The World of Henry Orient (1964)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writers:

Nora Johnson (screenplay) and
Nunnally Johnson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 November 1964 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Step into the world of Henry Orient...and meet two junior-size misses and one king-size nut!

Plot:

A mischievous, adventuresome 14-year-old girl and her best friend begin following an eccentric concert pianist around New York City after she develops a schoolgirl crush on him.

Plot Keywords:

New York City | New York | Concert Pianist | Number 97 | Checkers

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Peter Sellers	...	Henry Orient
Paula Prentiss	...	Stella Dunnworthy
Angela Lansbury	...	Isabel Boyd
Tom Bosley	...	Frank Boyd
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Mrs. Avis Gilbert
Bibi Osterwald	...	Erica 'Boothy' Booth
Merrie Spaeth	...	Marian 'Gil' Gilbert
Tippy Walker	...	Valarie 'Val' Campbell Boyd
John Fiedler	...	Sidney
Al Lewis	...	Store Owner
Peter Duchin	...	Joe Daniels
Fred Stewart	...	Doctor
Philippa Bevans	...	Emma Hambler
Jerry Jerrett
Jane Buchanan	...	Lillian Kafritz

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | USA:Approved (certificate no. 20690) | Finland:S | Germany:16 | Ireland:PG | UK:U | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Pan Arts

Trivia:

Cameo: [Jack Benny]Has a wordless cameo as a percussionist during Henry Orient's concert. He gives Henry the trademark Benny "look".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Peter Sellers is rifling through the phone book looking for an airline he comes down to flipping single pages then suddenly flips a bunch of pages and immediately finds the number.

Quotes:

Valerie Boyd: You know, I don't know whether I ought to or not, but I feel awfully happy... in a sort of sad way.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ghost World (2001)

Soundtrack:

Henry Orient Concerto

This was also the Sixties

The sixties became The Sixties around the time of this film, 1964. There was a time, believe it or not, when kids played grown-up, instead of the other way around, as is the case today. Two cute girls are venturing from childhood to youth, in a benign Manhattan. They have a crush on a pianist-lothario who happens to be Peter Sellers. You can imagine the complications - and the hilarity.

What makes this film so appealing, is the way it portrays sexual awakening and same-sex bonding as a completely unsordid and sweet experience. Yes, there is pathos, when the two discover how adults have turned their world into Henry Orient's world.

Although the cast is sterling all around, Tom Bosley is a standout as father to one of the girls, who helps put things to rights.

If the Kennedy assassination and Vietnam are cultural watersheds, then this film is a wonderful cinematic artifact; it gives the lie to the condescending put-downs of the era by the current generation.