View source for Harry Palmer

{{Short description|Fictional secret agent}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox character
| series    = 
| name      = Harry Palmer
| image     = Michael-Caine-in-Helsinki-1967-c.jpg
| caption   = Michael Caine in 1967
| first     = ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' (1965)
| last      = ''[[Midnight in Saint Petersburg]]'' (1996)
| creator   = [[Len Deighton]]
| portrayer = [[Michael Caine]]<br>[[Joe Cole (actor)|Joe Cole]]
| lbl1      = 
| data1     = 
| family    =
| gender             = 
| nationality        =
}}

'''Harry Palmer''' is the name given to the [[anti-hero]] protagonist of several films based on [[spy novel]]s written by [[Len 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 Caine]] played Harry Palmer in three films based on published novels featuring this character: ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' (1965), ''[[Funeral in Berlin (film)|Funeral in Berlin]]'' (1966) and ''[[Billion Dollar Brain]]'' (1967). Caine also starred as this character in two other films not directly based on Deighton's novels.

''[[The Times]]'' called Caine "the epitome of Sixties cool in his first outing as the secret agent Harry Palmer".<ref>{{cite news |title=Classic film of the week: The Ipcress File (1965) |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/classic-film-of-the-week-the-ipcress-file-1965-386gnbsqgz5 |access-date=17 June 2022 |work=[[The Times]]|quote= Michael Caine is the epitome of Sixties cool in his first outing as the secret agent Harry Palmer. His cockney smarts, his horn-rimmed glasses}}</ref> A trailer for his second role as Palmer described him as possessing "horn rims, [[cockney]] wit and an iron fist".<ref>{{cite news |title=H – Opticians Soho |url=http://www.eye-company.co.uk/a-to-z-of-eyewear/h/ |access-date=18 June 2022 |work=The Eye Company}}</ref> The character's thick [[horn-rimmed glasses]], girls, and disregard for authority were cited by [[Mike Myers]] as an influence for ''[[Austin Powers]]''; Caine would later star in ''[[Austin Powers in Goldmember]]'' (2002), with his portrayal of Nigel Powers, father of secret agent [[Austin Powers (character)|Austin Powers]], a [[parody|spoof]] of Palmer.<ref name="Powers"/>

==Origin of the 'Harry Palmer' name==
When developing the 1965 film ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'', based on Len Deighton's 1962 [[The IPCRESS File|novel of the same name]], the production team needed a name for the previously [[Anonymity|anonymous]] protagonist, 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 from [[Ian Fleming]]'s [[James Bond]], the stereotypical sophisticated, swashbuckling spy.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Ipcress File: how a bespectacled 'anti-Bond' changed Michael Caine's life |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/ipcress-file-bespectacled-anti-bond-changed-michael-caines-life/ |access-date=22 June 2022 |work=The Telegraph|quote=They needed a name – “Harry Palmer” was Caine's idea – to make the spy sound as ordinary as possible. They wanted him to be a kind of anti Bond}}</ref> Caine stated at the time of filming that he knew a dull kid at school called "Palmer", with [[Harry Saltzman]] saying 'good, and what about a first name?', to which Caine innocently remarked "Harry", not realising his gaffe until seeing Saltzman's stare.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Caine|first1=Michael|author1-link=Michael Caine|title=What's It All About?|date=2012|publisher=Random House|location=London|isbn=978-1-4481-3648-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H8VbQbS7n78C|pages=205–206}}</ref>

==Appearances==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%;"
|-
! Novel
! Film
! Lead actor
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|rowspan="2"|''[[The IPCRESS File]]'' (1962)
|''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' (1965)
|[[Michael Caine]]
|
|-
|''[[The Ipcress File (TV series)|The Ipcress File]]'' (2022 TV series)
|[[Joe Cole (actor)|Joe Cole]]
|
|-
|''[[Horse Under Water]]'' (1963)
|colspan="1" style="background-color:lightgrey;" | &nbsp;
|colspan="1" style="background-color:lightgrey;" | &nbsp;
|Not adapted to a film
|-
|''[[Funeral in Berlin]]'' (1964)
|''[[Funeral in Berlin (film)|Funeral in Berlin]]'' (1966)
|Michael Caine
|
|-
|''[[Billion-Dollar Brain]]'' (1966)
| ''[[Billion Dollar Brain]]'' (1967)
|Michael Caine
|
|-
|''[[An Expensive Place to Die]]'' (1967) 
|colspan="1" style="background-color:lightgrey;" | &nbsp;
|colspan="1" style="background-color:lightgrey;" | &nbsp;
|Not adapted to a film
|-
|''[[Spy Story (novel)|Spy Story]]'' (1974)
|''[[Spy Story (film)|Spy Story]]'' (1976)
|Michael Petrovitch
|Character is renamed 'Patrick Armstrong'
|-
|''Yesterday's Spy'' (1975) 
|colspan="1" style="background-color:lightgrey;" | &nbsp;
|colspan="1" style="background-color:lightgrey;" | &nbsp;
|Not adapted to a film
|-
|''Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Spy'' (1976)
|colspan="1" style="background-color:lightgrey;" | &nbsp;
|colspan="1" style="background-color:lightgrey;" | &nbsp;
| North American title: ''Catch a Falling Spy''
|-
| colspan="1" rowspan="2" style="background-color:lightgrey;" | &nbsp;
|''[[Bullet to Beijing]]'' (1995)
|Michael Caine
| rowspan="2" | Not based on a Len Deighton novel
|-
|''[[Midnight in Saint Petersburg]]'' (1996)
|Michael Caine
|}

==Novels==
{{Primary sources section|date=October 2023}}
=== Early novels ===
Len Deighton introduced the lead character in ''[[The IPCRESS File]]'', his first novel, published in November 1962. In that [[first person narrative|first-person]] novel, 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."<ref name=ip2>{{cite book | last = Deighton | first = Len | title = The IPCRESS File | publisher = Ballantine | year = 1982 | pages = 31 | isbn = 0-345-30453-5}}</ref> Deighton's character is described as [[working class]], living in a back street flat and seedy hotels, and shopping in [[supermarket]]s. He wears [[eye glasses|glasses]], is hindered by [[bureaucracy]], and craves a pay rise. It is revealed in passing that he is from [[Burnley]], Lancashire, and that he was born in 1922 or 1923.<ref name="IPCRESS p25"/>

Further novels featuring this character followed, including ''[[Horse Under Water]]'' (1963), ''[[Funeral in Berlin]]'' (1964), ''[[Billion-Dollar Brain]]'' (1966), and ''[[An 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 to ''Horse 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 of [[Gourmet|fine food]] and [[Alcoholic drink|drink]], [[painting]], [[Classical music|classical]] and [[20th-century classical music|20th-century]] music, [[jazz]], [[military history]], and [[Latin]]. In ''Horse Under Water'', he is described as an expert on world currency.

===Later novels and discrepancies===
In 1974, the novel ''[[Spy Story (novel)|Spy Story]]'' was published, followed by ''Yesterday's Spy'' (1975), and ''Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Spy'' (1976) (also known as ''Catch a Falling Spy'' in 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 is 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 the ''Harry Palmer novels'', based on the protagonist's name given in the subsequent film adaptations of ''The IPCRESS File'' and its sequels.

Evidence for this narrator being different from the earlier novels comes from Deighton himself, who is quoted as saying that the narrator of ''Spy Story'' is not the same character as the narrator of ''The IPCRESS File''; in fact, for most of ''Spy 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,<ref>{{cite book | last = Deighton | first = Len | title = Spy Story | publisher = [[Harcourt Brace Jovanovich]] | year = 1974 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/spystorydeig00deig/page/127 127] | url = https://archive.org/details/spystorydeig00deig/page/127 | isbn = 0-15-184838-6 | url-access = registration }} ''"... he turned for a better view of me,... late thirties, spectacles, clean shaven, dark hair, about six foot..."''</ref> whereas the narrator of ''The IPCRESS File'' was born in 1922 or 1923<ref name="IPCRESS p25">''The IPCRESS File'', p. 25. ''"For example; take the time my picture appeared in The Burnley Daily Gazette in July 1939, when I won the fifth form mathematics prize"''</ref> (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 of ''Spy 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-selling ''Horse Under Water'', ''Funeral in Berlin'', and the rest of those marvellous, celebrated Len Deighton spy thrillers." Likewise, on the 1976 edition dust jacket to ''Catch a Falling Spy'', the novel features "Deighton's familiar hero, our bespectacled Englishman". A number of minor characters from the earlier novels also appear in ''Spy Story'', further connecting the books.

==Film adaptations==

===''The Ipcress File''===
{{main|The Ipcress File (film)}}

''The IPCRESS File'' novel came out just after the release of the first [[James Bond (character)|James Bond]] film ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'' (1962). When the novel reached best-seller status, [[Eon Productions]] [[film producer]]s [[Harry Saltzman]] and [[Albert R. Broccoli]] approached Deighton to write the script for the second [[James Bond|Bond]] film, ''[[From Russia with Love (film)|From Russia with Love]]'' (1963). Little of Deighton's [[screenplay]] was actually used on the shoot. Saltzman decided instead to make use of ''The IPCRESS File'' in the expectation of beginning a new secret agent film series. Unlike the [[James Bond (film series)|Bond films]], ''The Ipcress File'' was designed to have a somewhat different, mostly rather naturalistic style, with hints of the [[Kitchen sink realism|
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 designer [[Ken Adam]], film editor [[Peter R. Hunt|Peter Hunt]], and film score composer [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]].<ref name="Angelini">{{cite news|last=Angelini|first=Sergio|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/459866/|title=Ipcress File, The (1965)|work=BFI Screenonline|access-date=20 May 2018}}</ref> [[Michael Caine]] was chosen to play the lead role.

In the film version, Harry Palmer is a British Army [[sergeant]] forcibly drafted into the security services to work away a prison sentence for [[black market]]eering. He worked first for [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Army Intelligence]], then the [[Foreign Office]]. He works for the brilliant but slightly duplicitous [[Colonel Ross]]. Harry Palmer has much in common with Deighton, including passions for [[military history]] (Harvey Newbegin complains about his bookshelf contents in ''Billion Dollar Brain''), [[cooking]], and classical music.

=== Sequels ===
After the release of ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' (1965), Saltzman's production company made ''[[Funeral in Berlin (film)|Funeral in Berlin]]'' (1966) and ''[[Billion Dollar Brain]]'' (1967), both starring Michael Caine. The second Harry Palmer novel ''[[Horse Under Water]]'' was not used. In 1976, Deighton's novel ''[[Spy Story (novel)|Spy Story]]'' was 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 were ''[[Bullet to Beijing]]'' (1995) and ''[[Midnight in Saint Petersburg]]'' (1996). Despite sometimes being titled ''Len Deighton's Bullet to Beijing'' and ''Len 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 as ''[[Blue Ice (film)|Blue 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 for [[Mike Myers]]’ spy action comedy films ''[[Austin Powers]]''.<ref name="Powers">{{cite news |title=Michael Caine: Austin Powers in Goldmember |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/07/17/michael_caine_austin_powers_goldmember_interview.shtml |access-date=20 October 2019 |agency=BBC}}</ref> At Myers's request, Caine starred in ''[[Austin Powers in Goldmember]]'' (2002), with his portrayal of Nigel Powers, father of secret agent [[Austin Powers (character)|Austin Powers]], a [[parody|spoof]] of Harry Palmer.<ref name="Powers"/>

In ''[[Kingsman: The Secret Service]]'' (2014), Caine portrays the bespectacled head of a secret espionage unit.

==Television==
{{main article|The Ipcress File (TV series)}}
A television adaptation [[The Ipcress File (TV series)|of the same name]], directed by [[James Watkins (director)|James Watkins]] and starring [[Joe Cole (actor)|Joe Cole]] as Palmer, premiered on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] on 6 March 2022.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.imdb.com/character/ch0021349/ Harry Palmer (Character) imdb.com]

{{Len Deighton}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Harry}}
[[Category:"Unnamed hero" novels| ]]
[[Category:Fictional British spies]]
[[Category:Fictional British Army personnel]]
[[Category:Fictional private investigators]]
[[Category:Fictional sergeants]]
[[Category:Fictional English people]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1962]]
[[Category:Male characters in film]]
[[Category:Characters in British novels of the 20th century]]
[[Category:Cold War in popular culture]]
[[Category:Book series]]