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James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake, Cecil Kellaway ... see more see more... , Victoria Horne , Wallace Ford , Jesse White , William Lynn , Nana Bryant , Grace Mills , Clem Bevans , Ida Moore , Polly Bailey , Don Brodie , Aileen Carlyle , Sally Corner , Gino Corrado , Pat Flaherty , Eula Guy , Grayce Hampton , Harry Hines , Norman Leavitt , Edwin Max , Anne O'Neal , Maudie Prickett , Almira Sessions , Minerva Urecal , Dick Wessel , Ruth Elma Stevens

This whimsical fantasy about a local drunk's 6' 3 1/2" imaginary rabbit pal was a smash hit (and a Pulitzer Prize winner) on Broadway and was then adapted into this likeable farce that's also an alleg... read more read more...ory about tolerance. James Stewart stars as Elwood P. Dowd, a wealthy tippler whose sunny philosophy and inebriated antics are tolerated by most of the citizenry. That is, until Elwood begins claiming that he sees a "pooka" (a mischievous Irish spirit), which has taken the form of a man-sized bunny named Harvey. Although everyone is certain that Elwood has finally lost his mind, Harvey's presence begins to have magically positive effects on the townsfolk, with the exception of Elwood's own sister Veta (Josephine Hull), who, ironically, can also occasionally see Harvey. A snooty socialite, Veta is determined to marry off her daughter, Myrtle (Victoria Horne), to somebody equally respectable, and Elwood's lunacy is interfering. When Veta attempts to have Elwood committed to an insane asylum, however, the result is that she is accidentally admitted instead of her brother. Then the institution's director, Dr. Chumley (Cecil Kellaway), begins seeing Harvey, too. Hull, who reprised her part from the stage production, won an Oscar and a Golden Globe. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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91% liked it

37,502 ratings

Critics

83% liked it

24 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Henry Koster

Release Date: June 1, 1951

Keywords: funny

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DVD Release Date: February 6, 2001

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Stats: 2,455 reviews

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James Stewart in Harvey Harvey Harvey Peggy Dow, James Stewart and Minerva Urecal Harvey James Stewart Josephine Hull and Jesse White Harvey William Lynn, Josephine Hull and Victoria Horne Harvey Harvey Peggy Dow, Charles Drake and James Stewart Josephine Hull in Harvey Harvey Harvey Harvey Harvey Charles Drake and Josephine Hull
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Flixster Reviews (2,455)

  • fb1664868775
    March 9, 2012
    fb1664868775
    Jimmy Stewart is brilliant as Elwood P. Dowd in this great moral tale that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy.
  • fb1576983399
    November 24, 2011
    fb1576983399
    An infectiously nice/insane main character played brilliantly by James Stewart, a great skeptical reflection of the audience portrayed by Josephine Hull, and a great story make this movie one of a kind. It is funny, nice and has a wonderful moral.
  • TomBowler
    October 3, 2011
    TomBowler
    Amazing performance by Jimmy Stewart. Full review later.
  • SirPant
    September 7, 2011
    SirPant
    Whimsical, old fashioned and extremely likable. The film doesn't seem dated but some of the acting does, James Stewart is wonderful as Elwood P. Dowd, one of cinema's best loved characters but the supporting casts performances can grate a little. That though is my only criticism.... read more The story is brilliant and James Stewart is at his best, a real slice of cinematic magic.
  • UniversalDreamer
    May 6, 2011
    UniversalDreamer
    Now there's a perfectly rational explanation for everything, you've got to agree . Science has overcome time and space ... well Harvey has overcome not only time and space, but any objections. The nature of faith explained ... by a 6 foot 3 white rabbit.
  • jennifxu
    May 2, 2011
    jennifxu
    James Stewart just kills me dead. I could watch him read the phonebook for hours. However, I hated every other actor in this movie.
  • ajv2688
    October 29, 2010
    ajv2688
    This comedy/drama is hilarious, but with a bit of sadness in the background, I think, which makes it a uniquely fantastic film. Stewart is terrific as the main character, if you're a fan of his you should really see his performance in this movie.
  • FrizzDrop
    August 2, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    James Stewart is unflappable as ever, even with an imaginary rabbit at his side.
  • kiriyamakazou
    December 27, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    An absolutely charming and wonderful film. It is very lighthearted, in it's depiction of mental illness and alcoholism, but it is so good natured that it becomes a very moving film. Stewart plays the role of a lifetime. He is sweet and most of all hilarious. It's amazing that a f... read moreilm over 50 years old can stand up against the comedies of today in pure hilarity. It's a film that makes you smile while genuinely making you a happier person. It has some excellent morals and is never disgustingly sweet or naive. For lovers of Capra and the recent Lars and the Real Girl.
  • bottcorecords1
    December 16, 2008
    bottcorecords1
    Jimmy Stewart stars as Elwood P. Dowd, a man who's friends with a 6 foot invisible rabbit in this light-hearted look at the victims of mental health facilities who suffer from acute psychosis. Dowd shares his home with (besides the giant rabbit) a nervous older sister and her equ... read moreally unbalanced, man-hungry 20-something daughter. Dowd has inherited a great fortune you see, and like all others who inherit large sums of money, he seems to have a screw loose. His sister, while somewhat crazy (she only sees the rabbit SOME of the time), still feels it's her brother who's holding back their climb up the social ladder, and because of this, she decides she must commit her brother to the local mental institution. From this point, the hijinks ensue. It's implied throughout the movie that the giant rabbit might actually exist, and is something called a "pooka". In fact, I may have to quote wikipedia here: "There is a humorous scene in which Mr. Wilson, the asylum orderly, reads the definition of pooka in the encyclopedia: 'Pooka. From old Celtic mythology. A fairy spirit in animal form. Always very large. The pooka appears here and there, now and then, to this one and that one at his own caprice. A wise[2] but mischievous creature. Very fond of rum-pots, crackpots, and how are you, Mr. Wilson?' This provides the notion that Harvey is real." The thing that separates Harvey from other mentally disturbed pictures, like say, "12 Monkeys", is that Elwood P. Dowd is such an affable character. While his sister is running around throwing hysterical fits over the tiniest thing, Elwood spends his time hanging out in the local bars, introducing himself to strangers and inviting them over for dinner. It's his goofy charm that carries the weight of the movie. When his sister takes him for a drive up to the sanitarium, he goes along just as affably as you please. When Mr Wilson gets rough and drags him up to the scrub-down area, he's still trying to introduce himself to everyone and invite them over for dinner as he's being pushed along. To quote Dowd: "I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whomever I'm with". It's a wondefully well-written script, delivered in memorable performances.

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Critic Reviews

March 29, 2011
TIME Magazine

Unhappily, what the film also borrows from the play, and somehow makes more conspicuous, is a tendency to drag its feet for long stretches, especially during the virtually actionless last third of the... Full Review

Variety Staff
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff, Variety

Harvey, Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize play, loses little of its whimsical comedy charm in the screen translation. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

If you're for warm and gentle whimsey, for a charmingly fanciful farce and for a little touch of pathos anent the fateful evanescence of man's dreams, then the movie version of Harvey is definitely fo... Full Review

Derek Adams
February 9, 2006
Derek Adams, Time Out

Charming, lightweight stuff (from a play by Mary Chase), so long as you can take Stewart's ingenuousness, but it does wear thin. Full Review

Matt Brunson
September 13, 2012
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing

Stewart's Elwood P. Dowd is a soft-spoken philosopher and a friend to all -- he's quite disarming, and so is this movie. Full Review

Wesley Lovell
August 15, 2011
Wesley Lovell, Cinema Sight

A modest family film that lays on the sweetness a bit to heavily. Full Review

March 29, 2011
TV Guide's Movie Guide

This is a happy movie and leaves a long, lingering warm glow. Full Review

Kim Newman
March 29, 2011
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

Great performances lifts this movie above its stilted script and production. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 3, 2009
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Henry Koster might not have been the right director for this whimsical fantasy, based on the 1944 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, but Jimmy Stewart and especially Josephine Hull (in an Oscar-winning turn... Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
May 29, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Its one-note shtick wears thin. Full Review

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    • Elwood P. Dowd: Thank you Harvey, I prefer you too.
    • Elwood P. Dowd: Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be' - she always called me Elwood - 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.
    • Elwood P. Dowd: In this world Ellwood, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant, well for years I was smart... I recommend pleasant, and you may quote me.
    • Elwood P. Dowd: There are two ways to live well, you can be smart or pleasant. I've been smart for years, and I recommend pleasant.
    • Cab Driver: After this, he'll be a perfectly normal human being, and you know what stinkers they are!
    • Elwood P. Dowd: Well, I've wrestled with reality for thirty- five years, Doctor, and I?m happy to state I finally won out over it.
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Harvey Trivia

  • What is Harvey Keitel's character in Pulp Fiction called?  Answer »
  • Whats the name of the actor/actress plays "The Wolf" in Pulp Fiction  Answer »
  • True or False Harvey Stephens, who portrayed Damien in the 1976 version of The Omen, appears in the 2006 remake as a tabloid reporter?  Answer »
  • Harvey Keitel was nominated for a Saturn Award for his role in From Dusk to Dawn?  Answer »
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