Opinion: Dr. Chumley syndrome exposes affinity for jazz

Search through the professional journals and no mention of this condition will be found. It is a Rusty Saber exclusive.

The namesake of the syndrome is Dr. William R. Chumley, a cast member of the play “Harvey,” by Mary Chase. Although, the play has been around since it opened on Broadway in 1944, most people remember the movie that starred actor James Stewart. The movie still shows up on movie channels, and the play finds its way onto community theatre schedules. I once directed “Harvey” for a theater group in Kansas. It was a delightful experience.

The lead role is Elwood P. Dowd, seen by his sister and niece as an eccentric, tipsy, constant source of family embarrassment. Without going too deeply into the plot, Elwood has as a companion – an imaginary 6-foot rabbit, Harvey, whose presence is felt but seen only by Elwood.

Elwood’s most endearing qualities are his complete honesty and his refusal to be put off. When someone suggests getting together someday for a drink, Elwood insists that they should do it right now. It’s rare for a lush to be portrayed with such affection.

The plot revolves around attempts of Elwood’s high-society sister to have him declared insane so he and his rabbit would no longer be an embarrassment. Enter Dr. Chumley, a stern psychiatrist who sets out to do the sister’s bidding and confine Elwood to Chumley’s sanatorium.

In what are some of the best comic scenes conceived by a playwright, Elwood ends up psychoanalyzing Chumley – not the other way around. In the end, Chumley decides he must have Harvey; to get the rabbit, he offers to commit Elwood’s sister.

Elwood then confides to Chumley that Harvey can transport humans to any place on earth and upon returning, no time will have elapsed. Elwood says he has never felt the need to stop time and be transported someplace else.

But Dr. Chumley knows where he would go.

This renowned medical scientist says he would go to a cottage camp outside Akron, Ohio. He would be there with a pretty, quiet young woman. They would sit under a grove of maple trees drinking beer.

He would tell her things he had never told anyone. She would stroke his head and repeat:

“Poor thing! Oh, you poor, poor thing.” After two weeks, he would send the mystery woman out – for more beer.

Besides being an example of good comic writing, “Harvey” magnifies the beauty of pure honesty.

In the end, the seemingly irrational Elwood P. Dowd proves to be the most rational person in the cast.

His zany behavior and drinking notwithstanding, Elwood’s honesty could be a guide for anyone dealing with people professionally or personally. Think of how much more pleasant life would be if Elwood’s style of honesty were to be the standard way business was conducted.

About the Chumley syndrome: While we might not long to go to Akron with a beer-serving young woman, I believe many of us fantasize about being transported in the blink of an eye to a time or place known only to us.

I understand the role played by the young woman in Chumley’s fantasy.

The pressures of his life created the need for compassion, which was absent in his life. Compassion to him appears in the form of, “Poor thing! Oh, you poor, poor thing.”

As for my version of Chumley’s syndrome, I would be transported back in time to a group of young jazz musicians. They would perform for an audience of one, me. They would play “My Funny Valentine,” the recording most responsible for turning me on to a lifetime of jazz. Returning to that golden moment of discovery would rejuvenate body and soul.

There may be something to this Dr. Chumley syndrome.

Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.[[In-content Ad]]