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Harvey (1950) 8.0
Elwood P. Dowd is a mild-mannered, pleasant man, who just happens (he says) to have an invisible friend resembling a 6-foot rabbit. Director:Henry Koster |
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| James Stewart | ... | ||
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Josephine Hull | ... | |
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Peggy Dow | ... | |
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Charles Drake | ... | |
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Cecil Kellaway | ... | |
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Victoria Horne | ... | |
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Jesse White | ... | |
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William H. Lynn | ... |
Judge Gaffney
(as William Lynn)
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Wallace Ford | ... | |
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Nana Bryant | ... | |
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Grayce Mills | ... |
Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet
(as Grace Mills)
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Clem Bevans | ... |
Mr. Herman Shimelplatzer
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Gino Corrado | ... |
Eccentric Man
(scenes deleted)
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Jack Curtis | ... |
(scenes deleted)
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Ida Moore | ... |
Mrs. McGiff
(scenes deleted)
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
The classic stage hit gets the Hollywood treatment in the story of Elwood P. Dowd who makes friends with a spirit taking the form of a human-sized rabbit named Harvey that only he sees (and a few privileged others on occasion also.) After his sister tries to commit him to a mental institution, a comedy of errors ensues. Elwood and Harvey become the catalysts for a family mending its wounds and for romance blossoming in unexpected places. Written by Dale Roloff
Taglines:
The Wonderful Pulitzer Prize Play... becomes one of the Great Motion Pictures of our Time!Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
13 October 1950 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Mein Freund Harvey See more »Filming Locations:
Colonial Mansion, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The original Broadway production of "Harvey" by Mary Chase opened on November 1, 1944 at the 48th Street Theatre, ran for 1775 performances and won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1945. See more »Goofs
In the daytime scenes at Chumley's Rest, shadows are seen of the actors and props that clearly go against the dominant natural light. See more »Quotes
Mr. Cracker, the Bartender: [to Wilson] One more peep outta you, weisenheimer, and I'll butter your necktie.See more »
There are too many aspects of Harvey to analyse. This is a typical example of a film being incredibly deceptive. On the outside the film is a light hearted comedy but when looking at it closely it is very clearly a serious social commentary of it's time, and indeed of the present time (for the same prejudices still exist today).
Harvey is a "pooka" ( a mischievous spirit) that manifests itself as a six foot white rabbit. Only Elwood P. Dowd can see Harvey and it is from this that the underlying dark story of an alcoholic's friendship with an invisible spirit blends itself in to comic fantasy.
The comic side to the film opens up the subject of prejudice and peoples fear of what is different from themselves. Elwood P Dowd is seen as insane by his sister, neice and the public and yet he is not a killer, he is not an angry or violent man. What he is, however, is a happy, cheerful and exremely pleasant gentleman who takes great pleasure in trying to make other people happy with the aid of a six foot white rabbit.
The film's success, in my mind, is entirely on the shoulders of James Stewart who's portrayal of the eccentric Elwwod P Dowd is exceptionally moving and fulfilling. He is surrounded by an outstanding supporting cast and one of the best scripts in movie history.
If this does not sound appealing to you, I urge you to watch Dowd's comments regarding Harvey outside the bar. This speech never fails to bring a lump in my throat. Not because it is sad but because it is such an innocent speech (delivered superbly by Stewart).
To me, Harvey has a hidden message to the audience,
"Elwood P. Dowd does not see life as it is, but life as it should be!!
Shoudn't we all see life like this?"