It was 1976. Columbia Pictures had a massive problem. They’d just spent a fortune—somewhere around $16 million, which was a huge chunk of change back then—on a period piece called Harry and Walter Go to New York. It had James Caan. It had Elliott Gould. It even had Michael Caine and Diane Keaton. On paper, it was the "Ocean’s Eleven" of the seventies, a surefire hit designed to capitalize on the nostalgia craze.
But it tanked.
I’ve spent way too much time looking into why some movies just... evaporate. You’ve probably never heard of this one, or if you have, it’s because you saw it on a late-night TCM broadcast and wondered why Michael Caine was wearing such a ridiculous mustache. It’s a fascinating case study in how "star power" doesn’t always translate to "good cinema," especially when the tone is as messy as a dropped lasagna.
What Was Harry and Walter Go to New York Even Trying to Be?
Basically, it’s a heist comedy. Or a buddy flick. Honestly, it tries to be both and misses the mark on both counts. James Caan and Elliott Gould play Harry Dighby and Walter Hill, two bottom-tier vaudevillians who are pretty much terrible at everything they do. They end up in jail, where they meet Adam Worth (Michael Caine), a sophisticated, high-society bank robber.
The plot is thin. Harry and Walter decide they’re going to pull off a job bigger than anything Worth has ever done. They want to rob the Lowell Bank in New York. Along the way, they run into Diane Keaton, playing a radical newspaper editor named Lissa Chestnut.
Think about that cast for a second.
You’ve got the guy from The Godfather, the guy from MASH*, the guy from The Italian Job, and the woman from Annie Hall. Mark Rydell, who directed The Reivers and later On Golden Pond, was at the helm. It should have been effortless. Instead, it feels like everyone is trying way too hard to have a good time, and the audience is just left sitting there, uninvited to the party.
The Budget Bloat and Production Woes
One of the weirdest things about Harry and Walter Go to New York is how expensive it looks. They built these massive, intricate sets to replicate 1890s New York. We're talking full-scale street scenes.
Back in the mid-seventies, Hollywood was obsessed with the past. The Sting had just cleaned up at the Oscars a few years prior, so every studio executive thought the secret sauce was "men in bowlers hats talking fast." But The Sting had chemistry. It had a tight script by David S. Ward.
Harry and Walter had a script that went through several hands, including John Byrum and Robert Kaufman. It shows. The dialogue often feels like it's waiting for a laugh track that never arrives. Caan and Gould have great chemistry in real life—they were famously buddies—but on screen here, they’re just loud. Just constantly shouting.
Why the Critics Hated It
Vincent Canby, the legendary New York Times critic, wasn't kind. He basically called it a "monumental" waste of time. When the critics turn on a big-budget movie that’s supposed to be "fun," it’s usually the kiss of death.
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It wasn't just the critics, though. The tone was the real killer. It swings from slapstick—like, literal slipping on banana peels vibe—to these weirdly serious moments about social justice and the plight of the working class via Diane Keaton's character. You can't really do both effectively unless you're a genius like Billy Wilder. Mark Rydell? Not a slapstick guy. He was much better at quiet, character-driven dramas.
The movie feels bloated. It’s nearly two hours long. For a lighthearted heist romp? That’s an eternity.
The Michael Caine Factor
If there is a reason to watch Harry and Walter Go to New York today, it’s Michael Caine. He’s playing a version of the gentleman thief he could do in his sleep, but he’s the only one who seems to understand the movie needs a bit of restraint.
He plays Adam Worth with this oily, arrogant charm that makes you wish the whole movie was just about him. Interestingly, Adam Worth was a real person—a famous Victorian-era criminal often cited as the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes' nemesis, Professor Moriarty. But the movie doesn’t really care about history. It just cares about putting Caine in fancy suits.
The 1970s Context: A Changing Hollywood
To understand why Harry and Walter Go to New York flopped so hard, you have to look at what else was happening in 1976.
This was the year of Taxi Driver.
This was the year of All the President's Men.
This was the year of Network.
Cinema was getting gritty, cynical, and deeply intellectual. The "New Hollywood" revolution was in full swing. Audiences wanted to see Robert De Niro descending into madness or Dustin Hoffman uncovering a political conspiracy. They didn't really want to see two guys in stage makeup doing bad soft-shoe routines and failing to rob a bank.
It felt dated the moment it hit theaters. It was a 1940s musical comedy script trapped in a 1970s production budget.
Is It Actually Worth a Watch Now?
Kinda.
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If you’re a film nerd, it’s worth seeing just for the sheer scale of the failure. It’s not a "bad" movie in the way something like The Room is bad. It’s professionally made. The cinematography by László Kovács (who did Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces) is actually gorgeous. The lighting is warm and rich.
But it’s hollow.
It’s like eating a giant pile of cotton candy. It looks big and colorful, but five minutes later, you’re still hungry and your teeth kind of hurt.
However, seeing Diane Keaton right before she became a massive icon in Annie Hall is interesting. She’s playing a character that feels like a rough draft for the roles she’d eventually master. She’s quirky, fast-talking, and smarter than everyone else in the room.
Lessons for Modern Filmmakers
There’s a lot to learn from the wreckage of Harry and Walter Go to New York.
First, casting isn't everything. You can put the four biggest stars in the world in a room, but if the script doesn't give them a reason to be there, the audience will sense the boredom. Caan and Gould were clearly having a blast, but that didn't translate to the seats in the theater.
Second, watch your tone. If you're making a comedy, let it be funny. If you're making a heist movie, let it be tense. When you try to make a "prestige comedy heist period piece," you usually end up with a mess.
Finally, budget doesn't equal quality. That $16 million could have funded ten indie movies that year. Instead, it went into building a New York street that looked great but felt empty.
Actionable Takeaways for Cinephiles
If you’re going to dive into this era of film, don't start here. But if you do decide to watch it, here’s how to get the most out of it:
- Watch it as a "Double Feature" with The Sting. You'll immediately see the difference between a movie that understands its rhythm and one that’s searching for it.
- Focus on the Production Design. Seriously, ignore the plot for a second and just look at the background. The attention to detail in the 1890s recreation is legitimately impressive.
- Compare the Performances. Look at how James Caan plays "funny" here versus his more nuanced work. It’s a great example of an actor being misdirected.
- Check out the Soundtrack. David Shire did the music, and it’s actually quite good. It captures that ragtime, turn-of-the-century feel perfectly, even if the movie doesn’t.
In the end, Harry and Walter Go to New York remains a footnote. It’s a reminder that even the Golden Age of the 70s had its share of expensive stumbles. It’s a movie that went to New York and forgot to bring a reason for the trip.
To truly understand this period of Hollywood, look for the films that took risks and succeeded, but keep an eye on the ones like this. They tell us just as much about what the industry thought people wanted—and how wrong they could be.
If you want to explore more 70s cinema, look into the filmography of Elliott Gould during this period. Films like The Long Goodbye or California Split show what he was capable of when the material actually matched his energy. Comparing those to Harry and Walter is the best film school education you can get for free.