Kicking off Musicals in March with *CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG* (1968) | MUSICALS IN MARCH

[@thedoctor1430]

This is my childhood favourite movie, I loved it, and still do as an adult, it holds a special place in my heart, from a very young age

[@emilyhedrick2851]

Caracticus is one of the best fathers in cinema history. I wanna hug my dad now. 💕

[@jackieknows9129]

I was 7 when this came out and the child catcher scared the scrap out of me.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Haha! He is a frightening fellow 😂 that nose is freakishly long!

[@HannibalFan52]

@@MoviesWithMia Robert Helpmann (Child Catcher) was a ballet dancer/choreographer from Australia who made his career in England. He can be seen in the film version of Offenbach's opera 'The Tales of Hoffman' as all four villains and in 'The Red Shoes' with Moira Shearer. Towards the end of his career, he appeared as the Mad Hatter in the 1972 version of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. During the filming of the chase with the Child Catcher's wagon, during one take, the horses were going to fast, and the wagon started to tip over. Helpmann, who was driving, managed to jump up, run along the edge of the tipping cage, and leap off, escaping uninjured, thanks to his ballet training. The original story involved a plot with Nazis, but they were taken out of the adaptation. Oddly enough, Nazis were actually added to Disney's adaptation of 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks'. The Benny Hill Show was hilarious, but its humor was of its time. You wouldn't be able to do some of his material now, but it's still enjoyable if you keep that in mind. He also appears in the 1969 version 'The Italian Job', amongst others.

[@hilarypotter3334]

Same! I LOVE Dick van Dyke but that child catcher is enough to totally deter me from watching it.

[@jasonskywalker2023]

I still have nightmares with that guy. Lol

[@SpectrumAnalysis]

Dick Van Dyke not only had to keep up with much younger dancers, and balance on a bamboo stick, but also dance OUT OF SYNC. Crazy. You're the first person I've seen notice Caractacus Potts' name being awesome, but it's also a pun. Caractacus Potts, the inventor. Cracked Potts Inventor. He's a crackpot!

[@CherylHughes-ts9jz]

The doll on a music box scene is one of the prettiest things on film🌹

[@drdrght]

Love this film and loved watching you enjoy it too. Thanks.

[@chrisboot2468]

Robert Helpmann, who played the child catcher was a very, very famous British ballet dancer and choreographer. The film was written by Roald Dahl, who was the best friend of Ian Fleming.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Oh wow! I didn't know they were best friends! That's so cool :) Oh I would love to see Robert Helpmann perform ballet. Do you have any suggestions of his performances?

[@agenttheater5]

@@MoviesWithMia I think he was in the Red Shoes, one of the main male dancers in the ballet company where the story takes place

[@agenttheater5]

Not surprised, Dahl was very imaginative but very vicious as well - think about the unfair treatment of children in Matilda and the Witches and the justified punishments of the children in Charlie and the Chocolate factory.

[@tanisdevelopment]

Just thought I'd make a correction. Helpmann was an Australian.

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

Helpmann's performance as the Child Catcher is so great that in all the many decades I've been watching the film, until the present moment when I read your comment, it never once occurred to me that he was played by an actor.

[@andyleclerc3600]

ME OL' BAMBOO...best dance sequence ever

[@Baby_disney_valetine]

One thing is scary part of the movie when the child Catcher kidnapped the kids scared me when I was little 😅

[@GregIsAFan]

Robert and Richard Sherman did the songs for this...and Mary Poppins too. Really amazing guys.

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

Some of my favorite classic musicals are: Cabaret Fiddler on the Roof My Fair Lady Top Hat The Music Man I hope at least some of these will be included in the March musicals series. Thanks!

[@lisathuban8969]

That's a great list!

[@babsb9889]

Oh definitely Top Hat--my favorite Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical.

[@cimarronwm9329]

Having watched this in the reverse order, Grease reminded me of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ending, but I was less accepting of it in that film. I mean Chitty is built be Caracticus Potts, Greased Lightning was built as a hot rod. I was a little kid and saw this in the theaters. The Child Catcher was creepy, but he got his comeuppance so it was ok. Can't wait to see West Side Story review. I saw it as a child also. One time I asked my dad about the movie with dancing on rooftops and a character named Maria and he thought I had combined Maria from Sound of Music with Mary Poppins and sweep dancing on rooftops. Later I saw West Side Story again, and that scene came up -- one of my favorite songs, I was like oh that's where it's from. This was long before you could select to watch a movie, you had to plan your viewing around when things aired on tv. My mom once sent us to bed early because a film she wanted us to see was playing late at night. She woke us up and had treats ready so we could watch The Trouble with Angels, an engaging film about girls at a Catholic boarding school starring Harley Mills with Rosalind Russell as the Mother Superior. Great time.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Wow! That is wonderful! Such a beautiful memory, thank you for sharing 😊

[@denisedale4125]

The one who played the child catcher was a ballydancer who stared in the film the red shoes

[@chadwhiteclaw9214]

I saw this on broadway and they flew the child catcher over the crowd in a net it was nuts

[@kruuyai]

Thanks for another great review. I have had this on DVD for years but always avoid watching it, because I remember it being a bit depressing, but after seeing your review, I'm motivated to watch it again. There are a lot of cute scenes that I didn't remember like the one where Truly is dancing like a music box ballerina and Dick is dancing like a marionette. One of these days, I'll get my stuff together early enough to prewatch one of the movies you're reviewing. So far, they've mostly been movies that I already have, but I've been so busy lately discovering the golden age of Korean cinema that I just haven't had the time . BTW, it occurred to me as I was watching this that another fantastic kids film that it would be nice to see reviewed is the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills and Brian Keith (the dreamy Uncle Bill from the Family Affair TV show in the 60s).

[@MoviesWithMia]

OOH KOREAN CINEMA!! I have a love affair with Korean films, dramas, and music! What movies have you seen so far? I haven’t gotten into old Korean films, but I love kdramas and Korean horror films!! We should do a foreign film month!!! I would be totally down!! I would love to explore some of South Korea’s older films!

[@MoviesWithMia]

Also, thank you for your recommendation, I will add it to the list :)

[@scottthompson7817]

This movie was closely connected to the Bond films because it was produced by the same person-Albert R. Broccoli. He got the rights to this book along with the 007 books. Many of the same performers and production crew worked on the Bond films. Roald Dahl also wrote the screenplay for the Bond film You Only Live Twice. Another side note, while filming, the Child Catcher’s wagon went out of control and overturned. Robert Helpmann was able to leap off and escape injury. Were it not for his ballet training, he would have been badly injured or killed.

[@spacedinosaur8733]

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang we love you!

[@ValyTraveler]

This movie, Mary Poppins and Pippi Longstockings were my childhood staples for imagination... Have you seen Nanny McPhee? It's not a musical but it's still quite grand with Emma Thompson and Colin Firth...

[@perrymalcolm3802]

Roald also did the screenplay for You Only Live Twice!! (Bond) The child catcher is played by a famous ballet dancer! Look how van Dyke describes how gracefully he survived an accident where the wagon tumbled over n could have killed him! Robert Helpmann! Was also in THE RED SHOES!! With Oz and Black Narcissus the three top technicolor movies!! Try the Red Shoes and also THE GREAT RACE!!!!

[@WilliamScavengerFish]

Haven't seen this in years. I read the book. Been least 30 years

[@felixjaitman4715]

Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang was one of a kind Mercedes fast car, they only made one of those!

[@felixjaitman4715]

he also played the mad scientist at the Italian Job (also from 1969)

[@bel410la]

You know Grease game out in 1978 a whole 10 years after this movie, so chances are they got their idea for the end to fly away in the car from this movie. :)

[@davidclarke7122]

Make sure you watch "Oliver"

[@LennoxTim]

The zoom lens was relatively new in 1969, and many films of the period over used zooming.

[@MoviesWithMia]

I KNEW IT!! It seemed strange to me that there were so many zooms 😂 that is amazing thank you for that!

[@RLucas3000]

@@MoviesWithMia If you’ve seen Austin Powers, a comedy about a 60s reawakened in the modern age, there parody the zoom shot from that 60s era a lot.

[@johnnhoj6749]

@@MoviesWithMia The zoom lens had technically been around for decades but until the 1960s it was very awkward to use and produced a noticeably poorer image. Also during the era when more films were shot entirely in a studio it was comparatively easy to produce much the same effect by tracking and/or craning. Shooting more on location from the 1950s onwards made big tracking and crane shots more of a problem. Zoom lenses improved enough by the 1960s to be used more routinely and they were embraced by many directors as part of a more dynamic filming style which was often criticised (not always without justification) as "flashy". The early 1970s produced an orgy of zoom shots, especially in action films like the Kung Fu flicks. After that excess, the over-the-top attention-grabbing zoom tended to be used more sparingly.

[@hansschmittou3101]

Lionel Jeffries was born june 10th 1926 and he died in February 19th 2020 and Dick Van Dyke was born December 13th 1925 and right now he's 98

[@captainsplifford]

My mom *hated* this movie because I wanted to rent it literally every other time we went to the Erol's (in the early 80s...way before Blockbuster). 🤣 "POSH" is one of my all-time favorite songs from a musical movie. And my sister and I still sing "Chu-chi Face" to each other 40 years later!

[@davidroberts4769]

FYI...Anna Quayle who plays the Baroness in this movie had a great scene with John Lennon in 'A Hard Days Night'

[@MoviesWithMia]

Oh yes! I am definitely gonna have to check that out! Thank you for recommending :)

[@32202masterj]

Not just this series, but all the books Fleming wrote, were what he wished his life was truly like. He was the real James Bond. A British agent in Russia during WWII.

[@louremington6975]

Sally Ann Howe was great.

[@Glittersword]

What would be great is if Dick's character in this was one of Q's ancestors.

[@MultiDudeman]

Maybe that Grease scene was in omage to Chitty

[@Emisop]

This is not a children's movie, it's a family movie

[@hippychikforever]

I missed the first Musicals in March month, so I'll nominate films for next year's choices: Fiddler on the Roof (1971, but the greatest musical ever made, so I beg you not to discount it because of it's release date), South Pacific, The Music Man, Oklahoma, Carousel, Brigadoon. *Edited to add, I would pick Meet Me in St. Louis, but that belongs in a December rotation.*

[@stephenmcdonald8474]

Late to the party, but Dick Van Dyke is unbelievable. What a triple Threat! Old Bamboo is my favorite musical performance of all time. Saw this movie as a child in the theater. Loved it then and still love it now.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Oh yes! I concur!! I LOVED old bamboo! That dancing is fantastic! The song is fantastic! I absolutely loved it!!

[@reesebn38]

I loved when Family Guy did a parody of Old Bamboo, replacing old bamboo with a bag of weed. Soooo funny!

[@tanisdevelopment]

@@MoviesWithMia - If you're wondering about the appearance of the dancers, you should look up "Morris Dancing". The costumes, as well as the sticks they use and the bells on their legs, come from that English folk dancing tradition.

[@jakerazmataz852]

I read another comment that said, Dick said, it was really hard because of the strength involved, and he was like 40 and the rest of the guys were in their 20's.

[@jessfleury3761]

Fun facts: Robert Helpmann who plays the child catcher was 60 years old when they filmed and he was a professional ballet dancer, that is how he was able to move so creepy and gracefully in his scenes. Dick Van Dyke said in an interview that during rehearsal when they were practicing the carriage, scene the wheels came up and everyone could see it was going to topple over. Helpmann stood up, stepped on the side of the carriage, stepped on the wheel, then stepped on the curbing, landing on the road completely unscathed while the carriage went tumbling. Dick Van Dyke said he never saw anything so graceful in his life. Sally Ann Howes said in an interview that the doll on the music box was the hardest scene because she not only had to sing but also had to make sure her movements matched up perfectly with the sound effects. PS- everyone has a character from their childhood that scared them and gave them nightmares. The child catcher was mine, especially the window scene where he peaks in.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Oh wow! Yeah that doll scene was probably my favorite scene of the whole movie! I thought it was executed flawlessly! And a lot of people suggested that I watch The Red Shoes because Robert Helpmann dances in that movie!

[@emilygracey]

Absolutely! The Red Shoes is one of the most exquisite movies ever made with one of the best unsung actors ever, Anton Walbrook. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough!

[@69coolchris]

Lionel Jeffries was also a director. He made one of my favourite childhood films The Railway Children (1970), which stars Jenny Agutter. If you haven't seen them, I can also recommend the musicals My Fair Lady (1964) and Oliver! (1968).

[@whawaii]

21:25 - That is the PERFECT Intermission! A true "Cliff-Hanger" on 2 levels. Not only the "What happens next?" but they literally just "went over a cliff!"

[@jamesmoyner7499]

The only couple of facts I can share that I didn’t already share with you are: Julie Andrews was one of the first options for Truly Scrumptious, but she turned it down because she didn’t want to be typecast after having done both Poppins and Sound of Music. The other fact is Dick Van Dyke was grabbed and is the guy who waves the flag at the beginning and they didn’t know he was the star.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Wow! That is surprising! I figured that Julie Andrews would be considered for Truly Scrumptious! I really liked this one! It was so whimsical and fun :)

[@jamesmoyner7499]

@@MoviesWithMia I am glad you liked it and one other fact I forgot is the choreography is done by the man and woman who did the choreography for Mary Poppins and Sound of Music. One detail I like about the Ole Bamboo number is how Dick goes from trailing behind to staying up with them, to leading the dance by the end.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Oh wow! Yeah I really loved the cinematography in this film and it really reminded me of Mary Poppins 😂 and I love the Ole Bamboo scene! Dick Van Dyke was killing the game! I especially loved that even though he said it was his hardest dance number, he still made it look effortless!

[@jamesmoyner7499]

@@MoviesWithMia Not cinematography (look of the film) Choreography (dancing and movement in a film) Marc Barbeaux and Dee Dee Wood.

[@MoviesWithMia]

@@jamesmoyner7499 haha! My bad I loved the choreography, as well as, the cinematography 😅😅 but the choreography was so on point and crisp, especially in the moving doll scene! That was my absolute favorite scene of the film!

[@daveautzen9089]

Watching this in honor of Sally Ann Howes’ recent passing.

[@rileystone6789]

This is a great movie. I did watch it as a child and can remember the child catcher and thinking it was another adventure and something to try to escape. As an adult it's creepy but for some reason as a kid it wasn't. Thank you for doing musical reactions, I love them.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Wow! That is wild! Yeah, even as an adult, I thought the child catcher was creepy 😂! Thank you for watching 😊

[@catgiles3268]

Completely agree! I’m 53 and it’s quite disturbing to me now watching it. It was just a fun little musical as a child. I was scared of the child catcher as a kid but the creepiness now is strange. lol

[@tarantellalarouge7632]

at the time we didn't had TV at home, my mother was against it, so we were very impressive and naive ! and when we went to see this movie in Paris, on the Champs Elysées with my grand mother, we were absolutely terrified by the child catcher and during months I scared my little sister by doing mimics of his pointy nose while saying Gustave, and she would scream of pure terror ! I have a very vivid memory of this movie though it is not my favorite one by far.

[@johnchrysostomon6284]

Australian Sir Robert Murray Helpmann plays the child-catcher. He was a famous ballet dancer He's so famous there's The Helpmann Academy, and Helpmann Awards

[@simonbeaird7436]

Benny Hill appeared in only five movies, including Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Two of these that are worth seeing are 'Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines' (1965) and 'The Italian Job' (1969). Benny is a supporting actor in both.

[@MichaelJohnson-vi6eh]

I give Benny Hill credit for my odd sense of humor.

[@zhubajie6940]

You can't go wrong with the Sherman Brothers. :)

[@oaf-77]

I thought they kind of phoned it in on ‘Snoopy Come Home’, though ‘Fundamental-Friend-Dependability’ is classic Sherman bros.

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

The Sherman brothers wrote many excellent and wonderful musicals, including *The Sword in the Stone* (1963), *Mary Poppins* (1964), *Chitty Chitty Bang Bang* (1968), *Bedknobs and Broomsticks* (1971), *Charlotte's Web* (1973), and *Tom Sawyer* (1973).

[@moviemonster2083]

Dick Van Dyke was and is an incredible performer. Don't forget, when he made all these elaborate musicals, he was also working on television regularly. How he had the time and stamina I just don't understand. He is really a phenomenon, like others who accomplish those types of feats, like Lucille Ball, Danny Kaye and Carol Burnett, just to name a few. God love 'em, what would my childhood have been like without them?

[@felixjaitman4715]

he passed in august 1964, before the premiere of Goldfinger in september 1964, the movie success was so huge that most cinemas did 24/7 projections with sold out full theatres, Gert Frobe was in Goldfinger too!

[@philipcochran1972]

Caracticus Potts, crackpot. crackpot inventor. Also an inventor, Q The music box performance was out standing

[@dmcvegan1963]

Your commentary is so interesting! You really do your research and you show such layered understanding of the movies you react to. Thanks!

[@MoviesWithMia]

Thank you so much for watching!!

[@annacairns]

One of the younger bamboo dancer's Ray C Davis from the film was in the Original London Cast of Chitty when it opened in 2002 with Michael Ball at the London Palladium Theatre. Dancing Bamboo. He was 24 when he did the film. Great reaction!

[@Crumphorn]

The baron... is GOLDFINGER!

[@highwayhobo1981]

Caractacus Potts = Crack pot I love this movie, have watched it since I was a kid

[@Cocat22]

aaaaaaaaaand subbed also all songs by the Sherman Brothers are absolute bops! They worked on the songs for many disney films around that time including this film, Mary Poppins, WInnie the Pooh, Jungle Book, Aristocats, the Disney theme park songs, the list goes on

[@MoviesWithMia]

Oh THE JUNGLE BOOK! Absolutely one of my favs! I love the “I wanna be like you” song! Such a bop!!

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

The Sherman brothers also wrote songs for *Bedknobs and Broomsticks* (1971) starring Angela Lansbury and *Tom Sawyer* (1973) starring Johnny Whitaker.

[@msmerc86]

Then, there's the crowning touch of Louis Prima singing "I Want to Be Like You."

[@robbinsnest6163]

I don't know if it's been suggested but My Fair Lady

[@MovieVigilante]

There's a video of Dick Van Dyke singing the theme song of this movie, in a Denny's, with his a cappella group The Vantastix, in 2016. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHu6fIt_bdN4hbM

[@garyemagee7177]

I just found your channel. Your reactions are great ! I'm now one of your subscribers.

[@autumnmissepic8498]

i love chitty chitty bang bang and i had a huge grin watching this vid! so nice to see my fav movie get the love it deserves!!

[@neilmottershead7521]

Lionel Jeffries directed The Railway Children which is a classic British film with Jenny Agutter. The scene where the father returns is beautifully directed.

[@jerryhayes9497]

That scene.....😭😭

[@fruitsbasketforlife4362]

The original Doctor DooLittle is a great musical! Just another recommendation. :)

[@stephenulmer3781]

Love this! I just thought of two movies I'll suggest for you. From the 1960s "The Trouble with Angels" (1966) and its sequel "Where Angels go Trouble follows"(1968) Both are cute, good heart warming stories. 😁

[@hyacinthlynch843]

'The 5000 Fingers of Dr T.' is another children's movie you should look at. The story, screenplay and music were written Dr Seuss.

[@franciscogarza9633]

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) 69/100% good movie

[@MetFanMac]

Another (non-Disney) musical featuring fantastic work from the Sherman Brothers is the 1973 animated adaptation of Charlotte's Web. Very underrated film, particularly considering it was from a studio not known for, shall we say, their high quality of work.

[@MoviesWithMia]

OHH! I never knew that there was a 1973 version of Charlotte's Web! Interesting :)

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

Arguably the finest prioduct of Hanna-Barbara.

[@Serai3]

Roald Dahl wrote one of my guilty pleasures as a kid - "The Magic Finger". It was a wonderfully dark tale about a little girl who woke up with the magical ability to point her finger and make anything happen. It turns out just as well as you'd imagine. :D

[@MoviesWithMia]

Sounds interesting :) I didn’t realize Roald Dahl created some of the most beloved child stories! For some reason, I always thought Roald Dahl was a painter 😅

[@ajivins1]

@@MoviesWithMia Salvador Dali?

[@deviljelly3]

I love your review... I wish you could have seen the movie as a kid as I did....

[@002DrEvil]

Gert Frobe was also in Monte Carlo or Bust, which also has several old racing cars, and is incredibly funny. Also when he was in Goldfinger he couldn't speak English. He had to learn all his lines phonetically.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Oh wow! How interesting! I need to watch Goldfinger now!

[@TheThunderbirdZero]

He was also in 'Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines' as the very by-the-book colonel of the German team. He did some awesome pre-WWI beat boxing because, "There is nothing a German officer cannot do!"

[@RetroRobotRadio]

Or odd connection between this movie and James Bond is giving women silly names. From Truly Scrumptious, Holly Goodhead, Honey Ryder, Plenty O'Toole, Etc.

[@Duke00x]

Truly Scrumptious is a PG bond girl name.

[@BarleyC]

Thank you for reacting to this movie! I remember as a kid being taken to see it in the cinema on its release, and having a little toy Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car for Christmas. Just got to the part where you're commenting on the song "Hushabye Mountain" - did you know that David Gilmour (guitarist of Pink Floyd) would perform the song during some of his live solo concerts - here he is performing it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqa4p5SNaqd4g5o

[@billverno6170]

I owned a copy of the novel as a young person and read it many times. The movie is very different. In the novel there is no dream sequence or strange kingdom. There is no Truly Scrumptious. The car is truly magical down to its license plate - GEN 11. And it has a mind of its own. The main adventure deals with gangsters and explosives. The movie uses the basic idea of the flying car and some of the character names. The rest is more Dahl than Fleming. This movie is just okay for me. It is a bit too twee for me.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Ahh! Okay! So the film had more influences of Dahl than of Fleming. That makes a LOT more sense 😂

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

The songs in this movie were written by the Sherman Brothers, which is why it feels very much like a Disney movie. In fact, I believe Julie Andrews was originally sought to play the role of Truly Scrumtious but was unavailable. That candy-man-child-catcher still creeps me out all these years later!

[@beamanact]

I'm sure someone already commented this but the Sherman brothers also wrote the songs for MARY POPPINS! I am discovering Movies With Mia years later, but MIA: You're my new favorite channel!!

[@RetroRobotRadio]

Was years before I realized that his name was Caratis Potts... He is literally "Professor Crock-Pot!"

[@janzjunk1]

Just found your channel today and am currently binging. lol Since you're doing Musical March, can I suggest "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers"?

[@MoviesWithMia]

Welcome 😊 I have had a few others recommend Seven Brides, so I will definitely consider it! Thank you so much for recommending :) and thanks for watching :)

[@hanoc101]

@@MoviesWithMia The whole movie is good but the barn dance scene will have you speechless.

[@CrazyInWeston]

Ian Fleming may have wrote the original book story of this film, however, this film was based off Roald Dahls version of Ian Flemings original book. (Roald Dahl changed some aspects to the original story and the film was based on his version not Ian Flemings.)

[@JoseChavez-rf4ul]

Hey Mia! It was fun seeing your inner child have a good time with this. I haven’t seen this since I myself was a wee lil’ child so it was interesting seeing you react to scenes I’d almost totally forgotten. But you’re right; the songs are 🔥. That I do remember. I was also struck by the realization that I’ve never seen the widescreen version of this so I couldn’t help but gawk at all of the gorgeous sets and luscious cinematography. I may have to rent the blu-ray just for that reason alone. I love Dick Van Dyke and here we get to see him in all his song and dance man glory. He’s just so charismatic. And that dance number is killer. I dig your shout outs to Pixar, “Pan’s Labyrinth,” and Tarantino. You can tell you’re a big time movie lover who decided to take a deep dive into the older classics. Speaking of which, zooms were really popular in the 60’s and Tarantino himself was particularly inspired by the use of them in old martial arts films and spaghetti westerns (as popularized by Italian Director Sergio Leone). Oh, by the way... 🎶And the dolly shot🎶... Yeah, we all noticed you can carry a tune so we’ll be looking forward to seeing you sing along to some of the songs of “West Side Story.” 😉

[@MoviesWithMia]

Thank you Jose! I am glad you enjoyed! I am SOOO looking forward to West Side Story!!!

[@allenjones3130]

Perhaps the major highlight of the film is the ballad "Lovely, Lonely Man", beautifully sung by the late, great Sally Ann Howes.

[@NRTSean]

If You like this you will 'LOVE' 'Oliver'.... Same year I think... Oliver won several Oscars I believe...

[@NormanSpud]

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - 1968 Greace - 1978 CCBB can not be like Greace, but rather Greace is like CCBB🙂

[@snarkus63]

For me, this IS my favorite childhood movie...My first one, in fact. I was taken to see it on my fifth birthday. It's still a favorite. During the intermission, we studied the lobby cards on display to see which scenes we hadn't seen yet.

[@crisis53142]

Fun fact, Peter Jackson , the guy who dirrected the lord of the rings and the hobbit movies, owns the original chitty car. and i fact would drive it to set of the hobbit in new zealand.

[@ceciliacasey8039]

And the producer was Albert R Broccoli...the producer of the James Bond movies

[@magiclantern66]

You can sing, Girl!

[@felixjaitman4715]

Fleming made such nice and often outrageous names for his characters, specially the female ones!

[@nowthatisawesome5431]

A real childhood classic. But gotta say, I used to be scared of the child-catcher when I was a kid. 😉

[@Boomerbox2024]

OMG! I didn't know that Bomburst was Goldfinger.

[@Dan-B]

That human doll scene is so good! >_

[@MoviesWithMia]

Yes it was definitely one of my favorites 😊

[@iluvmusicals21]

I watched here on KZbin, a Kennedy Center production of Stephen Sondheim's, "A Little Night Music", with Sally Ann Howes as Desiree. It is great! If it is still up, I would highly recommend watching it.

[@franl155]

I got the book from the library as a kid - it's not quite as large-scale as this, they float across the Channel to France and defeat some smugglers. At the end of the book Fleming gives the recipe for the cakes they take with them on their picnic, only some ratbag had torn that page out. In the UK film version, Dick sings "The sweets that you whistle" - the use of "candy" threw me for a second until I remembered that Americans don't have sweets [any more than they have Philosophers, ha!] Gert Frobe was Goldfinger. There are so many British character actors in this film, spotting them is a game in itself. Dick injured his back in the sweet factory dance, which may help to account for his lesser agility in the Bamboo dance. I love him in this film, but I can't stand Mary Poppins - I'm a genuine cockney and that bloody accent is like 90 minutes of fingernails down a blackboard [not entirely his fault]. If only he'd redub it in his own voice ... lol or I'll have to get a copy of the script and redub his lines for him! ps Chitty actually has her/his/its own website! www.chittybangbang.com/

[@laustcawz2089]

So there were different versions of the "Toot Sweets" sequence shot for the U.S. & U.K.? Perhaps the greatest modern philosopher the U.S. has had was stand-up comic George Carlin. Around 1970, there was a kids show called "The Bugaloos", featuring a pop-rock group of actual Brits, one of whom was Wayne Laryea as group member "Harmony". He was evidently a real Cockney, even using Cockney rhyming slang. Are you familiar with this show?

[@chrisboot2468]

Gert Frobe (Bomburst) was Goldfinger

[@MoviesWithMia]

Haha! That is still so crazy for me to think! I really need to watch that movie and see if there are any similarities between that and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang :)

[@daniel90009]

When you take the first part of his name and last it sounds like crack pot a term used for someone that's mad

[@matta5498]

Chitty converts into a boat. James Bond's car converts into a submarine.

[@glennng6221]

Color musicals eh? Might want to consider a pre-code Busby Berkeley musical....."Gold Diggers of 1933" or maybe "42nd Street" (1933). As for "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", looking back it's a fun movie, but back then as a kid when it came out, we used to replace the "C" with an "S". Hey, we were impressionable kids.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Hahaha! Clever word play 😊 and I will definitely consider your recommendations! Thank you for watching :)

[@chadwhiteclaw9214]

I remember every song from this from my childhood its got some bangers

[@reesebn38]

Oh my god after all these years! The king is Goldfinger!

[@babsb9889]

I love this idea! I am definitely going to have to watch this musical again. I think I saw it as a kid but didn't remember anything about it other than a flying car. Some more musicals to add to your ever growing list (and for future musical months): The Music Man, The Pajama Game (which some gorgeous music), and Hello Dolly.

[@MoviesWithMia]

Thank you for your recommendations :) I will definitely add them to the list :) I wish I would have discovered this as a kid! I would have LOVED this movie!

[@agenttheater5]

and then once you've done 'The Music Man' watch 'West Side Story' and tell me honestly which one deserved the Tony for best new musical when they both first premiered on Broadway.

[@RLucas3000]

@@agenttheater5 West Side Story was dark and complex, which the Tonys weren’t quite ready for (soon though). Note that Sound of Music also beat out Gypsy. And Music Man did have innovation (in its opening number for example).

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

@@RLucas3000 As *Gypsy* star Ethel Merman said of the *Sound of Music* win, "You can't buck a nun."

[@Zebred2001]

This one was pretty much a staple at Saturday matinees when I was a boy! I've got a great musical for you to do Mia! Please check out Oliver! (1968). Also though not exactly a traditional musical - how about reacting to the Beatles' A Hard Days Night?

[@MoviesWithMia]

Yes I definitely want to watch Oliver! And I will look into A Hard Days Night! Thank you for recommending 😊

[@lauratwinkle6420]

I think I read somewhere that dick van Dyke was paid extra to not do a cockney accent because of how bad it was in Mary Poppins. I think ìf it's true that's hilarious xxx

[@laustcawz2089]

I don't have a problem with his accent in "Mary Poppins" & his lack of any British accent here feels rather off to me, considering that everyone else has a British accent &, of course, actually is British.

[@willlyon7129]

Will you be reacting to West Side Story?

[@MoviesWithMia]

Yes :) We are going to be watching West Side Story in the next video :)

[@Heritage367]

You need to check out The 10,000 Fingers of Doctor T, the only children's musical written by Dr Seuss!

[@MoviesWithMia]

I will definitely check it out :) thanks for recommending :)

[@oliverbrownlow5615]

I'm afraid Dr. T had only 5,000 fingers, but it's a fascinating film, heavily influenced by expressionism.

[@laustcawz2089]

@@oliverbrownlow5615 "...Dr. T", as it was planned as a film, ran into constant obstacles because of its bizarre, innovative & even unprecedented style, approach, fx & overall content. The intended version ended up being censored, cut up &/or rearranged as to be almost unrecognizable from the released version. There's a soundtrack version somewhere that features a whole lot of songs that were not included in the "finished" film. Seuss reportedly was so frustrated that he decided not to write anything directly for the screen after that. Can't say I blame him.

[@christopherlundgren3499]

You should check out 1776! You'd dig it :-)

[@youtubeistrash953]

I can't speak for other cultures other than the Caucasian ones but in our societies historically we would tell tales similar to this movie that had dark turns in it like Hansel and Gretel as a warning to children for instance not to trust strangers is one example. It's a relatively new concept that children should only be exposed to unicorns and butterflies... for better or for worse.

[@RLucas3000]

(adds clip of the unicorn from Cabin in the Woods)