MovieChat Forums > The Trouble with Harry (1955) Discussion > Two Jennifers Before Shirley MacLaine

Two Jennifers Before Shirley MacLaine

posted 18 years ago by ecarle
7 replies | jump to latest

Shirley MacLaine famously debuted in "The Trouble With Harry" -- a sole Hitchcock Redhead among Hitchcock Blondes.

But:

...for awhile, Hitch wanted his favorite blonde, Grace Kelly, to play the role. She had other projects and then retired to Princesshood.

...and, Hitch thought of casting pert, impish French actress Brigitte Auber, who had just been in his "To Catch a Thief," but it didn't work out.

The unknown Hitchcock chose -- Shirley MacLaine -- looked a lot like Brigitte Auber. Hitch had the "mental image" in place for Jennifer, evidently.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Kelt Smith 18 years ago

Agreed. That's one thing that always amazed me as to how the sh*t she won an ACADEMY AWARD for 'THE COUNTRY GIRL'. GRACE KELLY was a very good actress, but she, just like KATHERINE HEPBURN, had the limitation (because of their actual backgrounds ?) of not being able to credibly convey portraying anything less than upper middle, or upper upper class ladies.

"Other than that Mrs.Lincoln how did you like our little play ?"-actress Laura Keene

[–] ecarle 18 years ago

It is believed that Grace Kelly won her Oscar for "The Country Girl" because, among other reasons, she was in FIVE movies in the single year of 1954: the great "Rear Window" for Hitchcock, "Dial M for Murder" also for Hitchcock, "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" with Bill Holden, jungle action-adventure "Green Fire" (the one loser of the bunch), and "The Country Girl" in which she played plain and dowdy, so that's the one they gave it to her for.

Meanwhile: Shirley MacLaine made a sparkling debut for Hitchcock in "The Trouble With Harry." Much of what would make her a very big star in the late 50's and 60's was right there from the beginning: her sexy-impish manner, her wit, her intelligence. She'd consolidate her stardom with "Some Came Running" (doomed Rat Pat Floozie) in 1958 and "The Apartment" (suicidal elevator girl love goddess of good Jack Lemmon and evil Fred MacMurray) in 1968.

And MacLaine is STILL a star today, fully 50 years after "The Trouble With Harry." (That "Terms of Endearment" Best Actress Oscar came in between.)

Ironic, isn't it? All those great Hitchcock Blondes, and arguably the most major Hitchcock actress still working today was the "Hitchcock Redhead."

[–] epibee 18 years ago

Just saw Shirley Mclaine in Bewitched, starring beside Nicole Kidman. She is 70, but looks so much younger and cuter than everyone else in the film.

I mean I am not very fond of old films, or actors from 50s or 60s... but I feel Shirley McLaine is so different. There is some magic about her.

[–] ecarle 15 years ago

Bump.

[–] elisedfr 11 years ago

I'm glad he chose Shirley in the end. Grace was too aloof and ladylike for the part, and Brigitte Auber was not as pretty as MacLaine.

" You ain't running this place, Bert, WILLIAMS is!" Sgt Harris

[–] poetcomic1 8 years ago

Hitch was a fan of Carolyn Jones - another pretty young woman with a 'pixie cut'.