Film Forum

(1950) “‘Good evening, Mr. Dowd.’ I turned and there was his big white rabbit leaning against the lamppost. Well, I thought nothing of that. Because when you lived in a town as long as I’ve live in this one, you get used to the fact that everybody knows your name.” Jimmy Stewart’s amiable rumpot Elwood P. Dowd, accompanied by the eponymous character – an invisible 6-foot, 3-inch “pooka” – accommodates eternally-exasperated sister Josephine Hull (in Oscar-winning performance) by checking into Chumley’s Sanitarium, where he’ll become a “perfectly normal human being.” And you know what stinkers they are. Based on Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy. 35mm. Approx. 104 min.

Reviews

“In a role he was born to play, Stewart is absolutely perfect, exhibiting all the comic warmth and innocence for which he was known and loved.”
– Leonard Maltin, Family Film Guide

“Slapstick humor, sophisticated dialogue, and perfect timing combine to create a rare blend of humor and thoughtful commentary about the nature of happiness and mental health.”
– Common Sense Media