Mary Coyle Chase
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Mary Coyle Chase (February 25, 1907 – October 20, 1981) was a Pulitzer Prize winning American playwright and screenwriter.
Born in Denver, Colorado, she wrote Harvey, the smash stage show and motion picture.
Harvey is about a man (Elwood P. Dowd) with an invisible six foot rabbit friend ("Harvey"), whom only he can always see, though there is speculation that his sister, Veta Louise Simmons, her lawyer, Judge Gaffney and his niece, Myrtle Mae Simmons have seen Harvey. Even the respectable Dr. Chumley, who at first thought Elwood P. Dowd a madman, definitely saw and appreciated Harvey. Although Elwood does consume more than his fair share of alcohol, it turns out that "Harvey" is not a by-product of liquor, but in the end is a veritable pooka.
Frank Fay and James Stewart were the most famous actors to portray Elwood P. Dowd. Josephine Hull portrayed his increasingly concerned (and socially obsessed) sister on Broadway originally, and won an Oscar for her stellar performance in the faithful film adaptation. Ruth McDevitt, Helen Hayes, and Swoosie Kurtz have also played Elwood's sister in various media.
