Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [1968] (1 disc)

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• Director Ken Hughes reportedly hated the finished film. And according to Dick Van Dyke, director Ken Hughes hated children and Van Dyke would often have to tell him to stop cursing in front of the child actors.
• Lionel Jeffries played Dick Van Dyke's father, despite the fact that Dick Van Dyke is actually six months older than Jeffries.
• Phil Collins claims he was one of the children storming the castle at the end of the film but was edited out because of a rather large and unsightly bandage on his head that was covering a cyst.
• Seven different Chitties were built: a worn-out one, a restored one, one for the flying scenes, one for the water scenes and three partial models for various other scenes.
• Has the distinction of being the only non-[James Bond] film produced by Albert R. Broccoli after the Bond series began. This is because the novel on which the movie is based was written by Ian Fleming, creator of [James Bond].
• The first non-Disney film to feature songs by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. Dick Van Dyke had appeared in several Disney movies prior to this. In a press release he quipped, "This will out-Disney Disney." This comment angered the Disney studio and, as a result of this, he did not appear in any Disney film for a number of years.
• The role of Truly Scrumptious was originally offered to Julie Andrews, but she declined. Sally Ann Howes had replaced Julie Andrews in the Broadway company of My Fair Lady when Andrews went to London in the musical, so Howes was offered the role.
• The film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has a different story than the original book by Ian Fleming. The story used in the film was created by author Roald Dahl, who is best known for the children's books James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Ironically, the first [James Bond] film not to follow the original book was You Only Live Twice, which also used an original story by Dahl.
• Child actress Heather Ripley (Jemima)'s only feature film. She recalled that she did not realize until much later that Dick Van Dyke was an alcoholic when the film was made.
• In an interview during filming in October 1967 Dick Van Dyke revealed that he only accepted the role of Caracatus Potts on the condition that he would not have to attempt an English accent. Dick Van Dyke originally turned the part down but was repeatedly offered the part with more money added in each offer. When the offer reached seven figures plus a percentage of the profits, he accepted the role. And in his 2011 autobiography @&Dick Van Dyke: My Lucky Life In and Out Of Show Business, he revealed that he did not get along with producer Albert R. Broccoli or director Ken Hughes during filming.
• While not the huge financial failure it had often been described as, the film did nevertheless lose money on its release and received generally negative reviews.
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's main song was used as a wake up call for Commander Pamela Ann Melroy and the Space Shuttle Discovery crew on November 7, 2007.
• Robert Helpmann (the Child Catcher) took his top set of false teeth out to aid his gaunt pinched face. It also helped produce his creepy voice, as he 'hisses' whenever he speaks.