I'm sitting in my living room having a drink with Casey when I discover that Harry and the Hendersons was actually on TV. An HBO channel I think. How this movie brings back memories. I wore the tape out when I was young, and watching it tonight I could still remember how I felt every time I watched the mom put a bandage on Harry's wound; or when Harry imitated a police siren to get through the traffic. Does anyone else remember this movie? I must buy it. It made me feel like a kid again.
As I was watching it tonight, I started to wonder about Harry. How did they do that? It had to be a real person under there, but was he really that tall or was it trick photography? While I was looking up the movie on IMDb, I clicked on the actor's name, Kevin Peter Hall. Turns out he was really that tall; 7'2". He was an African-American actor who was in the Predator movies, among other things. His bio states that his face is only seen at the end of Predator, a movie in which he plays the Predator and a helicopter pilot. Apparently he died in 1991 after getting a tainted blood transfusion after a car accident. He ended up with AIDS.
While I never followed this man's career, I feel a certain sense of loss in learning that he died so many years ago of something so tragic. Even tonight watching that movie from so long ago made me feel like a kid again; somehow made me feel OK. Comforted. And now that I know the man who played Harry is dead, I feel like my grown up world has somehow forced its way into my childhood. Reality has reminded me that I can't ignore it. Just makes me sad.
Anyway, I highly recommend this movie. It's not great, but if there's still some kind of child left inside of you, you might appreciate it.
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I remember Harry. I remember very little about the movie other than I cryed at the end because it was over the first time I watched it. I remember not being able to explain why I was crying but my dad understood.
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