Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Movie Review
What does a flying car with a personality have in common with a suave Super-Spy? The answer is Ian Fleming, the author who created both the legendary character James Bond and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the automobile that had more tricks under its hood than Speed Racer's Mach 5.
During the 1960's, Dick Van Dyke starred in a musical adaptation of Fleming's book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. Dyke plays Caractacus Potts, an inventor whose creates wild and wonderful things in his workshop. At the insistence of his children, Mr. Potts buys the rusting shell of a race car that won several Grand Prix trophies and turns it into a beautiful touring car.
While having a picnic with their new friend Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), Mr. Potts tells the children a story about a foreign country named Vulgaria. It seems that Baron Bomburst (Gert Frobe) wants Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for himself, and believing Grandpa Potts (Lionel Jeffries) is the real inventor of the car, he kidnaps Grandpa and takes him to Vulgaria.
As Mr. Potts, Truly and the kids chase the Baron and Grandpa, Chitty shows that she can fly and float like a boat. The family and the car land in Vulgaria, a place as dismal as its name indicates. The local toymaker, played by comedian Benny Hill, tells Mr. Potts that children have been outlawed in this country. When his own kids are captured, Mr. Potts and Truly come up with a scheme to get them back.
With great music written by Robert and Richard Sherman, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a fun outdoor adventure. Dick Van Dyke gets to strut his stuff in a couple of musical numbers, especially when he disguises himself as an over-sized rag doll to fool the Baron.
After the movie was released, there also was a tie-in between Tootsie Roll candies and the song "Toot Sweet." The manufacturer released a toy candy factory that smashed Tootsie Rolls into a whistle shape that actually worked. This toy is hard to find these days, but Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is available on digital platforms.