Harvey (1950)

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Mary Chase (play)
Mary Chase (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 October 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

The Wonderful Pulitzer Prize Play... becomes one of the Great Motion Pictures of our Time!

Plot:

Elwood P. Dowd is a mild-mannered, pleasant man, who just happens (he says) to have an invisible friend resembling a 6-foot rabbit.

Plot Keywords:

Rabbit | Mental Institution | Judge | Telephone | Eccentric

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

James Stewart	...	Elwood P. Dowd
Josephine Hull	...	Veta Louise Simmons
Peggy Dow	...	Miss Kelly - Nurse
Charles Drake	...	Dr. Sanderson
Cecil Kellaway	...	Dr. Chumley
Victoria Horne	...	Myrtle Mae Simmons
Jesse White	...	Wilson - sanitarium orderly
William H. Lynn	...	Judge Gaffney (as William Lynn)
Wallace Ford	...	Cabbie Lofgren
Nana Bryant	...	Mrs. Hazel Chumley
Grayce Mills	...	Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet (as Grace Mills)
Clem Bevans	...	Herman - Sanitarium gatekeeper
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gino Corrado	...	Eccentric Man (scenes deleted)
Jack Curtis	...	(scenes deleted)
Ida Moore	...	Mrs. McGiff (scenes deleted)
Billy Wayne	...	Man in Car (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:G (Ontario) | Australia:G | South Korea:All (2003) | Argentina:13 | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #14694) | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Prior to the release of Harvey (1950), a press release reported that Francis the Talking Mule would have a cameo appearance in the movie. James Stewart, as Elwood P.Dowd, was to walk past Francis, and Francis was to "speak". Elwood would turn, in order to respond, but Francis would rebuke him, stating that he was talking to the big rabbit.

Goofs:

Continuity: Elwood's hands change position when Dr. Sanderson 'meets' Harvey.

Quotes:

Mailman: Beautiful day...
Elwood P. Dowd: Oh, every day is a beautiful day.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV)

A moving story of a man and his pooka...

To tell you the truth, I had no idea HARVEY would be this good, but it was. It's not an incredibly deep film, just good-natured.

I'm not sure if these next comments will throw a lot of people off, but I wonder about the controversial nature of the story as well, particularly for a movie made in the 1950's. I mean, after all, this is a movie that does touch on topics of alcoholism, mental illness, spirits, Celtic mythology, and magic. C'mon, we live in a society where Harry Potter cannot exist without receiving a light pounding.

I was also impressed with the development of the Elwood P. Dowd character as portrayed by James Stewart. I just love how the movie shows how he touches the lives of everyone around him. In an age of cinema where supporting characters are immediately cast off after being introduced, I don't think there is a single supporting actor whose character is not developed in this film. I particularly liked the relationship between the doctor and Elwood. I can honestly say that Elwood P. Dowd is one of the most memorable characters I have come across in film along with Molly the Gangster in Charley Varrick and Hal the Computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I also think this movie does an excellent job highlighting those who do represent the salt of the earth in our society, even if they do exhibit behavior that is outside social norms. This is a very good film. See it with a pooka!