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:

bigfoot | hit by a car | license plate | hunter | obsession | 

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Taglines:

When You Can't Believe Your Eyes, Trust Your Heart.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jacques LaFleurs rifle is a Steyr-Mannlicher SSG PII with double-set triggers (interestingly the rifle goes from having a standard 5-round magazine to a 10-round box magazine in the final scene of the film when LaFleur is hunting Harry in the woods.), he also carries a stainless "4 inch Colt Python.

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Goofs

The exit sign that leads to Mt. Rainier actually goes to Lake City Way in real life. The actual exit to Mt. Rainier at that time was ugly with construction during the filming of this movie.

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Quotes

[looking in an anthropology book]
George Henderson: That's Jaques LaFleur, a hunter who came in the store today.
Nancy Henderson: No, that's Richard Smith, the forestry guy who came to our... house today. That lying bastard!

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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

References Claws (1977)

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Soundtracks

Your Feet's Too Big
Written by Ada Benson and Fred Fisher

User Reviews

Harry and the Hendersons

Family film about a Seattle family that runs over Bigfoot, then bring him home. Good clean film all around. Rick Baker won an Oscar for make-up.

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)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,154,740, 7 June 1987

Gross USA:

$29,760,613

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$49,998,613

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1