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The World of Henry Orient

Catalog Number
4666
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The World of Henry Orient (1964)

Additional Information

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

Decked out with another of his American accents, Peter Sellers plays self-centered concert pianist Henry Orient. While Henry's active libido sends him off on pursuit of married woman Paula Prentiss, a pair of preteen boarding-school chums, played by Tippy Walker and Merrie Spaeth, worship Orient from afar. The girls' overworked imaginations, manifested in pursuing Orient about and recording their fantasies in their diaries, leads Walker's mom, Angela Lansbury, to conclude that Henry has "had his way" with her underaged daughter. The World of Henry Orient was later musicalized for Broadway as Henry, Sweet Henry.

The World of Henry Orient is a 1964 American comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Nora Johnson. It was directed by George Roy Hill and stars Peter Sellers, Paula Prentiss, Angela Lansbury, Tippy Walker, Merrie Spaeth, Phyllis Thaxter, Bibi Osterwald, and Tom Bosley.

Filming started in June 1963, wrapped that October, and the film premiered at Radio City Music Hall on March 19, 1964. In 1965 it was nominated for the Golden Globe Award in the category "Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy" and for a Writers Guild of America Award for "Best Written American Comedy."

Concert pianist Henry Orient (Peter Sellers) pursues an affair with a married woman, Stella Dunnworthy (Paula Prentiss), while two teenage private-school girls, Valerie Boyd (Tippy Walker) and Marian Gilbert (Merrie Spaeth), stalk him and write their fantasies about him in a diary.

Orient's paranoia leads him to believe that the two girls, who seem to pop up everywhere he goes, are spies sent by his would-be mistress's husband. When Val's mother, Isabel Boyd (Angela Lansbury), finds their diary, she suspects that Henry has acted inappropriately with her daughter. She contacts Orient and they end up having an affair. Val finds out about it, as does her dad (Tom Bosley). There is an unhappy ending for Val's parents' marriage, but Val and her dad start to develop a much closer relationship.

The World of Henry Orient was the official U.S. entry at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival.[2][3]

The film was well-received by critics and has an 88% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. In his review for The New York Times, Bosley Crowther wrote that it was "one of the most joyous and comforting movies about teenagers that we've had in a long time".[4]

It was voted one of the Year's Ten Best Films by the National Board of Review in 1964.

Release Date: March 19, 1964 from United Artists

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The World of Henry Orient (1964)
Release Year
Catalog Number
M202876
Primary Distributor (If not listed, select "OTHER")
Catalog Number
M202876
Format
Packaging
106 mins (NTSC)
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