Herbie, the Love Bug | |
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Based on | Characters created by Gordon Buford |
Written by | Arthur Alsberg Don Nelson Don Tait |
Directed by |
Charles S. Dubin Vincent McEveety Bill Bixby |
Starring |
Dean Jones Patricia Harty Richard Paul Claudia Wells Douglas Emerson Nicky Katt Larry Linville |
Music by |
Frank De Vol Tom Worrall |
Opening theme | "Herbie, My Best Friend" sung by Dean Jones |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | 5 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | William Robert Yates |
Producer(s) | Kevin Corcoran |
Cinematography | Jack A. Whitman, Jr. Jack Swain |
Editor(s) | Gordon Brenner Marsh Hendry Ron Honthaner |
Running time | 48 minutes |
Production company(s) | Walt Disney Productions |
Distributor | Disney–ABC Domestic Television |
Release | |
Original network | CBS |
Original release | March 17 – April 14, 1982 |
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Herbie Goes Bananas |
Followed by | The Love Bug |
Herbie, the Love Bug is a 1982 American comedy series that aired on CBS from March 17 to April 14, 1982. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on a series of films about Herbie, a white 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own.
The series was cancelled after five episodes and, for the next fifteen years, would mark Herbie's last new appearance in either television or film until his return in the 1997 film The Love Bug. The show's theme song "Herbie, My Best Friend" was performed by its star, Dean Jones.
Dean Jones, who had appeared in two of the films (The Love Bug and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo), reprises his role of Jim Douglas, Herbie's original owner, now a retired race car driver who works as an instructor at the Famous Driving School with his partner Bo Phillips (Richard Paul). He and Herbie stumble upon a bank robbery in progress. They manage to thwart the crime and rescue a young divorcée named Susan MacLane (Patricia Harty), who works at the bank and is a mother of three: Julie (Claudia Wells), Robbie (Douglas Emerson) and Matthew (Nicky Katt). Jim and Susan soon begin to fall in love, much to the consternation of her ex-boyfriend Randy Bigelow (Larry Linville). Randy's attempts to break them up are in vain; Jim and Susan get married in "Herbie, the Best Man" episode that aired on April 7.