The Love Bug

source: The Love Bug

This movie was probably greenlighted by Mr. Walt himself before he passed in 1966, but even if I'm wrong, this is such a great classic, one that I'm sure he would have been proud to have his name on. I love ANY film that takes place in San Francisco simply because it, like the little car in this movie, has a ton of personality to it. Simply because it takes place on it, the wacky "suicide attempt" scene on the Golden Gate bridge is one of my personal favorites in the picture. Storywise, Dean Jones stars as Jim Douglas, a depressed and washed-up racing driver. In a posh automobile shop owned by Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson is wickedly funny!!!) Douglas meets "Herbie", a white Volkswagen that was returned that day by a lady who was having "problems" with it. Thorndyke kicks the little car viciously, and when Douglas stands up for the VW, the little car decides that it wants Douglas for its owner. It's true, you don't get a concrete explanation why Herbie is "alive" with "a mind of his own". The closest thing you get is Eastern philosophy from Douglas's friend and racing assistant, Tennessee Steinmetz (the lovable Buddy Hackett) a Jewish man who learned, while on a trip to Tibet that life is everywhere, even in mechanical objects like traffic lights and cars. When Douglas discovers that Herbie not only has a few "problems" that a little adjusting can fix, but that the car is capable of amazing speeds, he re-enters auto racing and is soon collecting trophies and prizes. Douglas has yet to learn, from Tennessee, his new friend Carole (Michelle Lee) and from Herbie himself, that in the quest for validation in life, some people are capable of selfishness and stepping on others' feelings. The somewhat arrogant Douglas refuses to believe that Herbie is a living thing, that "it" is only a car, and that "it" can be replaced...especially if it fails to perform to standard. Walter Pidgeon's character in BIG RED was similar. Once Red didn't win a dog show, the guy sold him. When Herbie destroys a gorgeous candy-apple red Lamborghini within minutes of Douglas bringing it home, the human finally understands what is going on, and goes through a huge transformation with Herbie. Yes, yes, it's a comedy. I know. It's loads of fun and Tomlinson has the best lines of all. Even hearing him scream, "HAVERSHAW!!!" is a joy, as well as seeing Herbie "poop" and "pee" on him in retaliation for his dirty tricks! A true comedy classic.

This is one of those films that I am sure I watched when I was a child, and I'm sure that I enjoyed it. But upon rewatching it an adult, it is problematic. It's problematic thematically, and it's also problematic in terms of the casual racism and dated humour. There are a couple of scenes that are digs against the counterculture movement, which makes sense because the film was released in 1968, but they don't really hold up today. It would be like somebody complaining about Millennials in a movie and then having that movie be watched 40 years later and people would have no idea what you're talking about. Obviously, we know what hippies are, but the way that they make fun of hippies is very specific to that moment in time. The Casual racism involves Chinese characters speaking with bad English accents, but it is slightly subverted when one of them turns around and speaks perfect English, although that character is portrayed as the wise old Asian man stereotype. And his hair has been dyed a very odd shade of gray, so it is obvious that he is not an old man. That's another problem with this movie is that it's quite obvious that a lot of the background scenery was done by backdrops, so there are a few outdoor shots which were done on location, most notably the racing, but when there are scenes inside of San Francisco you can really tell that the background is painted. That kind of distracts some modern audiences, I would say. But the biggest problem about the film which I mentioned earlier is thematically. It ends up being a film about a guy who is not very talented taking advantage of a sentient being to be successful. And in the end, is willing to give up his dreams to save his friend, and his friend ends up sort of dying anyway, although that death is played for laughs and obviously the character doesn't really die as there are four sequels. When I remembered this film I thought that it was one of the better live action films from the 1960s from the Walt Disney Studios but there are better ones, just the most popular.

No doubt we all remember when we were young and found this movie to be beyond magical. I guess that overall, "The Love Bug" is an innocuous way to pass time, but I believe that I speak for most people when I assert that "Christine" is a better movie about a car with a mind of its own. And since this came out the same year as "2001: A Space Odyssey", "The Planet of the Apes", "Charly", "Romeo and Juliet", "The Odd Couple", "The Lion in Winter" and "The Night of the Living Dead", that kinda weakens it; I mean, a Disney movie released the same year as those greats? I don't know about any other movie starring Dean Jones, but I can say that Buddy Hackett was better in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World", and that Michele Lee was better in "The Comic". As for David Tomlinson, I know of him only from "Mary Poppins", another Disney flick. And that must be how the cookie crumbles...

A delightful family yarn that will enthrall your younglings. Set in a more innocent time when Disney was all about family films and not global domination. Reminds me of happy weekends at my Grandmother's house.

Ah, remember when Disney was that all-powerful company that could do no wrong. I do. Disney had so much power in Hollywood that they could force the censors to give this movie a G rating despite the scenes where the late Buddy Hackett was clearly intoxicated and still boozing it up. Yes kids, we're introducing you to the wonders of alcohol in this family film. Still, this film about a race car driver and his Volkswagon Beetle is a good film. Herbie the Love Bug is a car with his own personality, even more than the General Lee or KITT. You couldn't hate Herbie. The story is the usual, Dean Jones somehow acquires this magical car and uses it to fame and fortune while stereotypical bad guys hatch a plot to steal it away from him for their own greedy reasons. Still, decent acting, that infamous Buddy Hackett scene, great racing scenes, and seeing Michelle Lee's bad haircut are enough to warrant a viewing. They also made three sequels, but this is the best of the bunch.

Dean Jones plays a race car driver who meets a pretty young woman (Michelle Lee) he sees working in the window at a fancy car dealership. He pretends to be interested in a car, but the dealer has nothing he can afford. Well, actually, that's not true. There is one little Volkswagen Beetle that was purchased by a woman who also bought a Bentley. She bought it for her maid but brought it back because the car misbehaved. Jones isn't interested in the car, but it follows him home. Cops show up at his place accusing him of stealing the car, which of course he didn't. Jones blames the sleazy car dealer for this, and for the strange behavior the car exhibits when he tries to drive it. The car has a mind of its own, and its special qualities make it good for racing. A romance develops between Jones and Lee when Lee tries to convince Jones the car is normal but soon finds out the truth. Lee can't stand Jones at first, of course. Eventually Jones decides to keep the car and race it, but the car dealer wants in on the action, offering to buy this special car. Jones won't sell to him, but he eventually sells to a Mr. Wu (some people may be offended by stereotypical portrayals of Chinese people, and Wu starts out as a stereotype but later seems quite sophisticated). The car dealer tries his best to keep Herbie from being a success. Jones and Lee did well in their parts but they seemed like they were acting. Buddy Hackett was quite good as an artist who creates works out of car parts and later served as Jones' crew. Hackett named the car Herbie because it reminded him of his uncle. And the actor playing the car dealer was delightfully evil. The special effects were amazing for the era in which the movie was made. It really looked like the car could do some amazing things. And of course the car seemed to have a personality, one that made us like it. The racing scenes were quite well done, and it's hard to believe there were not more wrecks. Maybe the cars were filmed at slower speeds than what we saw. While quite funny, the movie also had its tender moments and could even be sad: Herbie tried to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, for example. I didn't really see anything to concern parents, though maybe it was a little violent for the littlest ones.

Sorry to sound like Scrooge, but after seeing these films once again in the late '90s, I did not particularly enjoy this late '60s Disney movie favorite, nor its sequels. I watched them when they came out and was mildly amused at that time, but these Herbie flicks did not age well. I can understand why they did a remake recently. I know it's a fantasy, but it just looks now so stupid it's almost beyond description. In a nutshell, we have a 40-horsepower VW bug that wins auto races because it's "alive," complete with a personality and - get this - a soul! Meanwhile, the driver of the race car (Dean Jones as the annoying "Jim Douglas") thinks he's responsible for the race victories. Well, at least that made sense. The film turns out to be a propaganda piece for Buddhism!! I kid you not! In fairness, Disney and other studios who have done animation have always made inanimate objects human-like and many times we laugh at that, myself included. So, I'm not really making fun of the premise but it just looks and sounds so dated 40 years later, especially the San Francisco hippie scenes. "Herbie," by the way, was a likable "guy." It was good to see Benson Fong (Charlie Chan films) again, and Joe E. Ross (Bilko, Car 54, Where Are You?) and even goofy Buddy Hackett as "Tennessee Steinmetz." I always found it a shame, though, that humorous stand-up comics like Hackett and Don Rickles played so many stupid roles in these '60s films.

Fun, family movie. Been a favorite of mine since I was a kid

source: The Love Bug