Harry Palmer

For other uses, seeHarry Palmer (disambiguation).

Harry Palmer
Michael Caine in 1967
First appearance	The Ipcress File(1965)
Last appearance	Midnight in Saint Petersburg(1996)
Created by	Len Deighton
Portrayed by	Michael Caine Joe Cole

Harry Palmeris the name given to theanti-heroprotagonist of several films based onspy novelswritten byLen Deighton,in which the main character is an unnamed intelligence officer. For convenience, the novels are also often referred to as the "Harry Palmer" novels.

Michael Caineplayed Harry Palmer in three films based on published novels featuring this character:The Ipcress File(1965),Funeral in Berlin(1966) andBillion Dollar Brain(1967). Caine also starred as this character in two other films not directly based on Deighton's novels.

The Timescalled Caine "the epitome of Sixties cool in his first outing as the secret agent Harry Palmer".A trailer for his second role as Palmer described him as possessing "horn rims,cockneywit and an iron fist ".The character's thickhorn-rimmed glasses,girls, and disregard for authority was cited byMike Myersas an influence forAustin Powers;Caine would later star inAustin Powers in Goldmember(2002), with his portrayal of Nigel Powers, father of secret agentAustin Powers,aspoofof Palmer.

Origin of the 'Harry Palmer' name

When developing the 1965 filmThe Ipcress File,based on Len Deighton's 1962novel of the same name,the production team needed a name for the previouslyanonymousprotagonist, a rough-edged, petty crook turned spy. They chose "Harry Palmer", because they wanted a mundane name, 'one that means absolutely nothing, a common name', to distance him fromIan Fleming'sJames Bond,the stereotypical sophisticated, swashbuckling spy.Caine says he knew a dull kid at school called "Palmer", withHarry Saltzmansaying 'good, and what about a first name', with Caine innocently remarking "Harry", not realising his gaffe until seeing Saltzman's stare.

Appearances

Novel	Film	Lead actor	Notes
The IPCRESS File(1962)	The Ipcress File(1965)	Michael Caine
	The Ipcress File(2022 TV series)	Joe Cole
Horse Under Water(1963)			Not adapted to a film
Funeral in Berlin(1964)	Funeral in Berlin(1966)	Michael Caine
Billion-Dollar Brain(1966)	Billion Dollar Brain(1967)	Michael Caine
An Expensive Place to Die(1967)			Not adapted to a film
Spy Story(1974)	Spy Story(1976)	Michael Petrovitch	Character is renamed 'Patrick Armstrong'
Yesterday's Spy(1975)			Not adapted to a film
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Spy(1976)			North American title:Catch a Falling Spy
	Bullet to Beijing(1995)	Michael Caine	Not based on a Len Deighton novel
	Midnight in Saint Petersburg(1996)	Michael Caine

Novels

Early novels

Len Deighton introduced the lead character inThe IPCRESS File,his first novel, published in November 1962. In thatfirst-personnovel, the intelligence officer is anonymous, although at one point he is greeted by someone saying "Hello, Harry"; he later says, "Now my name isn't Harry, but in this business it's hard to remember whether it ever had been."Deighton's character is described asworking class,living in a back street flat and seedy hotels, and shopping insupermarkets.He wearsglasses,is hindered bybureaucracy,and craves a pay rise. It is revealed in passing that he is fromBurnley,Lancashire, and that he was born in 1922 or 1923.

Further novels featuring this character followed, includingHorse Under Water(1963),Funeral in Berlin(1964),Billion-Dollar Brain(1966), andAn Expensive Place to Die(1967). Again, the lead character is never named, but they appear to be the same character in all of the books. In his 2009 afterword toHorse Under Water,Deighton noted "Now, writing a second book, I found it an advantage to have an anonymous hero. He might be the same man; or maybe not. I was able to make minor changes to him and his background...I realized that...identifying him as a northerner would make demands on my knowledge that I could not sustain. It would be more sensible to give him a background closer to my own."

From the first novel onwards, the narrator shows knowledge offine foodanddrink,painting,classicaland20th-centurymusic,jazz,military history,andLatin.InHorse Under Water,he is described as an expert on world currency.

Later novels and discrepancies

In 1974, the novelSpy Storywas published, followed byYesterday's Spy(1975), andTwinkle, Twinkle, Little Spy(1976) (also known asCatch a Falling Spyin North America). As the protagonist also remains anonymous in these novels, it is still open to debate whether the narrator of these last three novels as the same as in the earlier books. There is conflicting evidence for either view. Despite this, and despite the lead protagonist being unnamed, all eight books have been unofficially called theHarry Palmer novels,based on the protagonist's name given in the subsequent film adaptations ofThe IPCRESS Fileand its sequels.

Evidence for this narrator being different from the earlier novels comes from Deighton himself, who is quoted as saying that the narrator ofSpy Storyis not the same character as the narrator ofThe IPCRESS File;in fact, for most ofSpy Story,the narrator is named and addressed as "Patrick Armstrong" – although, as another character says, "We have so many different names." Additionally, he is reported to be in his late 30s,whereas the narrator ofThe IPCRESS Filewas born in 1922 or 1923(making him in his 40s), and thus implying that this protagonist is different from that of the earlier novels.

Encouraging the unitary concept – that the later novels feature the same narrator – is the 1974 dust jacket to the Harcourt, Brace & Jovanovich American edition ofSpy Story,in which the cover blurb states, "He is back, after five long-years' absence, the insubordinate, decent, bespectacled English spy who fought, fumbled, and survived his outrageous way through the best-sellingHorse Under Water,Funeral in Berlin,and the rest of those marvellous, celebrated Len Deighton spy thrillers. "Likewise, on the 1976 edition dust jacket toCatch a Falling Spy,the novel features "Deighton's familiar hero, our bespectacled Englishman". A number of minor characters from the earlier novels also appear inSpy Story,further connecting the books.

Film adaptations

The Ipcress File

Main article:The Ipcress File (film)

The IPCRESS Filenovel came out just after the release of the firstJames BondfilmDr. No(1962). When the novel reached best-seller status,Eon Productionsfilm producersHarry SaltzmanandAlbert R. Broccoliapproached Deighton to write the script for the secondBondfilm,From Russia with Love(1963). Little of Deighton'sscreenplaywas actually used on the shoot. Saltzman decided instead to make use ofThe IPCRESS Filein the expectation of beginning a new secret agent film series. Unlike theBond films,The Ipcress Filewas designed to have a somewhat different, mostly rather naturalistic style, with hints of the kitchen sink school,film adaptations of which Saltzman had produced. Saltzman, however, also contracted crew members who had worked on the Bond films, including production designerKen Adam,film editorPeter Hunt,and film score composerJohn Barry.Michael Cainewas chosen to play the lead role.

In the film version, Harry Palmer is a British Armysergeantforcibly drafted into the security services to work away a prison sentence forblack marketeering.He worked first forArmy Intelligence,then theForeign Office.He works for the brilliant but slightly duplicitousColonel Ross.Harry Palmer has much in common with Deighton, including passions formilitary history(Harvey Newbegin complains about his bookshelf contents inBillion Dollar Brain),cooking,and classical music.

Sequels

After the release ofThe Ipcress File(1965), Saltzman's production company madeFuneral in Berlin(1966) andBillion Dollar Brain(1967), both starring Michael Caine. The second Harry Palmer novelHorse Under Waterwas not used. In 1976, Deighton's novelSpy Storywas filmed with Michael Petrovitch as 'Patrick Armstrong'; it is unrelated to Saltzman's Harry Palmer films.

In the mid-1990s, two further Harry Palmer films were released, this time with original screenplays and with Michael Caine returning to the role. These wereBullet to Beijing(1995) andMidnight in Saint Petersburg(1996). Despite sometimes being titledLen Deighton's Bullet to BeijingandLen Deighton's Midnight in St Petersburg,Deighton did not participate in the production of these films.

Allusions

Evidence of Michael Caine's popular identification as Harry Palmer can be seen in films such asBlue Ice(1992), where he plays an ex-spy named 'Harry', and who has many similarities to Harry Palmer.

Caine's Harry Palmer character (with the glasses, the girls, and disregard for authority) was an influence forMike Myers’ spy action comedy filmsAustin Powers.At Myers request, Caine starred inAustin Powers in Goldmember(2002), with his portrayal of Nigel Powers, father of secret agentAustin Powers,aspoofof Harry Palmer.

InKingsman: The Secret Service(2014), Caine portrays the bespectacled head of a secret espionage unit.

Television

In 2022,ITVreleased a six-parttelevision adaptationofThe Ipcress File,starringJoe Coleas Palmer.

External links

• Harry Palmer (Character) imdb.com