Movie Type: Family-Oriented Comedy, Family-Oriented Adventure
Themes: Down on Their Luck, Ladder to the Top, Car Racing
Main Cast: Dean Jones, Michele Lee, David Tomlinson, Buddy Hackett, Joe Flynn
Release Year: 1968
Country: US
Run Time: 110 minutes
Plot
Those who worried that the Disney studio would collapse without the presence of the late Uncle Walt were put at ease when the profits starting rolling in for The Love Bug. The "star" is Herbie, a lovable little Volkswagen with a personality all its own. Abused by a bad guy race-car driver (David Tomlinson), Herbie is rescued by a good guy racer (Dean Jones). Out of gratitude, Herbie enables the luckless good guy to win one race after another. The real fun begins when the ruthless hot-rodder connives to get Herbie back through fair means or foul. Based on a story by Gordon Buford, The Love Bug inspired two equally lucrative sequels, Herbie Rides Again and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
One of the highest-grossing films of 1968, The Love Bug is a surprisingly agreeable "family film." True, it's blatantly manipulative and most of its characters -- especially "bad guy" Peter Thorndyke -- are essentially "one note" types. But those types fit well within the confines of the formulaic script, and the basic premise -- that a car can have a soul and a life of its own -- may be silly, but it's still engaging. And strangely enough, the character of Herbie really does have appeal; even against one's will, a viewer comes to care for this bizarre conglomeration of metal and human emotions. The human cast is enjoyable, too. Dean Jones is a little on the dull side, but he's also saddled with the stuffiest role -- and he does manage to be quite believable conversing with an automobile. Buddy Hackett and David Tomlinson are over the top (with some groan-inducing jokes), but they're fun, and Michele Lee is enchanting. The special effects have not aged well, but they're good enough to pass. Children who enjoy The Love Bug may want to check out the three sequels, but viewers should be advised that the series starts to run out of gas before too long. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Carroll Clark - Art Director, John Mansbridge - Art Director, Bill Thomas - Costume Designer, Robert Stevenson - Director, Cotton Warburton - Editor, George Bruns - Composer (Music Score), Otis Malcolm - Makeup, John Mansbridge - Production Designer, Edward Colman - Cinematographer, Bill Walsh - Producer, Hal G. Gausman - Set Designer, Emile Kuri - Set Designer, Peter Ellenshaw - Special Effects, Howard Jensen - Special Effects, Eustace Lycett - Special Effects, Alan Maley - Special Effects, Robert Mattey - Special Effects, Danny Lee - Special Effects, Robert O. Cook - Sound/Sound Designer, Dean Thomas - Sound/Sound Designer, Don DaGradi - Screenwriter, Bill Walsh - Screenwriter, Gordon Buford - Short Story Author
The Love Bug was the first in a series of movies made by Walt Disney Productions that starred a white Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie, a car with a mind of its own. It was based on a 1961 book Car, Boy, Girl by Gordon Buford. The movie follows the adventures of Herbie, his driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones), and Jim's love interest, Carole Bennett (Michele Lee). It also featured Buddy Hackett as Jim's enlightened friend, Tennessee Steinmetz, who created 'art' from used car parts. English actor David Tomlinson portrayed the devilishly evil Peter Thorndyke, the owner of the autoshowroom and multitime SCCA national champion who sells Herbie to Jim and eventually becomes his racing rival.
Dale Van Sickel†, Reg Parton†, Regina Parton†, Tom Bamford†, Bob Drake†, Marion J. Playan†, Hall Brock†, Bob Hickman†, Rex Ramsay†, Hal Grist†, Lynn Grate†, Larry Schmitz†, Richard Warlock†, Dana Derfus†, Everett Creach†, Gerald Jann†, Bill Couch†, Ted Duncan†, Robert Hoys†, Gene Roscoe†, Jack Mahoney†, Charles Willis†, Richard Brill†, Roy Butterfield†, Rudy Doucette†, J.J. Wilson, Jim McCullough†, Bud Ekins†, Glenn Wilder†, Gene Curtis, Robert James, John Timanus†, Bob Harris†, Fred Krone†, Richard Ceary†, Jesse Wayne†, Jack Perkins†, Fred Stromsoe†, Ronnie Rondell†, Kim Brewer† .... The drivers
* Billed in opening credits, but not closing credits; not credited with specific rôle on-screen. Andy Granatelli, the Association President, appears as himself. Other parts which can now be identified are as follows: Ned Glass (Toll booth attendant); Robert Foulk (Bice); Gil Lamb (Policeman at park); Nicole Jaffe (Girl in dune buggy); Russ Caldwell (Boy driving dune buggy); P.L. Renoudet (Policeman on bridge); Brian Fong (Mr. Wu's nephew – Young Chinese man carrying Herbie); Gary Owens (Announcer); and Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez (Mexican driver).
† Billed in opening credits, but not closing credits.
Production history
Dean Jones credited the film's success to the fact that it was the last live actionDisney film produced under Walt Disney's involvement, just two years long after his death in 1966. Although Jones tried to pitch him a serious straight-forward film project concerning the story of the first sports car ever brought to America, Walt suggested on a different and much better car story for him, which was none other than Car, Boy, Girl, a story previously written in 1961 by Gordon Buford. But before the film even began production, the titular car was originally unintended to stuck as a Volkswagen Beetle, which was why Disney set up a casting call for a dozen cars trying to audition (They kept them outside the studio so the crew can examine them during breaks, before inevitably casting the car). In the lineup, there were a few Toyotas, a VR, a handful of Volvos, an MG and a pearl white Volkswagen Beetle. The crew walked to each car to try cast them, but they kept testing them by kicking the tyres and tease with the steering wheels of each one to see how they handled. But when they walked to the Volkswagen, they reached out and petted it, as it was innocent, calm, gentle and friendly. So, the Beetle end up being cast as the car. The car was later given the name "Herbie" from one of Buddy Hackett's skits about a ski instructor with a funny accent. In the end of the skit, Hackett "If you ain't got a herbie(pronounced hoy-bie), I ain't again". Then Herbie later got his trademark racing number from one of the many 53s producer Bill Walsh watched on television, and one of the instant recongisable was the number #53 of baseball player Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bill Walsh even gave Herbie the trademark red, white and blue racing stripes presumably for the more patriotic color and came up with the film's ironic gags such as Herbie squiriting oil and opening the doors by himself, both of which are now owned by Dean Jones himself.
A well-known publicity photo for The Love Bug. Note that the "53" logo is missing from Herbie's open door. Disney used this botched photo heavily in advertisements.
The opening scene of the demolition derby cars was actually stock footage from the film Fireball 500, which explains, for example, the shot of Jim Douglas' 4B car toppling over on its roof before crashing down.
Some parts of the racing sequences from The Love Bug were later reused for Herbie's dream sequence in Herbie Rides Again, responding to Grandma Steinmetz's telling of Willoughby Whitfield that he used to be a famous racecar.
The driving sequences were supervised by Carey Loftin, who — as Cary Loftin — would go on to play the unseen menacing truck driver in Duel.
The hippie in the van next to Carol who talks to her ("We all prisoners, chickie baby. We all locked in.") when she is trapped inside Herbie at the carhop is actually Dean Jones disguised in a wig and glasses.
A scene shot, but not included in the final cut of the film, presumably for time reasons, featured Jim calling at a used car lot prior to his visiting Thorndyke's auto showroom. This missing sequence has sadly long since been lost; all that now remains is the script and a single black-and-whitephotograph of Jim talking with the salesman at the lot.
A scripted but unfilmed scene toward the end of the film was to have shown Herbie playing with children at a nearby playground prior to taking the newly-married Jim and Carole off on their honeymoon. The script of this never-shot sequence still exists, along with the original storyboard.
For the first and only time in The Love Bug series of films, Herbie has his own cast billing in the closing credits: "and Herbie". He is only one of two cars to be credited in a film; the other is Eleanor (a Ford Mustang) from the original Gone in 60 Seconds movie.
During one scene in the movie, Herbie has lost one of his wheels, and Tennessee is hanging out of the passenger side door to balance him. The door opens, and there is no "53" logo on the door. Without realizing the mistake, Disney used the image to heavily promote the film.
Dean Jones credits the film's success to the fact that it was the last live-action film that Walt Disney had authorized for production.[4]
Contrary to popular belief, the "Thorndyke Special" is an Apollo GT, not a Jaguar XK-E (E-type). (The Apollo GT was a short-lived American sports car designed by Milt Brown and built in Oakland, California from 1962 to 1965. Its body styling was heavily influence by the Jaguar XK-E, as well as cars by Enzo Ferrari, so the confusion is understandable.)
Mr. Wu said that it was like being pulled by 40 horses, when he and the others were dragged along the dirt by Herbie. A car like Herbie actually produces 40 horsepower (30 kW) in factory configuration.
Herbie's number 53 is a tribute to Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale.
Car, Boy, Girl, The Magic Volksy, The Runaway Wagen, Beetlebomb, Wonderbeetle, Bugboom and Thunderbug were among the original development titles considered for the film before the title was finalized as The Love Bug.
Although it is obvious to most viewers that Herbie is a VW Beetle, all "VW" logos were removed from Herbie in the first movie, nor was his brand name mentioned anytime in the script, perhaps a result of Disney's not obtaining license from Volkswagen, to use its trademarks in the film. Sequels of this film do, however show Herbie with logos and "VW" as well as "Volkswagen" are mentioned.
