11 Harrowhouse **** (1974, Candice Bergen, Charles Grodin, James Mason, John Gielgud, Trevor Howard) – Classic Movie Review 10,971

Director Aram Avakian’s 1974 British diamond heist comedy thriller movie Eleven Harrowhouse [Anything for Love] is based on the novel by Gerald A Browne.

Eleven Harrowhouse is the London address of the world clearing house for diamonds, and it is the target of four adventurous thieves (Charles Grodin, James Mason, John Gielgud, Candice Bergen) and a clever cockroach.

Small-time diamond merchant Howard R Chesser (Charles Grodin) supervises the buying and cutting of a large diamond to be named after its wealthy owner Clyde Massey (Trevor Howard). But the diamond is stolen from Chesser and he is blackmailed into pulling off a major heist at The System, located at 11 Harrowhouse Street, in the City of London, with the help of his rich beautiful girlfriend Maren Shirell (Candice Bergen) and inside man Charles D Watts (James Mason), who works in the vault at The System.

Wealthy mastermind Clyde Massey (Trevor Howard) then plans to do away with the two Americans, Howard R Chesser (Grodin) and Maren Shirell (Bergen), who have to run for their lives. John Gielgud plays Meecham, the head man at The System.

Eleven Harrowhouse is a smooth, smart and ultra-successful heist caper, thanks to an ingenious yarn, adroit direction and a very swish, on-form cast.

Also in the cast are Helen Cherry as Lady Bolding, Peter Vaughan as Coglin, Cyril Shaps as Wildenstein, Leon Greene as Toland, Jack Watson as Miller, Jack Watling as Fitzmaurice, Clive Morton as Sir Harold, Larry Cross as Whitman, Glynn Edwards and John Bindon.

The 1972 novel by Gerald A Browne is adapted by Charles Grodin, with the screenplay by Jeffrey Bloom.

It is made at Pinewood Studios, but also with extensive location shooting in London, Ragley Hall in Warwickshire and at Quainton Road railway station, Buckinghamshire.

It is shot in DeLuxe Color and Panavision by Arthur Ibbetson. The sets are designed by art director Peter Mullins.

It runs 94 minutes and was released by 20th Century Fox on 15 August 1974. It is produced by Elliott Kastner and Denis Holt (associate producer), and scored by Michael J Lewis.

Helen Cherry (24 November 1915 – 27 September 2001).

Howard and Cherry were husband and wife. They met while working at the Arts Theatre in Great Newport Street, Westminster, Central London, and married on 8 September 1944. They were married until his death in 1988. They had no children.

After an unfavourable response at the first sneak preview in Los Angeles, it was decided to add the dry and funny commentary narration by Howard R Chesser (Grodin) to the movie. The film has been shown in both versions, with and without the commentary. The version without commentary has two alternate titles, Anything for Love or Fast Fortune.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,971

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com