The Love Bug (1968)

[ichabod]

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The Love Bug (1968)



Originally released - 13 March 1969
Director - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829038/">Robert Stevenson</a>

Main Cast
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0427894/">Dean Jones</a> - Jim Douglas
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0497891/">Michelle Lee</a> - Carole Bennett
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0866835/">David Tomlinson</a> - Peter Thorndyke
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004983/">Buddy Hackett</a> - Tennessee Steinmetz
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283499/">Joe Flynn</a> - Havershaw
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0284538/">Benson Fong</a> - Mr. Wu

Domestic Gross - $51,264,000 ($257,493,984 adjusted)</center>

Dean Jones, Michele Lee and Buddy Hackett join Herbie in this revved-up comedy classic. Jones plays down-on-his-luck racer car driver Jim Douglas, who reluctantly teams up with the little machine. Douglas thinks his sudden winning streak is due to his skill, not Herbies. He finally realizes the car's worth when a sneaky rival plots to steal Herbie for himself. But it's Herbie who'll steal your heart in this wildly fun, roller coaster ride of a movie you'll never forget!
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One of Disney's most famous and successful live action films. According to box office mojo it is the 168th highest finacially successful film, with an adjusted box office gross of $257 million.

The film tells the story of Herbie the volkswagen beetle who has a mind of his own. Racing car driver Jim Douglas doesn't think Herbie is up to much when he first lays eyes on him, but he soon realises the little car can pack a punch. Thinking something is wrong with the car, he tries to return it from where he got it, only Carole Bennett not believing the tales she hears decides she wishes to test the car herself. The little cars actions bring Jim and Carole together whilst making himself an enemy in the greedy car dealer Thornkdyke.

As the Douglas car wins its way through race after race, Thorndyke plans to put an end to his winning streak.

Well what can you say about the Love Bug? It's known worldwide and has been beloved by generations. Spawned 4 sequels and a TV series. I have memories of seeing Herbie on TV when I was very small. I can't remember what films I was watching I just remember the white car with 53 painted on it contentedly driving itself around.

The love Bug is a well made family film. People often see 1967 and the release of "The Jungle Book" as the cut off point for Walt era films. Of course many naturally forget that films are in production for years before release and 'The Love Bug' along with a number of other films were started when Walt was still alive, bearing his approval and influence. Coming 4 years after 'Mary Poppins', I'd say the love Bug was at the time the second most successful live action film in the studio's history, both financially and in popularity.

If truth be told though in spite of the clever-ness of the story, some of the wondeful scenes and the technical, special effects I have to say as a whole 'The Love Bug' is one of those films that seems better in ones memory than it does in real life. Thus I am always disappointed when I watch the film as it does not somehow live up to my memories of what it was. Speaking from a personal point of view, I personally think the strongest (and my favourite) of the Herbie movies in 'Herbie Rides Again' the first of the sequels.

But regardless of whether it slightly disappoints me when I revisit it, it's still laps (pun intended) ahead of most other family films. It's a classic and will probably stay that way for many decades to come.
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Next time: So Dear to My Heart

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[Escapay]

I have memories of seeing Herbie on TV when I was very small. I can't remember what films I was watching I just remember the white car with 53 painted on it contentedly driving itself around.

<snip>

If truth be told though in spite of the clever-ness of the story, some of the wondeful scenes and the technical, special effects I have to say as a whole 'The Love Bug' is one of those films that seems better in ones memory than it does in real life. Thus I am always disappointed when I watch the film as it does not somehow live up to my memories of what it was.

Maybe if you re-edited all the movies to just showcase Herbie driving around, it'd live up to the memories.

I still have yet to see the entirety of this movie, and still have yet to actually pick up the two-disc DVD (along with its sequels).

I remember last year on the College Program, I always saw this VW beetle in our apartment complex's parking lot, and it was tricked out to look like Herbie, with the stripes and the 53 and everything. Never found out who owned that beetle, but I wanted it, just to have a Herbie of my own.

Escapay

[PapiBear]

I used to be a bit of a Herbie fan when I was little. In fact, the first Herbie movie I saw was the sequel, Herbie Rides Again (1974), at the long-demolished Fox (later Mann) Cinemaland across the street from the then-Disneyland main gate (roughly where the McDonald's and Ramada Inn are today). There was a Herbie replica sitting on the red carpet out in front of the theatre. I remember my mom took a photo of me with it.

I used to have a Revell plastic model kit of Herbie -



And a Disneyland Records LP of the first movie's story, narrated by Buddy Hackett (which my sister and I played endlessly) -



And also a juvenile novelization of the story -



So I roughly knew the story before I actually saw the original film, which I first enjoyed in 1978 during a theatrical re-release.

[Lazario]

I watched this for the very first time over a year ago and I really loved it. I'm sure I raved about it in the Off-Topic, What Movie Did You Last Watch? topic. Anyway, now I really can't think of any live-action movie I like more than this one other than The Parent Trap. And I actually didn't expect to like this movie at all because I don't like cars, I hate movies where people are obsessed with cars, and I don't care about auto-racing. But this movie is so good it actually makes you love it.

One of the great things about it was that it very actively involved the woman in racing the car and fixing it up. That made it a lot more interesting.

[Sotiris]

Did You Know? 5 High-Speed Facts About The Love Bug
https://d23.com/did-you-know-5-high-spe ... -love-bug/