Harvey [Blu-ray]

Director: Henry Koster Henry Koster

Overview

This whimsical fantasy about a local drunk's 6' 3 1/2" imaginary rabbit pal was a smash hit (and a Pulitzer Prize winner) on Broadway and was then adapted into this likeable farce that's also an allegory about tolerance. James Stewart stars as Elwood P. Dowd, a wealthy tippler whose sunny philosophy and inebriated antics are tolerated by most of the citizenry. That is, until Elwood begins claiming that he sees a "pooka" (a mischievous Irish spirit), which has taken the form of a man-sized bunny named Harvey. Although everyone is certain that Elwood has finally lost his mind, Harvey's presence begins to have magically positive effects on the townsfolk, with the exception of Elwood's own sister Veta (Josephine Hull), who, ironically, can also occasionally see Harvey. A snooty socialite, Veta is determined to marry off her daughter, Myrtle (Victoria Horne), to somebody equally respectable, and Elwood's lunacy is interfering. When Veta attempts to have Elwood committed to an insane asylum, however, the result is that she is accidentally admitted instead of her brother. Then the institution's director, Dr. Chumley (Cecil Kellaway), begins seeing Harvey, too. Hull, who reprised her part from the stage production, won an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/08/2022
UPC:	0191329213995
Original Release:	1950
Rating:	NR
Source:	Universal Studios
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	11,100

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Stewart	Elwood P. Dowd
Josephine Hull	Veta Louise Simmons
Charles Drake	Dr. Sanderson
Jesse White	Wilson
William Lynn	Judge Gaffney
Cecil Kellaway	Dr. Chumley
Peggy Dow	Miss Kelly
Victoria Horne	Myrtle Mae
Wallace Ford	Lofgren
Nana Bryant	Mrs. Chumley
Grace Mills	Mrs. Chauvenet
Clem Bevans	Herman
Ida Moore	Mrs. McGiff
Dick Wessel	Cracker
Pat Flaherty	Policeman
Norman Leavitt	Cab Driver
Maudie Prickett	Elvira
Edwin Max	Salesman
Minerva Urecal	Nurse Dunphy
Almira Sessions	Mrs. Halsey
Anne O'Neal	Nurse
Sally Corner	Mrs. Cummings
Sam Wolfe	Minninger
Polly Bailey	Mrs. Krausmeyer
Grayce Hampton	Mrs. Strickleberger
Ruthelma Stevens	Miss LaFay
Eula Guy	Mrs. Johnson
William Val	Chauffeur
Gino Corrado	Eccentric Man
Don Brodie	Mailman
Harry Hines	Meegels
Aileen Carlyle	Mrs. Tewksbury
Frank Skinner	Composer

Technical Credits

Mary Chase

Oscar Brodney

Henry Koster	Director
Mary Chase	Screenwriter
Oscar Brodney	Screenwriter
Brock Pemberton	Producer
John Beck	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Whimsy is an extremely difficult quality to capture onscreen, but it's done quite adroitly in Harvey, the beguiling 1950 adaptation of Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. James Stewart, tackling a difficult role with aplomb, is positively enchanting as Elwood P. Dowd, the affable inebriate whose constant companion is -- according to him, anyway -- a six-foot-plus rabbit named Harvey. Elwood's intransigence on this point arouses the ire of his sister (Josephine Hull, reprising her Broadway role), who attempts to have him committed. Also reprising their stage characterizations are winsome Victoria Horne -- excellent as Elwood's timid niece -- and blustery Jesse White as an asylum attendant. Director Henry Koster (Flower Drum Song) guides his cast with a gentle hand, restraining them only when the script's flights of fancy threaten to undermine the film's effectiveness. He needn't have worried, though: Stewart's boundless charm and effortless trouping keep Harvey firmly on track, making it one of the era's most gentle, delightful movie comedies. Universal's remastered DVD release sports an introduction to the film by Stewart himself, along with production notes, cast and crew bios, and the original theatrical trailer.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Harvey turns on the charming premise that a person would have to be crazy to be as consistently cheerful and optimistic as Elwood P. Dowd. James Stewart, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his finely tuned comic turn in this film, is relentlessly generous and sweet as the man whose best buddy is an invisible 6' 3 1/2" rabbit. Though at times slow and obvious, the film allows humor to emerge ever so gently at the expense of its targets. Elwood may be a drunk (or not -- does he ever actually take a drink?), and he may be delusional, but he is also happier, less neurotic, and more content than the so-called normal people who surround him and claim to be looking out for his best interests. By the film's end, Harvey and Elwood appear to be working their magic on everyone around them, as the world begins to share their delusion. It would not be stretching things to suggest that Harvey symbolizes spirituality, and some things, the film seems to say, just have to be taken on faith. Self-importance, snobbery, and the profession of psychiatry are among Harvey's targets, but this is no Swiftian satire. This film does not intend to cause harm or discomfort but to tease and needle its targets. Josephine Hull won an Oscar for her performance as Dowd's antagonistic sister.

All Movie Guide - Dan Jardine