While he did not originate the role of Elwood P. Dowd, James Stewart is the actor most associated with that part because he played the role as a replacement on stage and in the movies once, receiving an Oscar nomination, and it is Hallmark Hall of Fame TV version that has him cast opposite the first lady of the American theatre, Helen Hayes. I have seen this on stage, on Broadway in the early 2010's, starring Jim Parsons, and while it is an amusing play, it is very dated even though audiences still adorable it. The problem is that this version, while filmed, feels like someone took a camera into the theater, shoved it right up to the actor's face at times, making it appear that they are playing to the third balcony.
Stewart is still excellent, and Hayes is very funny, especially when her character is most frazzled. That occurs especially when she is committed instead of Stewart, with doctor Richard Mulligan thinking that she believes in the existence of the ten foot rabbit, while it is actually Stewart, a man who imbibes a bit. Mulligan, John McGiver (as the head of the institution), Jesse White (repeating his role from the original movie) and Madeline Kahn (as an eccentric nurse) are all good, but Marian Hailey as Hayes' daughter plays the role as a cartoon character. Arlene Francis is completely over-the-top as MacGiver's wife.
The original movie doesn't hold up as well as it did when I first saw it either, so perhaps the issue is that it is indeed a dated play. But this version feels rather claustrophobic, and the laughs come from the line delivery, not the lines themselves. Fans of "The Munsters" will be delighted to see Fred Gwynne in a cameo as the taxi driver. The play is supposed to make you feel the presence of the non-existent invisible rabbit, and while I can certainly clap for Tinker Bell to live, I didn't exactly go carrot shopping for Harvey here. Satisfactory but not anything that I'd describe as a TV classic.
Stewart is still excellent, and Hayes is very funny, especially when her character is most frazzled. That occurs especially when she is committed instead of Stewart, with doctor Richard Mulligan thinking that she believes in the existence of the ten foot rabbit, while it is actually Stewart, a man who imbibes a bit. Mulligan, John McGiver (as the head of the institution), Jesse White (repeating his role from the original movie) and Madeline Kahn (as an eccentric nurse) are all good, but Marian Hailey as Hayes' daughter plays the role as a cartoon character. Arlene Francis is completely over-the-top as MacGiver's wife.
The original movie doesn't hold up as well as it did when I first saw it either, so perhaps the issue is that it is indeed a dated play. But this version feels rather claustrophobic, and the laughs come from the line delivery, not the lines themselves. Fans of "The Munsters" will be delighted to see Fred Gwynne in a cameo as the taxi driver. The play is supposed to make you feel the presence of the non-existent invisible rabbit, and while I can certainly clap for Tinker Bell to live, I didn't exactly go carrot shopping for Harvey here. Satisfactory but not anything that I'd describe as a TV classic.