The enduring appeal of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” 50 years on
Castles, adventure and a flying car – no wonder “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” is still enthralling children 50 years after its release. Alex Corlett jumps aboard . . .
IN ill health at the age of only fifty-two, James Bond creator Ian Fleming submitted a manuscript to his publisher for the first in a series of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” novels.
Fleming had been convalescing after a heart attack and, whilst recuperating in a hotel, had written out the story by hand for his son, Caspar.
He’d been banned from taking a typewriter with him for the sake of his health.
The publisher told Fleming that they thought he was on to another winner and happily accepted two more instalments from him, though sadly, he was to pass away before he completed a fourth.
Albert R. Broccoli had been working on the Bond films since “Dr. No” in 1962, and took the opportunity to adapt another of Fleming’s works for the big screen.
Filming took place in England and in Bavaria in Germany, whose name was loosely referenced by its on-screen version, Vulgaria.
Director Ken Hughes is said to have felt the film took too long to make – around a year – and most critics agreed that the end result was too long.
Certainly it would be the last time anyone would make a children’s film of that length (it ran for nearly two and a half hours) until Harry Potter came along many years later.
With Dick van Dyke in the title role, the plan had been to cast Julie Andrews in the female lead of Truly Scrumptious to recreate
their chemistry in “Mary Poppins”. She, however, was worried that it would be too similar and rejected the role.
Sally Ann Howes had taken over the role of Eliza Doolittle from Julie in the West End production of “My Fair Lady” and so seemed the perfect second choice for the job.
The film’s impressive credentials increased with its adaptation being done by Roald Dahl.
Dahl was already a friend of producer Albert Broccoli, having adapted the Bond movie “You Only Live Twice”, starring Sean Connery, which was released in 1967.
Of all of the touches that Roald Dahl brought to the finished film, perhaps the most memorable was the Child Catcher.
The villain employed by
Baron and Baroness Bomburst to capture children was entirely Roald Dahl’s creation and wasn’t in Fleming’s original work at all.
The Child Catcher ranks high in lists of the most terrifying film and literature characters, and was played with grace by ballet dancer Robert Helpmann.
The actor took out his top set of false teeth to give his face a more pinched appearance.
The Bond connection continued as a number of other stars featured, like Desmond Llewelyn, who played Q from 1964 until 1999.
Goldfinger, or Gert Fröbe, played the main villain, Baron Bomburst.
Over the year of filming, an enormous amount of work went into the production, most notably for the musical number “Toot Sweets”, which took three weeks to film.
Around 40 singers and 40 dancers were involved – and 100 dogs.
There were seven different versions of Chitty created, but only one could actually be driven.
The events of the film are roughly set in 1910. The eagle-eyed viewer will spot a number of factual errors for that time period
in the film.
These include a radio tower in the background when Chitty Chitty Bang Bang floats on the water, and dotted lines on a paved road while Chitty drives alongside the train.
Despite the film’s enduring popularity, it made a loss on its $10 million budget.
However, the title song gained it a nomination for a “Best Original Song” Oscar and the whole soundtrack garnered nominations for a Grammy and two Golden Globes.
Fifty years later, it’s still a classic and regularly tops the polls of favourite family films.
For many of us, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a visit from that phantasmagorical machine.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we still love you! ■