Doctor Dolittle (1967)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1967
Running Times: 152 mins
Format: black and white Todd-AO 35mm 65mm 70mm
Ratio: 2.20:1
Sound: mono

PRODUCTION
Production Company: APJAC Productions / Twentieth Century Fox
Producer: Arthur P. Jacobs
Associate Producer: Mort Abrahams
Production Managers: William Eckhardt, Jack Stubbs
Unit Production Managers: William Eckhardt, Jack Stubbs

SCRIPT
Script: Leslie Bricusse
Stories: Hugh Lofting

DIRECTION
Director: Richard Fleischer
Assistant Director: Richard Lang

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Robert Surtees
Assistant Camera: Thomas Del Ruth
Colour: DeLuxe

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editors: Samuel E. Beetley, Marjorie Fowler

MUSIC
Music / Lyrics: Leslie Bricusse (My Friend the Doctor; The Vegetarian; Talk to the Animals; At the Crossroads; I've Never Seen Anything Like It; When I Look In Your Eyes; Like Animals; After Today; Fabulous Places; I Think Like You; Doctor Dolittle)
Conductors: Alexander Courage, Lionel Newman
Music Directors: Lionel Newman, Alexander Courage
Music Editor: Robert Mayer

SOUND
Sound Supervisors: James Corcoran, Murray Spivack
Sound: Douglas Williams, John Myers, Bernard Freericks

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Ben Nye
Hair: Margaret Donovan
Costumes: Ray Aghayan

VISUAL EFFECTS
Special Photographic Effects: L.B. Abbott, Art Cruickshank, Greg C. Jensen, Emil Kosa Jr, Howard Lydecker
Titles: Pacific Title

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Mario Chiari
Art Directors: Jack Martin Smith, Ed Graves
Set Decorators: Walter M. Scott, Stuart A. Reiss
Title Designer: Don Record

MISCELLANEOUS
Dance and Musical Numbers Staged By: Herbert Ross
Vocal Supervisor: Ian Fraser

LOCATIONS
Locations: Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England, UK; St Lucia

CAST
Rex Harrison (Doctor Dolittle)
Samantha Eggar (Emma Fairfax)
Anthony Newley (Matthew Mugg)
Richard Attenborough (Albert Blossom)
Peter Bull (General Bellowes)
Murial Landers (Mrs Blossom)
William Dix (Tommy Stubbins)
Geoffrey Holder (Willy Shakespeare)
Portia Nelson (Sarah Dolittle)
Norma Varden (Lady Petherington)
Gilchrist Stuart (the vicar)

Doctor Dolittle is a veterinarian with a difference - he can talk to his patients. From his home in Puddleby-by-the-Marsh, he sets off on a quest with his young traveling companions for the fabled Great Pink Sea Snail, encountering along the way the Pushme-Pullyou, the Giant Moon Moth and other strange creatures.

Fondly remembered by many, Doctor Dolittle is actually a surprisingly dull movie with only Rex Harrison's performance to commend it. Many of the songs are likeable enough but its inordinate length and almost static narrative count against it. A wasted opportunity and - despite the 1998 remake - the definitive screen adaptation of Lofting's novel remains to be made.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Video Distributor: CBS/Fox
Laserdisc Distributor: Fox Video (1025-85)

Argentina
Rating: Atp

Finland
Rating: S

Sweden
Rating: Btl

UK
Rating: U

USA
Rating: G

1968
Academy Awards, USA
Oscar Best Effects, Special Effects (L.B. Abbott) - winner
Best Music, Song (Leslie Bricusse - for the song Talk to the Animals) - winner
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Mario Chiari, Ed Graves, Stuart A. Reiss, Walter M. Scott, Jack Martin Smith) - nominated
Best Cinematography (Robert Surtees) - nominated
Best Film Editing (Samuel E. Beetley, Marjorie Fowler) - nominated
Best Music, Original Music Score (Leslie Bricusse) - nominated
Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment (Alexander Courage, Lionel Newman) - nominated
Best Picture (Arthur P. Jacobs) - nominated
Best Sound - nominated

American Cinema Editors, USA
Eddie Best Edited Feature Film (Samuel E. Beetley, Marjorie Fowler) - nominated

Golden Globes, USA
Best Supporting Actor (Richard Attenborough) - winner
Best Motion Picture: Musical/Comedy - nominated
Best Motion Picture Actor: Musical/Comedy (Rex Harrison) - nominated
Best Original Score (Leslie Bricusse) - nominated
Best Original Song (Leslie Bricusse - for the song Talk to the Animals- nominated

Writers Guild of America, USA
WGA Screen Award: Best Written American Musical (Leslie Bricusse) - nominated

1996
Genesis Awards, USA
Genesis Award Feature Film: Classic - winner

1967
December
5: West Germany - theatrical release
15: Sweden - theatrical release
19: USA - theatrical release

1968
February
16: Finland - theatrical release

1993
February
25: USA - laserdisc release (Fox Video (1025-85))

Tohtori Dolittle - Finnish title
Il favoloso dr Dolittle - Italian title
Doktor Dolittle - Swedish title

REMAKE
Doctor Dolittle (1998)

SEE ALSO
Congo (1995)
Aberration (1997)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Behind the Planet of the Apes (1998)

MAGAZINES

Monthly Film Bulletin February 1968 p.19
credits, synopsis, review

BOOKS

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.105
credits

book into film; animals; talking animals; mythological creatures; monkeys; veterinarians