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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Rick Baker in his book "Metamorphisis", he and executive producer Steven Spielberg made up after a falling out they hade during pre-production on ET: The Extra-Terrestrial.

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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

George Henderson: [after trapping Jacques LeFleur on the freeway] That sucker's history!
Dr. Wallace Wrightwood: Don't kid yourself. This is the part he's good at.

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Crazy Credits

In the the thank you section of the credits, there is a thank you to Bigfoot.

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Connections

Featured in Masters of Illusion: The Wizards of Special Effects (1994)

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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.