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:

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

George's rifle is a scoped Winchester Model 70.

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Goofs

As the family is driving through the woods before hitting Harry with their car, the sun bounces back and forth from high noon to late afternoon. The sun is in George's eyes when he hits Harry but the sun is directly overhead in the shot just before.

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Quotes

Dr. Wallace Wrightwood: You've seen hundreds, thousands of pigeons, right?
George Henderson: Of course.
Dr. Wallace Wrightwood: Have you ever seen a baby pigeon? Well, neither have I. I got a hunch they exist.

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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

Spoofed in 30 Rock: Goodbye, My Friend (2009)

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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

family time

This is a film for the whole amily, itis a movie for christmas time, so family and nice, actually i guess ET inspired here a lot

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:

1.37 : 1