Harry and the Hendersons (1987)

The Henderson family adopt a friendly Sasquatch but have a hard time trying to keep the legend of 'Bigfoot' a secret.

Director:

William Dear

Writers:

William Dear, Bill Martin (as William E. Martin)

Stars:

John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Margaret Langrick

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Lithgow	...	George Henderson
Melinda Dillon	...	Nancy Henderson
Margaret Langrick	...	Sarah Henderson
Joshua Rudoy	...	Ernie Henderson
Kevin Peter Hall	...	Harry
David Suchet	...	Jacques Lafleur
Lainie Kazan	...	Irene Moffitt
Don Ameche	...	Dr. Wallace Wrightwood
M. Emmet Walsh	...	George Henderson Sr.
William Ontiveros	...	Sgt. Mancini (as Bill Ontiverous)
David Richardt	...	Dirty Harry Officer
Jacqueline Moscou	...	DMV Clerk
Laura Kenny	...	'Mouse' Woman
Richard Arnold	...	'Mouse' Spouse (as Richard E. Arnold)
Sean Morgan	...	Jerry Seville

Storyline

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, but when they examine the "body" they find it's a "bigfoot". They think it's dead so they decide to take it home (there could be some money in this..). As you guessed, "it" isn't dead. Far from being the ferocious monster they fear "Harry" to be, he's a friendly giant. In their attempts to keep Harry a secret, the Henderson's have to hide him from the authorities and a man, who has made it his goal in life, to catch a "bigfoot".

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Plot Keywords:

hunter | kindness | change of heart | compassion | bigfoot | 

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Taglines:

He Wasn't Invited, But He's Not An Intruder. He's Not Exactly A Friend, But He's Becoming Part Of The Family.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Harry and the Hendersons

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$29,760,613

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$49,998,613

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Hendersons' station wagon suffers heavy front-end damage including the eventual loss of the front bumper and driver-side headlamps, roof damage from Harry's head, the loss of the rear driver-side door and significant paint scraping down both sides after being run along the center divider on the freeway. Finally the wagon is stolen by Jacques. This is markedly similar, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to the damage inflicted upon Sergeant Murtaugh's station wagon in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) - it suffers heavy front-end damage including the loss of front bumper and passenger-side headlamps, the rear driver-side door is knocked off, the roof is damaged (by flying toilet), both sides are scraped along a bridge railing, and the vehicle is finally stolen. The only difference is that the windshield is also shot out on Murtaugh's wagon.

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Goofs

On the freeway, all of the vehicles in the first shots of LaFleur 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.

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Quotes

Dr. Wallace Wrightwood: So what you're saying is you would be willing, excuse me, Jack would be willing to take in this creature and care for it and love it like a pet?
George Henderson: No, like a member of the family.

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Crazy Credits

Shots of George sketching in his pad are played over the end credits, inter-cut with memorable scenes from the film playing out in sketch animation form - as though George is sketching memories of their time with Harry.

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Connections

Featured in The Cinema Snob: To Catch a Yeti (2014)

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Soundtracks

Short People
Written and Performed by Randy Newman
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

A great feel good family movie!

WE happened to catch this movie again on the PAX channel and start getting completely captivated once again by its funny scenes, and Harrys reaction to everything he encounters, from the family to the things in the house and its eventual feel good conclusion! I think one of the most touching scenes is when he encounters a deer head mounted on the wall and knocks out a hole in the wall to look for the hind part of the deer.......makes one wonder why people like to hunt in the first place, especially seeing it from Harry's perspective.......well, sit back and enjoy the movie, you will be glad you did, and have a kid or two with you..........OK? shar from oHIo........