Hopping Hilarity With Jimmy Stewart and “Harvey”


With Easter upon us, one rabbit-centric film to watch today hopped out at us.. We are of course talking about the 1950 comedy Harvey starring Jimmy Stewart in a side-splitting performance that has become a true comedy classic. Based on the play by Mary Chase, the film stars Stewart as the good-natured Elwood Dowd, a man whose best friend just so happens to be a six-foot-tall, three-and-a-half inch invisible rabbit named Harvey. Because of Dowd’s frequent enjoyment of alcohol, his furry friend is often written off as a side effect of over-indulging on booze. Although his sister (wonderfully played by Josephine Hull, who won a Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film) chalks his friendship up to mental illness and tries to have him institutionalized. Of course, when one of the doctor’s there befriends Harvey himself, all bets are off.

One of the many reasons the film has remained so popular is Stewart’s likability. You aren’t quite sure right away exactly how drunk, troubled, or sane his character in the film is right away. But thanks to another terrific performance by Stewart, you leave the movie with a smile on your face wishing you had a friend like Elwood Dowd. And Harvey too.

Previously on MovieFanFare: Create-A-Caption: Harvey

An earlier version of this article originally ran on MovieFanFare last April and is being reprinted again in honor of Easter Sunday.