Harry and the Hendersons - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Harry and the Hendersons or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Harry and the Hendersons

[bernice]

Dr. Wrightwood's SUV is a 1948 Chevrolet Panel truck.

[sylvia]

The filmmakers kept Harry a secret prior to the film's release - only glimpses of him were shown on all publicity materials and theatrical trailers. Although a wise decision for the film, this was also blamed for the film not being more successful than it actually was due to it not selling the fact that a Bigfoot was the star of the film. As a result, the film was renamed 'Bigfoot & the Hendersons' in many overseas territories, and much of the artwork now featured Harry also. The film however has reverted back to it's original title in the DVD and Blu ray age.

[amber]

The Hendersons' station wagon suffers heavy front-end damage including the eventual loss of the front bumper and driver-side headlamps, roof damage from Harry's head, the loss of the rear driver-side door and significant paint scraping down both sides after being run along the center divider on the freeway. Finally the wagon is stolen by Jacques. This is markedly similar, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to the damage inflicted upon Sergeant Murtaugh's station wagon in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) - it suffers heavy front-end damage including the loss of front bumper and passenger-side headlamps, the rear driver-side door is knocked off, the roof is damaged (by flying toilet), both sides are scraped along a bridge railing, and the vehicle is finally stolen. The only difference is that the windshield is also shot out on Murtaugh's wagon.

[tamara]

A sequel would have seen The Hendersons reunite with Harry. In some fans' opinions, the Harry and the Hendersons (1991) TV series is an alternate reality, exploring what would have happened if Harry had never gone back to his own family at the end of the film, deciding to stay with the Hendersons instead.

[michele]

According to Rick Baker, he based the design of Harry off of orangutans, particularly Harry's beard.

[manuel]

Regarding the exit the Hendersons take from the freeway. This is the Lake City Way exit from the northbound express lanes of Interstate 5. The DOT highway crews changed the sign from "Lake City Way" to "Mt Rainier". If they simply continue on Lake City Way through Bothell, they will eventually hit Highway 2 which goes up Stevens Pass and into the Cascade Mountains. But they would still be a long way from Mt Rainier.

[bryan]

Jacques Lafleur's SUV is a 1977 GMC Jimmy.

[linda]

Special makeup effects artist Rick Baker says that Harry is his greatest and favorite character that he created.

[sandra]

Richard Foley and Dana Middleton, the two news anchors listed in the credits, were real-life news anchors and talk-show co-hosts at Seattle's KOMO TV. Their brief appearance in the movie was from the set of their nightly local news magazine "Weeknight" which aired from 1983 to 1985, when it was replaced by the syndicated version of Jeopardy! (1984) when it moved from KIRO TV to KOMO TV. Another reporter is seen in the movie reporting from the actual newsroom of KOMO 4 News. Middleton and Foley also hosted "Northwest Afternoon," an afternoon daily talk show. Middleton left KOMO TV in 1993, and Foley followed suit in 1995.

[tom]

The Hendersons' station wagon is a 1970 Ford LTD Country Squire.

[maureen]

Irene's car is a 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.

[sandra]

Some deleted scenes include - a scene of Nancy not wanting Harry to go into her kitchen realm on their first night together; George and Nancy laying awake at night worrying for Harry's well being after his escape; Dr. Wrightwood turning up in the neighborhood during the mass media frenzy to ridicule Jacques for his ongoing obsession.

[eli]

Bill Martin, who co-wrote the screenplay, wrote songs for Harry Nilsson's "Harry" album and is pictured (wearing a bear suit) inside the album's cover. Martin says that the character "Harry" in the film is named after Harry Nilsson.

[jamie]

Jacques LaFleurs rifle is a Steyr-Mannlicher SSG PII with double-set triggers (interestingly the rifle goes from having a standard 5-round magazine to a 10-round box magazine in the final scene of the film when LaFleur is hunting Harry in the woods.), he also carries a stainless "4 inch Colt Python.

[richard]

John Lithgow and M. Emmet Walsh, who here both play son and father, were part of the Planet of the Apes franchise (Lithgow would play Charles Rodman in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, while Walsh had played a bit part early in his career as a military officer aide in Escape from the Planet of the Apes).

[carl]

According to Rick Baker in his book "Metamorphosis", he and executive producer Steven Spielberg made up after a falling out they had during pre-production on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

[kristen]

The scene when George (John Lithgow) sees Harry approach the deer head on the wall, and exclaims "oh dear!" had multiple meanings; one being that the director of the movie is named William Dear.

[sandra]

On the Interstate 5 freeway scene, there is an exit for "highway 410" going to "Mount Rainer". However, it is not the real "highway 410". Like another commentator posted, it is actually for highway 522 (aka Lake City Way), which runs from Interstate 5 in Seattle to Highway 2 in Monroe (which then heads east to Steven's Pass). However, the real highway 410 is to the southeast (near Tacoma) and connects to the Highway 167 freeway just north of Puyallup. As of 2020, the real highway 410 doesn't connect directly to Interstate 5, though one can get to highway 410 either by the 167/512 freeway (going from either Tacoma or Renton). Alternatively, if going Interstate 405 to the east of Seattle, one can also take highway 169 (aka Maple Valley highway) to the southeast and connect to highway 410 in Enumclaw.

[bryan]

The drawing of Harry that appeared in the film was the original design of Harry done by Rick Baker.