What's the Matter with Helen? (1971)

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R
1h 41min
Crime, Horror
26 Jun 1971 (Canada)
Movie

6.3 (2,297)

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Two middle-aged women move to Hollywood, California after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder and open a dance school for children eager to tap their way to stardom.

Director:

Curtis Harrington

Writer:

Henry Farrell

Stars:

Award:

Nominated for 1 Oscar.
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Photos and Videos

Two middle-aged women move to Hollywood, California after their sons are convicted of a notorious murder and open a dance school for children eager to tap their way to stardom.

Still of Debbie Reynolds (I) in What's the Matter with Helen? (1971)

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58 photos | 3 videos

Cast verified as complete

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	Debbie Reynolds	...	Adelle
	Shelley Winters	...	Helen
	Dennis Weaver	...	Linc Palmer
	Micheál MacLiammóir	...	Hamilton Starr (as Micheal Mac Liammóir)
	Agnes Moorehead	...	Sister Alma
	Helene Winston	...	Mrs. Greenbaum
	Peggy Rea	...	Mrs. Schultz
	Logan Ramsey	...	Detective Sgt. West
	Paulle Clark	...	Mrs. Plumb
	Yvette Vickers	...	Mrs. Barker
	Molly Dodd	...	Mrs. Rigg
	Samee Lee Jones	...	Winona (as Sammee Lee Jones)
	Robbi Morgan	...	Rosalie
	Timothy Carey	...	The Tramp
	Swen Swenson	...	The Gigolo
	Debbie Van Den Houten	...	Sue Anne
	Teresa De Rose	...	Donna
	Pamelyn Ferdin	...	Kiddie M.C.
	Allen Pinson	...	The Man
	James Dobson	...	Cab Driver
	Sadie Delfino	...	The Little Lady
	Tammy Lee	...	Adelle's Kiddystars
	Sharann Hisamoto	...	Adelle's Kiddystars (as Sharon Hisamoto)
	Stacey Hollow	...	Adelle's Kiddystars
	Marcia Garcia	...	Adelle's Kiddystars
	Bambi Meyers	...	Adelle's Kiddystars
	Rocky Bonifield	...	Adelle's Kiddystars (as Roxanne Meyers)
	Vicki Schreck	...	Adelle's Kiddystars
	Keri Shuttleton	...	Adelle's Kiddystars
	Shawn Steinman	...	Adelle's Kiddystars (as Shawn Steinmann)
	Madelon Tupper	...	Adelle's Kiddystars
	Sian Winship	...	Adelle's Kiddystars
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Eleanor Roosevelt	...	Self (archiveFootage)
	Franklin D. Roosevelt	...	Self (archiveFootage)
	Audrey Betz	...	Church Member (uncredited)
	Paul Bradley	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
	Peter Brocco	...	Old Man (uncredited)
	Gary Combs	...	Matt Hill (uncredited)
	Tony Dante	...	Church Member (uncredited)
	Annette Davis	...	Spinster (uncredited)
	Douglas Deane	...	Fanatical Man (uncredited)
	Minta Durfee	...	Old Lady (uncredited)
	Charles Fogel	...	Church Member (uncredited)
	James Gonzalez	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
	Bob Harks	...	Pedestrian (uncredited)
	Chester Hayes	...	Church Member (uncredited)
	Helene Heigh	...	Widow (uncredited)
	Shep Houghton	...	Deacon (uncredited)
	Richard LaMarr	...	Church Member (uncredited)
	William H. O'Brien	...	Church Member (uncredited)
	Peggy Patten	...	Ellie Banner (uncredited)
	Joe Pine	...	Church Member (uncredited)
	Murray Pollack	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
	Leoda Richards	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
	Harry Stanton	...	Malcolm Hays (uncredited)
	George Tracy	...	Church Member (uncredited)
	Peggy Walton-Walker	...	Young Girl (uncredited)

Directed by

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Curtis Harrington

...

(directed by)

Written by

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Henry Farrell

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(written by)

Produced by

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George Edwards	...	producer (produced by)
Edward S. Feldman	...	executive producer
James C. Pratt	...	associate producer

Music by

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David Raksin

...

(music composed by)

Cinematography by

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Lucien Ballard

...

director of photography

Editing by

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William Reynolds

...

film editor (as William H. Reynolds)

Editorial Department

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Michael F. Anderson	...	apprentice film editor (uncredited)
James D. Wells	...	assistant editor (uncredited)

Casting By

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Caro Jones

Art Direction by

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Eugène Lourié

...

(as Eugene Lourie)

Set Decoration by

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Jerry Wunderlich

Costume Design by

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Morton Haack

...

(costumes designed by)

Makeup Department

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Sydney Guilaroff	...	hair creations
John Truwe	...	makeup artist
William Tuttle	...	makeup artist
Bette Iverson	...	hair stylist (uncredited)
Helene Parrish	...	hair stylist (uncredited)
Scotty Rackin	...	hair stylist (uncredited)
William Reynolds	...	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Claude Binyon Jr.	...	assistant director
John Thomas Lenox	...	assistant director trainee (uncredited)
Michael Messinger	...	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Ted P. Angel	...	senior set designer (uncredited)
Glen Cooper	...	stand-by painter (uncredited)
Les Gobruegge	...	assistant art director (uncredited)
Dudley Holmes	...	prop master (uncredited)
Gerald MacDonald	...	coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Charles Grenzbach	...	sound re-recordist (as Bud Grenzbach)
Al Overton Jr.	...	sound
Hal Belcher	...	sound (uncredited)
Bob Sheridan	...	engineer (uncredited) / sound boom (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Robert Edouart	...	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Bud Gaunt	...	grip (uncredited)
Earl Gilbert	...	gaffer (uncredited)
Bud Howell	...	dolly grip (uncredited)
Thomas Laughridge	...	camera operator (uncredited)
Cecil Lupton	...	best boy (uncredited)
Robert Schunke	...	best boy (uncredited)
Sterling Smith	...	still photographer (uncredited)
Bud Woodside	...	rigging gaffer (uncredited)
Harry Young	...	first assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department

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Darlene di Ponzio

...

casting secretary (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Fanny Edwards	...	costumer: women (uncredited)
Sally Lister	...	costumer: women (uncredited)
Andy Matyasi	...	costumer: men (uncredited)
Terri Nelson	...	costume supervisor: women (uncredited)
Frank Tauss	...	costume supervisor: men (uncredited)

Music Department

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Ralph Ives	...	music editor
David Raksin	...	conductor
Randy Rayburn	...	musician: rehearsal pianist (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Alan Greedy

...

script supervisor (as Allan Greedy)

Additional Crew

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Tony Charmoli	...	choreographer
Paulle Clark	...	production assistant
John Franco Jr.	...	production assistant
Phill Norman	...	titles: Cinefx
Martin Ransohoff	...	presenter
Tad Tadlock	...	assistant choreographer
Bill Beaumont	...	craft service (uncredited)
Cary Glieberman	...	intern: American Film Institute (uncredited)
Dorothy Kelly	...	production secretary (uncredited)
Yelena Makarczyk	...	closed-captioning (uncredited)
Jerry Roberts	...	production assistant (uncredited)
Dominic Santarone	...	caterer (uncredited)
Ruth Santarone	...	caterer (uncredited)
Lorraine Serber	...	production assistant (uncredited)
Carl Shapiro	...	unit publicist (uncredited)

Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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United Artists (1971) (United States) (theatrical)
Skouras Films (1971) (Greece) (theatrical)
United Artists (1971) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1972) (Norway) (theatrical)
United Artists (A-Asia) (1972) (Australia) (theatrical)
United Artists (1972) (Argentina) (theatrical) (as Artistas Unidos)
United Artists (1972) (Sweden) (theatrical)
National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1974) (United States) (tv)
MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (United States) (VHS)
Warner Home Video (1992) (United States) (VHS)
MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (United States) (DVD)
MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
Shout! Factory (2013) (United States) (DVD)
Scream Factory (2017) (United States) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

Special Effects

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Edit International (sound effects)

Other Companies

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Cinefx (titles)
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (this picture made under the jurisdiction of)

Storyline

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Plot Summary	Set in the 1930s, Helen and Adelle are two women whose sons commit a gruesome murder. After their conviction, they move to Hollywood, change their names and open a dance school for girls. Adelle is looking for a good life, and when one of the parents of her students who is wealthy takes a liking to her, she thinks she's got it made. Helen thinks that someone who blames them for what their sons did is stalking them. But Adelle thinks it's all in her mind. Written by rcs0411@yahoo.com / edited by Rob Plot Summary
Plot Keywords	woman-murders-a-woman stabbing-a-woman murderess deception girl-in-mary-jane-shoes See All (162) »
Taglines	Why are they all dying so violently?... even the little rabbits! See more »
Genres	Crime Horror Musical Mystery Thriller
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Argentina:14 Australia:M Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) Canada:PG (Ontario) Canada:G (Quebec) Finland:K-18 New Zealand:R13 Norway:16 Peru:Apt (DVD rating) Sweden:15 United Kingdom:X United States:GP (Approved No. 22897) United States:R

Additional Details

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Also Known As	The Best of Friends (United States) The Box Step (United States) ¿Qué le pasa a Helen? (Spain) I raptus segreti di Helen (Italy) Kauhun vangitsemat (Finland) See more »
Runtime	101 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Color	Color
Aspect Ratio	1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Mono
Filming Locations	General Service Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »

Did You Know?

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Trivia	According to Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters' psychiatrist advised her not to portray a woman having a nervous breakdown because, at the time, she was actually having a nervous breakdown. "She's the kind of actress who becomes the part she's playing..." said Reynolds, "so all through the film she drove all of us insane!" See more »
Goofs	The second time Linc drives Adelle home, he reaches down with his right hand to turn the key off. In the next scene, his right arm is firmly wrapped behind Adelle's shoulder. See more »
Movie Connections	Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008). See more »
Soundtracks	Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? See more »
Quotes	Sister Alma: I offered you my blessing, but you refused it. Now move along. See more »

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