# Chitty Chitty Bang Bang **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865 "2006-05-15T17:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/21 "2006-05-16T00:15:09Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I loved it when I was six. Seen as an adult, it’s really not very good. An obvious attempt to duplicate the success of _Mary Poppins_; most of the numbers are bald retreads of specific MP numbers. Dick Van Dyke reportedly said “This (CCBB) will out-Disney Disney”. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/22 "2006-05-16T00:17:48Z")
Hell, I first saw _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang_ as an adult, and _I_ get freaked out by that guy. And the set piece where the candy wagon transforms into the cage, I found absolutely harrowing. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/23 "2006-05-16T00:18:26Z")
I haven’t seen Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in years. I was more likely to be watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks. That said, I wouldn’t mind seeing it again. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/24 "2006-05-16T00:48:58Z")
Too long and discombobulated would be my verdict, though I do like Dick Van Dyke ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/25 "2006-05-16T00:56:58Z")
I have nothing to say here, except that there’s a musical group calling itself [Shitty Shitty Band Band](http://www.big.net/ssbb/). ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/26 "2006-05-16T01:54:16Z")
I haven’t seen the movie since I was a kid, but I did let a girl drag me to see the stage version in London. Incredibly painful. Extremely cute-sified, terrible new songs added, and they tried to put more weight on the title song than it could bear (imagine that great catchy tune sung by a full chorus and orchestra in multi-part harmony sung at half the tempo, trying to make it sound dramatic or something – yech). I will say I do like the songs in the original movie. The Sherman Brothers had an incredible knack for writing simple tunes out of a few basic chords that had the ability to lodge themselves in your brain. I envy that talent. Witness Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, and lots of other Disney stuff from the '50s and '60s. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/27 "2006-05-16T02:49:42Z")
I really really really really hate that movie, and I really wish someone would go back and do it right. Prior comments: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7006349&highlight=chitty#post7006349](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=7006349&highlight=chitty#post7006349) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6666179&highlight=chitty#post6666179](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6666179&highlight=chitty#post6666179) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5663682&highlight=chitty#post5663682](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5663682&highlight=chitty#post5663682) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=2534023&highlight=chitty#post2534023](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=2534023&highlight=chitty#post2534023) (yes, it _is_ getting to be an obsession) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/28 "2006-05-16T04:11:52Z")
Two hours and 24 minutes is a pretty long run time for any movie, especially a kids movie. Did you watch the entire opening credit sequence? I showed this movie in a theatre once, the original opening credits were literally at least 10 mins, probably more. As a young boy I was oddly facinated by Truely pretending to be a wind up doll. ---
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/29 "2006-05-16T10:39:23Z")
As I remember there was an intermission when I first saw the movie as a kid. Back in the day when there _Were_ intermissions. I just realised that this movie is almost 40 years old. :eek: I was 6 and prime fodder for this flick. I haven’t seen it in years, but remember feeling it dragged for me as an adult. Thanks guys, you did stick a lot of songs back in my head… Child Catcher=Very scary. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/30 "2006-05-16T11:17:51Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Dick Van Dyke reportedly said “This (CCBB) will out-Disney Disney”. He was right. It’s quiute an achievment–an even longer, more annoying, bigger pile of crap than Mary Poppins ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/31 "2006-05-16T16:07:42Z")
I somehow missed seeing this as a kid. Some friends of mine were discussing it when we were in high school, and since they knew I was a fan of Wizard of Oz, told me I’d love it (although they didn’t like it themselves). Years later, I saw it and was retroactively pissed off at them for thinking I’d like that pile of crap. My kids claim they only like the part where the king is trying to kill the queen. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/32 "2006-05-16T18:10:08Z")
The things my (9 & 11 year old) kids liked about the film: 1. The Old Bamboo stage number with hats, sticks and limbs flying everywhere. 2. The Baron and his wife sound just like Oma & Opa and get along worse than Mom & Dad. 3. People used to wear really funny-looking bathing suits. They both rated it 2 1/2 stars - the identical rating they gave Hoot this past weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Runestar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/74df32/32.png) [@Runestar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runestar)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/33 "2006-05-16T20:15:58Z")
Do yourself a favor: find and read the book. As noted earlier, the movie bears absolutely no relationship to the book. The book is obviously Ian Fleming - gangsters, caves, explosions, tension, scary bits: it was one of my favorite books growing up, and I still enjoy it. The movie is horrible - as Dick Van Dyke said, an attempt to out-Disney Disney. It breaks my heart whenever Ian Fleming is blamed for the movie, given that the movie and the book are two totally different animals. I only saw the movie version once, and that was enough. Can’t remember, was the foursome a family (father, mother, son, daughter) as in the book? Or was it another case of ‘mother gone missing’ that seems to plague so many children’s films of that type, with the mother role filled by a friend/ teacher/ babysitter/ governess/accidental passenger/? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/34 "2006-05-16T20:19:59Z")
“Absolutely no relationship”? Perhaps exaggerating a bit here? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/35 "2006-05-16T20:28:49Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > To this very day I am still haunted by that damn “Toot Sweet” song. For no good reason (it’s not that great of a song). > > And now, thanks to this thread, it’s tootling through my brain. Again. _sigh_ I find the annoyance of that song is countered if one imagines that Dick is singing about _his_ dick. [Lyrics](http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/chittychittybangbang/tootsweets.htm) such as “lusciously eatable”, “A mouth full of cheer”, “Don’t waste your pucker on some all day sucker”, and “A bon-bon to blow on at last has been found” all alleviate the agony somewhat. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/36 "2006-05-17T00:11:57Z")
For what it’s worth, here’s my two cents on CCBB. My parents took me to see this after it was first released. I remember that even though it was a long movie, there was enough going on to hold my interest during the entire running time (which, when you’re about 4 years old, is pretty much all you demand out of a film). Oddly enough, the Child Catcher didn’t bother me too much. I didn’t see CCBB again until the first time it was on TV when I was 7. This time, I found the whole experience of watching the movie like being force-fed a large bowl of honey-glazed sugar cubes. I still wasn’t scared of the Child Catcher and, by now, thought he was rather creepily cool. My opinion of CCBB hasn’t changed all that much since I was 7. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/37 "2006-05-17T00:17:10Z")
I always wondered why Caracatus Potts’ children _and_ father all had british accents… and he did not. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/38 "2006-05-17T02:50:44Z")
I really have to dissent with you all. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is one of my favorite Sherman Bros. movies. I even like it a bit more than Mary Poppins and way better than Bedknobs and Boring (don’t tell **fenris** ) plus it doesn’t have any dated cartoon/real-life scenes. My favorite songs are Posh! and The Roses of Success, but the sound-track is pretty solid all the way through: the title track, Me Ol’ Bam-Boo, You Two, Toot Sweets, Hushabye Mountain, Doll On a Music Box. The only song I don’t like is Howes’ solo. To top it off, the kids do a good job not being annoying. As for being too long – I guess it is. I have never seen it in one sitting. In fact, my kids are so freaked out by the Child Catcher and the Vulgarians, that we pretty much just watch the first half. The credits are definitely too long. I get impatient waiting for them to end, although my kids don’t seem to mind (ages 3, 4, and 4). ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/39 "2006-05-17T04:11:20Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Benny Hill is never funny. Can’t agree with this. He was a good impressionist, and his send-up of Roger Cook (an obnoxious New Zealander who came over to England to make money, and ended up as the worst type of “investigative journalist”, i.e. a self-promotion artist), dubbed Roger Crook, was very good indeed. He also did a passable Clive James, back when the latter was making a name for himself as a TV critic for _The Observer_. Very few English comedians of that era - many of whom grew up in the vaudeville tradition - translated well to film. Surely Hill’s silly face and salute will still be remembered when all the alternative (I certainly prefer the alternative) comics of the 80s and 90s have been forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865/40 "2006-05-17T13:04:17Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > “Absolutely no relationship”? Perhaps exaggerating a bit here? Nope. Excluding the names of some of the characters and the fact that the car could drive/fly/float, there’s no relationship whatsoever between the book and the movie. And in the book, the car is sentient. And communicates (the car has a panel on it’s dashboard where it flashes words/phrases “Silly ass”, stuff like that). The book involved a plot by mobsters (Joe the Monster, Man-Mountain Fink and Soapy Sam) to blow up a bank (I think) in France. The kids get kidnapped by the bad-guys and their plan was foiled by the kids, the car and Father Christmas. The movie involved a non-communicating, non-sentient (or at least only quasi-sentient) car, a fairy-tale kingdom, a child-catcher, the whole “toot sweet” bit, the evil baron and baroness, Truley Scruptious (in the book, Potts is married to Mimsey), the grandfather, etc. In addition, the tone is _completely_ different. The book has a Hardy Boys/James Bond action-adventure “boy’s adventure” feel. The movie is fairytale-ish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chitty-chitty-bang-bang/356865.md?page=3)