Herbie Rides Again (1974) Online

1974 Helen Hayes Ken Berry Stefanie Powers Robert Stevenson

Original Title :: Herbie Rides Again
Genre :: Movie / Comedy / Family / Fantasy / Romance
Year :: 1974
Directror :: Robert Stevenson
Cast :: Helen Hayes,Ken Berry,Stefanie Powers
Writer :: Bill Walsh,Gordon Buford
Type :: Movie
Time :: 1h 28min
Rating :: 5.6/10

Herbie Rides Again (1974) Online

Alonzo Hawk is a mean-spirited property developer who has bought several blocks of land in the downtown district in order to build a gigantic shopping mall. There is one problem however; an elderly widow named Steinmetz won't sell the one remaining lot that Hawk needs to proceed with his scheme. So he resorts to all manner of chicanery, legal or otherwise, to get it. Fortunately, the widow Steinmetz has an ace up her sleeve in the form of Herbie, the miraculous Volkswagen.

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Helen Hayes	-	Mrs. Steinmetz
	Ken Berry	-	Willoughby Whitfield
	Stefanie Powers	-	Nicole
	John McIntire	-	Mr. Judson
	Keenan Wynn	-	Alonzo Hawk
	Huntz Hall	-	Judge
	Ivor Barry	-	Chauffeur
	Dan Tobin	-	Lawyer
	Vito Scotti	-	Taxi Driver
	Raymond Bailey	-	Lawyer
	Liam Dunn	-	Doctor
	Elaine Devry	-	Secretary
	Chuck McCann	-	Loostgarten
	Richard X. Slattery	-	Traffic Commissioner
	Hank Jones	-	Sir Lancelot

Unlike Ein toller Käfer (1968), in which all VW logos were removed from Herbie, Disney worked closely with Volkswagen to promote the sequel. 300,000 Herbie posters were distributed to dealers to pass on to their customers and each VW dealer had a Bug on display that was made up to look like Herbie. Plus, if a customer wanted to turn their new Beetle into a Herbie they could purchase a graphics kit from the VW parts department.

The interior of the building that Herbie drives through was the Garden Court of the Sheraton Palace Hotel. The owners allowed Disney to film the scene of Herbie crossing their large regal dining area only after the Herbie used was rigged to run on battery power (no gas exhaust) and the bottom of the car was drip-proofed. It was filmed at a time of day where there is low traffic at the dining area. The diners in the foreground (in front of Herbie rolling through) were actually blue screened in later.

Actor Keenan Wynn reprised his evil character role of villainous & extremely short-tempered, "Alonzo Hawk" from both Der fliegende Pauker (1961) and its sequel Der Pauker kann's nicht lassen (1963) making Herbie groß in Fahrt (1974) the only picture outside "The Absent-Minded Professor" franchise to feature his character role.

One of the segments in Alonzo's Herbie nightmare was that he was in an operating room being "treated" by Volkswagons with a Red Cross on the hood. The scene was shot and a still is shown in the Viewmaster Reel set but it ended up being deleted from the movie (perhaps because it might have been too scary for kids).

According to the filmmakers on the DVD documentary for Ein toller Käfer (1968), Herbie's #53 comes from star baseball pitcher Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Herbie, The Love Bug was a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle deluxe ragtop sedan painted in Volkswagen L87 pearl white. Under normal circumstances, the interior would be a matching white. However, Herbie's interior was painted a special non-reflective grey color so the camera and studio lights would not reflect.

The make and model of the retired San Francisco cable car was an "Old No. 22".

In one scene into the climax of the film, Mrs. Steinmetz goes down onto the floor to listen to the rumbling caused by Alonzo Hawk's men with their wrecking equipment approaching the firehouse and says that she "saw this in a movie once." This is a reference to In Search of the Castaways where a character gets down on the ground to listen to the rumbling of the flood approaching.

Although in Keenan Wynn's first appearance as his character in The Absent-Minded Professor he identifies himself as Alonzo P. Hawk, by the time we get to Herbie Rides Again, he has become Alonzo A. Hawk.

Walter Brennan was offered the role of Mr Judson, but as he was seriously ill with emphysema, so John McIntire was cast instead.

Herbie's Californian license plate number is "OFP 857".

Makes and models of other vehicles seen in the film apart from the Herbie 'Love Bug' Volkswagen such as in the car chase included three 1972 Lincoln Continentals, a 1957 Mercury, and a Rolls Royce Sedan.

First of three cinema movies that actress Helen Hayes made for the Walt Disney Pictures studios during the 1970s. The subsequent films were Abenteuer auf Schloß Candleshoe (1977) and Wer hat unseren Dinosaurier geklaut? (1975).

The picture was "a team encore for producer Bill Walsh and director, Robert Stevenson according to show-business trade paper, 'Variety'.

Herbie groß in Fahrt (1974)'s theatrical date of release, Thursday, June 6th, 1974 was also the 30th anniversary of World War II event, D-Day, & date on Tuesday, June 6th, 1944. II is 2, in Roman Numerals. 10,957 days (1,565 weeks & 2 days) differ between Tuesday, June 6th, 1944 & Thursday, June 6th, 1974.

The first Disney Herbie movie not to feature the phrase 'Love Bug' in the title though it was part of taglines for the film which read: "'The Love Bug's back doin' his thing!" and "'The Love Bug's back doin' in a new hilarious adventure!".

User reviews

Yahm

I grew up on Herbie movies. I even "met" Herbie in the Panama Canal Zone during the filming of Herbie Goes Bananas. (Thank you Mrs. Kelstom!) I hadn't seen a Herbie movie in 25 years. They're exactly as I remember. These films were made back when Disney still had a keen eye on children's imaginations. Is the film cheesy? Absolutely. Intentionally so. How else could a movie about a "living" car turn out? Helen Hayes is charming. Stephanie Powers is spunky. Keenan Wynn is almost perfect in his role as the over-the-top Disney villain. OK - the flashbacks to Herbie's racing career are too long. But the film is strong enough to succeed despite that setback. This film is classic early Disney - full of impossible fantasy and magical inventions. If you have children - this film is a must.

Clever

Agreeable Disney's love bug Wolkswagen plenty of action , slapstick , laughs and fun . This comical Herbie story concerns about Alonzo Hawk (Keenan Wynn) who is an ambitious property developer who has bought lots of blocks of land in the Downstreet district in order to build a shopping mall and apartments . There is one obstacle however ; an old woman , firefighter's widow named Steinmetz ( Helen Hayes) who won't sell the one remaining lot that Hawk needs to carry out with his gigantic plot . So Hawk resorts to all manner of traps , legal or otherwise, to get it. Fortunately, the elderly widow Steinmetz has an ace under her sleeve in the form of Herbie , the fantastic car which she receives from her niece , as she takes a magical Wolkswagen Bug named Herbie with a mind of its own . Miraculous Herbie takes her for a ride and stumbles into Hawk's evil hoodlums who pursue through skyscrapers , bridges and buildings . As always, Herbie the love bug , is helping the young couple (Ken Barry , Stefanie Powers) find romance but encountering all sorts of hilarious obstacles along the way . Meanwhile Herbie with the number 53 dreams that intervenes in the biggest race cars located in Daytona to compete in the Grand Prize , a challenge among top competitors circle the world's most famous racing circuits and quickly slipping in the ranking.

This ordinary Disney slapdash film displays great loads of amusement , fun , giggles , race cars and is pretty entertaining . It's an enjoyable movie for kids and for those who like cars racing round and round and bounds and leaps by Herbie . The actors seem to enjoy immensely , as Ken Berry and Stephanie Powers play of sympathetic manner and the mean-spirited owner Keenan Wynn , as excessive villain , is top notch . Colorful cinematography and jolly soundtrack including the lively leitmotif , usual in the Herbie's series. This is a delightful film , the original film turns out to be : ¨The love bug¨ (1969) by Robert Stevenson , followed by ¨ Herbie rides again , Herbie goes to Montecarlo , Herbie goes bananas ¨ among others and a 1997-for-television-movie and a TV series , the most part filmed by Stevenson and Vincent McEveety and usually starred by Dean Jones . Furthermore recent version starred by Linsay Lohan , Justin Long and Matt Dillon , being directed by Angela Robinson. This " Herbie rides again ¨versi on is amusing and with lots of laughs but is a familiar film . The motion picture is correctly directed by Robert Stevenson .Worthwhile seeing , it's a great fun to watch and there are loads of entertainment in this one . It' one of the best and funniest of ¨Herbie¨ series .

Larosa

Willoughby Whitfield comes to work for his uncle Alonzo Hawk in a development company. His first job is to force the owner of an old fire station to shift off land earmarked for development. However Willoughby makes friends with the owners, including their eccentric car Herbie, and finds out about his Uncle's dirty tricks to move the residents on and joins with them to stop his uncle.

This is a late Herbie movie but really his appeal never goes away (they just remade The Love Bug). However here much has changed since his original appearance. Here the story doesn't involve him that much until the last half up till then it could easily be any movie, and his scenes feel forced into the plot. That's not to say it's not good but the story isn't as interesting as his race-car incarnation. There are some funny bits, like the dream sequence of Mr Hawk, but even the silly stuff that has Herbie driving up suspension bridges will please kids!

Also where `Herbie Goes Bananas' benefited from a good support cast this has no one to speak of. Not only has Dean Jones left (a big, big loss to the film) but no-one is good enough to provide any human interest. Berry makes a dull figure who can't do comedy, and Stefanie Powers is only of interest because, well, because it's Stefanie Powers! The only interest comes from Wynn's bellowing bad guy and Hayes' sweet grandmother. Herbie is OK but he is in charge the whole time and has maybe lost a touch of the `lovable little guy' appeal that he had in The Love Bug.

Overall kids will love it, and it isn't a bad Herbie movie it's just not as good as the first couple. But really you know what to expect and it delivers nothing more.

Dark_Sun

Herbie the Volkswagon is one of my childhood favorites and this is the movie I discovered Him.

Seeing this movie again, I ended up loving it all over again and think it is a pretty good family movie.

A weird thing about this movie is that even though it was filmed in 1973, it looks like it was made in the mid sixties. I guess it was Stephanie Powers's character's sense of style and the heavy use of sets and rear projection.

The Volkswagon beatle has always had a persona to it and the Herbie movies highlight it.

"The Love Bug" and "Herbie Rides Again" are great examples of the child like spirit of Disney at their best.

uspeh

"The Love Bug" runs this entry a very close second, but the energy of "Herbie Rides Again" makes it perfect for kids. There are many great scenes and sequences that appeal to the younger set, and the normally 'bo-ring' opening credits are spiced up with stock footage of buildings being demolished. That immediately made me pay attention when I was a little whipper-snapper!

Disney should have stopped this series at this point. The next film, "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo," was pedestrian, and only saving grace was that it, A) features Don Knotts, and B) is 1,000 times better than "Herbie Goes Bananas," the only good thing about which is the whacky title.

Yramede

Herbie Rides Again is a great family comedy. The funniest part in the movie was when Herbie and all of his volkswagen friends chased Alonso Hawke down the streets of San Francisco. That part is hilarious and priceless. Children and adults will love this movie and the other Herbie movies too. Go out and buy all of the Herbie movies. You won't regret it.

Ndlaitha

In the first movie, Herbie was a real personality and he could be jealous, angry, depressed or suicidal and even intoxicated. The viewer saw that there was a special bond between car and owner. But in this sequel, again set in San Francisco, the bond is with Helen Hayes and Herbie instead of the man. Stephanie Powers as the love interest is too violent and aggressive, and her character played against the wimpy Ken Berry comes across as downright harsh--there is no chemistry between them (unlike Dean Jones and Michelle Lee in the original film). In various scenes, she is seen assaulting Berry.In one scene they are having lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and she stands up and smacks him in the face with a lobster ("He's YOUR uncle?!") Is this really supposed to be funny?

But in this uninspired sequel, the real star is Helen Hayes--not the car and certainly not with Ken Berry, who merely becomes a supporting character in this. Helen Hayes, as an old lady battling a developer, is seen in various life-threatening situations in the movie. In various surreal scenes, Haye's character is knitting while riding Herbie,impervious to the danger around her as Herbie scales a skyscraper or rides atop the Golden Gate Bridge. She is sickeningly sacharrin sweet but she plays her scenes well.

The climax of this movie is weak, and it is really a collection of surreal scenes involving Herbie and Helen Hayes. There is no romance and no racing, both of which were key elements which made the original such a success. This movie was made in the transitional period, between the really great Disney classics like "Mary Poppins" and the excellent productions that Disney puts out today. The movie and plot are very predictable as is the inevitable outcome. Naturally, there's no way that the outcome is realistic as city zoning laws forbid houses in a district of skyscrapers.

Gavirus

Prior to "The Love Bug", "Herbie Rides Again" is a high octane movie where our favorite VW Bug has an adventure of a different sort. This time around he takes on a greedy land developer named Alonzo Hawk(Keenan Wynn) who has a tough time trying to tear down a antique firehouse owned by a tough widow name Mrs. Steimetz(Helen Hayes). In order to give the land to him he gets his bumbling nephew, Wiloughby Whitfield (Ken Berry) to do his dirty work. When he discovers Hawk's scheme, he joins forces with Steinmetz and Nicole Harris(Stefanie Powers). Nicole is a tough willed woman to be reckoned with. All the scenes of this movie is magic. I liked the part where Hawk was dreaming and all the sheep in his dreams turned into Volkswagons with sharp teeth, and he acted like King Kong. The best part is where Herbie gathered all the VW Bugs against Hawk and his invaders. But Mr. Judson (John McIntire) helped some in saving the firehouse. Volkswagons were the bomb and they still are. If you like cars like that, this movie is for you! Knight Rider's got nothing on this one. 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Malak

In this second Herbie movie, the car resides at an old ladys residence in an old fire station building. She is the only resident of a block not to give in to the demands of Alonzo Hawk, a developer planning the world's highest office tower. Whitfield, a relative of Hawk's and a newbie at being a lawyer, is given the mission by his new employer and uncle of convincing the woman to move so as to demolish her 'house'. Herbie and the woman's aeroplane hostess friend fight Whitfield over the matter until Whitfield is convinced that Alonzo is a no-good. Then Whitfield and the hostess fall for each other and with the help of Herbie stop the development. This is one of those interesting films from the 70s that uses older style movie making techniques to its advantage, not yet in the fast paced 80s but out of the experimental 60s, the film has a certain quality that is quite nice to the eye. The special effects and chromakey are used well, and at points a tad overused, but it is all in all a very enjoyable film.

Kirizius

The thing that brought this film down the most was that the only original character was the VW. I much preferred Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo for two main reasons. Firstly the main character (Jim Douglas) was there and secondly because the plot was more about the car. This film felt more like a regular comedy that happened to involve Herbie. I would've rather the film to be more about the car rather than just involving him (as the original and Monte Carlo were). Funny moments saved the film from total lameness, as did the amusing 1974 special effects (was there really as many special effects people involved as were listed in the credits to get these results?). Not all the charm of the lovable car was lost on the plot that didn't involve him as he still played his part when the chips were down. In terms of acting, Herbie was obviously the best performance followed (albeit by a large margin) by Keenan Wynn as the baddie. I think he actually did a better job as the baddie than David Tomlinson did in the original 1968 film The Love Bug.

Pryl

The best thing about this horrible movie is the opening scene which shows real-life footage of large buildings being demolished.

The worst thing is the theology behind the story, as espoused by no less an actress than veteran Helen Hayes whose character claims that everything has a soul and a life to it - and that's why the car, he organ, the train all can understand each other and human minds!! This is Walt Disney "New Age" baloney 20 years ahead of it's time.

Later on, spells are cast, etc, typical of Disney films. Walt was a big fan of the occult and believed in all that sort of thing. Pretty pathetic.

We know where Herbie's "soul" is right now: Junkyard Hell, where it belongs!

Black_Hawk_Down.

Years ago, I saw Herbie Rides Again at a drive-in with my parents and recently I saw the movie for the first time in years when it aired on TCM. After more than 35 years from its original release, Herbie Rides Agam is a solid sequel to The Love Bug.

The cast was outstanding, including Keenan Wynn reprising his role as ruthless real estate baron Alonzo Hawk, Helen Hayes as Mrs. Steinmetz, Ken Berry as Hawks nephew Willoughby and Stefanie Powers as Nicole.

But the real star of the show was Herbie, the Volkswagen. No. 53 was back in action in his help to save Mrs. Steinmetz's firehouse from destruction by Hawk for a new skyscraper. The car with a mind of its own was aided by outstanding special effects. My favorite scene was near the end when Herbie and a fleet of Volkswagens teamed up to save the firehouse from being razed. I also liked the scenes of San Francisco, especially Fisherman's Wharf.

Who would have thought that the movie's success would lead to two more sequels in the 70s and a recent update with Lindsey Lohan? Rev it up and rent it.

Burirus

Another of my favorite movies from childhood, I classify this movie as being as good as the original for a number of reasons.

Lines, this movie has a lot of funny lines and good actors. I can still today go back and look at the film and laugh at some of the scenes and lines in this film.

Another good thing in this film is footage. Herbie is literally everywhere in this film.

Yes it gets a bit corny at times but its not so corny as to be unwatchable. The film has aged and it really does show its era, but that doesn't detract from it's enjoyability factor. This is a good family movie even if it does have a few scenes that boarder on pg.

Lanadrta

I agree with the majority of the poster who find this entry deplorable. Disney had a goldmine with the Herbie series and they squandered it.

I think that staging racing scenes were probably too costly, so they cooked up the inane plot about saving Helen Hayes' firehouse. Ken Berry is an ineffective cuckold while Stephanie Powers is the one with brass balls.

Keenan Wynne's constant rage is off putting for parents and mad me uncomfortable as my son watched his unending bluster.

The two Dean Jones Herbie films are the best of the bunch. Skip this waste of time.

Gralinda

OK, first of all the only reason why I gave this a 6 out of 10 is simply because Herbie is in...other than that...I don't know why this movie was made. The ending is ridiculous, where 1,000's of herbie's all "team up" for the poor old firehouse. First of all, that totally goes against the story line of Herbie being unique...HELLO!!! It touched on this in 'The Love Bug' in the the horrible TV "remake" in 97' they clarified it. Anyway, Herbie needs to stick to racing! I mean 'Herbie goes bananas" was a stretch but it was still OK, i say OK because they pulled it off decently, but 'the love bug' and 'herbie goes to monte carlo' are by far the best in the series....the worst 'the love bug: 97' TV remake, then Herbie rides again" and i suppose herbie goes bananas is in between...and we'll see where fully loaded goes...so in order

1) The Love Bug 2) Herbie goes to Monte Carlo 3) Herbie Goes Bananas 4) Herbie Rides Again 5) The Love Bug (97 TV remake) N/A Herbie: Fully Loaded (we'll see where it goes)

Lightwind

Didn't see this one as a kid (I think), but not my kind of Herbie movie.. It's not bad acting, but the story is a bit.. meh. It's like the Tokyo Drift part, you don't know if it's part if it or not.. they did mention how Herbie got to the old lady..

CrazyDemon

The Disney movies of the 1970's have a pedestrian feel to them, sort of like "Why did I spend $4.50 to come see a movie when I could sit at home for free and watch a sitcom?" Within several years, their movies would be on TV, so unless it was a musical like "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" and "Pete's Dragon" or an animated feature like "The Aristocats" and "The Sword and the Stone", it wasn't worth rushing to see. This sequel to "The Love Bug" is actually a very amusing entry amongst the farcical comedies which were released during that time, featuring the cutest little old lady around (Helen Hayes) who has acquired Herbie and refuses to leave the old San Francisco fire station where she lived for years with her late husband. Big bad boss Keenan Wynn hasn't learned his lesson, having tried this with flubber inventors 10 years before, and tries to get Helen out so he can put up his big bad skyscraper. Wynn's nephew Ken Berry is sent out to try to get Hayes to change her mind and crosses the line with her pretty niece, Stefanie Powers, an expert in handling men like Berry and not without a little physical efforts put in as well.

Hayes and Herbie end up on an adventure, taking a magical ride up the walls of the skyscraper where Wynn currently keeps his evil business running, and after a little bit of an understanding, Powers and Berry find they like each other, taking some adventurous rides with Herbie as well. But this doesn't stop Wynn from further planning his evil intentions, and he takes drastic steps to get what he wants. But we all know Herbie. This spirited bug isn't bugged by evil human thoughts; He has a few ways of his own to protect the lovable Hayes. And Wynn, why he would want to kick Hayes out of her home, even if she can move into the lap of luxury with old movies and old fogies around her 24/7, is beyond reprehension. He's a character that you'll have fun booing at, right up to the hysterical climax.

There are so many fun slapstick bits that will amuse the children, and enough examples of real goings on in the business world to appeal to the adults. Hayes really shines, even though she's continuing to play what she already played in "Airport!", and you will just want to give her a hug, especially when she strikes up a friendship with an old geezer (John McIntire) who ends up on a living streetcar with her. Yes, Herbie has the power to turn other moving vehicles into thinking, feeling creatures, and when the film begins to reach its climax, it becomes a truly feel good movie about the victory over evil.

Powers, having already taken on Tallulah Bankhead in "Die, Die My Darling" is more than prepared for the first lady of the American theater, having a great rapporteur with Hayes. Berry is dippily charming, obviously against what his uncle has him doing but afraid of standing up to him, and what happens between him and Powers makes his transition fun to watch. Wynn is surrounded by the typical group of "yes men" which includes "Beverly Hillbillies" bank boss Raymond Bailey. Among the other familiar faces who pop up in small roles are the "Bowery Boys" Huntz Hall, cute old man Bert Mustin, lip popper Fritz Feld and the hugely accented Vito Scotti. This may have some typical Disney aspects to it that seem dated now, but of all the teen comedy films they put out in the 1970's, this is probably the best held up.

blodrayne

Robert Stevenson returned to direct this sequel to "The Love Bug" that sees Helen Hayes star as Grandma Steinmetz, who has temporary custody of Herbie in her firehouse home, who comes in handy when crooked businessman Alonzo Hawk(played once again by Keenan Wynn from the previous two flubber films) wants to buy her out, but after she refuses, uses nefarious means to force her out. Ken Berry and Stefanie Powers costar as friends who wind up helping her fight Hawk. Hayes is amusing, though it's a pity that none of the previous three leads returned, and this film is just a bit too silly for its own good, especially the finale.

White gold

Well, that's really all that matters, isn't it.

My 3 yr old over here in Norway in 2011 is a Herbie devotee - there were a bunch of Herbies ... under irrelevant Norwegian titles ... on sale in a supermarket bin - and he loves all 4 of the theater films.

And I like the characters of this one, especially Ken Berry's. He comes to Uncle Alonzo wanting to believe in him and join him and then has his eyes opened, while falling in love with Mrs. Steinmetz's granddaughter - Tennessee's daughter??

Look at the expressions on Berry's face. WELL done.

And Stephanie Powers' violent young woman is in another of the series: Julie Sommers in Herbie goes to Monte Carlo, for example. PMS, anyone? :-)

When he wants to see this one, my little Rohan says he wants to see "Uncle" (Alonzo).

Gna

Herbie is back in this funny and really good movie for the family its about Herbie saving the old fire house from Mr Hawk the story is fresh and good and it was not that silly but even Theo it does not have Dean Jones in it who is all so in Monte Carlo and Love Bug 1997 TV movie and the rare TV series but the is really good but it may be a little bit scary for really young kids like the werewoft Herbie in Mr Hawk's nightmare but its still very fun its a bit more shorter then The first one and not many races with the happy Herbie song slowing it dawn but even Theo its not as great as The love bug and Monte Carlo its great for any Herbie fan its probley the 2nd best in the series but its The 5th best in the series which is alright to me its not my favorite or my least favorite Herbie my favorite Herbie movie has to be the love bug my least favorite Herbie movie has to be Herbie goes bananas but all Thoe this movie is great and the family will love it has a lot of funny scenes I give this movie a 7.1 out of 10.

Shezokha

The looong opening sequence of buildings being demolished, followed by a looong sequence of a corporate meeting, should have clued me in that this entry would have little charm that was in the original. (Phantom Menace, anyone? Trade disputes are always so exciting.) I hadn't seen it since it first came out, and only recalled a few things from it. Whereas The Love Bug kicks things into gear from the get-go, this thing drags on interminably. Herbie shows little personality in this one, and is merely a vehicle for bad process-shot special effects. (Most of the ones in the original were done practically, i.e. live.)

The original characters Jim and Tennessee are disposed of with throw-away lines. I find it hard to believe that Jim would "go off to Europe to race foreign cars" (and leave Herbie?) when it was practically the entire premise of The Love Bug that Herbie was just as good, and better, than any of them.

It may be "good for kids" but a good movie can get adults to enjoy it just as much.

Mildorah

Although it was a hit with kids, this sequel to 1968's "The Love Bug" flounders around for some sort of inspiration, finding it only in the multiple flashbacks to the first picture. There's hardly a whiff of a plot; worse, Helen Hayes looks uncomfortable and Ken Berry comes off as a poor man's Dean Jones. The special effects are shoddy, the production values cheap and the slapstick laughs overdrawn by a director who practically prods viewers in the ribs. The Disney Company really lost more than their boss when Walt died--they lost their direction, most especially in their live-action entertainment. Relying on sequels and (even today) pointless remakes that show a complete misunderstanding of what their founder was trying to accomplish, "Herbie Rides Again" fails to do Disney proud. NO STARS from ****

Gholbirdred

From the racing circuit to the streets of San Francisco was the second stop on Walt Disney's Herbie odyssey. And the Magic Kingdom recruited an old villain from another some other films to be the fall guy in Herbie Rides Again.

Our magical Volkswagen is now in the care of Mrs. Steinmetz played by Helen Hayes. As its explained Dean Jones has gone off to Europe to race and his mechanic Buddy Hackett got control of Herbie and he went off to Tibet, leaving Herbie in the hands of his aunt Helen Hayes. Helen Hayes and Buddy Hackett as blood relations is an interesting concept to wrap your mind around. Helen lives a quiet life in a converted old firehouse with Herbie guarding her.

She needs guarding because Keenan Wynn who played Alonzo Hawk in the Absent Minded Professor and Son Of Flubber is after her property which stands in the way of him building the world's biggest 130 story skyscraper to uglify San Francisco's scenery. Wynn's the guy who on a tour of Rome looks at the Colosseum and decides it would make a great location for a shopping mall.

Wynn sends his young nephew Ken Berry who still thinks his uncle is not a rat to negotiate thinking his naiveté will disarm Helen Hayes. It might disarm her, but there's no fooling the smartest car in the world. And definitely no fooling Hayes's granddaughter Stefanie Powers. But Berry smartens up and soon he's with Hayes, Powers, and Herbie.

While Alonzo Hawk was a major character in the two Flubber films, in Herbie Rides Again, Keenan Wynn gets an opportunity to become one full blown ham and he makes the most of it. It's a pleasure to see him feasting on a diet of scenery. Watching him I couldn't help thinking was the same guy flummoxed by Fred MacMurray and Flubber. It seems when he's up against the supernatural, Alonzo Hawk just ain't at his best.

Berry and Powers make a nice young couple and Hayes is given a bit of a romantic interest in visiting cattle rancher John McIntire who's in town on a toot and gets captivated by the whole Herbie mystique. Herbie Rides Again is a nice successor to the original and gives an opportunity for some of the best players around to strut their stuff.

Tygrafym

If I could go back in time and live my all over again, I avoid this movie like a disease. I couldn't believe I wasted my time watching this. This was really cheap. The characters were unlikeable (except for Helen Hayes) and even Herbie had a mean streak. He wanted to push Keenan Wynn off the building. I couldn't believe it. Ken Berry was a wimp and Stephnie Powers was mean and cold. The effects were bad and the stunts were ridiculous and unbelievable. Herbie jumping from one building to another? Riding on the Golden Gate bridge on wires? And chasing the villain inside his own building? Come on!! As I said before, if I could go back in time, I avoid this garbage.

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