Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)

A down-on-his-luck inventor turns a broken-down Grand Prix car into a fancy vehicle for his children, and then they go off on a magical fantasy adventure to save their grandfather in a far-off land.

Director:

Ken Hughes

Writers:

Ian Fleming (novel), Roald Dahl (screenplay)

Stars:

Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dick Van Dyke	...	Caractacus Potts
Sally Ann Howes	...	Truly Scrumptious
Lionel Jeffries	...	Grandpa Potts
Gert Fröbe	...	Baron Bomburst (as Gert Frobe)
Anna Quayle	...	Baroness Bomburst
Benny Hill	...	Toymaker
James Robertson Justice	...	Lord Scrumptious
Robert Helpmann	...	Child Catcher
Heather Ripley	...	Jemima
Adrian Hall	...	Jeremy
Barbara Windsor	...	Blonde
Davy Kaye	...	Admiral
Alexander Doré	...	First Spy (as Alexander Dore)
Bernard Spear	...	Second Spy
Stanley Unwin	...	Chancellor

Storyline

An eccentric professor invents wacky machinery but can't seem to make ends meet. When he invents a revolutionary car, a foreign government becomes interested in it and resorts to skulduggery to get their hands on it.

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Plot Keywords:

flying car | based on novel | car | children | inventor | 

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Taglines:

The most fantasmagorical musical entertainment in the history of everything!

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German French Latin

Release Date:

18 December 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tschitti Tschitti Bäng Bäng

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dramatic Features,Warfield

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Benny Hill was first brought onto the project to rewrite some scenes at the request of Dick Van Dyke.

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Goofs

When Professor Potts tests his rocket pack, a visible cable pulls him along the ground.

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Quotes

Child Catcher: [threatening the toy maker] The Baroness will have your teeth for a necklace, and your eyeball for earrings.

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Connections

Featured in I Love Christmas (2001)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday
(uncredited)
Written by Patty S. Hill and Mildred J. Hill
Performed by Gert Fröbe

User Reviews

the whole family loves it

I had mostly forgotten this movie after 30+ years, but my 2 year old received it as a gift, and is obsessed with it. It's fantastic, really. The locations are stunning, the musical numbers are (mostly) so lively, the physical humor is great! There is such a range of stuff in it, unlike current movies. I even like it for its flaws. It's really beautifully made. The thing I didn't remember, and that disappointed me at first, was that the whole story is a fantasy, a story within the story. I even like that the kids don't sing so well. They seem more real, less like little prodigies.