Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo is a 1977 film, the third of a series of films by Walt Disney Productions starring Herbie – the white Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own.

Plot

The film stars Dean Jones as returning champion race car driver Jim Douglas, joined by his riding mechanic, Wheely Applegate (Don Knotts). Together with Herbie, the "Love Bug", a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, they are participating in the fictional Trans-France Race, from Paris, France to Monte Carlo, Monaco, in which they hope to stage a racing comeback.

In the Trans-France Race itself, Douglas and Herbie have three major opponents:

• Bruno von Stickle (Eric Braeden): He is a dark-haired, moustached German driver with experience in the "European Racing Circuit". His car was a powerful Porsche 917 clone painted in the colors of the German national flag, and bearing the number 17. In fact, as referred in the movie, the kit car is a Lazer 917 GT coupé with numerous components including the engine and chassis from the Beetle. Von Stickle is deemed to be a formidable contender prior to and during the race.

• Claude Gilbert (Mike Kulcsar): Claude is a blond-haired French driver of unknown discipline, although it would seem likely that he was also a regular on the European Racing circuit. Gilbert, known for wearing a full-faced crash helmet, was the driver of an equally power-hungry De Tomaso Pantera. That car was black with white stripes and a number 66) on the hood and the sides. His dominance in the race seemed similar to that of von Stickle until he crashed in the later stages.

• Diane Darcy (Julie Sommars): She is a very pretty, if somewhat icy, young woman with strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes who initially hates Jim for his and Herbie's incompetence that ruined her chances during the qualifying rounds. Diane's car is a powder-blue 1976 Lancia Scorpion with yellow and white stripes, as well as a racing number #7. Diane's Lancia is a car with whom Herbie falls in love during the film. However, Diane does not appear to believe in cars with minds of their own; thinking this was merely an excuse for what she believed as an act of possible misogyny or sexism from Jim. The only female driver in the race, Ms. Darcy is ostensibly a rookie driver, although her level of racing experience is never discussed in the movie. Relatively little was seen of her performance in the Trans-France Race itself.

Diane and the Lancia crash into a lake towards the end of the race, but Herbie, Jim, and Wheely save them from drowning. She soon changes her attitude toward him after he saves her life and she witnesses Herbie towing her Lancia out of the lake. All three watch as Herbie crawls next to the Lancia and the two cars hold doors like holding hands. When Herbie seems to have trouble re-starting, Diane urges the little car not to relent in their quest for victory in the Trans-France Race (with the added agreement of the Lancia's horn), and bids Jim good luck with a light kiss on one cheek.

With Diane out of the race (followed shortly thereafter by Claude Gilbert in the aforementioned crash), Jim pursues Von Stickle through the streets of Monte Carlo, combatants in a thrilling duel for the win. In the end, though, Bruno von Stickle is overtaken by the little car in the famous tunnel of the Formula One race track, Herbie outracing him by driving upside down on the tunnel roof. Jim drives Herbie to victory for (also according to dialogue) the 20th time in their careers.

As the film progresses, two thieves, Max (Bernard Fox) and Quincey (Roy Kinnear), steal the famous Etoile de Joie and cleverly hide the diamond in Herbie's gas tank. It is also revealed that Inspector Bouchet (Jacques Marin), also known as "Double X / XX", is the mastermind behind the museum robbery, though the fact of his scheme is revealed near the end of the movie. It is the eager young detective Fontenoy (Xavier Saint-Macary), of whom the Inspector is the superior officer, who unravels the mystery of L'Etoile de Joie, and has Bouchet clapped in handcuffs.

At the end of the movie, Jim and Diane begin to fall in love, as do Wheely and the Monte Carlo trophy girl (Katia Tchenko). Most of all, Herbie and Giselle (Diane's Lancia, only referred to by name towards the end of the film as she come to believe in cars with minds of their own) fall in love again as well.

Cast

* Not credited on-screen.

Notes

• Several different year Volkswagen Beetles were used for Herbie in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. 1959, 1962, 1963, and 1977 (modified to resemble the 1963 model) models were utilized.
• This Trans-France Race was clearly modeled on the world-renowned Monte Carlo Rally.
• Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo was adapted into a paperback book, written by Vic Crume (based on the story and screenplay) and published by Scholastic.
• The qualifying scenes were shot at Laguna Seca Raceway.
• L'Etoile de Joie (the name of the diamond) is French for "The Star of Joy".
• The Porsche 917 in the movie (#17, driven by Bruno von Stickle) is not a real 917. It is based on a Volkswagen Beetle kit car called the Laser 917.
• According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, the $29 million dollar box office gross of Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo came from the film's original 1977 release, combined with an additional $1 million from a limited re-issue in 1981.
• For the magority of the monte carlo race scenes were filmed from casino to portier only

Trans-France Race cars

A large number of exotic, European sports cars of the period featured in this film:

1. Volkswagen Beetle (Herbie): white, red and blue stripes on hood, black number 53 in circle.

2. Lancia Scorpion (Giselle): powder blue, yellow and white stripes, dark blue or black number 7

3. DeTomaso Pantera: black, white stripes, black number 66 in white circle

4. Porsche 917 (referred to as a Lazer 917 GT Coupé): red, black and yellow stripes, yellow number 17 on black square background

5. Alpine A310: white, red stripes and lower body, Esso and Aseptogyl decals, number 2

6. Ferrari Daytona: silver (sometimes dark green), black number 22

7. Ferrari Daytona: red yellow stripes, black number 44 on yellow circle

8. BMW 3.0 CSi E9: powder blue, white, Elf petroleum decals, black number 8 in oval

9. Chevrolet Corvair: white, dark blue stripes, black number 33

10. Datsun 240Z: white, black arrow on hood, red and yellow trim , black number 35

11. Fiat Dino Coupe: red, black number 5

12. Lancia Fulvia Zagato: red, black number 16 in white circle

13. Porsche 911: dark green, black number 91 on yellow square

14. DeTomaso Pantera: red, black number 30 on white square

15. Porsche 356 Cabrio: orange, black roll cage, red trim, red number 54

16. DeTomaso Pantera: brown, white number 11

17. Maserati Indy: dark blue, black number 70 on off-white square

18. Lancia Stratos Stradale: black, yellow wheels, Squale Diffuse decals on hood, white number 34

19. Lancia Stratos: red, white trim, gold wheels, white stripes, black number 4 in white circle

20. Porsche 911: white, blue trim, yellow number 190 in blue square

21. BMW 2002ti: white, red trim, black number 120

22. Porsche 911: yellow, black number 99

Video releases

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo was released on VHS in 1982, re-released in 1985, 1995 and on September 16, 1997. It was also released on DVD in Region 1 on May 4, 2004 and was re-released as a 2-DVD double feature set along with Herbie Rides Again on April 26, 2009.

External links

• Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo at the Internet Movie Database
• Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo at AllRovi