Movies Quiz: Harvey | 10 Questions

Answer: He introduces Harvey to all of Veta Louise's friends.

Veta Louise Simmons (Josephine Hull) is having a musical evening with her friends, when in comes her brother Elwood and his friend, Harvey. Elwood proceeds to introduce Harvey to all the ladies. This would have been the polite thing to do, but Elwood's friend is invisible to everyone but him.

It's particularly perplexing to Veta Louise to have her brother running around with an invisible friend since she has a marriageable daughter, Myrtle Mae, played by Victoria Home, to launch in life. Actually, although Elwood (James Stewart) seems to spend a lot of his time with Harvey in bars, Elwood is never obnoxious.

He is a sweet man with perfect manners.

Answer: Harvey was all these things.

Harvey was a white rabbit that was six feet and three and a half inches tall. Elwood says that Harvey told him he was a pooka. A pooka is a mischievous Irish spirit who is only visible to those that they want to be seen by. As the story starts, Harvey is only seen by Elwood. Veta does admit that, on the rare occasion, she thinks she just might have seen him, too! I got out my book "A Field Guide to the Little People" by Nancy Arrowsmith and George Moorse, and this type of spirit is also spelled "phooka".

Answer: Josephine Hull

Josephine Hull devoted most of her career to Broadway. Luckily, she did make a few movies. Her stage training really shows in "Harvey" for which she won a well deserved Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. Do you remember her marvelous performance as Abby Brewster in the 1944 movie "Arsenic And Old Lace" with Cary Grant and Raymond Massey? She also played Abby in the long-running Broadway play "Arsenic And Old Lace" (which also starred the great Boris Karloff as Jonathon Breswster). Stewart was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Elwood P. Dowd, but did not win.

He had, however, won an Oscar for "The Philadelphia Story" (1941). Do you remember the 1972 television version of "Harvey"? Stewart again played Dowd, but Josephine Hull's part - she had passed away in 1957 - was played by Helen Hayes, and Jesse White once again played Duane Wilson.

Answer: They lock up Veta and let Elwood go.

Veta is interviewed by Dr. Sanderson (Charles Drake) who comes to the conclusion that Veta is the one who needs to be committed! When she finally gets back home, she tells Judge Gaffney that she was taken upstairs, undressed, and put in a tub of water. She also tells the Judge she wants to sue Chumley's.

Answer: A hat with ear holes cut in it

They found a man's hat with holes for ears cut in it. I believe we know whose hat it was, don't we?

Answer: Mr. Wilson

Mr. Wilson (Jesse White), the attendant from Chumley's Rest, takes a real shine to Myrtle Mae when he comes to the house searching for Elwood. He's eating a sandwich that Myrtle Mae has made for him when Dr. Chumley (Cecil Kellaway) shows up.

Answer: A painting of Elwood and Harvey

Elwood comes in, unwraps a portrait of himself and Harvey, and places it on the mantle in front of his mother's portrait. This is the portrait Dr. Chumley sees when he comes looking for Elwood.

Answer: Dr. Chumley

Dr. Chumley not only sees Harvey, but at the end of the story, he asks Elwood if Harvey can stay with him. Remember the fantasy that Dr. Chumley wants to play out with Harvey's help? It involves Harvey's time stopping trick, and a beautiful lady who never speaks in Akron, Ohio!

Answer: Veta Louise

Veta Louise realizes that she wants her brother to stay just as he is: sweet, kind, and considerate. She doesn't think that having Harvey around is too bad after all. Nurse Kelly is played by Peggy Dow.

Answer: Reality

The dialogue in "Harvey" is so wonderful because Mary Chase helped adapt her Pultizer Prize winning play for the silver screen. Jimmy Stewart was not satisfied with his portyal of Elwood Dowd in the movie. He thought he should have made Elwood a harder edged character, but I think it is Elwood's sweetness, as portrayed by Stewart, along with the dialogue, that makes "Harvey" a classic today. I hope you enjoyed my quiz on one of my family's favorite movies.