films, Hallervorden also did almost all of his stunts himself in Oh you dear Harry . These were primarily acrobatics and climbing on and under a moving passenger train.
In an interview, Hallervorden said that for Jean Girault the most important thing about the shooting was what wine was with lunch.
The scene with Manfred Lehmann and Hallervorden on the train is reminiscent of the scene with Richard Kiel and Gene Wilder in the American film Trans-America-Express from 1976.
A painting by Renoir was stolen, but no mention was made of what it was.

Reviews

"An endeavoring grotesque comedy made up of slapstick, tastelessness and grimace comics for modest demands."

- Lexicon of international film

In addition to the rating from the film service , which is cited as a flat comedy, other reviews accuse the main actor of the fact that he could not or did not really want to emancipate himself from his idiotic role from the sketch show Nonstop Nonsense . On the other hand, the title character's optimism and willingness to fight is praised as a likeable loser type against the ruthless businessmen, which is interpreted as a critical - with humorous glasses - viewed view of society.

Audience response

The film started in West German cinemas on February 26, 1981 and was a direct commercial success as Hallervordens first feature film with more than 1.3 million visitors. After Christiane F. , Das Boot and Lili Marleen , Oh du dear Harry was one of the most successful German film productions in 1981 and founded Hallervordens cinema career with more than six other successes in the 80s. It is also considered a career breakthrough for actress Iris Berben .

Others

The comedy was also shown in GDR cinemas from November 9, 1984 , which was not a matter of course for films from the FRG of this genre . From Hallervordens movies was z. B. only to see Didi in full swing in the GDR.