Cindy and Marty chat about a gothic-style thriller The Spiral Staircase.

◆ THE SOURCE MATERIAL

- Based on Ethel Lina White’s 1933 novel Some Must Watch; major changes include mute heroine, new setting, and added spiral staircase (inspired by Mary Roberts Rinehart).

- Originated with David O. Selznick (planned Ingrid Bergman); sold to RKO to finance Duel in the Sun (1946); retained profit share and gifted Dorothy McGuire a convertible.

- Screenplay by Mel Dinelli (first produced work); early title: The Silence of Helen McCord.

◆ SIODMAK, MUSURACA, AND THE CAMERA

- Director Robert Siodmak, German émigré, followed with The Killers (1946); key noir figure.

- Cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca used shadows/low angles for a chiaroscuro look.

- Killer shown only via eye close-ups—actually Siodmak’s own eyes, uncredited.

- Dorothy McGuire was accidentally locked in a basement set during filming (~20 minutes).

◆ CASTING NOTES

- Joan Crawford sought the lead but was blocked by MGM’s Louis B. Mayer.

- George Brent appears only 21 minutes into the 84-minute film (intentional misdirection).

- Cast included Ethel Barrymore (Oscar winner) and nominees McGuire, Lanchester, Allgood; Ellen Corby uncredited.

- Rhonda Fleming wrongly claimed an Oscar nomination; actual nomination went to Barrymore.

◆ THE SILENT FILM WITHIN THE FILM

- Opening clip: D.W. Griffith’s The Sands of Dee (1912), reinforcing silence themes.

- Scholars view the film as an allegory for the transition from silent to sound cinema.

◆ CONTEXT, LEGACY, AND ADAPTATIONS

- Villain’s ideology echoes Nazi eugenics; powerful in 1946 postwar context.

- Considered a precursor to the slasher genre (female focus, POV stalking, Gothic isolation).

- Nominated for AFI’s 2001 “most heart-pounding” films list.

- Radio adaptations aired in 1947 and 1949 with original cast members.

- Remade in 1961, 1975, and 2000; none matched the original’s reputation.

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Marty and Cindy speak about their impressions of the Depression-era comedy My Man Godfrey

TRIVIA & PRODUCTION NOTES

Source Material

Based on Eric Hatch's 1935 serial "1101 Park Avenue," first published in Town & Country. Co-screenwriter Morrie Ryskind had already co-written Animal Crackers and A Night at the Opera for the Marx Brothers and shared the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Casting

Universal's original choice for Irene was Constance Bennett. Director La Cava would only accept her if Powell came from MGM — and Powell would only sign if Carole Lombard played Irene. Universal borrowed Lombard from Paramount in exchange for loaning Margaret Sullavan. Powell was paid $87,500; Lombard received $45,645.

Powell & Lombard

The two had married in 1931 and divorced in 1933 but remained warm friends. Lombard's nicknames for Powell on set: "Junior" and "Philo." La Cava called Lombard "Charlie." Everyone called Mischa Auer "Chimp" — for his gorilla impression as Carlo.

On Set

Production ran April 15 to May 27, 1936. Total budget: $575,375. Much of the dialogue emerged from improvised rehearsals. When Powell and La Cava disagreed over how Godfrey should be played, they resolved it over Scotch — La Cava arrived the next morning with a headache; Powell sent a telegram: "WE MAY HAVE FOUND GODFREY LAST NIGHT BUT WE LOST POWELL. SEE YOU TOMORROW."

Censorship

Censor Joseph Breen required that Carlo never be called a "gigolo" — the word was replaced throughout with "protégé." An earlier ending in which Alexander Bullock abandons his family for a harem and a bank in the South Seas was scrapped entirely.

Hidden Details

When Angelica hears Godfrey supposedly has five children, she exclaims, "If a woman in Canada can have five children, why can't Godfrey?" — a reference to the Dionne Quintuplets, an international sensation since 1934. Jane Wyman has an uncredited bit part as a socialite during Godfrey's speech.

Awards

Nominated at the 9th Academy Awards in six categories: Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, and Adapted Screenplay — winning none. It remains the only film ever nominated in all four acting categories, and the first film nominated in all four acting categories simultaneously (1936 was the inaugural year of the supporting awards).

Legacy

Selected for the National Film Registry in 1999. Part of the Criterion Collection (spine #114). Holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The 1957 remake starred David Niven and June Allyson.

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Marty and Cindy look at the most famous movie about an imaginary 6' 3.5" rabbit

◆ THE SOURCE MATERIAL

Play by Mary Chase; premiered November 1, 1944 at the 48th Street Theatre — Frank Fay as Elwood, Josephine Hull as Veta

Ran 1,775 performances through January 1949 — fifth longest Broadway run to that point

Won Chase the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for Drama — the fourth woman to receive it

In the original draft, Harvey was an invisible canary written for Tallulah Bankhead; the rabbit and púca concept came in rewrites

A púca is a shape-shifting spirit from Celtic mythology, associated with mischief and social outcasts

Universal paid a record $1 million for the film rights in 1947; Chase retained final approval over any actor cast as Elwood

Chase co-wrote the screenplay with Oscar Brodney

◆ CASTING & PRE-PRODUCTION

Bing Crosby was the studio's first choice; he passed, fearing fans would read the role's drinking as reflecting on him

Others considered: Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Jack Benny, James Cagney, and Harold Lloyd

Stewart played Elwood on Broadway in summer 1947, then returned in 1948 specifically to lobby for the film role

Josephine Hull, Victoria Horne, and Jesse White all reprised their Broadway roles — White's was also his film debut

◆ JAMES STEWART

Instead of a flat fee, Stewart took a percentage of profits from Harvey and Winchester '73 (both 1950), paid over time to minimize taxes

He suggested Koster widen shots to leave room in the frame for Harvey's implied presence; Koster accepted

Stewart named Elwood P. Dowd his favorite role and returned to it four more times through 1975

Stewart said Hull had the hardest job: she had to believe and not believe in Harvey simultaneously, within single scenes

◆ THE CAST

Josephine Hull won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress — her only nomination; also won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama

Peggy Dow retired from acting in 1951 to marry, making Harvey one of her final screen appearances

Cecil Kellaway: two-time Oscar nominee; brought warmth to Dr. Chumley as he gradually falls under Harvey's influence

Jesse White reprised his Broadway role as Wilson the orderly — later became the original Maytag repairman beginning in 1967

◆ ON SET & PRODUCTION

Koster gave Harvey his own chair on set and a place at the lunch table — the entire cast maintained the fiction throughout production

Harvey receives an on-screen credit: "Harvey as Himself" — during which a door slowly swings open by an unseen force

Cinematographer William Daniels had shot Greed and Ninotchka and won an Oscar for The Naked City (1948)

◆ DIALOGUE & HIDDEN DETAILS

"Well, I've wrestled with reality for thirty-five years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it."

Each character's reaction to Elwood's introductions serves as a quick character test — those who humor him warmly tend to be decent

Elwood mentions Harvey can stop time; audiences tend to remember the film as longer and fuller than its 104 minutes

◆ AWARDS & RECORDS

Academy Awards: Stewart nominated for Best Actor (lost to José Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac); Hull won Best Supporting Actress

Golden Globes: Hull won Best Actress in a Drama; Stewart nominated for Best Actor

AFI ranked Harvey #35 on its 100 Greatest American Comedy Films list

◆ LEGACY & CULTURAL FOOTPRINT

1999: Miramax acquired rights; Universal wanted Jim Carrey, New Line wanted Adam Sandler — neither version produced

2012: Broadway revival at Studio 54 — Jim Parsons as Elwood, Jessica Hecht as Veta

1951: Dooley Wilson (Casablanca's Sam) starred as Elwood in the Negro Drama Guild production, with Butterfly McQueen as Myrtle Mae

The play has been in near-continuous performance somewhere in the world since 1944

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