"What I liked best was being a teacher." Harvey
Harvey was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 15th, 1923. His Father was a Brooklyn button manufacturer. After leaving New Utrecht High School, built more like a middleweight boxer than an actor, he became a dancer. Beginning his career at the New York World's Fair, he became one half of an exhibition dance team known as The Dancing Carrolls an act he liked to describe as "the worst act in show business". His partner in the act, Caroline Dubs, would later become his wife.
He longed for a career as a radio sports announcer. During World War II he served in the Army,
Marine Corps and Navy. Following his discharge from the service at the end of the war in 1945,
he attended New York University, obtaining a degree in radio arts by 1947. However, he
chose the stage as a career upon the advice of one of his instructors, Professor Robert
Emerson, who had seen him perform in college plays.
February 18th 1948, saw his Broadway debut at the Alvin Theatre in Mister Roberts.
This original play was based on the best selling book, of the same name, by Thomas Heggen.
Dealing with the boredom of 167 men aboard a pacific cargo ship "on its regular run from
Tedium to Apathy." Harvey played a character called Insignia in this stage drama. Also in the
show there were three men who he would later act alongside in the Bilko show, Karl Lukas
(Stash Kadowski), Tige Andrews (Gander) and Murray Hamilton (Sergeant Allan). Playing the
lead role of JG Roberts was the renowned American actor, Henry Fonda returning to the stage
himself after an 11 year absence.
Superbly dramatized by Heggen and Joshua Logan the first performance was received with
the critical equivalent of a 21-gun salute. The play proceeded in a series of rough-talking but
poignant episodes from the incident of a nurse's birthmark, to an earthshaking shore leave
(the crew mistook a French consulate for a bordello), to a Scotch-making scene (ingredients:
iodine, hair tonic), to a heroic end.
The show ran until January 6th, 1951 performing 1157 performances and achieving
Tony Awards® for Best Play (Thomas Heggen, Joshua Logan)
Best Actor in a Play (Henry Fonda)
Best Producer (Leland Hayward) all at the 1948 awards.
Harvey obtained runner-up honours to James Whitmore as New York's best new actor of 1948.
Here is some dialogue featuring Harvey's character, Insignia
While cleaning a spyglass, one crew member discovers he can look right into a shore
hospital window and see a pretty nurse taking a shower. He spreads the tidings to the crew
and the following is acted out.
INSIGNIA: Taking a shower ... in that bathroom ... that nurse ... upstairs window!
Instantly the others grab binoculars and stand looking out
LINDSTROM (Karl Lukas): I never seen such a beautiful girl!
MANNION (Ralph Meeker): She's sure taking a long time in that shower!
WILEY (Robert Baines): Yeah. Honey, come on over here by the window!
INSIGNIA: Don't you do it, honey! You take your time!
STEFANOWSKI (Steven Hill): There's another one over by the washbasin --- takin' a
shampoo.
INSIGNIA: (Indignantly) Yeah, but why the hell don't she take her bathrobe off! That's a stupid
goddamn way to take a shower!
STEFANOWSKI (Steven Hill): Ah-hah!
WILEY (Robert Baines): She's coming out of the shower! ... Kee-ri-min-ree!
LINDSTROM (Karl Lukas): Aw, she's turning around the other way!
MANNION (Ralph Meeker): What's that red mark she's got --- there?
INSIGNIA: That's a birthmark!
MANNION (Ralph Meeker): Birthmark!
INSIGNIA: What do you think it is, wise guy?
MANNION (Ralph Meeker): She's sat in some paint!
INSIGNIA: Sat in some paint! I'm tellin' ya that's a birthmark! ...
WILEY (Robert Baines): Aw-w!
STEFANOWSKI (Steven Hill): (Groaning) She's put her bathrobe on! ... They're both
leaving the bathroom together.
LINDSTROM (Karl Lukas): Hey, there ain't no one in there now! ...
MANNION (Ralph Meeker): Come on girls, let's go!
WILEY (Robert Baines): Yeah, who's next to take a nice zippy shower?
INSIGNIA: They must think we got nothing better to do than stand here!
After filming throughout late 1950, Harvey makes his big screen movie debut, as Norelli, in You're in the Navy Now (aka USS Teakettle) when it has its premier in New York on 23rd February 1951. The starring role of Lieutenant John Harknesshe was played by movie legend Gary Cooper. He (Cooper) is assigned as the new skipper of a submarine chaser, U.S.S. Teakettle, equipped with an experimental steam engine. He hopes that the veterans will give him enough help to accomplish the ship's objectives. Unfortunately he finds the crew and its officers, including Harvey, share his novice status! Critics gave the film rave reviews although at the box office it was just so so.
1951: Has a role as a Cab driver in the movie, Fourteen Hours. Also in this oscar nominated, film-noir, was an up-and-coming actress called Grace Kelly.
May 8th, Lands the part of Harry Shapiro in Broadway's newest war play, Stalag 17. Opening night was at the 48th Street Theatre.
Written by two ex-GIs, Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski, who based it on their own real life experiences in a German prison camp during World War II.
This comedy melodrama was produced and directed by José Ferrer.
Curiously, another character actor was making his Broadway debut, that man was Allan Melvin - four years later Harvey and Allan would team up again to play Sergeant Bilko's henchmen, Rocco Barbella and Steve Henshaw.
Stalag 17 was hardly important enough to make history but was obviously entertaining enough to make a good deal of money. A total of 472 performances were given up until the final Appell on June 21, 1952.
If this play had any serious purpose, it was to show how the American brand of humour, courage and high jinks enabled them to survive this German hellhole. But this play relied lots on horseplay. Supremely acted by all those involved (all-male cast) Stalag 17 highlighted the curious fact that when there are no girls in a cast the boys give even better performances with no added distractions. At the 1952 Tony Awards® José Ferrer won the Best Director award.
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Nurse overhears talk of her birthmark, by the crew, and comes over to see for herself
Director and co-writer: Joshua Logan
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Harvey gives a sarcastic heil!!
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You're in the Navy Now Gary Cooper with Harvey on deck
