Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Looking for a fun Saturday family movie? As the parent watching along with the kids, you may notice a LOT of OO7 connections to the 1968 family classic, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG.

The most obvious link is the fact that its based on a book by Ian Fleming, the creator of my favorite spy.

The film's produced by legendary Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli and he lavished the same care and budget on this adaption as he did Fleming's OO7.

The screenplay is by Roald Dahl who had penned the adaption of Fleming's "You Only Live Twice" the previous year for Broccoli.

It's co-written by Ken Hughes, one of the directors of the Bond spoof "Casino Royale" starring David Niven & Woody Allen as the world's least secret agent.

By the time you realize that the main villain is played by Gert Frobe, who played Goldfinger and that Desmond Llewelyn (Q) is in the cast, Bond fans are all in.

But this isn't a spy film, it's Broccoli's attempt to out-Disney Walt himself.

He went right to the most famous Disney musical composers, Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman of "Mary Poppins" and "Jungle Book" fame and hired them to write a full slate of songs.

He nabbed everyone's favorite chimney sweep, Dick Van Dyke, to play the lead as Caractacus Potts, a wacky, not-so-successful inventor with two children Jemima and Jeremy.

Once Potts crosses paths with a beat up old car with a mind of its own ("The Love Bug" anyone?) and meets the beautiful young Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes) the film is off an running.

For kids, there is plenty of adventure, from car races to madcap escapes, to an evil King living in a giant castle. And there's the title car, a flying, swimming, fast machine that seems to know their every need. There's also the scariest henchman in any kids film of the era, The Childcatcher. Played by Robert Helpmann, a professional dancer who brings freaky movement and terrifying delivery to the role, this dude was in my nightmares as a child WAY more than any Disney villain.

For the adults, Broccoli shoots everything in Super Panavision, on a grand scale. The sets are huge and the songs are well choreographed by film legend Dee Dee Wood (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins).

Van Dyke has often said that he's not a great, trained dancer, but he delivers a lot of his best work here, dancing his shoes off in "Me Ol' Bam-Boo" and some memorable moments with "Hushabye Mountain".

Broccoli had approached Julie Andrews for the role of Truly. When she declined, he hired Howes, who had replaced Andrews on Broadway in "My Fair Lady" when Julie had moved to London in the show. Howes is perfectly cast.

Van Dyke also brought in famed English comedian Benny Hill to punch up some of the scenes and Hill appears as the Toy Maker in the big finale. He's terrific, but I kept waiting for him to chase Truly around in circles in sped up film while calliope music started playing. I LOVE "The Benny Hill Show" to this day. What a throwback.

For kids, the film's a little long, I remember being in the theater as a very young child and groaning when Truly busted out another ballad, I was ready for that car to fly again.

But 57 years later, its very easy to appreciate the size & scale of the filmmaking and Broccoli's absolute commitment to making a film that would last for generations, Disney-style. On that front, you'd have to admit he's succeeded.

A stage version ran in London and on Broadway in the early 2000's, bringing another generation along to Fleming's adventure.

It's hard to imagine a kid's musical of this size and scale being filmed today. The budget was $10 million in 1968, a massive budget today. There wasn't another children's movie this long in theaters until the Harry Potter films hit the cinema.

From a different time with a more patient audience, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG flies its way to a family-friendly B. Do your kids or grandkids a favor and settle in for the afternoon with Van Dyke & Howes.

I'm betting this one is more fun than you remember.

See the original 1968 trailer below.