The Love Bug

Infobox Film | name =The Love Bug


caption = deletable image-caption
director = Robert Stevenson
producer = Bill Walsh
writer = Bill Walsh
Don DaGradi
starring = Dean Jones
Michele Lee
David Tomlinson
Buddy Hackett
Joe Flynn
Benson Fong
Andy Granatelli
Joe E. Ross
Iris Adrian
Ned Glass
Robert Foulk
Nicole Jaffe
Gary Owens
and
Herbie
music = George Bruns
cinematography = Edward Colman
editing = Cotton Warburton
distributor = Buena Vista
Walt Disney Pictures
released = USA December 24, 1968 [ [http://www.herbiemania.com HerbieMania.com] Retrieved 14 Jan 2007.] [ [http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/movies/lovebug/lovebug.html Official Disney website] Retrieved 14 Jan 2007]
runtime = 108 minutes
language = English
imdb_id = 0064603
followed_by = "Herbie Rides Again"

"The Love Bug" was the first (and most successful) 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 auto showroom and multitime SCCA national championwho sells Herbie to Jim and eventually becomes his racing rival. The movie itself inspired a franchise that is still popular even today. The movie also pushed along the Volkswagen Beetle craze called Beetlemania, as people began to identify with the strange, rounded car that seemed just a bit different from most vehicles on the road.

Four theatrical sequels followed: "Herbie Rides Again", "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo", "Herbie Goes Bananas", and '. A five-episode TV series, Herbie the Matchmaker, ran on CBS in the US in the spring of 1982. In 1997, there was a made-for-television sequel which included a Dean Jones cameo, tying it to the previous films. The latest sequel, ', was released on June 22, 2005 by Walt Disney Pictures.

At Walt Disney World's All-Star Movies Resort in Orlando, Florida, Herbie has been immortalized in the "Love Bug" buildings 6 and 7.

"The Love Bug" was the highest-grossing film of 1969.

Tagline: "It's a Love in for Herbie... the incredible little car who shifts for himself!"

Cast

*Dean Jones .... Jim Douglas
*Michele Lee .... Carole Bennet
*David Tomlinson .... Peter Thorndyke
*Buddy Hackett .... Tennessee Steinmetz
*Joe Flynn .... Havershaw
*Benson Fong .... Mr. Wu
*Joe E. Ross .... Detective
*Barry Kelley .... Police sergeant
*Iris Adrian .... Carhop
*and Herbie

*with: Andy Granatelli*, Ned Glass*, Robert Foulk*, Gil Lamb*, Nicole Jaffe*, Wally Boag*, Russ Caldwell*, Max Balchowsky, P.L. Renoudet*, Brian Fong*, Alan Fordney*, Stan Duke*, Gary Owens*, Chick Hearn*, Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez*.

*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.

Notes

* Even though it did not get special thanks in the credits, some of the racetrack scenes were shot at the Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.
* 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-white photograph 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. [DVD commentary, "The Love Bug", 2003]
* Contrary to popular belief, the "Thorndyke Special" is an Apollo GT, not a Jaguar XK-E. (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 in factory configuration!

References

[http://www.geocities.com/lovebugfans/index1.htm LoveBugFans.com]

External links

*imdb title|id=0064603|title=The Love Bug