Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

One of the stars of Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, Dick Van Dyke, is re-united with that film's composer and lyricist, Richard M.Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, in this big budget and bloodless children's fantasy musical, based on the children's book by James Bond author Ian Fleming. Van Dyke plays Caractacus Potts, a failed inventor who lives in a big house with his two children — Jemima Heather Ripley and Jeremy Adrian Hall — and eccentric father Lionel Jeffries. Potts has to raise 30 shillings so his children can buy a broken-down racing car from the junkyard. After a disastrous attempt to sell his invention of whistling sweets to Lord Scrumptious (James Robertson-Justice), the local candy maker, he finally gets enough money for the car by doing a Dick Van Dyke dance routine at the county fair. Potts takes the car and miraculously transforms the vehicle into a shiny new car named Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. While on a picnic with the children and Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), Lord Scrumptious' beautiful daughter, Potts concocts a fantasy tale about the magical powers of the car, which can now float on water and fly. In the tale, Baron Bomburst (Gert Frobe) wants the car for himself and kidnaps the automobile and the inventor. But Bomburst captures Grandpa by mistake along with the wrong car, so Potts, Truly, and the children have to enlist Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on a rescue mission to Bomburst's lair to save Grandpa. — Paul Brenner

AMG Review: By the end of the 1960s, the financial failure of big-budget films like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang started the final descent of the traditional film musical. However, while it is hardly a classic, it is fondly remembered by many who grew up with it. The basic story ingredients — crackpot inventor, beautiful love interest, magic car, exotic settings — are perfectly fine, but somehow the mixture fails to gel. Part of the problem is the tone of the film, which is often overly arch or cloying. Much of the dialogue just doesn't work, and the film is much too long and never as inventive as it needs to be. The score is very hummable, with many numbers — the title song, "Truly Scrumptious," "Hushabye Mountain," "Toot Sweets" — that stay with the audience long after the movie is over. Although the kids are a bit much, Dick Van Dyke is appealing and handles the material well; his dancing is, as always, delightful. Sally Ann Howes is a lovely and charming Truly, and Anna Quayle makes the most of her brief supporting role. As the Child Catcher, Robert Helpmann is perhaps too disturbing for little ones. The special effects are not very impressive, but the scenery is quite attractive. There's enough here to make the film worth viewing, but overall it's a missed opportunity at a great family film. — Craig Butler