Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

About Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is a British musical adventure fantasy film, directed by Ken Hughes and written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1964 novel "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car". The film was released on 16 December 1967. It features the story of a down-on-his-luck inventor who transforms a broken-down Grand Prix car into a magical flying machine. Together with his two children and the beautiful Truly Scrumptious, they set off on a wild adventure to save their beloved car from the evil Baron Bomburst.

Making / Production

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was produced by United Artists. The famous car, around which the movie is centered, was created by production designer Ken Adam and built by the Ford racing team. The movie combined live-action and animation, which was an innovative technique at the time.

Actors

• Dick Van Dyke played the role of Caractacus Potts, a quirky inventor with a gift for creating unusual contraptions.
• Sally Ann Howes portrayed the character of Truly Scrumptious, the daughter of a candy factory owner, who added a hint of romance to the plot.
• Adrian Hall and Heather Ripley played the roles of Potts' children, Jeremy and Jemima, respectively.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The story for the film was written by Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. So, both James Bond and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang come from the same author.
• There were six versions of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car built for the film.
• The name 'Chitty Bang Bang' was actually the nickname of a series of custom-built racing cars owned by Count Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s.

Awards

Although "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" did not win an award, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the song "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.

Quotes

• "Never say no when there's fun to be had." - Caractacus Potts
• "Doll on a music box, that's wound by a key. What you'll be tomorrow, wait and see." - Truly Scrumptious

Music, Soundtrack

• The film's iconic soundtrack, including the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" title song, was composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.
• The Sherman brothers also penned the songs "Toot Sweets", "Hushabye Mountain" and "Me Ol' Bamboo" which were featured in the movie.