The Love Bug
Tags: cult

Plot synopsis:
In 1968, Jim Douglas is a down-on-his luck racing driver, reduced to competing in demolition derby races against drivers half his age. Jim lives in an old fire house overlooking San Francisco Bay with his friend and mechanic, Tennessee Steinmetz, a jolly Brooklynite who constantly extols the virtues of spiritual enlightenment, having spent time amongst Buddhist monks in Tibet, and builds "art" from car parts. After yet another race ends in a crash (and Tennessee turns his Edsel into a sculpture), Jim finds himself without a car and heads into town in search of some cheap wheels. He is enticed into an upmarket European car showroom after setting eyes on an attractive sales assistant and mechanic, Carole Bennett. Jim witnesses the dealership's British owner, Peter Thorndyke, being unnecessarily abusive towards a white Volkswagen Beetle that rolls into the showroom, and defends the car's honor, much to Thorndyke's displeasure. The following morning Jim is shocked to find that the car is parked outside his house and that Thorndyke is pressing charges for grand theft. A heated argument between Jim and Thorndyke is settled when Carole persuades Thorndyke to drop the charges if Jim buys the car on a system of monthly payments.
Jim soon finds the car is prone to going completely out of his control and believes Thorndyke has conned him. Tennessee, however, believes certain inanimate objects to have hearts and minds of their own and tries to befriend the car, naming it Herbie. Jim's feelings about his new acquisition soon improve when it appears Herbie is intent on bringing him and Carole together. He also discovers Herbie to have an incredible turn of speed for a car of his size and decides to take him racing. After watching Jim and Herbie win their first race together, Thorndyke, himself a major force on the local racing scene, offers to cancel the remaining payments Jim owes on Herbie if Jim can win a race that they will both be competing in at Riverside later that month. Jim accepts, and despite Thorndyke's underhanded tactics, he and Herbie take victory. Over the next few months they go on to become the toast of the Californian racing circuit, while Thorndyke suffers increasingly humiliating defeats. Thorndyke finally snaps, and persuades Carole to take Jim out on a date while he sneaks round to Jim's house. After getting Tennessee drunk on his own Irish coffee recipe, Thorndyke proceeds to tip the remainder of the alcoholic coffee and whipped cream into Herbie's gas tank. At the following day's race, an apparently hungover Herbie shudders to a halt and backfires while Thorndyke blasts to victory. However, as the crowd admires Thorndyke's victory, Herbie blows some whipped cream out of his exhaust pipe, covering Thorndyke.
That evening, Jim returns home in a brand new Lamborghini 400GT, having agreed to sell Herbie to Thorndyke to pay the remaining installments he owes on it. Jim states he needs a "real car" for the upcoming El Dorado road race, but finds no sympathy from Tennessee, Carole, or Herbie, who jealously proceeds to damage the sleek sports car, proving to Jim once and for all he has a mind of his own. By the time Thorndyke arrives to collect Herbie, he is nowhere to be found, and Jim sets off into the night hoping to find Herbie and make amends before the car is seized by Thorndyke's goons. After narrowly escaping being torn apart in Thorndyke's workshop, and a destructive spree through Chinatown, during the Chinese New Year's parade, Herbie is about to launch himself off the Golden Gate Bridge when Jim reaches him. In his attempt to stop Herbie from driving off the bridge, Jim nearly falls into the water. Herbie pulls Jim back to safety, but then is impounded by the San Francisco Police Department. There, Tang Wu, (Benson Fong) a Chinese businessman whose store was damaged during Herbie's rampage, demands compensation that Jim can no longer afford. Using the Chinese he learned while in Tibet, Tennessee tries to reason with Wu, and learns that he is a huge racing fan who knows all about Jim and Herbie's exploits. Wu is willing to drop the charges in exchange for becoming Herbie's new owner. Jim agrees to this, as long as Wu allows him to race the car in the El Dorado. If Jim wins, Wu will be able to keep the prize money, but has to sell Herbie back for a dollar. Wu replies to this proposal in clear English: "Now you speak my language!"
The El Dorado runs through the Sierra Nevada mountains from Yosemite Valley to Virginia City and back. Before the start of the race, Thorndyke persuades Wu to make a wager with him on its outcome. Thorndyke (with his assistant Havershaw acting as co-driver) pulls every trick in the book to ensure he and his Thorndyke Special are leading at end of the first leg of the race. As a result of Thorndyke's shenanigans, Jim (with Carole and Tennessee as co-drivers) limps home last with Herbie missing two wheels and having to use a wagon wheel to get to the finish line. Despite Tennessee's best efforts, it looks as if Herbie will be unable to start the return leg of the race the following morning. Thorndyke then arrives and claims that this makes him the new owner of the car. Wu regretfully tells Jim of the wager and that in accordance with its terms this is true. Thorndyke, thinking he is Herbie's new owner, gloats to Jim about what he's going to do to Herbie and kicks Herbie's front fender, and punches Jim, but Herbie then unexpectedly lurches into life and chases Thorndyke from the scene, showing he is more than willing to race on. Thanks to some ingenious shortcuts, Jim is able to make up for lost time in the second leg and is neck and neck with Thorndyke as they approach the finish line. In the ensuing dogfight, Herbie's hastily welded-together body splits in two. The back half (carrying Tennessee and the engine) crosses the line just ahead of Thorndyke, while the front (carrying Jim and Carole) rolls over the line just behind, meaning Herbie takes both first and third place.
In accordance with the terms of the wager, Wu takes over Thorndyke's car dealership (hiring Tennessee as his assistant), while Thorndyke and Havershaw are relegated to lowly mechanics. Meanwhile, a fully repaired Herbie chauffeurs the newlywed Jim and Carole away on their honeymoon.

Review: 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.
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.
Mystic-minded hippie-type Tennessee Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett) argues that this is the case when his roommate, down-on-his-luck race driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) acquires a Volkswagen Beetle that frequently refuses to comply with its driver's demands.
Jim believes his own driving skill deserves the credit for his newfound success, but finally comes to believe the truth about Herbie in time for the final climactic race.By far the funniest and best of Disney's Herbie series, The Love Bug is silly fun that's still smartly written enough to be fun for all ages.
However, the real comic gold comes from Buddy Hackett as the offbeat Tennessee, who in Jim's words is `just in off a flying saucer,' and David Tomlinson as British rival Thorndyke, whose angry outbursts are deliciously over-the-top without crossing the fine line into obnoxious overacting..
He lives with a Buddhist named Tennessee Steinmetz(Buddy Hackett)who finds a soul in everything.Jim soon looks for a new car and comes across a fancy dealership, only to be embarrassed by the owner Peter Thorndyke(David Tomlinson) who refuses Jim's $80 offer for a gorgeous race car.
Herbie blows the competition away and Jim falls in love with the car's speed, but Tennessee knows it has heart and names it Herbie.Soon Jim, Herbie and Tennessee are winning races and Jim's ego inflates while Thorndyke's temper grows since he too races and loses every time to Herbie.
Thorndyke decides to sabotage the little car and when he succeeds, Jim turns his back on Herbie.
For comedic relief David Tomlinson was terrific as was his assistant Havershaw(Joe Flynn of McHale's Navy fame).Yes there are some over the top, goofy and somewhat embarrassing sight gags and a few interesting moments(i.e. Carol thinking Jim has ulterior motives when Herbie brings them to a make-out point, i.e. when Herbie tries to kill itself, and when Jim finally admits to Carol that he's just a bum), but the film has heart, like Herbie.
In each one, Jones was still down on his luck but nothing like the sad figure he portrayed in Love Bug. Great classic film, filled with 60's nostalgia..
A movie about a car with a mind of it's own, a vw beetle with a heart, how could you not love a movie like that.
Among all the great characters are the evil Peter Thorndyke, the beautiful Carole, the down on his luck driver Jim Douglas and the best one of the bunch Buddy Hackett as the wonderfully eccentric Tennessee Steinmetz, Tennessee has a Buddhist soul and does not discount the car as being alive.
You will see the headlamps as eyes and the wing mirrors as ears...This lovely film is a timeless classic, packed with cute moments, great music, and fantastically funny lines !!
One criticism I have of the later movies is that I would like to have seen Herbie stay with his original owner Jim Douglas, and follow his adventures with that family rather than see him owned by lots of different people - partly because Jim, Tennessee and Carol are great owners for Herbie, but also because how does the poor little car feel being passed from owner to owner?!
Love Bug's outing in which Herbie is racing in competitions , it is full of pranks and car stunts that are great fun to see .
. It deals with a down-on-his-luck race car pilot named Jim Douglas (Dean Jones who also plays the role of the hippy in the drive-in scene), who lives in an old run-down fire mansion in San Francisco with his partner , an occasional alcoholic mechanic called Tennessee Steinmetz (Buddy Hackett) .
Then, a big race was coming up and Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own undergoes the famous international car race called EL Dorado but encountering all sorts of comical obstacles along the way .
Jim and Tennessee along with Thorndyke's previous assistant named Carrol Bennet (Michelle Lee) , repaired Herbie before the race .
Fortunately, the couple of pilots have a sleeve in the form of Herbie , the fantastic car , as they take the magical Wolkswagen Bug with a mind of its own as both of them compete in the notorious race and attempt to beat .
As always, Herbie the love bug , is helping the young couple (Dean Jones , Michelle Lee) find romance but encountering all sorts of hilarious problems along the way .
Herbie with the number 53 intervenes in the biggest car race and win the Grand Prize , a challenge among top competitors circle the world's most famous racing circuits and quickly slipping in the ranking.This delightful Disney comedy displays great loads of amusement , fantastic race cars , slapstick , fun , giggles , chases are great fun to watch and being pretty entertaining .
It's an enjoyable movie for kids and for those who enjoy cars racing round and round and bounds and leaps carried out by Herbie .
The actors seem to enjoy immensely , as Dean Jones and Buddy Hackett play of sympathetic manner and the mean-spirited villains performed by David Tomlinson Joe Flynn are top notch.
This first version " Love Bug ¨ results to be the best version , it is amusing story with lots of laughs but is a familiar film .
Since, I was three years old I have loved Herbie, the Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of his own.
When Jim Douglas, played by Dean Jones, starts to have a fluke in his racing career he almost gives up hope.
He is stunned by a car dealership that is owned by Thorndyke, played by David Tomlinson, where he first runs into the famous Herbie.
Tennessee, played by Buddy Hackett, knows that it is the little car and not Jim. Tennessee also influences Carole, played by Michele Lee, who took a little more convincing.
Having the actors know how to act and having the little car doing all of the stunts played a really made a difference in this movie.
This is a wonderful movie and families every where will fall in love with Herbie and the rest of the cast..
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Love Bug. It is such good fun, and I do agree that it is by far and away the best movie of the series.
The entire cast from Buddy Hackett, Dean Jones, Joe Flynn and Michelle Lee is very strong, but at the end of the day Herbie is the one who steals the show, quite cute and endearing for a car Herbie is.
All in all, while not the best of the live-action Disney movies being a touch too long, it is thoroughly enjoyable and I can see completely why people love it.
This movie has something for everyone, comedy romance back in a time when Disney knew how to make a family film.
This movie has a bit of everything, comedy, appeal to kids, romance, racing, Disney villains who are as likable as they are bad.
Carole Bennett(Michele Lee)decides to join forces with Jim and Tennessee, and make sure that Peter Thorndyke(David Tomlinson) don't get all the glory.
But until Disney Studios put out The Love Bug, cars definitely did not seek out their owners.Yet that's what happens when one day racing driver Dean Jones comes into the auto show room of David Tomlinson who usually deals in the most pricey of cars.
This first Love Bug movie had a good cast of supporting players who were finding the Disney Studio their employer of last resort.
It's one of the reasons I like the Disney films in general.The Love Bug set a good standard for the future films.
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.
It was the first film to feature the character Herbie, who of course is none other than the lovable Volkswagen Beetle car who has a mind of its own.
The film climaxes in a memorable race scene.Set in and around picturesque San Francisco locations and boasting a nice lush soundtrack, The Love Bug is a fun, good natured romp.
What to say about this movie its so good and well made its so amazing Disney put more time on this movie then he did with any other Herbie films this one has to be the best in the series its my favorite Herbie movie they put this movie on car who has a mind of its own and I really like Volkswagens and this one has a name he's name Herbie with love in the air and happens in is heart its very funny and fun and it looks so realist.
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.
Meanwhile, the driver of the race car (Dean Jones as the annoying "Jim Douglas") thinks he's responsible for the race victories.
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..
Yep. Herbie Was One Nasty, Little Car. Well - I know one thing for certain - Whatever it was (and it was never explained) that "possessed" Herbie (the VW Love Bug) - I'd say that this bewitched, little vehicle was clearly of an unsound mind.Not only did "Herbie" have a peculiar attitude towards being irrationally destructive - But he also threw perplexing temper tantrums and had strong suicidal tendencies, as well.With disturbing qualities such as these - Had "Herbie" actually been a real person - You can bet that he'd be under the close observation of a very concerned psychiatrist.I think it's interesting to note that the VW logo was never featured in this live-action cartoon at all.
When it comes to live action Disney films I am not impressed but The love bug is by far one of my favorite Disney movies of all time.
I really wish Disney would make another sequel to the Herbie series as I really enjoyed this movie and its sequels as well But I guess this is why it such a classic film.
Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) is a struggling race car driver.
Robert Stevenson directed this appealing comedy that stars Dean Jones as unemployed race car driver Jim Douglas, who comes into possession of a Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie that somehow has a life of its own, and as soon as Jim realizes this, with the help of his friend Tennessee Steinmetz(played by Buddy Hackett) Herbie goes to work winning races for him, and helping him meet an attractive lady(played by Michele Lee) He must compete against his chief rival Peter Thorndyke(played by David Tomlinson) to win the big climatic race.
I remember vividly how VWs took off like crazy after this movie came out.Since one of my aunts had a VW Bug AND looked almost exactly like Michelle Lee, I used to love going to visit her.
The one thing that has always bugged me about the movie is how they NEVER call it a Volkswagen - always "the little car" or something..
Herbie goes on to star in 4 sequels, a re-made for TV movie and a short lived TV series.The title of the film seems to indicate that the main crux of the plot involves Herbie playing cupid to Dean Jones and Michelle Lee. Although the little bug does try to play matchmaker it's much more about Herbie being a race car, kinda like the Mach 5 in 'Speed Racer', accept that this car is alive.
But actually the film is more than just a race car movie with silly Disney Moments; it's about the complex relationship between the driver and his car.The main comic hijinks steam from the story line that this VW bug is alive with a mind of its own.
The comedy springs up from the characters and the situations that they are in as opposed to having wacky things happen just to get a cheap laugh.The whole cast, Dean Jones (lots of Disney films), Michelle Lee, Buddy Hacket, David Tomlinson (Mary Poppins), Joe Flynn (Macale's Navy) and Herbie (Herbie Fully Loaded) himself are delightful folks to hang out with for a couple hours.
I got the complete sets on video until the recent release of "Herbie Fully Loaded" I love that Tennessee Steinmetz, as portrayed by Buddy Hackett.
Jim Douglas, as portrayed by Dean Jones develops the love for the little car.
Christened "Herbie", Jones and welder-pal Buddy Hackett race their discovery at all the major tracks, infuriating the Bug's original owner, a snippy antique car dealer who also races (and isn't above dirty tricks when he loses).
Disney gives no death or injury count for the opening credits, but San Francisco race-car driver Dean Jones (as Jim Douglas) emerges with only a scratch.
She works for car dealer and racing rival David Tomlinson (as Peter Thorndike), who treats a shiny white 1963 Volkswagen Beetle badly.
Jones' Buddhist mechanic Buddy Hackett (as Tennessee Steinmetz) names the car "Herbie" after his uncle.
"Herbie" and the setting make it hum.****** The Love Bug (12/24/68) Robert Stevenson ~ Dean Jones, Michele Lee, Buddy Hackett, David Tomlinson.
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.
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".
Dean Jones plays as Jim Douglas, a race driver who hasn't won in a while.
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.
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.
Disney's 1969 film "The Love Bug" is an excellent one.
So, the car got all fixed up and he raced, winning many races!!!!!I've seen this many times; when I was a little boy, I've always thought of these movies as not interesting.
At that time, that's when the movie became stuck in my head and became an instant favorite."The Love Bug" is a great film.
The Love Bug (1968): Dir: Robert Stevenson / Cast: Dean Jones, Michele Lee, Buddy Hackett, David Tomlinson, Joe Flynn: Family film that crosses the line in terms of improbable silliness with charm.
The Love Bug. I had seen the modern Lindsay Lohan/Michael Keaton remake of the classic collection of films about the living car, Herbie: Fully Loaded, and it was right I should see the first of the old ones, from director Robert Stevenson (Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks).
Basically down on his luck racing car driver Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) and his friend, occasionally drunk mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz (The Little Mermaid's Buddy Hackett), live together in an old run down fire house.
He believes Thorndyke planted the car on purpose, but dealer assistant Carole Bennett (Michele Lee) proves the car is a good purchase, only to discover the car is living as well, and Jim has found a love interest.
After being fixed up Jim, and given the name "Herbie" by Tennessee, the car is more controlled by its driver, and with a high speed they start racing to be champions, against Thorndyke, who wants the car back.
So the two lap gets started, with Thorndyke seeming to cheat his way to the lead, but Jim, Carole and Tennessee in Herbie manage to catch up and eventually win the race.
The car doesn't have as much personality as perhaps the remake version does, Tomlinson makes a reasonably mean villain, like a live version Dick Dastardly, and the jokes are alright, it is something the family will enjoy, an alright comedy.
All these things come together for Disney's wonderful comedy- cars, racing, women, and glory.
The movie doesn't assume he's automatically more interesting than his friends just because he's male, which makes it all the more refreshing that his love interest Carole is smart, skilled as a mechanic, beautiful, and at the same time a great assistant in helping Jim build up his confidence as well as help him win the race by tending just as much to the car's upkeep as both her fellow riders.