If you loved James Stewart in 1950's Harvey, you'll be tickled to know that everyone else loved him in it so much, he starred in a remake 22 years later for the Hallmark channel. In this Hall of Fame tv movie, he reprises his beloved role as Elwood P. Dowd and charms audiences all over again. If you didn't like the original and are looking for improvements, don't bother watching it. It's so incredibly similar, it's as if you're watching a colorized version of the original.
I loved the original, and I marked it as the start of James Stewart's charm that only grew as he got older. If you imagine someone else in the role, like Gary Cooper, it would have been terrible. "What did you have in mind?" he always answers when someone asks if they can do or get something for him. Jimmy has a twinkle in his eye and a smile tugging on his mouth, and he's so ever-present in the moment, he makes the story believable. Who else could make you believe he truly interacts with a 6-foot tall, invisible, white rabbit? He's genuine and sweet and perfect. Twenty-two years later, he's still genuine and sweet and perfect. He just happens to have white hair, and the plot of his sister trying to put him away in a mental asylum is more fitting because he could be looked at as a crazy old man instead of an eccentric. Helen Hayes takes Josephine Hull's role, and she adds class and reason to it. While Miss Hull seemed merely overdramatic and silly, it's clear Miss Hayes has become overrun by stress. Her outbursts can be traced back to nervous exhaustion. Marian Hailey plays Helen's daughter, and John McGiver ad Richard Mulligan are the two doctors. You'll get to see Madeline Kahn in a small role as one of the nurses, as well as Fred Gwynn for a couple of minutes in the end. Mostly, you'll be watching it for James Stewart. There's nothing like the delight in his eyes when he greets his pal Harvey, and now you'll have a second chance to see it!
