Steven Spielberg To Direct The Third Remake Of Harvey
- August 4, 2009
- Hollywood News
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Steven Spielberg will direct the third remake of his storied career when he tackles an updated version of “Harvey” next year. The classic comedy about a ma
n, his imaginary friend – a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall rabbit – and his less-than understanding sister, is being retooled by novelist Jonathan Tropper (”The Book of Joe”).
The original legit version of “Harvey” won playwright Mary Chase the Pulitzer in 1945. That smash hit was the last production directed by Antoinette Perry. After Perry’s death in 1946, the American Theater Wing honored their long-time patron by creating the theater kudos we know as the Tony Awards.
“Harvey” ran for over four years on Broadway before hopping to Hollywood in 1950. As the imaginative Elwood P. Dowd, James Stewart picked up the fourth of his five lead actor nominations. He lost to Jose Ferrer, who reprised the title role in “Cyrano de Bergerac” that had won him the lead actor prize at the first Tony Awards four years earlier. For recreating her stage performance as Dowd’s dotty sister, Josephine Hull won the supporting actress Oscar.
Stewart – who had replaced Frank Fay in the long-running original stage production – headlined the only Broadway revival of “Harvey” in 1970. His co-star Helen Hayes – who was also a winner at those first Tonys – landed her third lead actress nod but lost to Tammy Grimes (”Private Lives”).
The Oscar-winning director enjoyed only moderate success in 1989 with “Always,” his modernizing of the WWII romance classic “A Guy Named Joe.” That remake is best-remembered for the last big-screen appearance of Audrey Hepburn. And the 2005 revamping of “War of the Worlds” is best not remembered.
Source: goldderby.latimes.com