''The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry'' is a 1945 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film directed by

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (19 ...

and starring

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...

as an aging bachelor who looks after his two sisters, one of whom tries to sabotage his romance with his co-worker. It is based on the play ''Uncle Harry'' by Thomas Job.

Plot

Harry Quincy (Sanders) is an amiable middle-aged man working as a designer in a fabric mill in the small New England town of Corinth. Younger people in the factory call him "Uncle Harry". He lives as a bachelor in a large house with his two sisters; Lettie (Fitzgerald) and Hester (MacGill). Lettie is pretty but spoiled, and idles days away in bed, feigning numerous ailments. Hester is a widow and is harder working. It is made clear that although the family was rich, the money was lost in the Depression. Everything is disrupted by the arrival of a new young female designer at the mill. Deborah (Raines) comes from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and is slim, elegant, and very well-dressed. She clearly likes Harry and he falls in love. When Deborah tells him she will be taking an extended trip to Europe with a male co-worker, he finally declares his love for her. They plan to get married and both live in the big family house, but this involves the sisters finding a new home. While this is not an issue for Hester, Lettie is very resistant. After several months of having their plans sabotaged, Deborah persuades Harry to run off to New York and just get married that evening. However, their plan is thwarted when Lettie collapses and is taken to hospital. Deborah makes Harry choose: Lettie or her. He chooses his sister and Deborah leaves, seemingly forever. Later he hears that she is marrying the other man from work. In Lettie's desk, Harry finds some poison. He learns she bought it just before their dog died, in case euthanasia was needed. One night, he slips the poison into Lettie's hot chocolate. Unfortunately, the cups get mixed up and it is Hester who drops dead. The housekeeper enters and, since the sisters were always arguing, assumes Lettie poisoned Hester. Harry allows the accusation to stand and, after a trial, Lettie is sentenced to hang. Harry has a change of heart and brings a written confession to the prison governor. However, he thinks Harry is just a nice man trying to save his wicked sister. He says it does not make sense: Harry wanted her dead, but now wants to save her. Lettie sees him and seems happy to hang and leave him with the guilt on his shoulders. However, the entire sequence starting with Harry using the poison has been imaginary—Harry contemplating using it. As he pours it into a wastebasket, Deborah bursts in and says she did not go through with the wedding: it is Harry she loves, and they will go away and marry as they planned before.

Cast

as Harry Melville Quincey *

Geraldine Fitzgerald Geraldine Mary Fitzgerald (November 24, 1913 – July 17, 2005) was an Irish actress and a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 2020, she was listed at number 30 on ''The Irish Times'' list of Ireland's greatest film actors. Early li ...

as Lettie Quincey *

Ella Raines Ella Wallace Raines (August 6, 1920 – May 30, 1988) was an American film and television actress. Early life Raines was born Ella Wallace Raines on August 6, 1920, in Fall City, Washington. She studied drama at the University of Washingto ...

as Deborah Brown *

Sara Allgood Sarah Ellen Allgood (30 October 1880 – 13 September 1950), known as Sara Allgood, was an Irish-American actress. She first studied drama with the Irish nationalist Daughters of Ireland and was at the opening of the Irish National Theatre Soc ...

as Nona *

Moyna Macgill Moyna Macgill (born Charlotte Lillian McIldowie; 10 December 1895 – 25 November 1975) was an Irish actress from Belfast and the mother of actress Angela Lansbury and producers Edgar and Bruce Lansbury. In 2020, she was listed at number 35 on ...

as Hester Quincey *

Samuel S. Hinds Samuel Southey Hinds (April 4, 1875 – October 13, 1948) was an American actor and former lawyer. He was often cast as kindly authority figures and appeared in more than 200 films until his death. Early years Hinds was born in Brooklyn, New Y ...

as Dr. Adams *

Harry von Zell Harry Rudolph von Zell (July 11, 1906 – November 21, 1981) was an American announcer of radio programs, and an actor in films and television shows. He is best remembered for his work on ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show''. Life and ...

as Ben (as Harry VonZell) * Judy Clark as Helen * Coulter Irwin as Biff Wagner (as Coulter F. Irwin) * Craig Reynolds as John Warren

Production

The final "it was all imaginary" plot twist was introduced because the

Motion Picture Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...

would not allow murder to go unpunished.

References

External links

* * * *

Streaming audio

1952 ''Best Play'' radio adaptation of original play
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strange Affair of Uncle Harry 1945 films 1945 crime drama films 1945 romantic drama films American black-and-white films Film noir American films based on plays Films directed by Robert Siodmak American romantic drama films Universal Pictures films Films scored by Paul Dessau American crime drama films 1940s American films