Herbie Rides Again (1974)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Bill Walsh (screenplay)
Gordon Buford (story)

Release Date:

6 June 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Family | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

A little SQUIRT makes a big SPLASH!

Plot:

The living Volkswagen Beetle helps a old lady protect her home from a corrupt developer.

Plot Keywords:

Volkswagen Beetle | Wedding | Window Washer | Glass Shattered Vocally | Nightmare

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Helen Hayes	...	Mrs. Steinmetz
Ken Berry	...	Willoughby Whitfield
Stefanie Powers	...	Nicole Harris
John McIntire	...	Mr. Judson
Keenan Wynn	...	Alonzo A. Hawk
Huntz Hall	...	Chicken Run Judge
Richard X. Slattery	...	Traffic Commissioner
Raymond Bailey	...	Lawyer
Dan Tobin	...	Lawyer
Elaine Devry	...	Millicent - Hawk's Secretary
Liam Dunn	...	Hawk's Doctor
Vito Scotti	...	Taxi Driver
Don Pedro Colley	...	Waiter with Cake
Chuck McCann	...	Fred Loostgarten
Larry J. Blake	...	Police Officer

Runtime:

88 min | Argentina:90 min | Spain:84 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:G | Spain:T | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

The GAF Viewmaster reel set shows a picture from a deleted sequence where one of Alonzo Hawk's nightmares has him being treated by VW Beetle doctors. The "doctors" have a red cross on the hood and the headlights have "pupils." The "doctors" have mechanical arms that hold welding torches and other mechanical tools. The scene was probably deleted because it would have been too scary for kids.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the Golden Gate Bridge sequence when Herbie is going backwards down the Bridge, he begins to disappear pixel by pixel before he goes off screen.

Quotes:

Willoughby Whitfield: [rehearsing to his mirror] Uncle Alonzo, I've dropped by to talk to you man to man, so I can look you squarely in the eye.
[he dabs makeup around his eye]
Willoughby Whitfield: No, I'm wearing make-up because of a black eye. A girl hit me in the face with a boiled lobster the moment I mentioned your name.
[glances at his note cards]
Willoughby Whitfield: This same wonderful, intelligent, clear-sighted girl was able to convince me what kind of a person you really are.
[looks at notes]
Willoughby Whitfield: I do not hold with your scheme of cheating Mrs. Steinmetz out of her home so that you may build your concrete anthill on the spot where she has known so much happiness. Hm.
[looks at notes]
Willoughby Whitfield: I think you are despicable, greedy, grasping, and wholly without principle or pity.
[pause]
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Son of Flubber (1963)

Soundtrack:

Carnival of the Animals - The Swan

tired and uninspired sequel

In the first movie, Herbie was a real personality and he could be jealous, angry, depressed or suicidal and even intoxicated. The viewer saw that there was a special bond between car and owner. But in this sequel, again set in San Francisco, the bond is with Helen Hayes and Herbie instead of the man. Stephanie Powers as the love interest is too violent and aggressive, and her character played against the wimpy Ken Berry comes across as downright harsh--there is no chemistry between them (unlike Dean Jones and Michelle Lee in the original film). In various scenes, she is seen assaulting Berry.In one scene they are having lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and she stands up and smacks him in the face with a lobster ("He's YOUR uncle?!") Is this really supposed to be funny?

But in this uninspired sequel, the real star is Helen Hayes--not the car and certainly not with Ken Berry, who merely becomes a supporting character in this. Helen Hayes, as an old lady battling a developer, is seen in various life-threatening situations in the movie. In various surreal scenes, Haye's character is knitting while riding Herbie,impervious to the danger around her as Herbie scales a skyscraper or rides atop the Golden Gate Bridge. She is sickeningly sacharrin sweet but she plays her scenes well.

The climax of this movie is weak, and it is really a collection of surreal scenes involving Herbie and Helen Hayes. There is no romance and no racing, both of which were key elements which made the original such a success. This movie was made in the transitional period, between the really great Disney classics like "Mary Poppins" and the excellent productions that Disney puts out today. The movie and plot are very predictable as is the inevitable outcome. Naturally, there's no way that the outcome is realistic as city zoning laws forbid houses in a district of skyscrapers.