In Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, the ghostly figure of the Stephen King adaptation tells his young protégé to look up a tasteless screenwriter starlet joke online, and the gag illustrates the movie’s deeper themes. Mr. Harrigan’s Phone tells the story of Craig (Jaeden Martell, Stephen King’s It) a young man who is hired to read for the reclusive elderly billionaire Mr. Harrigan. Craig buys Mr. Harrigan an iPhone and, when the old man dies, Mr. Harrigan’s spirit uses the device to kill Craig’s enemies from beyond the grave.
After his death and before he begins communicating with and haunting Craig, Mr. Harrigan leaves the young man a letter and a massive sum of money. In the letter, he tells Craig to pursue whatever career he wants but warns him against screenwriting (the job that Craig most recently expressed an interest in). Mr. Harrigan is obsessed with power and obliquely informs Craig that there is no power to be gained as a screenwriter by telling him to look up an old screenwriter starlet joke online. The joke isn’t revealed before the ending of Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.
What Is The Screenwriter Starlet Joke?
The real-life screenwriter starlet joke states “There is a starlet so dumb that she slept with the screenwriter in hopes of advancing her career.” The joke is intended to illustrate that screenwriters are the least powerful people in Hollywood and plays into the movie’s themes around the pursuit of power and its preeminence in Mr. Harrigan’s mind. Despite the idea of sexual politics in the movie industry, most screenwriters laugh at the joke because it’s less about someone sleeping her way to the top and more about how screenwriters mean next to nothing in Hollywood. What seems to be a throwaway line helps strengthen the underlying message of the film.
Why Mr. Harrigan Told Craig To Look Up The Screenwriter Starlet Joke
The joke is another illustration of Mr. Harrigan’s views on power. He warns Craig not to sacrifice potential power by following his dreams, and instead to follow in Mr. Harrigan’s path and ruthlessly pursue material gains at the expense of his friendships, social life, and happiness. The impressionable Craig accepts the screenwriter starlet joke and abandons the career, proving Mr. Harrigan can still manipulate his protégé from beyond the grave. This pattern continues throughout the Netflix Stephen King adaptation as Craig messages Mr. Harrigan’s phone after the old man’s passing and the restless spirit of his mentor metes out gruesome justice on Craig’s enemies.
How The Joke Helped Change Craig’s Career Choice
Craig ultimately goes to school for journalism instead of screenwriting. He uses the journalistic skills he obtains to learn about Mr. Harrigan’s involvement in Deane Whitmoore’s death. Gaining solid proof, Craig throws away the dead man’s phone to avoid the temptation of summoning him again. Ironically, it is Craig’s decision to follow Mr. Harrigan’s advice that frees him from the old man’s clutches. Craig wouldn’t have found out Mr. Harrigan was involved in Whitmoore’s death if it weren’t for his experience as a reporter. At the end of King’s Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, it is Mr. Harrigan’s joke that indirectly leads his protégé to disavow the powerful villain.
