Harvey: Oh so pleasant

After watching the Euro 2008 match I was sitting in my new home and decided to check what else was on. Much to my joy and surprise was the fact that Harvey would be on at 8pm. All my other plans were rescheduled and at 8pm I watched this classic film.

Now some of my younger readers might think I’m speaking about this Harvey


[If you never saw Farscape and you have never seen Harvey then the video will lose you I’m sure. Farscape fans will laugh though.]

But in fact I am speaking of the 1950 film starring Jimmy Stewart and a 6 foot 3 1/2” tall invisible rabbit. Well not completely invisible nor a rabbit. He is actually a Pooka that generally can only be seen by rumpots and crackpots. Thus the audience never actually sees him, though some characters (notably Stewart) do.

In essence the film is about an eccentric well-off drunk, whose main companion is Harvey. The existence of this rabbit is the bane of the sister of Elwood Dowd (Stewart) and she seeks to institutionalize her brother to help him get back to reality. In the end she, and the audience, realize that perhaps having an invisible rabbit is the least horrible thing in life if you are a good person otherwise.

Harvey is a story about being a good person. While he (Dowd) is odd and a drinker he is also very good-hearted. He constantly helps the people around him, pairing up 2 couples and providing therapy for a psychiatrist all while they are trying to incarcerate him. He has only kind words for everyone he meets, even if they ridicule him. And he is non-judgmental of even convicts and those that seem to dislike him.

Perhaps the whole movie can be summed up in one quote. When asked why Elwood is not angry or flustered when he is told he is to be committed he replies

“Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.”

I have, and you should too. If you haven’t seen this film yet, or even if you have, watch it and feel just a bit better about things.

What about Rocky? - 12.28.2006.1

Have you seen the latest Rocky movie? I haven’t, and I will probably pick it up as a DVD or from a bootleg. Given that I was watching a couple of programs and noticed a couple of things about the Rocky movies I started to wonder. The movies have been successful, and I have seen the first 4 in the series. I have enjoyed the ones I’ve seen. That said there are some things that I wonder about.

When I look at the latest movie trailers and I consider that there has not been a champion boxer that has been White in decades, is part of the success due to the dream (or wish) that it was true for the white patrons viewing the film? Is the entire Rocky series just wishful fulfillment for the millions of White Americans that have lost a connection with the boxers that have held titles for years now? It’s a deeper question than is seems to be. I think it also may be more accurate than it appears on the surface.

The ultimate way to view this is to ask ‘would Rocky still be the success it is if the lead character was black’? On top of that would the movies work if the black lead were fighting a white champion? Do either of these things change the movies?

To answer the first question the answer should be it makes no difference. But that answer would be rhetoric and untrue. It does make a difference. Envisioning the movies and placing a black lead does not fit, and it’s not because Mr. Sylvester Stallone was so great. There are many movies that anyone can envision another actor portraying as well if not better than the actual actor in the film. Only truly classic films, like It’s a Wonderful Life or The Godfather are examples of movies where either the acting or the storyline (or a combination of both) prevent seeing another in that role. Rocky is not a classic film, good but not classic and there are other actors that could have done it.

So why does that make a difference? Because it wouldn’t be an underdog story. If this were a movie done in the era of the 1930’s or so it wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t work with a black champion or lead. It’s just too unbelievable. Which is sad because it should be able to work.

Yet I cab understand the need to feel connected. I would imagine millions of Black Americans have no connection to most of the programs on television, like I do. While there are good shows out there I’ve noticed that shows where there is some type of diversity tend to attract my attention more than others. The Blade series, the Shield, Eureka, House, CSI and other shows have character(s) that I can empathize with more and in part I want to see how those character fare in those series. Shows like Seinfeld, Friends, Will & Grace did not, and I viewed them occasionally but never felt a connection to them. [Shows like Cheer, Frasier, Moonlighting and others were favorites without connection to similar characters.]

This also feeds into the desire of connection with the film. An audience needs to feel connected to the characters and/or the situation. While there is no denying that fans of all races and nationalities enjoy boxing today, there is also no denying that many would like to see a White champion. It’s natural. They can connect with that character. It’s no different than the millions of African Americans that connected with Mr. Muhammad Ali, or Mr. Tiger Woods as they took the world stage by storm. Even in basketball this is true, though to a lesser extent, and in football with quarterbacks like Mr. Warren Moon and others. The fans can see themselves as that figure and can connect more completely with their success. It’s wish fulfillment.

In terms of Rocky, the success of non-White athletes is not an underdog story but somewhat of a given as there have been decades of champions without a White contender. I think the last real shot was Mr. Cooney some time ago. I could be wrong and please let me know if I am.

So Is Rocky really a great series of films, or a good film propelled by the desires that are unrealized in the real world? And what does that mean about the psyche of America? Does that mean a White champion would make more money just because of his skin color? That a so-so contender would be paid more, and propelled up the ranks faster just to give fans a new dream?

Given that there is no direct connection between reality and the movies, it’s interesting how close the character of Apollo is to Mr. Ali and Mr. Joe Frasier. The character of Clubber Lang (the début film for former bouncer Mr. T) seems eerily like Mr. Mike Tyson, thought the release pre-dates Mr. Tyson by 4 years.

I realize that the film is regarded as a classic by many, and that it won 3 Oscar Awards. I understand that it made over 100 million dollars in profit. Even so, it is not on the caliber of the Marathon Man, The Sting, and others. The question remains in my mind what is behind the great performance of these movies (the 3rd and 4th movies were not nearly as good as the first 2 and made more money). And what does that mean if I am correct.

Or am I just letting my mind wander too much?

This is what I think, what do you think?