Harvey is a 1950 comedy-drama with fantasy elements directed by Henry Koster. The film stars James Stewart and Josephine Hull and it was based on the 1944 play of the same name by Mary Chase.
Director: Henry Koster
Production Company: Universal
Distributor: Universal
Cast: James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Charles Drake, Peggy Dow
US Box Office: $6,500,000 ($124,400,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Black & White
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Release Date: December 21, 1950
Plot Summary: Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) is a good-natured, middle-aged man whose best friend is a giant invisible rabbit named Harvey that only he can see. His sister Veta Louise (Josephine Hull) thinks Elwood is insane and tries to have him committed to a mental hospital, but do to a mix up she ends up committed instead! In the end Elwood’s family and the hospital staff realize that the he may be wiser than anyone thinks he is.
Production: Mary Chase’s play Harvey premiered on Broadway in November of 1944 and was quite popular delivering 1,775 performances over a four year period, the fifth longest running Broadway show up to that point. In 1947 Universal bought the rights to make a film based on Harvey for over $750,000, but were contractually obliged to wait until the end of the play’s run before they could start working on the film. Universal chose Henry Koster, who was mainly known for his comedy films, to direct. Josephine Hull, who was the original actress for Veta Louise in the play reprised her role in the film. James Stewart was one of the actors who played Elwood during the play’s Broadway run, and was cast for the role in the film. Besides Stewart and Hull, Victoria Horne (Myrtle Mae) and Jesse White (Marvin) also reprised roles that they previously played on stage. Koster and Stewart got along well on set, with Koster being impressed by Stewart’s work ethic and positive attitude. The two later worked together on the film Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962). Play author Mary Chase wanted Harvey to physically appear at the end of the film so that audiences would know Elwood wasn’t just crazy. Universal tried using an actor in a costume and a cartoon silhouette to represent Harvey, but they were unhappy with how they results turned out and decided not to use a physical Harvey.
Fun Facts and Trivia: In both the original play and the film, Harvey the Rabbit is said to be 6ft 3.5in and Elwood looks upwards when he talks to Harvey. Stewart was actually 6ft. 3.5in in real life, and had said that he personally thought of Harvey as being 6ft 8in. After their marriage, Henry Koster’s wife Peggy Moran made cameo appearances in all of his films usually as a statue. In Harvey, a statue of her head is visible on a table in the Dowd household while Veta Louise is complaining to Judge Gaffney (William H Lynn) about her treatment at the mental hospital. Stewart later reprised his role as Elwood in a 1972 televised version of the Harvey play that co-starred Helen Hayes as Veta Louise.
Reception: Harvey received generally positive reviews when it was first released. Variety and Harrison’s Reports both thought that the film was very charming and a did justice to the play. Harvey performed well at the box office, but because of the high production cost (due to the high cost of adapting the play and the expensive royalties paid) the film failed to make a profit.
Harvey’s popularity has increased in modern times, and it is regarded as a classic comedy. TV Guide gave Harvey a perfect score and argued that Stewart gave one of his finest performances in the film. In 2000, the AFI placed Harvey at number 35th on its list of the top 100 best American comedy films. In 2008, AFI also listed it as one of the top ten best fantasy films.
Oscars: Harvey was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Actor (Stewart) and Best Supporting Actress (Hull). Josephine Hull won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Veta Louise. Stewart thought that she had the hardest role in the film, because she had to simultaneously believe and not believe in the rabbit.
Why You Should See It: Harvey is a very charming and delightful comedy film of the early 1950s. The film is quite funny and it has a great lighthearted innocence. All the cast members are good in their parts, especially Stewart. The film is definitely a must see for any fan of James Stewart.