Review - The Love Bug (1968)

      Hey guys, Chuck here. Disney's The Love Bug is an all-time classic, and was a movie that I loved watching regularly as a kid. The movie, directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, stars the likes of Dean Jones, Michele Lee, Buddy Hackett, David Tomlinson, and Benson Fong. 

       The movie, which opens with archived footage of the demolition derby scene from Fireball 500, centers on San Francisco based racecar driver Jim Douglas, who ran out of cars to race, and wound up driving in demolition derbies. After a derby, Jim returns home to a former firehouse, where his housemate is mechanic and automotive artist Tennessee Steinmetz. After conversing with Tennessee, Jim heads downtown and stops by a European Import car dealership owned by Peter Thorndyke, and he meets both Thorndyke and his aides Carole Bennett and Havershaw. It's also here where Jim comes across a 1963 Volkswagen Bug, which had just been returned that morning. After speaking out against Thorndyke kicking the little car for no reason, Jim leaves and catches a cable car to head home. 

       The next morning, a police detective points out that the little car followed Jim home, and he is being accused of grand theft auto for stealing the car from Thorndyke. However, Carole suggests that instead of having Jim arrested, that Jim can set up a set of monthly payments towards ownership of the little car. Seeing no.better alternative, Thorndyke reluctantly agrees, and Jim now gets the little car. However, there seems to be some odd quirks about the car, such as driving in directions it wants to go in spite of where Jim wants to go, such as returning to Thorndyke's, popping a wheelie in a street race, taking both Jim and Carole for a ride, taking them to both a drive-in restaurant and a forested public park. 

       Finally back home, Jim goes through and goes to fix the little car of whatever issues he's had with it, while Tennessee talks of how machines and technology are growing into a new kind of intelligence, and the little car may be one such example of this new mechanical intelligence. However, Jim dismisses these motions for more simple theories, such as mere mechanical issues that can be fixed. But, when Jim goes to bed, Tennessee speaks softly to the little car, and assures it that they're all friends. 

        The next morning, Jim and Tennessee take the car for a drive, and it's here where Tennessee officially names the car Herbie. So, after picking up some roses and delivering them to Carole, it's off to the races. Starting at Jackrabbit Springs Raceway, Jim and Herbie amaze the crowd with a narrow victory. However, Thorndyke is stumped in how Jim got that kind of speed out of the car, and offers to buy it back. However, Carole has another idea: Jim and Thorndyke both race at Riverside Raceway, with whomever wins becoming the sole owner of the car. And, while Tennessee is apprehensive about it, Jim ultimately agrees. And, despite Thorndyke's multiple efforts to cheat, Jim and Herbie still emerge victorious, which makes Jim the sole owner of Herbie. 

      We then get a montage of several races, including Laguna Seca and Tulare Fairgrounds, where Jim and Herbie are victorious and Thorndyke loses big time. And, with the race losses stacking up against him, Thorndyke starts going insane. So, he makes a plan that's just despicable. He has Carole drive the Thorndyke Special (a car that Thorndyke used in only specific races) on her date with Jim, which would leave Herbie at home. And, while Jim and Carole are out for the night, Thorndyke goes to Jim and Tennessee's house, where Tennessee whips up some Irish Coffee, some of which is poured into Herbie's gas tank. 

      And, by doing this, Thorndyke assures that he is victorious at the next race at Riverside, while Herbie hiccups, sputters out, and loses as a DNF. Tennessee returns Herbie back home, but Jim had already taken off. Carole, who left Thorndyke, comes over and helps fix Herbie. But, Jim went and bought himself a shiny red Lamborghini, feeling the need for a better, faster car for an upcoming road race called the El Dorado. Soon after, Thorndyke calls with an offer to buy Herbie for $1500, which Jim agrees to as he needs the money. This, however, doesn't sit well with Tennessee, who storms off, Carole, who tells Jim the truth about all the races he won, and Herbie, who smashes up the Lamborghini. After a bit of a scuffle, Jim makes a remark about Herbie being jealous of Jim getting the credit for winning all the races, and steps away to have a pause for thought. 

      Thorndyke arrives shortly thereafter, and not only offers Jim the $1500 for Herbie, but even ups the offer to $2000. Jim, when curious about why Thorndyke wants the little car, physically accosts him over the situation, and Tennessee reveals that Herbie, disillusioned by Jim's attitude, took off into the night. Jim follows suit,.and tries to find Herbie. However, Thorndyke puts in a call for his towing crew to locate Herbie first, which ultimately happens. And, when they try and tear Herbie apart, he runs amok in Thorndyke's dealership and escapes. 

      Jim briefly runs into Herbie at a parade in Chinatown, and he gets away and accidentally plows through a small grocery shop owned by entrepreneur and businessman Tang Wu. After a long night, Jim stops on a corner, only for Herbie to drive past and head onto the Golden Gate Bridge, where he attempts to drive himself off the side of the bridge. Jim, trying to stop him, almost goes over the bridge himself, but is saved by Herbie. 

       At the police station, Mr. Wu and his clerk identify the car that wrecked their shop,.and he then calculates the total cost in damages. Unfortunately, as Jim can't afford to pay, the officer information him that the car will be impounded, and the judge will have it sold at auction with Mr. Wu receiving the proceeds. Tennessee, however, asks to speak with Mr. Wu in Cantonese to perhaps convince him to drop the charges. And, this works, especially after revealing that Herbie is the car that's been victorious in several races, and Mr. Wu turns out to be a fan of auto racing. But, in lieu of having Herbie auctioned off, Mr. Wu wants to keep Herbie for himself. Jim agrees to this with some provisions. First, Mr. Wu has to let Jim drive Herbie in the El Dorado. And, of Jim wins the race, Mr. Wu gets the prize money, but has to sell Herbie back to Jim for one dollar. Mr. Wu accepts this deal by remarking "Now, you speak MY language." And, with Mr. Wu as the official sponsor for Jim and Herbie, it's off to the El Dorado. 

       So, what is the El Dorado? Well, it's a two-day  open formula cross-country road rally that starts in Yosemite Valley in California, runs through the Sierra Nevada mountains, and stops in Virginia City, Nevada on the first day, with the drivers driving from Virginia City back through to Yosemite Valley on the second day. And, because of his obsession with the little car, Thorndyke makes a wager with Mr. Wu. And, of course, Thorndyke had his little aide Havershaw sabotage Herbie in all sorts of ways, rendering victory insanely difficult for Jim, who is driving Herbie with Carole and Tennessee riding with him. 

       The race begins, and both Jim and Thorndyke have a few mishaps, with Thorndyke releasing oil into the road which causes Herbie to spin out of control, while Thorndyke accidentally goes off road into a small lake. And, while Havershaw is pushing the car out of the mud, a bear climbs into the car, which freaks out Thorndyke in a hilarious way. Soon after, Herbie runs out of gas, and Tennessee discovers that Thorndyke and Havershaw switched the spare gas for water. But, luckily, some men working at Mr. Wu's gas station in the former mining community of Chinese Camp arrive and carry Herbie to the station to refuel. And, at the same time, they hold Thorndyke up by having the two oldest and slowest guys working there refuel his car as slowly as possible. 

        The rest of the first day of the race goes fairly well, except for when Thorndyke and Havershaw rework a direction sign, and nudge into Herbie to knock one of his tires loose. Jim, Tennessee, and Carole do their best to get Herbie to Virginia City, but losing both of Herbie's left tires make it pretty difficult, and they're the last to arrive. That night, as Tennessee patches up Herbie, Jim talks with Mr. Wu about whether or not to continue, to which Mr. Wr remarks "A wise man once say: 'when come to last page, close the book.'" Jim and Carole then have a tender moment, which leads them to sharing a kiss. But, the moment is ruined when Thorndyke arrives to claim Herbie as his own, per the wager he made with Mr. Wu. But, after insulting and kicking Herbie, Jim jumps Thorndyke, and Herbie wakes up and begins chasing him down. Jim, Mr. Wu, and Tennessee follow Herbie to get him to stop, with both Jim and Mr. Wu in agreement about getting back into the race. 

      When it comes to the second day of the El Dorado, the racers are dispatched based on their order of arrival the previous day. And, since Thorndyke crossed the finish line first, he is the first one dispatched, with Herbie going last. But, thanks to multiple shortcuts used by Jim to cut through the competition and catch up to Thorndyke, and it's back to being neck and neck between Thorndyke and Jim, with several mishaps occuring, such as Herbie getting knocked into a tree, Thorndyke being flung into the cargo compartment of Herbie, and a number of cracks showing up that leads Herbie to split apart, with Jim and Carole in the front and Tennessee in the back. Thorndyke catches up, and when Herbie's rear end completely breaks off, that end, with Tennessee along for the ride, pulls ahead of Thorndyke and is the first across the finish line. And, while this still means Herbie won the El Dorado, let's just quote the race announcer: "The little car takes first AND third place." 

       And, as per the terms of the wager, Mr. Wu is now the owner of Thorndyke's dealership, with both Thorndyke and Havershaw working on the mechanics crew. Jim and Carole get married, and Herbie, who is fully repaired, takes the two off on their honeymoon, ending the movie. 

        The Love Bug is an all around fun movie that I enjoyed watching as a kid. The humor is terrific, the racing scenes are phenomenal, and the performances by Dean Jones as Jim, Michele Lee as Carole, Buddy Hackett as Tennessee, and David Tomlinson as Thorndyke are all iconic, with David Tomlinson's Thorndyke being one of the most entertaining Disney villains of all time, as it's hilarious to see him lose his mind and get insanely angry. And, of course, there's Herbie. Herbie is easily one of the most iconic movie cars ever made. His quirks, personality, and overall cheekiness is a big part of what made him a star. And, the choice to make Herbie a Volkswagen Bug was due to him eliciting a positive response from the film crew. 

      Overall, this is still one of Disney's best, and I can't recommend watching it enough. So, next time you're looking for a fun watch, check out The Love Bug, as it's definitely worth it. And, of course, it's popularity led to Disney to expand the Herbie franchise, which we'll get to another time. 

      Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you in the next review.