Herbie Rides Again (1974)

An interesting and comical story about a villain named Alonzo Hawk, an old lady, and an autonomous Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie make up this movie. Herbie Rides Again movie, whose story was written by Gordon Buford, is a sequel to Walt Disney’s The Love Bug (1968) and was released in June 1974. The running time is 88 minutes.

A movie is bound to be a success when the director is none other than the renowned and respected director in the industry, Robert Stevenson. ‘Herbie Rides Again’ became a hit in the box office. There were more sequels of Herbie in the following years namely: Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas and in 2005, Herbie: Fully Reloaded.

Herbie Rides Again generated up to $17,500,000 for Disney in theatrical rentals. Even with such great success in theatres, theatre critics like Vincent Canby of the New York Times have been captured saying that there is nothing harmful about the movie but it was not as striking as expected. Others felt it was not fresh and inventive. However, it ranks at 80% in up to five review platforms. That makes it a film that has a divided viewership.

The Synopsis

Alonzo Hawk (Keenan Wynn) is the villain in the movie. He brings out the character of a ruthless tycoon contractor who wants to demolish the home of an old king lady named Mrs. Steinmetz to put up a skyscraper. The old lady lives with her niece Nicole who happens to have an extra-ordinary Volkswagen Beetle. The racing Beetle that is named Herbie is what saves Mrs. Steinmetz from losing her house.

The Cast and Producer

The plot is interesting and well-produced by Bill Walsh. Mrs. Steinmetz is played by the talented Helen Hayes and her niece in the movie is Stephanie Powers. This is one of the few movies that Keenan Wynn has a lead role and he executes it so gracefully that you want to hate him. He plays the villain and manages to make life miserable for the grandmother who lives in an old firehouse.

Herbie is the center of attraction. The movie is based on this loveable car that saves the day. The biggest audience of the movie has to be car enthusiasts because Herbie has been presented in a way that makes the car the best thing in the movie. Other car enthusiasts can enjoy online games at Mr Bet Casino. From the name of the movie, you can tell that there is a lot of value placed in Herbie the Volkswagen Beetle.

Other minor roles are played by Ken Berry, Alonzo’s uncle, and John Mclntire who is Mr. Judson in the movie. The music is by George Bruns. Herbie Rides Again would fall in the comedy category although most people would argue that the funny parts are not that funny. The graphics, although dated, add some excitement to the movie. A flying car is quite interesting to watch.

Walt Disney Productions

Herbie Rides Again is a Disney film. The production house has created some of the best movies in the industry, with the help of great directors like Robert Stevenson. He did a total of 19 films for Disney in his time as a director. ‘Julie Andrews’ is still the best work he did but Herbie Rides Again was also a movie that made him shine in his career.

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