Harry and the Hendersons (1987)

Director:

William Dear

Writers:

William Dear (written by)
Bill Martin (written by)

Release Date:

5 June 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Comedy

Tagline:

When you can't believe your eyes, trust your heart.

Plot:

Returning from a hunting trip in the forest, the Henderson family's car hits an animal in the road. At first they fear it was a man...

Plot Keywords:

Bigfoot | Animal Rampage | Bad Smell | Seattle Washington | Freaked Out

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

John Lithgow	...	George Henderson
Melinda Dillon	...	Nancy Henderson
Margaret Langrick	...	Sarah Henderson
Joshua Rudoy	...	Ernie Henderson
Kevin Peter Hall	...	Harry
Lainie Kazan	...	Irene Moffat
Don Ameche	...	Dr. Wallace Wrightwood
M. Emmet Walsh	...	George Henderson Sr.
Bill Ontiverous	...	Sgt. Mancini
David Richardt	...	Dirty Harry Officer
Jacqueline Moscou	...	DMV Clerk
Laura Kenny	...	'Mouse' Woman
Richard Arnold	...	'Mouse' Spouse
Sean Morgan	...	Jerry Seville
Nick Flynn	...	Stuart

Also Known As:

Bigfoot (Philippines: English title)
Bigfoot and the Hendersons (UK)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Index, Washington, USA

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

According to cryptozoologist Loren Coleman, some characters in the film are based to varying degrees on actual figures in the search for Sasquatch. "Jacques LaFleur" (David Suchet) is a nod to the late Canadian Rene Dahinden, and "Dr. Wallace Wrightwood" (Don Ameche) combines some qualities of John Green, Peter Byrne and the late Dr. Grover Krantz.

Goofs:

Continuity: On the freeway, all of the vehicles in the first shots of LaFluer speeding towards the Hendersons in George's station wagon are stationary, despite many of them being way back before the impending traffic jam with huge gaps between them.

Quotes:

George Henderson: [Pins LaFleur against his car] Listen to me. You're wrong. I was like you! I almost killed him myself. But it would've been murder. He's not an animal!
Nancy Henderson: He's our friend!
Dr. Wallace Wrightwood: For God's sake, Jocko, open your eyes.
Jacques LaFleur: Are you people out of your minds? You think I'm going to stop now? I'm going to kill him.
George Henderson: [Begins slamming LaFleur against the car] You're not gonna kill him! You're not gonna hurt him! I won't let you! I'll kill you first...
[Harry pushes George and LaFleur apart]
Jacques LaFleur: [Pointing to George] Don't let him kill me. Don't let him kill me.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "30 Rock: Goodbye, My Friend (#3.13)" (2009)

Just as good as E.T.!

I really love this movie! It's one of the best I've seen in a long time. I'm sure I'll watch it over and over. To me the best movies are movies that make you laugh and make you cry. "Harry" is a classic family show, one I'll save for the grandchildren. My children love it as much as I do. John Lithgow gives one of his many excellent performances. I also love "Third Rock".

Harry is good, too. His facial expressions are great!

It would be wonderful to see a sequel to "Harry". Something with Harry and his family hosting a human? I recommend this movie to anyone with children. It's just as good as "E.T."