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Herbie, the magical
white Volkswagen, hides from owner Jim Douglas near the Pacific Stock Exchange
when the little car runs away from home after being thrown over for a red
Lamborghini. The moody Love Bug also goes for
a suicide try by driving off the Golden Gate Bridge in Disney's 1968 slapstick
classic directed by Robert Stevenson. He doesn't quite make it over the
side, but San Franciscans will note that Herbie tries to end it all on the
western side of the bridge. The eastern side faces the City and is preferred
by the vast majority of Golden Gate suicide jumpers. Telegraph Hill resident
Douglas (Dean Jones) is a race car driver whose career is flagging until
the car with a mind of its own comes into his life along with Michelle Lee
as a Van Ness Avenue car dealer. The rear screen projection special effects
are dated, of course, but The Love Bug makes for a kind retro, non mean
spirited fun that younger kids might actually enjoy if given the chance.
The window washing mayhem building is 44 Montgomery
Street. Some authentic San Francisco details: You can actually hear
the grip engage the cable as a cable car crests Hyde Street. When bad guy
Peter Thorndyke wants to sabotage Herbie, he gets the car drunk on Irish
coffee.
Stevenson's 1974 sequel, Herbie Rides Again, is also set in San Francisco. Other sequels, set in various locales, have followed through the decades. The detail photos show a latter day Herbie that was offered for sale on Ebay in 2003. Detail I |
Copyright 2002 Hank Donat |