Harry in Your Pocket

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Ed . Pocketbooks and stylish crooks. Once upon a time, ATM machines didn't exist, credit cards were rarer and people had to visit a bank teller and carry a lot more cash than which we're now accustomed. As such, pickpocketing was a time dishonored tradition typically practiced by common thieves. In this movie, the thieves have a lot more polish and style, as do the actors, which all make for an enjoyable viewing. It's always enjoyable to see a favorite old time movie star back in film. It was a surprisingly comical twist to see debonair Walter Pidgeon as a senior citizen cokehead. Well, it was the 70s. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/25 Full Review Audience Member This is a gem of a movie. The acting, scenery and dialogue is excellent and all the actors are perfectly cast for this 70s must see masterpiece. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/13/20 Full Review Audience Member I quite liked this film. I'd never seen this story about a team of pickpockets traveling first class up and down the west coast running their pickpocket schemes. Michael Sarrazin and Trish Van Devere are the newer and younger members of he team led by the charming James Coburn. Best of all though is Walter Pidgeon as an aging pickpocket with a drug addition who Coburn keeps around more out of sentimentality than out of necessity. The film definitely has the anti-establishment sentiment of the time, but take a very different route than the usual "Easy Rider" Turn on, tune in, drop out type of sentiment, but was more living outside the system and their laws to live the good life, and instead living by their own code of what's right. But at the heart of the film are the characters who make the living by deceit and are never sure about the other, but who all also seem to care a great deal for each other. The film works as something of a subculture film, like "Rounders" that took you into the world of underground poker or "Suburbia" did for puck rock scene or any number of other films that take you into a secret world in a fascinating way. It's a terrific little film that today would probably have been a small independent and not a major Hollywood studio film. The 70s was definitely a renaissance time for Hollywood. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Pick pocket movie that goes stale at times. However, if you stick with it , it gets better Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member In 1966, director Geller wrote, created, and produced the television series Mission: Impossible, the accomplishment for which he is best remembered. The show ran on CBS from 1966 to 1973 and earned him an Emmy Award in 1966 as the show's producer plus another for "Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama." [img]https://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/107/MPW-53557[/img] 80% (1973) Harry In Your Pocket DRAMA/ THRILLER Although they're better 'pickpocket' films made from other countries... More 80% I have seen this movie several times. It is much better than it is given credit for.. [img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sXLGBJWOqWc/Tz6ysKwCpfI/AAAAAAAAGGY/CDYwYk5rKbg/s400/harry_in_your_pocket.jpg[/img] NOTES: 1 The movie is notable for giving a presumably-fictionalized but matter-of-fact way of how a wire mob operates and its jargon. In fact, it's said that the actors portraying the "cannon squad" in Seattle that tell Harry it's time to leave town were former pickpockets themselves and served as technical advisors to the movie. The movie makes extensive reference to a system of cant - pickpockets jargon. Some examples: Pickpocket definitions: Poke - The wallet, the object of the theft. Kick - any area on a person where a poke commonly resides. For instance, a prat kick is the mark's back pocket; the patch kick is the outside pocket in a suit jacket. Mark - The intended victim. Stall - Members of the team, working under the cannon who distract or "artfully stumble" into people giving the chance for the dip to occur. Cannon - The actual pickpocket, the leader of the group in this case. Also, apparently, the police slang term for same. Dip - The act of taking the poke. Steer - The member of the team who selects marks and telegraphs to the stalls and cannon where the poke will be found. [img]http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/sites/default/files/stills_events_390_240/harryinpocket390.jpg?1305841328[/img] 2 Harry's Law: Amongst the blunter points Harry makes is what is seen as the most important rule: Harry's Law: Harry never holds. Not for a minute, not for thirty seconds. This means that as soon as Harry's hit the mark, someone must be on hand to take the poke off his hands, providing cover for Harry and allowing him to go on and hit more marks. 3 Harry In Your Pocket was brought to DVD (or any other home video format), for the first time, on May 3, 2011, as part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection series. Directed by Bruce Geller Produced by Bruce Geller Alan Godfrey Written by James Buchanan Ronald Austin Starring James Coburn Michael Sarrazin Trish Van Devere Walter Pidgeon Music by Lalo Schifrin (same for 60's Mission Impossible TV series) Cinematography Fred J. Koenekamp Distributed by United Artists Release dates 1973 Running time 103 min. [img]http://www.cinemaretro.com/uploads/harrypocket.jpg[/img] Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Starts as a sprightly romp but deflates as it nears it's conclusion. Walter Pidgeon comes off best. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Harry in Your Pocket

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