Harvey (1950)
Quirky, enchanting & just plain fun!
I first saw the movie Harvey with my dad and loved it – it was one of his favourite movies. Back in the 60’s, my parents often hosted dinner parties, and during those evenings, I was allowed to watch TV in their bedroom. One Saturday night, I stumbled upon Harvey and once again found it to be a delightfully quirky comedy. A few of the dinner party guests even wandered back to the bedroom to see what was so funny and ended up staying to watch with me. To this day, I make a point to catch Harvey whenever it airs on television, as it is a fond memory I have of my dad, and I still consider it a truly unique and humorous film. Harvey holds a special place in my heart.
Harvey, a mischievous 6-foot-tall invisible rabbit, is the beloved companion of a quirky fellow. But when the man's sister tries to have him committed to an asylum, thinking the furry creature is just a figment of his imagination, chaos erupts. It's a zany situation that's anything but ordinary!
Elwood P. Dowd, accompanied by his invisible six-foot-three rabbit friend Harvey, leaves home as his sister Veta Louise Simmons and niece Myrtle Mae watch to make sure he’s gone. Veta is hosting a lively soiree that afternoon, with the goal of introducing her quirky daughter Myrtle Mae to high society and hopefully finding her a dashing suitor. However, Veta's plan hinges on keeping her, shall we say, unconventional and inebriated brother at a safe distance from the festivities. She calls her friend Judge Omar Gaffney, who sends an employee to hang out with Elwood, but the employee slips on a wet floor and is knocked unconscious.
Elwood and his buddy Harvey stroll into Charlie's, Elwood's favorite watering hole. But when Elwood hears about Veta's party, he high-tails it back home. There, he excitedly introduces Harvey to the ladies, sending them all scurrying for the exit. Poor Myrtle Mae watches as her hopes for a husband vanish out the door. Desperate, Veta decides to commit the eccentric Elwood to the local sanitarium.
Nurse Kelly assigns the unsuspecting Elwood a room. But when the frazzled Veta tries to explain Elwood’s situation to the esteemed Dr. Sanderson, he ends up committing her instead! Sanderson then gives Nurse Kelly a stern tongue-lashing and orders her to go apologize to Elwood. Oozing with charisma, Elwood hilariously fails to convince the utterly baffled hospital staff that his invisible pal Harvey is real.
As Elwood was leaving the sanitarium, he ran into Mrs. Chumley, the wife of the head doctor. Feeling a bit playful, Elwood invited her to join him for a drink. But Mrs. Chumley politely declined. Undeterred, Elwood then asked her to send his friend Harvey to the bar if she saw him around. He casually mentioned that Harvey was a "pooka" - a word that seemed to confuse Mrs. Chumley. Later, when Mrs. Chumley reported this strange conversation to her husband, the doctors realized they had made a mistake. After consulting her dictionary, Mrs. Chumley learned that a "pooka" is actually a mischievous fairy spirit that can take the form of a large animal. How delightfully odd!
Veta tries to compose herself back at home as Marvin Wilson, the sanitarium worker, comes searching for Elwood. Myrtle Mae takes an instant liking to Marvin, and he's more than happy to return the affection. A few minutes later Chumley shows up and sends Wilson off to keep looking for Elwood. Just as Veta declares she'll sue Chumley, Elwood telephones from Charlie's Bar, looking for Harvey, so Chumley dashes off to the bar.
Back at the sanitarium, Wilson, Sanderson and nurse Kelly realize that Dr. Chumley hasn’t returned so, the trio hurries to Charlie's bar to look for him. There, the ever-charming Elwood explains that Harvey and Chumley had wandered off to another watering hole after having a few too many. Wilson dashes off to track them down, leaving Elwood to work his magic on nurse Kelly. Elwood beguiles them with tales of his boozy adventures with Harvey, his constant companion. Eventually, Wilson returns - but without Chumley. Instead, he's brought the police, who whisk the chatty Elwood back to the sanitarium.
Alrighty, let's get this party started! Dr. Chumley comes swaggering back to the sanitarium, wanting a private chat with Elwood. After telling Elwood that he believes the "Harvey" situation, he spills the beans about Veta's plan to commit poor Elwood. Before you know it, a taxi pulls up dropping off Judge Gaffney, Myrtle Mae, and Veta. Chumley rehires Dr. Sanderson, who then offers Elwood a serum to ditch his imaginary friend Harvey and get his act together. Elwood's not so sure, but when Veta explains how much of a headache Harvey's been for her, he hates the idea of upsetting Veta, so he decides to take the plunge and give the shot a try.
As Dr. Sanderson was getting ready to give Elwood the shot, Veta's taxi driver suddenly barged in demanding his payment. The driver went on to describe how Sanderson's injections had transformed people into a bunch of grumps. Veta wasn't having it - she stopped Dr. Sanderson, worried the injection would suck the fun right out of Elwood.
Elwood couldn't help but notice that Myrtle Mae had the hots for Marvin Wilson, the sanitarium worker, so he figured he'd invite the guy over for a little dinner party. But just as Elwood was trying to sneak out with his pal Harvey, Dr. Chumley begged Elwood to ditch the big rabbit. Elwood wasn't too thrilled about it, but he reluctantly agreed. Wouldn't you know it, though - the second Elwood was walking out the gates of that loony bin, his buddy Harvey came waltzing right back to join him!
This quirky, enchanting film is just plain fun. As someone with a wacky sense of humor, I know this type of movie isn't for everyone. But if you love old movies, Jimmy Stewart, laughter, and a little chaos, you'll probably enjoy Harvey. If you've seen it or plan to watch, let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Enjoy,
...Jill
Cast:
James Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd
Josephine Hull as Veta Louise Simmons
Peggy Dow as Miss Kelly
Charles Drake as Dr. Sanderson
Cecil Kellaway as Dr. Chumley
Victoria Horne as Myrtle Mae Simmons
Jesse White as Wilson
William H. Lynn as Judge Gaffney
Wallace Ford as E. J. Lofgren, the taxi driver
Nana Bryant as Mrs. Chumley
Grayce Mills as Aunt Ethel
Clem Bevans as Mr. Shimelplatzer, the gatekeeper
Directed by Henry Koster
Release Date - Oct 13, 1950
Production Company - Universal-International Pictures Co., Inc.
Distribution Company - Universal Pictures Company, Inc.
Screenplay Information - Based on the play Harvey by Mary Chase, as produced by Brock Pemberton (New York, 1 Nov 1944).
Awards/Notes:
James Stewart received an Academy Award nomination for his performance, and Josephine Hull won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Veta.
Stewart reprised his film role for a Hallmark Hall of Fame television production of the play broadcast on the NBC network on March 22, 1972, which co-starred Helen Hayes as Veta.
In many interviews, Stewart referred to the role of Elwood P. Dowd as his favourite.
Of Interest:
Though Jimmy Stewart’s character, Elwood P. Dowd, may certainly be referred to as an alcoholic, not once in the entire picture do you see him take a drink!
Universal-International paid $750,000 for the film rights.
The original play opened in New York on 1 November 1944. Josephine Hull first performed her role in the Broadway version of Harvey.
Though in the film, Harvey is 6'3 1/2", on the stage it was changed to 6'7 1/2", to be more of a contrast with Stewart's own 6'3".
(Awards/Notes and Of Interest section courtesy of TCM)
The Forks Part!
This recipe was almost a staple in our house while I was growing up. An easy one-pot dinner! Very similar to a beef stroganoff but on this retro recipe card, it’s titled “Creamy Beef & Noodles”.
Creamy Beef & Noodles
What You Need:
3/4 pound boneless beef top round steak, 3/4-inch thick cut into very thin strips
1 dash ground black pepper
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 3/4 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 large onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
4 ounces uncooked egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
What To Do:
Season the beef with the black pepper. Cook the beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it's well browned, stirring often. Remove the beef from the skillet and pour off any fat.
Stir the soup, broth, water and onion in the skillet and heat to a boil. Stir in the noodles. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes or until the noodles are tender, stirring often.
Add and stir in the sour cream. Return the beef to the skillet. Cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring often. Sprinkle with the parsley.
You can serve this along with a small tossed salad and of course, a nice glass of cabernet or pinot grigio! Yum! I’m hungry!
I hope you’ll give this a try and enjoy it while watching Harvey! If you happen to have a similar recipe, feel free to share!
Thank you for sparing us a recipe for egg and onion sandwich 😅
My dad also loved this movie. Perfect role for Jimmy Stewart.