Cinema Sunday: Harvey

"Well, I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it."

Yesterday was April 24th which was my birthday.

April 24th was also the birthday of Elwood P. Dowd.

His story is the subject of today's Cinema Sunday post about the movie Harvey.  

Harvey is a film I've enjoyed since I first saw it many years ago and recent watched it with my family here at the Fortress of Ineptitude. 

Jimmy Stewart is Elwood P. Dowd, a very kind and gentle man whose best friend is Harvey, a 6 foot 3.5 inch tall invisible rabbit. Elwood is a very pleasant and amiable fellow but sometimes people are a bit surprised when Elwood introduces them to his friend Harvey. 

Who is, I must remind you, a 6 foot 3.5 inch tall invisible rabbit. 

Harvey is causing quite a bit of stress for Elwood's sister Veta. Elwood's friend makes it hard for Veta to hob nob with the upper rungs of high society where Veta hopes to find a proper matrimonial match for her daughter Myrtle Mae.  

Veta's latest effort at a social gathering goes awry when Elwood shows up and insists on introducing everyone to his friend, Harvey. 

Who is, as you may recall, a 6 foot 3.5 inch tall invisible rabbit. 

Enough is enough. Veta is determined to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium. 

Veta's hysterical blathering about Eldwood and Harvey convinces the doctor at the sanitarium that Veta is the real patient. Veta is committed and Elwood is allowed to go his own way. 

Which is just fine with the ever amenable Elwood P. Dowd since it's time meet Harvey for drinks at Charlie's, their favorite bar. 

Ostensibly Harvey is labeled by some as a fantasy film based on the idea that Harvey is real.

He even gets a credit near the end of the movie, "Presenting Harvey as himself". 

Dr. Chumley, the owner of the sanitarium, sees Harvey and is convinced of his magical powers. 

Of course Harvey is magical since he is, as you no doubt recollect, a 6 foot 3.5 inch tall invisible rabbit.

But the true magic of this movie comes from Elwood P. Dowd and the influence of his calm, gentle compassion for others. 

The origin for this version of Elwood P. Dowd is left a mystery. We can gather that Elwood was not always this serene and kind.

The quote at the start of this post indicates a struggle between Elwood and the world. 

He comments at one point, "My mother once told me you can be oh so smart or you can be oh so pleasant. I was smart for awhile. I prefer pleasant." It seems Elwood lived his life one way and then decided to live it differently. 

What that precipitating moment was remains unknown but it doesn't matter. What we have in Elwood P. Dowd is a distillation of an ideal human being, one who places being kind and pleasant over being smart and successful. Elwood gives a most precious commodity, his time, time to listen to worried and woes of the world. 

Then he introduces people to Harvey. 

I believe I have mentioned, if I am not mistaken, is a 6 foot 3.5 inch tall invisible rabbit.

Yes, it's a strange and odd thing but still, Elwood and Harvey make people feel just a little bit better about themselves. Which is no small thing.  

James Stewart later declared in an interview that Josephine Hull who played Veta had the most difficult role in the film, since she had to believe and not believe in the invisible rabbit... at the same time. Which strikes me as very Elwood P. Dowd type of thing to say.  

I like to think that Harvey doesn't actually exist. At least not in any objective definable way. I think Harvey is called into existence by Elwood's belief in his friend by the same kind gentle spirit that convinces everyone around him they have value, they are important, they have voices they deserve to be heard, dreams that deserve to be told.

Chumley sees Harvey who is, as you may have heard,  a 6 foot 3.5 inch tall invisible rabbit. But I think Chumley is now where Elwood used to be, before he decided to be oh so pleasant instead of oh so smart. Chumley sees Harvey because Elwood gives Chumley time to realize the value of his own dreams and desires.  

Harvey is a sweet and funny movie. And I wish that I could live my life like the man who shares my birthday. I wish I could life like Elwood P. Dowd, to simply have time and time to give to make others feel better about themselves.