The whimsical screwball comedy film Harvey (1950), starring James Stewart, will be shown at Edmond Town Hall Theatre, 45 Main Street, on Thursday, June 13, at 1, 4, and 7 pm.

Originally scheduled in January, Mary Fellows sponsored this film to celebrate her birthday. Icy weather was headed our way back then, prompting the Someday Cinema Series, presented by Newtown Cultural Arts Commission, to set a new date. Initially moved to June 6, the film was moved one more time to its current location on the calendar.

Tickets are $3, with subtitles shown for the benefit of the hearing impaired at the 1 pm matinee.

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Mary Chase, the story centers around the congenial Elwood (Stewart), whose best friend is a very tall white rabbit named Harvey, invisible to anyone but Elwood. He has even had their portrait painted. They go everywhere together, just being friendly, meeting people.

“Harvey and I warm ourselves in all these golden moments. We’ve entered as strangers — soon we have friends,” Elwood says.

In light of Elwood’s questionable sanity, he is an embarrassment to his sister, Veta (Josephine Hull), and his niece, Myrtle (Victoria Horne). For them, living a normal life in polite society is difficult when Elwood and his peculiar friend are around.

Although she adores him, Veta eventually decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium, which backfires in hilarious fashion. Highlighting the subjectivity of psychiatry, the wiser Dr Chumley understands Elwood to be delusional, while the younger, arrogant, Dr Sanderson believes Veta is a cunning psychopath.

“I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whomever I’m with,” states Elwood with sincerity. Fans of this film, like John Baron, admire Elwood for “always living in the moment, with a cheerful and contagious, engaging nature that puts people at ease. He has time for everyone he encounters and is always ready to…share in some form of hospitality…”

Josephine Hull and James Stewart (the last of four Elwoods) both starred in the original Broadway production of the play, which ran for more than four years.

Josephine Hull won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Veta in this film, and James Stewart was nominated for both awards.

The next film in the series will be Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, scheduled for Sunday, June 23, with screenings at 1, 4, and 7 pm.

After a summer hiatus, the series will return with John Wayne in True Grit on September 5, and Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark on September 29.

Follow [naviga:u]Someday Cinema Series on Facebook,[/naviga:u] and visit [naviga:u]tiny.cc/2019somedaycinema[/naviga:u] for details of the entire season.

In case of inclement weather, check [naviga:u]newtownbee.com[/naviga:u], including [naviga:u]the calendar page[/naviga:u], or [naviga:u]edmondtownhall.org[/naviga:u] for last minute updates.