Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Vincent McEveety |
| Produced by | Ron Miller |
| Written by | Arthur Alsberg Don Nelson |
| Starring | Dean Jones Don Knotts Julie Sommars Jacques Marin Roy Kinnear Bernard Fox Eric Braeden Xavier Saint-Macary Johnny Haymer |
| Music by | Frank De Vol |
| Cinematography | Leonard J. South |
| Editing by | Cotton Warburton |
| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
| Release date(s) | June 24, 1977 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Money made | $29 million |
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo is a fun 1977 American movie. It's a comedy and adventure film, and it's the third movie in The Love Bug series. This film stars Herbie, a special white 1963 Volkswagen Beetle race car. What makes Herbie so special? He has a mind of his own! The movie was made by Walt Disney Productions.
Contents
The Story of Herbie's Race
The movie follows race car driver Jim Douglas, played by Dean Jones. He's a returning champion, and his funny mechanic, Wheely Applegate (Don Knotts), joins him. Together with Herbie, their amazing 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, they enter the Trans-France Race. This exciting race goes from Paris, France to Monte Carlo, Monaco. Jim and Herbie hope to win big and make a comeback in the racing world.
Meet the Racers
In the Trans-France Race, Jim and Herbie face three main rivals. First, there's Bruno Von Stickle (Eric Braeden), a German driver. He's known for his skill in European races and is a tough competitor. Second, there's Claude Gilbert (Mike Kulcsar), a French driver. He's also very good, but he crashes later in the race.
The third rival is Diane Darcy (Julie Sommars). She's a beautiful and strong-willed young woman. She's the only female driver in the race. At first, Diane doesn't like Jim. This is because Herbie accidentally messed up her chances in the first qualifying rounds. Why did Herbie do this? He saw Diane's car, a Lancia Scorpion named Giselle, and it was love at first sight for Herbie!
Herbie's Love Story
Herbie's crush on Giselle causes some problems. He starts to care more about Giselle than winning the race. This makes Jim and Wheely a bit frustrated. Diane doesn't believe that cars can have feelings or minds of their own.
Towards the end of the race, Diane and Giselle crash into a lake. It looks like their race is over. But Herbie and Jim quickly come to the rescue! They save both Diane and her car from sinking. After this, Diane's feelings about Jim change. She also sees Herbie pulling Giselle out of the lake. Then, Herbie moves close to Giselle, and the two cars seem to "hold hands" by touching their doors.
Herbie has trouble restarting because he wants to stay with Giselle. This finally convinces Diane that cars can indeed have minds of their own. She realizes her own car, Giselle, is alive too! Diane encourages Herbie to keep going and win the race.
The Race to Victory
With Diane out of the race, Jim and Herbie chase after Bruno von Stickle. They have an exciting duel through the streets of Monte Carlo. In a famous tunnel on the Formula One race track, Herbie shows off his cleverness. He drives upside down on the tunnel roof to get past Bruno! Jim drives Herbie to victory, marking their 20th win together.
The Diamond Mystery
While the race is happening, two thieves named Max (Bernard Fox) and Quincey (Roy Kinnear) steal a famous diamond. It's called the Étoile de Joie, which means "Star of Joy" in French. They cleverly hide the diamond in Herbie's fuel tank to avoid the police.
The thieves don't know that Herbie is a special car with a mind of his own. This makes it very hard for them to get the diamond back. At one point, they even try to threaten Jim and Wheely to get Herbie. But Herbie manages to escape! Because of a misunderstanding, the police think Diane might be involved. So, Herbie is placed under police protection.
Later, it's revealed that Inspector Bouchet (Jacques Marin) is actually the mastermind behind the diamond theft. He's also known as "Double X" by the thieves. A young detective named Fontenoy (Xavier Saint-Macary) works for the Inspector. Detective Fontenoy is the one who solves the mystery of the diamond. He figures out that Inspector Bouchet is the real thief, and Bouchet is arrested.
Happy Endings
In the end, Jim and Diane start to fall in love. Wheely also finds love with the Monte Carlo trophy girl (Katia Tchenko), even though he and Jim had made a pact not to get distracted. Most importantly, Herbie and Giselle (Diane's car, now named by her) fall in love again too!
Cast of Characters
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Movie Promotion
Herbie's Hollywood Star
On July 11, 1977, Herbie joined other famous movie stars in Hollywood, California. He placed his special wheel-prints in cement at Mann's Chinese Theatre. The film's stars, Dean Jones, Don Knotts, and Julie Sommars, were there too. The Mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, even declared July 11 as "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo Day"! A parade on Hollywood Boulevard celebrated the event. It included a Chinese band, firecrackers, 25 Lancia sports cars, clowns, cheerleaders, and even the Goodyear Blimp. After the ceremony, a special showing of Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo was held inside the Chinese Theatre.
Books and Comics
Two different paperback books based on the movie were released. The US version was written by Vic Crume in June 1977. The UK version was written by John Harvey for the film's release there in 1978.
A comic book version of Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo was also made. It was drawn by Dan Spiegle and appeared in Walt Disney Showcase #41, published by Gold Key Comics.
