Harvey (1950)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

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 | Party | Business Card | Newspaper

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:

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: The cab used to bring Elwood to Chumley's Rest was the same cab that was used to bring everyone back later in the night. However, the cab drivers changed in just those 4 hours. While it is possible that Wallace Ford's character took over the cab, it is a huge coincidence at best.

Quotes:

Wilson: Who's Harvey?
Miss Kelly: A white rabbit, six feet tall.
Wilson: Six feet?
Elwood P. Dowd: Six feet three and a half inches. Now let's stick to the facts.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

"I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whoever I'm with".

A wonderful comedy-drama starring the immensely talented James Stuart as kind hearted Elwood P. Dowd, a man who has refused to be ruled by life. The brilliance of this film is the subtlety of the story and the layers of the character. Under the polite veneer of fifties Hollywood conventions, Harvey has a decidedly dark undercurrent, one that deals with alcoholism, loneliness and rejection. Not that this should deter you from enjoying the many comic scenarios that Harvey throws at the viewer during the course of the film, as this is definitely a comedy gem. But the truth and beauty behind what Elwood is saying only make the entire package all the more exquisite, like putting chocolate on a donut.

The most beautiful scene I've seen in any film is the scene in which Elwood explains how Harvey has enriched his life, though the people who are listening to the story doubt Harvey's existence, thus doubting Elwood's sanity, the words of his speech, coupled with the delivery of Stuart's performance are so touching and true that even the most jaded audience will be won over into believing Harvey to be real. The enjoyment that Elwood now gets from life, the wonderful times he has, wherever he is, whoever he's with, is the kind of enjoyment everyone strives to achiever from life. This is bygone film-making at it's best; Stuart is such a joy to watch that you'll remember this film for a long time after viewing. With fine support from all the actors, this is one film that truly deserves its classic status.