Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared my thoughts on the film A Night to Remember. This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film Harvey.
On April 20, the TCM TV channel played Harvey on Easter Sunday night as part of their Happy Easter lineup.
Enjoy!
Harvey
Harvey is a 1950 American comedy-drama film based on Mary Chase's 1944 play of the same name, directed by Henry Koster, and starring James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Charles Drake, Cecil Kellaway, Jesse White, Victoria Horne, Wallace Ford and Peggy Dow. The story centers on a man whose best friend is a púca named Harvey, a 6-foot-3-and-a-half-inch (1.92 m) tall white invisible rabbit, and the ensuing debacle when the man's sister tries to have him committed to a sanitarium.
Plot: Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) is a wealthy drunk who starts having visions of a giant rabbit named Harvey. Elwood lives with his sister Veta (Josephine Hull) and her daughter (Victoria Horne), and Veta worries that Elwood has gone insane. In the process of trying to have him committed, Veta admits that she occasionally sees Harvey herself. The director of the mental home, Dr. Chumley (Cecil Kellaway), tries to reconcile his duty to help Elwood with his own growing experiences with Harvey.
Acting: James Stewart played Elwood P. Dowd. I don't think you could find a person in the world who hasn't seen at least one James Stewart movie. He was in so many movies in his time. Not only that, he was in a variety of genres. He was in westerns, comedies, romances, dramas, movies and T.V. shows. Everything!
I know that there are people out there who criticize him and dislike his acting performances and him as an actor in general. I'm not one of those people; I really enjoy watching James Stewart's movies.
The four films he's known for are: Vertigo, Anatomy of a Murder, It's a Wonderful Life, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Out of all the James Stewart movies I've seen, It's a Wonderful Life is probably still my favorite. I still have a huge list of movies to watch.
Josephine Hull played Veta Louise Simmons. I think she was good in her role, a high-strung older woman. Maybe a little crazy, too? She's most known for her roles in these: Arsenic and Old Lace, Harvey, After Tomorrow, and The Ford Theatre Hour T.V. series. Hull was only 14 shows and movies in her career. I have seen Arsenic and Old Lace though! I enjoyed it too!
Peggy Dow played Miss Kelly. I think she played her role in the film fine. Dow, like Hull, didn't have a very long list of film and television roles, only 11. Other than Harvey, I haven't seen any of her other work. The four films she's most known for include: Woman in Hiding, Harvey, Shakedown and Undertow.
Charles Drake played Dr. Sanderson. He was also fine in his role. The four films he's most known for are: The Swimmer, Harvey, Conflict, and It Came From Outer Space. It looks like Drake had a lot of smaller parts in television series throughout his career. I've seen The Swimmer but did not care for it. Drake wasn't the star of that movie though. I'd be up to watching It Came From Outer Space. I'll have to watch for it.
Cecil Kellaway played Dr. Chumley. I enjoyed watching him as the doctor. He was serious and doctor-like but gradually accepted the madness brought on by Harvey. It was pretty fun to watch. Kellaway also had a lot of small roles in television series. The roles he's most known for are from these four films: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Harvey, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and The Luck of the Irish. I've seen Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte with Bette Davis. I enjoyed it for its twisted ways, but it was VERY twisted.
Technical Aspects: There's really not much information regarding the 1950 film production of Harvey. This everything I could gather:
The 1950 film "Harvey" was produced by Universal Studios and filmed primarily on their backlot and in Stage 12, both located at 100 Universal City Plaza in Universal City, Calif. Filming began on April 18,1950 and continued until June 6, 1950, according to IMDb. The production used Universal Studios' backlot settings, including the Colonial Mansion (later demolished) and Colonial Street.
I'm not sure why there's so little information about the production. Maybe it was a really easy, smooth process? I don't know.
Final Thoughts: Harvey was an interesting movie from start to finish. I wasn't sure if a movie about an invisible rabbit was going to work, especially in the 1950s, but James Stewart did a wonderful job acting with an unseen partner. I think they chose the right actor for the part. the rest of the cast did great jobs in their roles as well.
I know it's a comedy movie, but it was surprising to me how much it actually made me laugh. There is true comedy in Harvey, and nothing like what modern comedy films have to rely on (like potty humor).
Originally, I wasn't sure if I was going to write a column on this movie, but my mom convinced me, so you can either thank or blame her.
I would recommend giving this feel-good comedy a watch. It is quite enjoyable.
Where to watch it: According to Google, Harvey is available to watch on the streaming services: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Sling TV. Or, you can purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Library in Clark if you all to enjoy if you choose to.
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
