May 25, 2005

Harvey

Harvey, the very pleasant 1950 movie about a very pleasant man and his invisible friend for whom the movie is named, was something I am very glad to have taken part in again. I recommend it for its comedy, its kindness, its message and its unique perspective.
Pooka (poo-ka) noun 1From old Celtic mythology, a fairy spirit in animal form, always very large, the pooka appears here and there, now and then, to this one and that one 2A benign but mischievous creature, very fond of rum pots, crack pots and how are you Mister Wilson…
Given that clear and obvious definition, is it coincidental then, that I saw the CNN Evening News today May 18th which spoke of house-swapping, a cross national exchange of houses between vacationers to allow for families to travel at significantly lower costs than normally requirement for such trips around the world? “Akrum,” said the newswoman, “although a nice town, isn’t exactly the same vacation as Paris.”
“Have you ever heard of Akrum?,” Dr. Chumley asked Elwood P. Dowd during a final scene in Harvey. “That is where I would go if I could go anywhere.”
Not Jimmy Stewart, “You see,” said the kind, pleasant and gifted character Elwood, “Harvey can look at a clock and stop it, and you can go anywhere you’d like with anyone you’d like and stay as long as you like and when you get back not one minute will have ticked by. You see, science has overcome time and space, but Harvey has not only overcome time and space, but any objections. Oh he’d be willing at any time (to do this for me), but so far I haven’t been able to think of any place I’d rather be. I always have a wonderful time, no matter wherever I am or whomever I’m with…”
A wonderful time, no matter wherever I am or whomever I’m with…going to bed I’ll close with one of my favorite quotes, “and the evening wore on, that’s a very nice expression isn’t it. With your permission I’ll say it again…The evening wore on…”