Herbie the Love Bug Collection (The Love Bug/Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo/Herbie Goes Bananas/Herbie Rides Again)
by Robert Stevenson, Vincent McEveety
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DVD details
Actor: Dean Jones, Don Knotts, Helen Hayes, Ken Berry, Stefanie PowersDirector: Robert Stevenson, Vincent McEveety
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Writer: Arthur Alsberg
Writer: Bill Walsh
Writer: Don DaGradi
Writer: Don Nelson
Writer: Don Tait
Writer: Gordon Buford
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.75:1
Running Time: 403 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-01
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Model: 3629203
Studio: Buena Vista Distribution Company
Product features:
- Get mot fun per gallon in this collection of all fouric Dismey film starring Herbie, the lovable car with a mind of his own. THE LOVE BUG The love Bug 2-Disc Special Edition, starring Dean Jones, Michele Lee and Buddy Hackett, features Herbie in the box office hit that started it all while rivals plot to steal Herbie, he will seal your heart. HERBIE RIDES AGAIN In the sidesplitting sequel,
DVD Reviews of Herbie the Love Bug Collection (The Love Bug/Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo/Herbie Goes Bananas/Herbie Rides Again)
DVD Review: One of the Greatest Disney Characters in 4 Wonderful Films!
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1969, the Walt Disney Studios released a funny little movie about a funny little car that became the top-grossing film of that year! It went on to have 5 hit sequels (one of which was made for television) and a short-lived TV series, and the star still holds his place as one of Disney's most beloved characters ever! That film was "The Love Bug," and that star is ol' number 53, Herbie the Volkswagen! The first four films of the Herbie saga, considered the "classic" Herbie films (1969-1980), are at last collected here in this lovely DVD boxed set. Here are the details:
"The Love Bug" 2-disc Special Edition
Down-on-his-luck racecar driver Jim Douglas is desperate to make a comeback. In the meantime though, he just needs some cheap, honest transportation. While perusing the merchandise at a local, upscale dealership, Jim's interest in a friendly saleswoman and his immediate disliking for the stuffy proprietor bring him to the defense of a mistreated little Volkswagen bug. Jim is only interested in a powerful car though, and he returns to his rundown San Francisco firehouse without the knowledge that the little car is following him home. The next day, Jim finds himself trapped into purchasing the VW beetle, and only his housemate, eccentric artist and mechanic Tennessee Steinmetz, is happy about the deal. Tennessee is the first to recognize that there is something special in the little car; that it has a life and mind of its own. Scoffing at the concept, Jim tries to make the most of the situation but immediately has trouble controlling the bug. He attempts to return the car, to no avail, but he does get the chance to spend some quality time with Carole, the saleslady he was eyeing before. Jim also makes a discovery about the little car. It's fast. It's VERY fast! Suddenly, Jim is inspired to enter the car into the racing circuit, himself behind the wheel of course! Soon, Jim and Herbie (as Tennessee has dubbed the little VW bug), are tearing up the tracks, and Carole and her boss, Peter Thorndyke, take notice. While Herbie the car begins playing matchmaker to Jim and Carole, Thorndyke begins plotting to outdo the winning team on the racecourse. More immediate trouble arises between Jim and Herbie though, when Jim continues to deny Herbie's sentience and not only takes credit for the car's ability to win races, but also attempts to trade up for a more powerful vehicle. Emotionally destroyed, Herbie attempts to drive himself off the Golden Gate Bridge, and only Jim's acceptance of the little car's magic and love saves the day! Their problems are not over yet though. When Herbie accidentally destroys a local Chinese businessman's roadside stand, Jim is too broke to pay for the damages. The businessman, Mr. Wu, takes possession of Herbie, and the only way Jim and his crew can get their little friend back is to beat Peter Thorndyke in one crazy and hilarious open-road race!
"The Love Bug" is one of those films that perfectly exemplifies the term, "Disney Magic." What other studio could take a story about a car with a mind and heart of its own and turn it into the top-grossing film of 1969! Disney Legend Dean Jones was tailor-made for the role of Jim Douglas, the late Buddy Hackett was born to play lovable Tennessee Steinmetz, and Michelle Lee was the perfect leading-lady for this very unique film! And, who can forget the late, great David Tomlinson, another Disney Legend who added his perfect flair to all three Disney Masterpieces he co-starred in! David is an unforgettably bumbling villain in this charming family classic, with good ol' Joe Flynn cracking us up at his side! With yet another Disney Legend, Robert Stevenson, at the helm, Disney's traditional and glorious Peter Ellenshaw matte effects, wonderful music, fantastic stunts, terrific performances, and tons of magic and heart in the form of childlike Herbie the Volkswagen, it's easy to understand why "The Love Bug" became a major Disney classic that spawned five, yes, FIVE wonderful sequels and a short-lived television series! One of the sequels is a TV movie from 1997 that is repeatedly referred to as a remake, even by the Disney historian on this DVD's bonus disc, which is a pet peeve of mine, I must admit. People also constantly refer to the recent and wonderful Lindsay Lohan sequel as a remake, which just drives me nuts! Let it be known that I am a HUGE Herbie fan! I still dream of the day when I'll own and drive a replica of Herbie the Love Bug myself! I have a large remote-control Herbie, a Herbie beanie, all the DVDs, and other collectibles. I'm a big fan! That's one of the great things about this two-disc set! It's made for the fans! Among the extras is a featurette about hardcore Herbie fans who talk about how they made their own Herbies! We also get footage of the Love Bug Day at Disneyland, where fans decorated their own Volkswagens for a big parade and contest to win a Herbie of their own from Dean Jones! We get a featurette on the many lives of Herbie (unfortunately, all extra features were made before "Herbie: Fully Loaded," but this disc is great about mentioning ALL the other Herbie films that came before it) and one of interviews with the stars, in addition to radio spots and sound studio features. There are also two deleted scenes represented by stills, art, and script pages, a featurette on the Disney sound effects master that worked on "The Love Bug," plenty of art, document, merchandise, and photo galleries, a 1969 montage on what Disney was up to that year, a featurette on where Herbie can be found today, a screenplay excerpt with film comparison, and a fantastic behind-the-scenes promo starring Dean Jones and the rest of the "Love Bug" cast! All this can be found on Disc 2, but even Disc 1 has its extras! In addition to the glorious widescreen presentation of the film itself, Disc 1 of "The Love Bug" Special Edition includes Disney's classic short, "Suzie, the Little Blue Coupe," the story about a little car that, like Herbie, has a life of her own. Disc 1 also has feature commentary with none-other than Dean Jones and Buddy Hackett, and a separately recorded Michelle Lee commentary is spliced in! It's very enjoyable to watch, even if Buddy is more interested in discussing his fascinating experiences in show business outside of the Disney Studios (Dean Jones reigns him in when he can) and Michelle Lee is more focused on how "cute" she looked in `69.
"Herbie Rides Again"
Five years after Herbie the Volkswagen bug made his big-screen debut in Disney's legendary hit film, "The Love Bug," the little racecar returns with the lovable 1974 comedy, "Herbie Rides Again!" This time around, Herbie is left in the care of Tennessee Steinmetz's kindly, old, widow aunt, played by Helen Hayes, who lives in the same familiar firehouse from the original film. Disney staple Dean Jones and sidekick Buddy Hackett are nowhere to be seen this time around. Dean's character, Jim Douglas, has gone off to Europe to race in European cars, while Tennessee has rushed off to Tibet to care for his ailing guru. Instead, we have the always charmingly dimwitted Ken Berry (great for us "Mama's Family" fans!), who is sent by his greedy and filthy rich developer uncle, Alonzo Hawk (the fantastically wicked Keenan Wynn), to extract old-lady Steinmetz so that the firehouse can be torn down and replaced by a shopping mall. Problem is, Mrs. Steinmetz has no intention of leaving her beloved home where she married fireman Mr. Steinmetz and has lived all these years. She shares the place with Herbie the VW, an antique music machine, an old cable-car called Number 22, and a lovely stewardess named Nicole Harris (Stefanie Powers) who quickly shows Berry's character, Willoughby, how she feels about Mr. Hawk and his associates. Once Nicole has explained to Willoughby what his uncle is really like, the two quickly fall in love (with Herbie's help, of course) and Willoughby immediately leaves his new job as a lawyer for Hawk Industries. Their troubles are not over that easily, however. Alonzo Hawk is determined to take down the old firehouse, even though he doesn't even own the land yet! He decides to employ harassment tactics, starting with stealing the little car that drives Mrs. Steinmetz everywhere and protects her constantly, Herbie! The film kicks the slapstick humor and wild stunts up a notch when Herbie, making his daily rounds with Mrs. Steinmetz, must repeatedly outwit and outdrive Alonzo and his goons, Helen Hayes playing the Mr. Magoo part perfectly all the while. But she's not as out of tune as she seems. When Mrs. Steinmetz decides to play tough, she plays tough, with Herbie's help that is, not to mention the help of her new cowboy suitor, Mr. Judson (John McIntire), along with Nicole, Willoughby, and an army of VW bugs!
"Herbie Rides Again" was the first in a still flourishing line of sequels to the Disney phenomenon, "The Love Bug." Directed by the same fantastic Disney Legend who helmed the original, Robert Stevenson, this is no mere rehash of the first! While the original film still reigns superior to the other offerings, the follow-ups are nevertheless fantastic! "Herbie Rides Again" features an all new story, completely off the racetrack, and plenty of car-chases loaded with some of Herbie's most legendary stunts, such as driving up the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge, driving around on the ledge of a skyscraper, and surfing in the Pacific Ocean! While it lacks a bit of that Walt Disney touch (Walt past away even before the first Herbie film was released, though he did have a hand in it), the film stays true to the original with the same great music, another excellent cast, and plenty of Herbie magic! It is truly `70's Disney, but not everyone considers that a bad thing. "Herbie Rides Again" is all about visual family comedy and fun, and in that it excels! The movie is presented in widescreen on this DVD, though some have stated that it is not the true widescreen, and while the picture looks scores better than some other Disney DVDs, like "Blackbeard's Ghost," it doesn't look perfect. There are also no bonus features to be found, but if you really want some, all the Herbie sequels up to the 1997 TV movie are mentioned from time to time on the bonus disc of the original 1969 classic DVD.
"Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo"
Twelve years after leaving the racing scene, Jim Douglas and his living Volkswagen, Herbie, are set to make their comeback! They're entering the Trans-France Race from Paris to Monte Carlo, and they're not going to let anything stop them from regaining their superstar status! That's the intention anyway. But when fate throws a monkey wrench into their golden plan in the form of a lovely European racecar, it's all Jim and mechanic Wheely can do to keep Herbie's eyes on the prize! Of course, this is a comedy about Americans visiting Paris, so you've got to have some diamond heisting! While Jim and Wheely try their best to reason with Herbie and his dreamcar's untrusting female driver, they have no clue that two thieves working for a much bigger mastermind have stashed an enormous stolen diamond in Herbie's gas tank! As the thieves try to get their hands on love-struck Herbie and the diamond, the police chase after the thieves, even during the big race! And Jim and Wheely thought the only thing they had to worry about was their bullying European competition!
"Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo" is another excellent entry into Disney's still thriving Herbie franchise! The film is not without its quirks though. For example, what happened to Jim Douglas's wife, Carole, whom he married at the end of the original "Love Bug" film? And, why is it set 12 years after their last race, when, in fact, it was only made 8 years after the first film? Well, regardless, this third film about ol' number Fifty-Three is no less fun, fanciful, and fantastic than any of Herbie's other wonderful sequels. There are plenty of great laughs thanks in no small-part to the genius of Don Knotts (who just passed on two nights ago and will be greatly missed) in the role of Herbie's mechanic, Wheely Applegate. It's also a real treat to see Dean Jones back in the driver's seat reprising his role as Jim Douglas from the original Herbie film, "The Love Bug." The jewel thief plot may be a bit goofy, but it's good fun and adventure in the usual Herbie style, with plenty of the great character actors of the day and the expected, fantastic Herbie stunts! Plus, Herbie gets a girlfriend! Their onscreen romance is a great source of humor and heart! If you've got the kind of beautifully naive imagination that allows you to enjoy the fruits of 1970s Disney, this film is for you! Again, this sequel comes with no DVD extras, and "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo" isn't even presented in widescreen. It's a jip to be sure, but as a diehard Herbie fan, I'm just thrilled to finally have all these wonderful movies on home video, and I truly hope the TV movie and TV series get some DVD releases in the near future too!
"Herbie Goes Bananas"
In his wildest adventure yet, "Herbie Goes Bananas" takes everyone's favorite little Volkswagen beetle south of the border and on a high seas adventure to protect a little orphan boy and save some ancient Incan artifacts from the clutches of greedy criminals! This 4th Herbie film, the 3rd and last of the "classic" Love Bug sequels, begins in Mexico, where we meet Jim Douglas's nephew Pete, a wanna-be racecar driver himself, and his mechanic, D.J., two young Americans just arriving in Puerto Vallarta. They're there to pick up Herbie, the VW racing sensation that Jim has turned over to nephew Pete in the hopes that the car and his new driver can help each other by becoming a winning racing team. Pete and D.J. intend to take the little car, via cruise ship, to win a big race in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Of course, upon seeing that Herbie is just a little `63 bug, their confidence sinks. It doesn't take long, however, for Herbie to show them his true potential, and Herbie is being loaded onto the S.S. Princess before we know it! Unfortunately, not before Pete has his wallet stolen by a poor orphan boy named Paco. Little Paco is a sweet and lovable kid that knows how to charm the tourists, but he also knows how to get into big trouble. Not only does he steal Pete's wallet, he pickpockets from some dangerous criminals as well! And, somehow, he gets the contents of the stolen wallets mixed up! Unknowingly, Pete and D.J. are walking around with some very incriminating film in their possession after Pete regains his property. Meanwhile, Paco has stowed away onboard the S.S. Princess in the front-end trunk of his new friend, Herbie the car!
While at sea, things get really crazy! Pete and D.J. get into a world of trouble with the captain of the Princess, Captain Blythe, when Herbie and stowaway Paco are caught causing trouble not once, but twice! The old-fashioned Captain is so angry at Herbie that he has the little car rolled off a plank and into the ocean, where it seems Herbie will be lost forever! Meanwhile, Paco is taken into custody, and Pete and D.J. are left at the first port of call along with a wealthy woman called Aunt Louise and her gorgeous but bookish niece, Melissa. The pair of female cruise passengers got caught up in the whole mess when D.J. convinced Pete to woo Melissa in a successful attempt to gain Aunt Louise's financial support as sponsor of their little racing car. Now, our entire cast is abandoned in South America, and everything seems pretty hopeless. That is, until Paco spots a rusty wreck of a Herbie floating in from the ocean. With the help of some untrustworthy locals, Paco brings Herbie in. The little car does not look well, but the pair manage to make a getaway before the villagers cut him up for scrap! Herbie is soon feeling better again, though he looks awful. Paco paints "Taxi" on his sides and the two prepare to start a humble life together, but their plans are cut short when the dangerous criminals finally catch up to the little boy. They're after their film and send Paco on a mission to get it back, or else they'll be the ones turning Herbie into scrap! Now, Paco has to find Pete and D.J. again so he can return the stolen film; stolen film that shows the location of a secret, unknown trove of ancient Incan treasures! Surprisingly (or not), Captain Blythe and the ladies are soon caught back into the mess as Herbie accidentally hijacks the captain and Aunt Louise during his escape from the vicious criminals! It's all a crazy and hilarious mix-up that doesn't end until an insane bullfight and a kooky airplane encounter get the better of the bad guys! And, yes, there are bananas involved!
"Herbie Goes Bananas" is easily my favorite of the "classic" Herbie sequels! Okay, this 1980 entry is the most "kids' movie" of the lot, made all the more obvious by the Sesame Street sounding songs in the background, but it also holds true as the funniest sequel of the bunch! How could it not be, with the likes of Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman in the cast? Harvey really does steal the funniest moments as the irrepressible Captain Blythe, especially when staving off the hilarious romantic advances of lovestruck Aunt Louise (Cloris Leachman). In fact, a great cast is key to what makes all the Herbie films work so well, and this film has another excellent ensemble! Charles Martin Smith makes a great mechanic sidekick (a tradition in most Herbie films), and Stephen W. Burns's role as pretty-boy nephew to Dean Jones's "Love Bug" character, Jim Douglas, is not exactly rocket science, but Burns plays the prince-like Disney hero well and in a likeable way. John Vernon, Alex Rocco, and Richard Jaeckel make for some excellent Disney villains, and Elyssa Davalos is simply an angel as the introverted niece, Melissa, even in her librarian's best. We even get famous character actor Vito Scotti in a small but side-splitting role! The star of this film though, aside from Herbie the car, is Joaquin Garay III, who plays fast-talking and mischievous, but good-hearted, little Paco. Naturally, there's no shortage of great Herbie stunts in "Herbie Goes Bananas" either! Probably the most memorable is Herbie's legendary turn as a matador in a sold-out bull ring! If you're a fan of Disney's "The Love Bug," this is one sequel that you shouldn't miss, especially if you want to get your small children into the Herbie fan-base. In fact, I can only recommend the newest sequel, "Herbie: Fully Loaded," with more enthusiasm! All are excellent films, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart from years of watching it on the Disney Channel as a kid and even seeing it in theaters! I even have a little Johnny Lightning "Herbie Goes Bananas" die-cast car with "Taxi" painted on the side and coated in painted on "rust." I love it! Unfortunately, this is another lackluster Disney DVD release with zero extras and fullscreen formatting. All the more reason to get it as part of the boxed set, since the extras on disc two of the original film do make occasional reference to all the pre-Fully Loaded sequels. Yeah, a widescreen DVD would be nice, but we may never get one, and this film is too good to miss!
These four terrific Disney classics come in the same snap-cases they are sold in individually, but you also get the lovely collector's case to hold all four together that features a great image of Herbie occupied by the stars of all these classic films. For Herbie or Disney fanatics, the "Herbie the Love Bug Collection" 4-film boxed set is a must own! And, if you still can't get enough, pick up the 4th sequel, also titled "The Love Bug," on VHS. It stars B-film fave Bruce Campbell and is the one source for Herbie's secret origin story! You may find it to be a hokey TV movie in comparison to the others, but it DOES include the tearful reunion of Jim Douglas (played, as always, by Dean Jones) and Herbie the Love Bug! You also MUST SEE "Herbie: Fully Loaded," the second best film in the franchise! Enjoy them all, and let's hope we see the Dean Jones TV series and the Bruce Campbell TV sequel hit DVD format someday soon too!
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Description of Herbie the Love Bug Collection (The Love Bug/Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo/Herbie Goes Bananas/Herbie Rides Again)
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