Doctor Dolittle (1967)

Doctor Dolittle is a world-renowned veterinarian who speaks a wide array of animal languages. He sets off from his home in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, England, in search of the Great Pink Sea ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Hugh Lofting (novels), Leslie Bricusse (screenplay)

Stars:

Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley

Won 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rex Harrison	...	Dr. John Dolittle
Samantha Eggar	...	Emma Fairfax
Anthony Newley	...	Matthew Mugg
Richard Attenborough	...	Albert Blossom
Peter Bull	...	General Bellowes
Muriel Landers	...	Mrs. Blossom
William Dix	...	Tommy Stubbins
Geoffrey Holder	...	William Shakespeare X
Portia Nelson	...	Sarah Dolittle
Norma Varden	...	Lady Fetherington

Storyline

Doctor Dolittle is a world-renowned veterinarian who speaks a wide array of animal languages. He sets off from his home in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, England, in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail. In so doing, he and his friends meet such exotic creatures as the Pushme-Pullyu and the Giant Moon Moth. This musical is the source of the hit song, "If I Could Talk To The Animals."

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Plot Keywords:

veterinarian | england | snail | moth | africa | 

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Taglines:

You've never seen anything like it in your life!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 December 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Doktor Dolittle

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$9,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

APJAC Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

152 min 145 min (FMC Library Print)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Reluctant Vegetarian" number proved to be one of the hardest to film, mainly because of the number of animals that had to sit still for a lengthy period. Hours of rehearsal and preparation went into it before filming actually started. During the first take, it looked like they might actually get it done without any additional shooting but then Rex Harrison stopped singing. Director Richard Fleischer asked him why he stopped, and Harrison said he heard him yell "Cut!" Fleischer denied this, and just as they were starting to argue about it, both of them heard a voice yell "Cut!" The guilty party turned out to be Polynesia the Parrot, who obviously had heard Fleischer yell this word many times during the production. Harrison took this in good humor, saying, "That's the first time I've ever been directed by a parrot. But she may be right. I probably can do it better."

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Goofs

Matthew Mugg plots to break Dr. Dolittle out of jail by blowing up the road with dynamite. The film is set in 1845; dynamite was invented in 1866.

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Quotes

Dr. Dolittle: Oh it's from Long Arrow.
Matthew: Who's he when he's at home?
Dr. Dolittle: An old friend of mine. He's a Red Indian gentleman.
Matthew: With a name like "Long Arrow" I didn't think he'd be Irish.

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Connections

Referenced in Grey's Anatomy: Life During Wartime (2008)

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Soundtracks

"The Vegetarian"
Written by Leslie Bricusse
Performed by Rex Harrison

User Reviews

Classic Gem Not To Be Hidden At Bottom Of Treasure Chest

If you don't appreciate wonderfully made movies that make people happy, go find a small island to keep away from the rest of the world.

Once again, movies like this prove 'a well thought out and developed plot and storyline' makes the movie a success at its foundation. The 'allstar cast' is just the beautifying of the cake with icing.

The writers seemed to realize that you can't always or do not have to force the plot lines to make a certain length of movie. They allowed the musical numbers to fill it up. On top of that, they didn't try to constrain the timeframe and edit out important details that allow a movie to flow. This is geared towards the family to make people feel good about anything and everything. Many writers these days are leaving films like this up to cartoon animators as cartoons seem to thought of hollywood as the "Childrens' Medium". This is a film that people of any age can feel good about and laugh together with.

Dr. Dolittle brings imagination to life by speaking to animals in a more realistic way. He's studied them and learned from experience how they communicate. He then takes his intelligence, almost by force, out to the world to find rare and unique animals and help out the world with the help of nature. This tale is often inspiring to many children to take care of animals. For those that have grown may remember some of the tunes and find yourself singing along.

The is truly a masterfully done marvel that any treasured classic video collection should have.