Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? is a 1971 comedy-drama film written by Herb Gardner and Ulu Grosbard and directed by Grosbard, with songs by Shel Silverstein. The cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Barbara Harris, Jack Warden, and Dom DeLuise.
Georgie Soloway (Hoffman) is a wealthy, successful rock songwriter who worries he's losing his mind and regularly contemplates suicide. His sleep deprivation causes him to experience vivid hallucinations as he goes about his day. To make matters even worse, a stranger named Harry Kellerman is ruining Georgie's love life by calling every woman who's interested in him and spreading wild rumors about him.
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? contains examples of:
- Flashback: Much of the movie consists of flashbacks to Georgie's previous relationships.
- Freudian Couch: Georgie lies on a backless couch during his visits to his therapist, Dr. Moses (Warden).
- Friendly Address Privileges: When Dr. Moses calls Georgie "Mr. Soloway," Georgie says, "Chrissake, I mean, seven years and you're still calling me Mr. Soloway. Aren't we buddies yet?" Dr. Moses calls him George after that.
- The Insomniac: Thanks to his stress over Harry Kellerman, Georgie has barely slept in days.
- Lens Flare: Seen in the final scene of Georgie flying his plane before committing suicide by crashing it.
- Nap-Inducing Speak: Georgie has his long-suffering accountant Irwin (DeLuise) read the quarterly earnings report to him because it's the only way he can get to sleep.
- No Medication for Me: Georgie refuses to take anything Dr. Moses prescribes, even sleeping pills.Georgie: I come to you in flames and you treat me for sunburn. All I need is my songs. You and your goddamn pills.
- Novelization: By screenwriter Herb Gardner.
- Off-into-the-Distance Ending: The last shot is of Georgie and Dr. Moses skiing off together across a snowy landscape after Georgie's suicide.
- Questioning Title?: The title is a question.
- Wrong-Name Outburst: Georgie's ex-wife Gloria (Rose Gregorio) left him partly because he called her "Jan" and later "Sandra" during sex.
