The Love Bug
The Love Bug (
1969) was the first of a series of movies made by
Walt Disney Productions that starred a white
Volkswagen racing
Beetle named
Herbie, a 'bug' with a mind of its own. The movie follows the adventures of Herbie, Herbie's driver - Jim Douglas (
Dean Jones) and Jim's love interest - Carole (
Michele Lee). It also featured
Buddy Hackett as Jim's enlightened friend, Tennessee Steinmetz, who created 'art' from used car parts. British actor
David Tomlinson portrayed the devilishly evil Peter Thorndyke, the man who sells Herbie to Jim and eventually becomes his racing rival. The movie itself inspired a franchise that is still popular even today. The movie also pushed along the
Volkswagen Beetle craze, as people began to identify with the strange, rounded car that just seemed a bit different from most things on the road.
Four theatrical sequels followed:
Herbie Rides Again (1974),
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977),
Herbie Goes Bananas (1980), and
Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005). A five-episode TV series ran on
CBS in the US in the spring of 1982. In 1997, there was a made-for-television remake of
The Love Bug which did include a Dean Jones cameo, but the lead role went to
Bruce Campbell. Also, this movie introduced an evil black Herbie named Horace, "the hate bug." Herbie's most recent film ,
Herbie: Fully Loaded, was released on June 22, 2005 by
Walt Disney Pictures.
At Walt Disney World's All-Star Movies Resort in Orlando,
Florida, a hotel complex is dedicated to Herbie and his first film
The Love Bug.
According to
Answers.com,
The Love Bug was the highest-grossing film of 1969.
HerbieList of famous automobiles*
1969 in film*The
love bug insect
*
Herbiemania website*
A scene from The Love Bug in LEGO 
