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Elwood (James Stewart) lives the happiest of lives: He lives in a big
house, has a fortune and a half from his mother to never have to worry
again, is a valued customer at all the bars in town, and he's got a
friend, Harvey who shares everything with him and almost never leaves his
side - and that drives his sister Veta (Josephine Hull) crazy. You see,
Elwood lets Veta and her daughter Myrtle Mae (Victoria Horne) live under
his roof out Charity, because their mother has left all her money to him,
and yet Veta sees Elwood to be a liability ... because Harvey's a 6 foot 3
1/2 inches tall white rabbit - who's not even real. Yet with Elwood
talking to his imaginary pal constantly, he's making the whole family the
laughing stock of society and - at least in Veta's eyes - keeps Myrtle Mae
from ever finding a suitable man. So ultimately, she tries to have Elwood
committed to an asylum - but ends up in the asylum herself due to a
mistake. The mistake is quickly discovered, but by that time, Elwood is
gone, and when the head of the asylum Dr Chumley (Cecil Kellaway) goes
after him, he goes missing ... which leaves his second in command Dr
Sanderson (Charles Drake) and his nurse Miss Kelly (Peggy Dow) to hit all
the bars in town to find Chumley and Elwood. They do find Elwood, but he
claims Chumley has taken off with Harvey. As they listen to Elwood,
Sanderson and Kelly don't only begin to understand him as not a madman but
an eccentric who wants to do good, but also discover their love for one
another. Ultimately, he agrees to return to the asylum with them with no
objection. Chumley in the meantime has begun to see Harvey, who might
not be a figment of Elwood's imagination at all but a celtic animal spirit
(or maybe just a metaphor of course), and now he refuses to accept Elwood
in the asylum but asks him to leave Harvey with him. Veta though insists
that Elwood is treated, so Sanderson agrees to give him a powerful
sedative - and when Elwood sees how much his behaviour has distressed
Veta, he even agrees ... but in the very last moment, Veta realizes that
then Elwood would become as boring and obnoxious as everybody else
(including herself, who seems to be taking pills and potions for and
against everything), and she saves him from the needle. And pretty much as
a thank you she learns that Myrtle Mae has finally found a man she wants
to spend her life with - sure, he's only a male nurse (Jesse White) at the
asylum, but she loves him dearly ... Harvey is of the
rare breed of "comedies with heart" that are genuinely funny
(despite quite a few saccharine-sweet scenes) and carries the right
message (about the importance of individuality) at the same time. Much of
this is thanks to the script that time and again counterpoints its
cheesier scenes with good punchlines, features some great dialogue and
characters, keeps things light-footed and floating at a steady pace. Now
add to this a great cast led by James Stewart giving one of his best
performances, and an elegant direction that avoids being glossy on one
hand, going for cheap jokes on the other, and you've got yourself one
great movie that has deservedly become a comedy classic. Recommended!
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