A Must-See Old Hollywood Comedy With Hitchcock’s Favorite Actor Still Holds Up in 2024
Donnie Darko fans can also find something familiar here.
Back in the middle of the 20th century, it was Alfred Hitchcock who made a great impact on cinema, paving the way for the American New Wave. It’s a fun fact, though, that the master of suspense collaborated with a great number of Old Hollywood actors.
Among them was James Stewart, who starred in the filmmaker’s notorious thrillers: Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) and Vertigo (1958). However, his portfolio also includes a comedy that is still hailed by Reddit.
The plot of the 1950 film revolves around Elwood, an eccentric, yet quite an amiable man who introduces everyone he meets with his best friend, a six-foot tall rabbit that only Elwood can see, claiming it’s a pooka – a shape-shifting spirit of Celtic folklore.
This peculiarity makes Elwood’s sister Veta doubt his sanity, and because of that she tries to put him into a psychiatric facility. That’s where the most interesting part begins, as doctors believe in Elwood’s story more than in Veta’s claims.
This synopsis seems to be of much interest for us, as the movie promises a bunch of hilarious gags related to the lead’s mysterious friend and his contact with reality.
Besides, it can remind you of 2001’s Donnie Darko, where Jake Gyllenhaal ’s titular character is haunted by the visions of a tall rabbit named Frank. However, while that creature is used to scare the audience, the 1950 comedy exploits it as a comic relief.
And be sure that the perfectly-timed humor is really present here. It’s a merit of not only the source material, the Pulitzer-winning 1944 play by Mary Chase, but also of the leading actors.
Titled Harvey after the name of the rabbit, this movie gem stars Stewart as Elwood and Josephine Hull as Veta, and their onscreen confrontation is certainly hilarious.
“One of my favourite films. James Stewart is always a+ but Josrphine Hull steals the show. She’s just gorgeous. Her expressions of exasperation and horror are absolute gold. 5/5 from me,” concludes Redditor TheBoanne about this 87%-rated comedy.
Check out that James Stewart is a jack of all trades while delivering humor (and not only good as a thriller performer), as Harvey is available for streaming on Prime.