Harvey (TV 1996)

An unlikely hero, Elwood P. Dowd. This mild-mannered-but-eccentric bachelor has, for several years, happily kept company with Harvey, a six-foot-tall rabbit that only he can see. All's well... See full summary »

Director:

George Schaefer

Writers:

Mary Chase (play), Joseph Dougherty (teleplay)

Stars:

Harry Anderson, Leslie Nielsen, Swoosie Kurtz

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harry Anderson	...	Elwood P. Dowd
Leslie Nielsen	...	Dr. Chumley
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Veta Simmons
Jonathan Banks	...	C.J. Lofgren, cab driver
Jessica Hecht	...	Miss Ruth Kelly
William Schallert	...	Judge Gaffney
Lisa Akey	...	Myrtle Mae Simmons
Jim O'Heir	...	Duane Wilson
Robert Wisden	...	Dr. Sanderson
Lynda Boyd	...	Mrs. Chumley
Alex Ferguson	...	Zabladowski
Sheila Moore	...	Mrs. Chauvenet
Sheelah Megill	...	Miss Tewksbury
Robin Kelly	...	Mrs. Greenwalt
Ingrid Tesch	...	Girl Reporter

Storyline

An unlikely hero, Elwood P. Dowd. This mild-mannered-but-eccentric bachelor has, for several years, happily kept company with Harvey, a six-foot-tall rabbit that only he can see. All's well until Elwood's social-climbing sister, Veta, and her teenage daughter, Myrtle Mae, come to live with him and fear his odd behavior will undermine their ambitions. When Elwood disrupts the ladies' first afternoon tea party by introducing wealthy Aunt Ethel Chauvenet to Harvey, Veta sees that something must be done right away. She takes compliant Elwood to the Chumley Rest Home, leaving him in the car while she tells a Dr. Sanderson all about Elwood and Harvey. Sanderson concludes that Veta is the psychotic one and has her carted off to be committed. Meanwhile Elwood is treated with respect and dignity in light of his sister's mental state. When Dr. Chumley, head of the rest home, returns and hears of the case, he draws the opposite conclusion-that Elwood in fact hallucinates. After firing Sanderson ...

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Plot Keywords:

party | rabbit | one word title | animal name in title | imaginary creature | 

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Genres:

Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

El invisible Harvey

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Don Gregory Productions, Hallmark Entertainment, Pacific Motion Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A great deal of the dialogue was rewritten after the movie was made. This resulted in scenes where the lip movement of the actors, especially Harry Anderson, did not match up at all.

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Connections

Version of Mein Freund Harvey (1970)

User Reviews

Not a bad remake, but not as good as the original

Harry Anderson is a good actor and a good comedian, but he's just not James Stewart. I also love the work of Leslie Nielsen, but unfortunately, he's not Cecil Kellaway, either. This is not a bad remake, though. In fact, it's really quite good. It only fails in comparison to the original. If you have never seen the James Stewart Harvey, then this will seem very good to you. It's funny, and the actors here convey the same intensity and humor that the originals did. It's just that James Steward WAS Elwood P. Dowd, and any other actor.....ANY other actor, will just not be as good. A valiant effort, and a really nice remake, but just not the original at all.