@@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.
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 - 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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!"
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.
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
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.
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).
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.
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 :)
@@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.
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 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!
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!
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!
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?
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!
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.
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
Thank you. This was shown regularly for many years on British television and was a family favourite. Like many films from this period, and the decades of the Hollywood Code, it was a family film, the subject matter wasn't always important simply because they were Universal Certified. The movie might be aimed at the parents of the children but both would watch and enjoy. At least that is my recollection.
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
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 😅
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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).
Lionel Jeffries directed The Railway Children which is a classic British film with Jenny Agutter. The scene where the father returns is beautifully directed.
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
This is one of my favorite movies of all time! I have watched it ever since I was two years old, and I still watch it now, my mom even gave me the nickname Toot Sweets cause I watched this movie so much, and she still calls me that today. 😁😁 I just recently showed it to my 7year old nephew and now we watch it whenever he visits. 😊
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.
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!"
Great to go to the theatre and spend the day seeing multiple features for a buck or two. Many Saturdays spent with other kids seeing these magical movies.
I watched here on UA-cam, 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.
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!
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!!
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.
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. 😁
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!
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.” 😉
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.
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers is another awesome musical starring the amazing Howard Keel. It's always been my favorite musical. I do love this one too though.
@@MoviesWithMia I've probably seen just about every old musical out there. I love watching someone discovering these amazing films from the past. My sister gave me a copy of 7 Brides for Christmas 2 yrs ago.
I feel like Ole Bamboo is so underrated! I hadn't seen this movie since I was a child and watched it last night, and was totally wowed by this number. Was clapping in my living room 😂😂 And Truly doing the Doll on the Music Box was flawless. Such a timeless, children's movie.
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).
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!
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.
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!
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.
@@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).
In 2002 I was working as an au pair for 14 months and if the kids didn't watch Barney before going to bed they watched this. After a year I realized that I knew every scene of the movie but had never watched it from start to end 😂 (always had to get some bottles, change nappies... when it was on) so one night I watched this with some of my friends.. best night ever 🤣🤣🤣 vodka lemon, popcorn and sing along 😋 *fond memories*
This is the first movie I ever saw in a movie theatre with my mom and auntie Ruby when I was six and I still sing "You're my Chuchy-Face". Mostly to my dogs, but hey.
the last or final critic of Ian books was his brother who wrote travel books, her niece reminds him as driven in her house in his fast Bentley when paying them a visit!
have long loved this movie. When I was little of course I thought the car was awesome. And the song scenes fun. When they are catching the kids makes me think of Pinocchio and when he cut class.
I also discovered this film as an adult and it is so refreshing hearing a new perspective from another musical aficionado who didn't grow up with it 👌 the music,choreography,cinematography,production design--there's a lot to love in chitty chitty bang bang
Came across this after getting this movie on DVD recently after having only a VHS for years. And I have come to learn the Intermission point changed between VHS and DVD. The DVD has the intermission cut at the tension of the cliff fall (and then when it returns they replay the last few seconds of what just happened before). In the VHS the intermission happens after the car flying at night scene so when the intermission returns it's the scene of the next morning. Growing up with that, I think I prefer the VHS version plus the title card for the intermission was much more colorful with an image of them in the car rather than just the words on screen. But that's probably just me. Beautiful movie always though.
@@MoviesWithMia It certainly surprised me cause I wasn't expecting it to be there XD The VHS version was much more smooth and calming to a intermission for sure. I wonder though if there are any copies out there to find easily but I am sure you could find the VHS intermission on youtube.
@Lelan Keeton Hard to say. I think the VHS most likely makes sense as if you are watching it on the big screen or at home the intermission goes between two different scenes (like a normal musical you would see in person). The DVD version feels more like a version you watch on TV where the commercial would cut in there so upon returning after 3 minutes of commercials you need the scene to recap and play again.
This was the movie I saw on my first date! My girlfriend and I were both 10 years old! We had to sit through it twice that day as a kid we knew from school was there and recognized us so he kept bugging us and we kept crawling around the dark theater on the sticky floors trying to find new seats to stay away from him. It's a long movie so we were there all that afternoon and ended up walking home with the other kid anyway, Waited 11 more years for my second date!
I was 9 when I saw it at the movies and was amazed. Sally Ann Howe, If I'm spelling her name correctly, was the best voice I had ever heard. She was my second crush behind, Marylin McCoo, from the, Fifth Dimension
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.
That child catcher scared the bejesus outta me as a kid. And my older siblings had me say Chitty Chitty Bang Bang over and over since my Ch sounded like Sh
I was nine when my dad took me to Yagels hardware store to buy me a Truly Scrumptious doll...she was made by Mattel and was basically Barbie but with the dress and hat and hair style of the character in the movie.
Julie Andrews was the first choice for Truly Scrumptious but wasn’t available. I saw this film 20 times in the cinema when I was a child and I still watch it today as I see new things in it.
This was my very first film. In fact I saw it at Grauman's Chinese Theater when I was just 3 1/2. I owned the LP album of the songs, and played it over & over. It has always been very special to me. By the way.... Caractacus Pott is a play on the word "Crackpot"
"Caractacus Potts" is of course a pun as you suggest, but Caractacus is also a hero from British history, who fought against the Roman invasion of 43 AD.
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!!!!
Peter Fleming was Ian's brother and wrote travel books. From what I've heard they had a Victorian children should be seen once a day and shipped to boarding school upbringing.
7:54 That's like with Jim Carrey and Colin Firth in _A Christmas Carol_ , respectively playing Scrooge and Fred (Scrooge's nephew), despite Firth being older.
Roald Dahl was a very dark writer and all his kids stories have some serious dark edges. He was genius that way. Children really like those aspects and those edges appeal to adults as well.
I was 7 when this came out and the child catcher scared the scrap out of me.
Haha! He is a frightening fellow 😂 that nose is freakishly long!
@@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.
Same! I LOVE Dick van Dyke but that child catcher is enough to totally deter me from watching it.
I still have nightmares with that guy. Lol
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.
Oh yes! I concur!! I LOVED old bamboo! That dancing is fantastic! The song is fantastic! I absolutely loved it!!
I loved when Family Guy did a parody of Old Bamboo, replacing old bamboo with a bag of weed. Soooo funny!
@@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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!"
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
Caracticus is one of the best fathers in cinema history. I wanna hug my dad now. 💕
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.
Wow! That is wild! Yeah, even as an adult, I thought the child catcher was creepy 😂! Thank you for watching 😊
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
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.
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).
Watching this in honor of Sally Ann Howes’ recent passing.
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.
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 :)
@@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.
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!
@@MoviesWithMia Not cinematography (look of the film) Choreography (dancing and movement in a film) Marc Barbeaux and Dee Dee Wood.
@@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!
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!
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!
The baron... is GOLDFINGER!
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?
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!!
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!
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.
I give Benny Hill credit for my odd sense of humor.
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
Your commentary is so interesting! You really do your research and you show such layered understanding of the movies you react to. Thanks!
Thank you so much for watching!!
Thank you. This was shown regularly for many years on British television and was a family favourite. Like many films from this period, and the decades of the Hollywood Code, it was a family film, the subject matter wasn't always important simply because they were Universal Certified. The movie might be aimed at the parents of the children but both would watch and enjoy. At least that is my recollection.
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
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 😅
@@MoviesWithMia Salvador Dali?
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.
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.
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?
@@MoviesWithMia I think he was in the Red Shoes, one of the main male dancers in the ballet company where the story takes place
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.
Just thought I'd make a correction. Helpmann was an Australian.
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.
Love this film and loved watching you enjoy it too. Thanks.
You can't go wrong with the Sherman Brothers. :)
I thought they kind of phoned it in on ‘Snoopy Come Home’, though ‘Fundamental-Friend-Dependability’ is classic Sherman bros.
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).
Fleming made such nice and often outrageous names for his characters, specially the female ones!
Lionel Jeffries directed The Railway Children which is a classic British film with Jenny Agutter. The scene where the father returns is beautifully directed.
That scene.....😭😭
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
Oh THE JUNGLE BOOK! Absolutely one of my favs! I love the “I wanna be like you” song! Such a bop!!
The Sherman brothers also wrote songs for *Bedknobs and Broomsticks* (1971) starring Angela Lansbury and *Tom Sawyer* (1973) starring Johnny Whitaker.
Then, there's the crowning touch of Louis Prima singing "I Want to Be Like You."
The doll on a music box scene is one of the prettiest things on film🌹
I remember every song from this from my childhood its got some bangers
Caracticus Potts, crackpot. crackpot inventor. Also an inventor, Q
The music box performance was out standing
This is one of my favorite movies of all time! I have watched it ever since I was two years old, and I still watch it now, my mom even gave me the nickname Toot Sweets cause I watched this movie so much, and she still calls me that today. 😁😁 I just recently showed it to my 7year old nephew and now we watch it whenever he visits. 😊
Oh that is so sweet! I love that your mom calls you Toot Sweets! 😊 how cute that you get to share this film with your nephew! That is so sweet 😊
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.
Oh wow! How interesting! I need to watch Goldfinger now!
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!"
A real childhood classic. But gotta say, I used to be scared of the child-catcher when I was a kid. 😉
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) 69/100% good movie
'The 5000 Fingers of Dr T.' is another children's movie you should look at. The story, screenplay and music were written Dr Seuss.
ME OL' BAMBOO...best dance sequence ever
Great to go to the theatre and spend the day seeing multiple features for a buck or two. Many Saturdays spent with other kids seeing these magical movies.
That human doll scene is so good! >_
Yes it was definitely one of my favorites 😊
I watched here on UA-cam, 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.
Perhaps the major highlight of the film is the ballad "Lovely, Lonely Man", beautifully sung by the late, great Sally Ann Howes.
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!
Caractacus Potts = Crack pot
I love this movie, have watched it since I was a kid
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!!
Oh my god after all these years! The king is Goldfinger!
One thing is scary part of the movie when the child Catcher kidnapped the kids scared me when I was little 😅
I love your review... I wish you could have seen the movie as a kid as I did....
If You like this you will 'LOVE' 'Oliver'.... Same year I think... Oliver won several Oscars I believe...
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.
Wow! That is wonderful! Such a beautiful memory, thank you for sharing 😊
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. 😁
Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang really is a bond film for children
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!
That's a great list!
Oh definitely Top Hat--my favorite Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical.
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.” 😉
Thank you Jose! I am glad you enjoyed! I am SOOO looking forward to West Side Story!!!
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.
OHH! I never knew that there was a 1973 version of Charlotte's Web! Interesting :)
Arguably the finest prioduct of Hanna-Barbara.
Ah childhood. The Music Man with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. Amazing music and story.
The original Doctor DooLittle is a great musical! Just another recommendation. :)
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers is another awesome musical starring the amazing Howard Keel. It's always been my favorite musical. I do love this one too though.
Thank you for recommending :) I’ll check it out :)
@@MoviesWithMia I've probably seen just about every old musical out there. I love watching someone discovering these amazing films from the past.
My sister gave me a copy of 7 Brides for Christmas 2 yrs ago.
Robert and Richard Sherman did the songs for this...and Mary Poppins too. Really amazing guys.
I feel like Ole Bamboo is so underrated! I hadn't seen this movie since I was a child and watched it last night, and was totally wowed by this number. Was clapping in my living room 😂😂 And Truly doing the Doll on the Music Box was flawless. Such a timeless, children's movie.
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).
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!
Also, thank you for your recommendation, I will add it to the list :)
I just found your channel.
Your reactions are great !
I'm now one of your subscribers.
I saw this on broadway and they flew the child catcher over the crowd in a net it was nuts
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.
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!
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.
@@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).
@@RLucas3000 As *Gypsy* star Ethel Merman said of the *Sound of Music* win, "You can't buck a nun."
In 2002 I was working as an au pair for 14 months and if the kids didn't watch Barney before going to bed they watched this. After a year I realized that I knew every scene of the movie but had never watched it from start to end 😂 (always had to get some bottles, change nappies... when it was on) so one night I watched this with some of my friends.. best night ever 🤣🤣🤣 vodka lemon, popcorn and sing along 😋 *fond memories*
Loved the movie since I was 3.
Wow! That is awesome! Yes it was such a cute film! Definitely enjoyed this one!
The one who played the child catcher was a ballydancer who stared in the film the red shoes
This is the first movie I ever saw in a movie theatre with my mom and auntie Ruby when I was six and I still sing "You're my Chuchy-Face". Mostly to my dogs, but hey.
You can sing, Girl!
My granddaughter sent a Snapchat yesterday it was my great granddaughter watching this movie thats makes four generations that have watch this movie.
That is amazing! It’s wonderful to be able to share these movies with family members :) thank you for sharing :)
Thank you for this. Watched this in the theater with my family as a young boy and we all sang 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' on the ride home.
This movie has been watched by me and my siblings, my daughter, and nieces, and my grandchildren and loved by all.
I absolutely love that :) it’s so nice that you can share this movie with those you love :)
And the producer was Albert R Broccoli...the producer of the James Bond movies
the last or final critic of Ian books was his brother who wrote travel books, her niece reminds him as driven in her house in his fast Bentley when paying them a visit!
have long loved this movie. When I was little of course I thought the car was awesome. And the song scenes fun. When they are catching the kids makes me think of Pinocchio and when he cut class.
Great reaction full of info and heart thank u
Thank you Minnidrake 😊 I really enjoyed this one!!
I also discovered this film as an adult and it is so refreshing hearing a new perspective from another musical aficionado who didn't grow up with it 👌 the music,choreography,cinematography,production design--there's a lot to love in chitty chitty bang bang
Loved this movie when i first saw it at age 8 love it now at age 12
Honestly this film is a cherished memory for me.
I’m 38 and I remember every line from this film. EVERY LINE.
Came across this after getting this movie on DVD recently after having only a VHS for years. And I have come to learn the Intermission point changed between VHS and DVD. The DVD has the intermission cut at the tension of the cliff fall (and then when it returns they replay the last few seconds of what just happened before). In the VHS the intermission happens after the car flying at night scene so when the intermission returns it's the scene of the next morning.
Growing up with that, I think I prefer the VHS version plus the title card for the intermission was much more colorful with an image of them in the car rather than just the words on screen. But that's probably just me. Beautiful movie always though.
Oh! That is so cool! Yeah I was not ready for that intermission 😆 i would love to see the VHS version!!
@@MoviesWithMia It certainly surprised me cause I wasn't expecting it to be there XD The VHS version was much more smooth and calming to a intermission for sure.
I wonder though if there are any copies out there to find easily but I am sure you could find the VHS intermission on youtube.
@Lelan Keeton Hard to say. I think the VHS most likely makes sense as if you are watching it on the big screen or at home the intermission goes between two different scenes (like a normal musical you would see in person). The DVD version feels more like a version you watch on TV where the commercial would cut in there so upon returning after 3 minutes of commercials you need the scene to recap and play again.
The music box lady's choreography creeped me out as a kid! It's such a classic though.
This was the movie I saw on my first date! My girlfriend and I were both 10 years old! We had to sit through it twice that day as a kid we knew from school was there and recognized us so he kept bugging us and we kept crawling around the dark theater on the sticky floors trying to find new seats to stay away from him. It's a long movie so we were there all that afternoon and ended up walking home with the other kid anyway, Waited 11 more years for my second date!
So many great songs ❤️
Dick Van Dyke. A treasure for all of humanity to enjoy. 'Nuff said. One of my fave flicks...great reaction!
OMG! I didn't know that Bomburst was Goldfinger.
Was years before I realized that his name was Caratis Potts... He is literally "Professor Crock-Pot!"
I was 9 when I saw it at the movies and was amazed. Sally Ann Howe, If I'm spelling her name correctly, was the best voice I had ever heard. She was my second crush behind, Marylin McCoo, from the, Fifth Dimension
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.
I love the bed time song- I sing to myself the song to sleep.
That child catcher scared the bejesus outta me as a kid. And my older siblings had me say Chitty Chitty Bang Bang over and over since my Ch sounded like Sh
I was nine when my dad took me to Yagels hardware store to buy me a Truly Scrumptious doll...she was made by Mattel and was basically Barbie but with the dress and hat and hair style of the character in the movie.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang we love you!
Julie Andrews was the first choice for Truly Scrumptious but wasn’t available. I saw this film 20 times in the cinema when I was a child and I still watch it today as I see new things in it.
This was my very first film. In fact I saw it at Grauman's Chinese Theater when I was just 3 1/2. I owned the LP album of the songs, and played it over & over. It has always been very special to me. By the way.... Caractacus Pott is a play on the word "Crackpot"
"Caractacus Potts" is of course a pun as you suggest, but Caractacus is also a hero from British history, who fought against the Roman invasion of 43 AD.
Benny Hill was also in one of the great 60s films, "The Italian Job". Definitely worth a watch
I'm old enough to have seen at the drive-in as a child. The child catcher was terrifying to us kids.
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!!!!
I don't know if it's been suggested but
My Fair Lady
Peter Fleming was Ian's brother and wrote travel books. From what I've heard they had a Victorian children should be seen once a day and shipped to boarding school upbringing.
7:54 That's like with Jim Carrey and Colin Firth in _A Christmas Carol_ , respectively playing Scrooge and Fred (Scrooge's nephew), despite Firth being older.
Chitty converts into a boat. James Bond's car converts into a submarine.
Roald Dahl was a very dark writer and all his kids stories have some serious dark edges. He was genius that way. Children really like those aspects and those edges appeal to adults as well.