Doctor Dolittle (1967)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Hugh Lofting (novels)
Leslie Bricusse (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 December 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Ride across the sea inside the GIANT PINK SEA SNAIL!

Plot:

Doctor Dolittle is a world-renowned veterinarian who speaks a wide array of animal languages. He sets off from his home in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh...

Plot Keywords:

Animal Rights | Overture | Male Female Relationship | Flashback | Monkey Actor

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Rex Harrison	...	Dr. John Dolittle
Samantha Eggar	...	Emma Fairfax
Anthony Newley	...	Matthew Mugg
Richard Attenborough	...	Albert Blossom
Peter Bull	...	Gen. Bellowes
Muriel Landers	...	Mrs. Blossom
William Dix	...	Tommy Stubbins
Geoffrey Holder	...	William Shakespeare X
Portia Nelson	...	Sarah Dolittle
Norma Varden	...	Lady Petherington

Also Known As:

Extravagant docteur Dolittle, L' (Belgium: French title) (dubbed version) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Doctor Dolittle (Argentina) [es]
Doktor Dolittle (Denmark) [da]
Doktor Dolittle (Greece) [el]
Doktor Dolittle (Sweden) [sv]
Favoloso dr. Dolittle, Il (Italy) [it]
Tohtori Dolittle (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

152 min | 145 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:U | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

APJAC Productions

Trivia:

Producer Arthur P. Jacobs originally thought he could interest Sidney Poitier in the role of William Shakespeare X, even going so far as hiring Broadway actor Gilbert Price to provide Poitier's singing voice. Poitier wasn't interested and in the finished film the character has no songs.

Goofs:

Continuity: During "talk with the animals" at night you can see no trees outside the window. When the sun comes up, a tree's leaves are clearly visible.

Quotes:

Polynesia: I speak over two thousand languages, including Dodo and Unicorn. I had a classical education.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Girl in Gold Boots (#11.2)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Something In Your Smile

Sheer Annoyance or Theatrical Masterpiece

The movie begins in 1845 in Puddleby on the Marsh, England. Dr. John Dolittle is a physician with a love for animals from alligators to zebras. Both his career and reputation fall apart when he starts to pay more attention to the animals than his human patients. His talking parrot Polynesia gives him the idea of becoming a veterinarian. John thinks this is a good idea, because he feels he has nothing in common with the human race. Polynesia says she can teach the doctor to speak to animals, and she knows over 2,000 animal languages. John thinks this is a good idea because he feels he has nothing in common with the human race. Dr. Dolittle learns 498 languages from Polynesia and is busy learning two more. After he finishes learning these last two languages, he plans to go on a voyage to find the Great Pink Sea Snail. Dr. Dolittle chose to give up his human patients for animal patients. Before John can go on his voyage to find the Great Pink Sea Snail, he must learn to master speaking the last two languages. They are older languages such as the archaic languages of the goldfish and mackerel. John had sacrificed nearly all contact with people for his animals. Now he has decided to leave Puddleby on a voyage with his only friends to find the Great Pink Sea Snail. On his journey he uses his fish language to see if anyone knows the location of the Sea Snail, but to no avail. The movie had several annoying coincidences. Upon Dr. Dolittle's voyage to find the Great Pink Sea Snail, he is shipwrecked and finds Sea Star Island. This island is one that floats around in the ocean and has natives and animals on it. The storm that shipwrecked Dr. Dolittle blew the island off course and the colder weather is causing the animals to get sick. Dr. Dolittle then gets in contact with a whale and has it push the island away from the cold weather. The whale pushes the island so hard it finds the exact place where it broke off from the mainland and it rejoins. Come to find out, the Great Pink Sea Snail lives in an underground cave on Sea Star Island.