ThemurderofDr.HermanTarnower,awealthycardiologistandauthorofthepopularCompleteScarsdaleMedicalDiet,obtainedinternationalnewscoverageinearlyspringof1980.JeanStruvenHarris,headmistressofMadeiraSchoolandhisloverof14years,wastried,convicted,andsentencedfor15years-to-lifewithoutparole.HersentencewascommutedinDecember1992.ThisarticlecallsattentiontooverlookedpublicdataonJeanHarris’attractiontothe1946filmGilda,andtoherrepetitiveandcontinuousmentalrecallofthehitfilmsonginterpretedbyRitaHayworthforover33years.Thefilmandsongmaterialareviewedfromapsychodynamicperspective,underscoringparallelswiththiscase.
Keywords:Tarnower;inducedsongrecall;appliedpsychoanalysis;criminalcase;psychopathology.
Cinemaisasupremelyvalidsourceoffreeassociation,apowerfultouchstoneintotheunconscious.Themovies,likewakingdreams,interpreteveryaspectofourlives--theunquietpast,thetroubledpresent,ouranxiouspremonitionsofthefuture,ourneuroticconflicts,andourinspiredgropingstowardlight(p.3).
RitaHayworthinGilda,slinkingacrossthestagesheathedinblack,tossingherlonghair,grindingherhips,twirlingherlongblackgloves,andsmilingprovocativelyasshesang:PuttheblameonMame,boys,puttheblameonMame.Mamekissedabuyerfromoutoftown,thatkissburnedChicagodown,soyoucanputtheblameonMame,boys...(p.22,italicsinoriginal).
Soonafter,MargeJacobson,herclosefriend,introducedtheforty-threeyearoldattractivedivorceetothefifty-sixyearoldJewishbachelor,Dr.Herman(Hi)Tarnower,atadinnerpartyinherhome.Mutualattractionwasimmediateandcourtshipensuedwiththeirengagementannouncedtwomonthslater.YetHarris,notwantingherkidstochangeschoolsagain,postponeditforoneyear,whichbecametwo,andbythenTarnowerfailedtofollowthroughtomarriage.Harrishidhershockandhurt.Nevertheless,inlovewithhim,shecompromisedherprinciplesbycontinuingtherelationshiponhisterms.
Evidently,HarrisconsideredheruseofthisfavoritesongsoimportantthatsherevealedittoAlexander.WhythissongbecametheperfectmentalweaponforHarrisin1946,however,willremainasecretwhichonlycouldhavebeenuncoveredwithherfreeassociationsandinterpretedinpsychoanalyticallyinformedclinicalsessions.Somebasicprinciplesforinterpretingsongrecallandafewhypothesesfollow.
PsychoanalyticPerspectives
Ifanyonetakesthetrouble,asJung(1907)andMaeder(1909)havedone,tonotethetuneshefindshimselfhumming,unintentionallyandoftenwithoutnoticingheisdoingso,hewillprettyregularlybeabletodiscovertheconnectionbetweenthewordsofthesongandasubjectthatisoccupyinghismind[latterreferenceaddedin1910](Freud,1901/1960,p.215).
Thepuzzlingphenomenonofthehauntingmelodypresentsitselftothepsychologistasanartisticexpressioninthesecretserviceofthesamedrivesandimpulseswhichcreateobsessivethoughtsastheirpathologicalcounterpart....Thehauntingmelodycanbetriflingandinsignificant,buttheemotionsandproblemsexpressedinitsemergencearealwaysmeaningful.Theyreflecttheconcealedbasicdemandsofthedrivesandfearsofthepersonandseektoconveyhismostimportantinterestsandimpulses(Reik,1953,p.167).
Muchofmentallife--includingtheconstructionofthoughts,memories,feelings,andmotives--occursthroughaparallelconstraintsatisfactionprocessinvolvingbothcognitiveconstraintsimposedbysensoryinformationandpastexperience,andaffectiveconstraintscomprisedofwishes,fears,andaffectsassociatedwithrepresentations.Thus,atanygiventime,multiplerepresentations,componentsofrepresentations,andaffectivemotivationalprocesseswillcompete,conflict,andcollaborateoutsideofawareness.Theresultingbehaviors,feelings,andconsciousrepresentationsreflectcompromisesamongtheseunconsciouslyactivatedprocesses.Inthissense,everyactofthoughtandmemoryissimultaneouslyanactofaffectregulation(p.92).
Gilda
TrialErrors
AccordingtoAlexander,JoelMartinAurnou,herdefenselawyermadetoomanymistakes.AshefailedtounderstandHarris,hewasunabletomakethejurycomprehendherbehavior.Hisdefensewasunbelievable,andhefailedtorealizetheimpactoftheScarsdaleLetter.Hedidnotofferthejurytheoptionoffirstdegreemanslaughter--mercyoption.HedidnotprepareHarrisforthetrial,andthementalhealthprofessionalswhotestedandtreatedherwerenotcalledtotestify,amongmanyothererrors.
Itislamentablethatasamemberoftheeducationalsystemwherepsychologicalhelpistraditionallyavailable,Harrisdidnotengageinprofessionaltreatmentwhichwouldhaveunmaskedherhidden,undiagnosedlong-standingdepression,andprovidedherwithappropriatemedication--notDesoxyn(speed).AlexanderreportedthatjustonceinfourteenyearsHarrishadreachedouttoapsychiatricsocialworkerinConnecticutwhoshehadmetatanotherschool,askingifandwhenhewouldbeinNewYork.Thoughhewaswillingtochangehisplanstomeether,shedidnotopenuponthephone,andnevercalledagain.EvenmorelamentableisthatTarnower,supposedlyacaringdoctor,failedtoreferhertoacolleagueinthemedicalprofession--apsychiatristorpsychoanalyst.
Peoplewhohabituallyblamethemselves,asHarris,mayinducetheblamingresponseinothers,likeaself-fulfillingprophesy.Additionaltobeingignorantaboutthecriminallawandthejusticesystem,shewasinnomentalconditiontomakedecisionsonhowtoconductherowntrial.
ClosingReflections
References
Alexander,S.(1983).Verymuchalady:TheuntoldstoryofJeanHarrisandHermanTarnower.Boston:Little,Brown.
DiazdeChumaceiro,C.L.(1987).Inducedsongrecall:Adiagnosticandpsychotherapeutictechnique.TheUnionInstitute.DissertationAbstractsInternational40/03B,p.911.UniversityMicrofilmsInternational88-07026.
_________(1990).Songsofthecountertransferenceinpsychotherapydyads.AmericanJournalofPsychoanalysis,50,75-89.
_________(1993).Parapraxesinsongrecall:Aneglectedvariable.AmericanJournalofPsychoanalysis,53,225-235.
_________(1998).Inducedrecalloffilmmusic:Anoverlookedmirroroftransference-countertransferenceinteractions.AmericanJournalofPsychoanalysis,58,313-327.
_________(1999).Inducedrecallofmusicinabiographicalfilmofagreatpoet.JournalofPoetryTherapy,12,203-210.
_________(2001a).Unconsciousethnicityininducedsongrecall:Aresearchcaserevisited.JournalofPoetryTherapy,15,71-78.
Edelson,M.(1998).WhatisthismoviedoinginthispsychoanalyticsessionJournalofClinicalPsychoanalysis,7,5-47.
Fisher,D.,&Roberts,A.(1946).PuttheBlameonMame.NewYork:SunMusic,1946.DorisFisherMusic,1973.
Freud,S.(1901).Thepsychopathologyofeverydaylife.StandardEdition,6.London:HogarthPress,1960.
Gabbard,G.(1997).Thepsychoanalystatthemovies.InternationalJournalofPsycho-Analysis,78,429-434.
Greenberg,H.R.(1975).Themoviesinyourmind:Filmclassicsonthecouch,fromFellinitoFrankenstein.NewYork:SaturdayReviewPress/E.P.Dutton.
Hannett,F.(1964).Thehauntinglyric:ThepersonalandsocialsignificanceofAmericanpopularsongs.PsychoanalyticQuarterly,33:226-269.
Harris,J.(1986).Strangerintwoworlds.NewYork:ZebraBooks,KensingtonPublishersCorp.
Harris,J.(1993).Markingtime.NewYork:ZebraBooks,KensingtonPublishersCorp.
Horowitz,N.M.(2001).WhydopeoplestayinhatefulrelationshipsTheconceptofmalignantvindictiveness.TheAmericanJournalofPsychoanalysis,61,143-160.
Jung,C.G.(1907).Thepsychologyofdementiapraecox.NewYorkandWashington:NervousandMentalDiseasePublishingCo.,1936.
Kaplan,A.E.(Ed.)(1998).Womeninfilmnoir.2nded.London:BritishFilmInstitute(Originalpublication1978).
Livingston,J.(1996).Loveandillusion.PsychoanalyticQuarterly,65,548-560.
Maeder,A.(1909).UnevoienouvelleenpsychologieFreudetsonecole.Coenobium,3:100.
Menard,V.(1997).LusciousLatinas.Hispanic,10(5),p.20,5p,6c,1bw.
People(1996,May6).ClassicPinups.Vol.45,Issue18.
Reik,T.(1953).Thehauntingmelody:Psychoanalyticexperiencesinlifeandmusic.NewYork:Farrar,Straus&Young.
Rosenbaum,J.B.(1963).Songsofthetransference.AmericanImago,20,257-269.
Sack,K.(1992,December30).ClemencygiventoJeanHarrisinmurdercase.NewYorkTimes,Vol.142,Issue49196,p.A1.
Schaefer,G.(Producer).(1981).ThePeoplevs.JeanHarris(TheTrueStory).[Televisionfilm].VHSVIVE65544.InternationalVideoEntertainment.
Spencer,D.(1981).Lovegonewrong:TheJeanHarrisScarsdalemurdercase.NewYork:SignetBook,NewAmericanLibrary.
Tarnower,H.(1979).ThecompleteScarsdalemedicaldiet.NY.Bantam.
Trilling,D.(1981).Mrs.Harris:TheScarsdaleDietdoctormurder.NewYork&London:HarcourtBraceJovanovich.
VanUpp,V.(Producer),&Vidor,C.(Director).(1946).Gilda[Motionpicture].UnitedStates:ColumbiaPictures.
VanUpp,V.(Producer),&Vidor,C.(Director).(1986).Gilda.[VHS60194Motionpicture]Burbank,CA:RCA/ColumbiaPicturesHomeVideo.[DVD28999]Columbia/Tristar7November2000.
Westen,D.,&Gabbard,G.O.(2002a).Developmentsincognitiveneuroscience:I.Conflict,compromise,andconnectionism.JournaloftheAmericanPsychoanalyticAssociation,50,53-98.