Harvey

Tulsa’s connection to Hollywood’s Golden Age will be celebrated Mon 10/5 when early Hollywood actress and longtime Tulsa resident Peggy Dow Helmerich is honored with the dedication of “Peggy Dow Helmerich Way.” Lewis Avenue between Admiral Boulevard and First Street will be renamed in recognition of Helmerich’s remarkable life and her enduring contributions to the Tulsa community.

The event will begin at 10:45am with an unveiling ceremony of the new street sign, followed by a special screening of Helmerich’s most beloved film, Harvey (1950), at 11 a.m. Tickets for the film screening are just $5 each, on sale now.

Helmerich, who enjoyed a brief but memorable Hollywood career in the late 1940s and early 1950s, appeared in several films alongside some of the era’s biggest stars. Her most enduring role came in the 1950 classic Harvey, in which she starred opposite James Stewart in the acclaimed story about a man whose best friend is an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit.

The film, directed by Henry Koster and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Mary Chase, became a beloved American classic and remains one of Helmerich’s best-known screen performances.

Although her Hollywood career was relatively brief, Helmerich went on to make an extraordinary impact in Tulsa. She married oilman and philanthropist Walter Helmerich III and became deeply involved in civic, educational, cultural and philanthropic endeavors. The couple's generosity and commitment to the Tulsa community have left a lasting legacy.

The renaming of Lewis Avenue provides a fitting tribute to a woman whose life bridged two worlds: the glamour of classic Hollywood and a lifelong commitment to making Tulsa a better place.

“Peggy Dow Helmerich represents a remarkable chapter in both Hollywood and Tulsa history,” said Brent Ortolani, executive director of Circle Cinema. “We are thrilled that her legacy will be celebrated with a street bearing her name, and it is especially appropriate to follow the dedication with Harvey, the film that introduced so many people to her extraordinary talent.”

The special screening at Circle Cinema will offer audiences an opportunity to see Helmerich on the big screen and celebrate her contributions to American cinema as well as her decades of service to her adopted hometown.