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Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
Montecarlo.jpeg
Directed by Vincent McEveety
Produced by Ron Miller
Written by Arthur Alsberg
Don Nelson
Based on Characters created by Gordon Buford
Starring Dean Jones
Don Knotts
Julie Sommars
Jacques Marin
Roy Kinnear
Bernard Fox
Eric Braeden
Xavier Saint-Macary
Johnny Haymer
Music by Frank De Vol
Cinematography Leonard J. South
Edited by Cotton Warburton
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
Release date
  • June 24, 1977 (1977-06-24)
Running time
104 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $29 million

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo is a 1977 American comedy adventure film and the third in a series of films made by Walt Disney Productions starring Herbie – the white 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle with a mind of its own.

The film stars Dean Jones as returning champion race car driver Jim Douglas, joined by his somewhat cynical and eccentric 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. According to dialogue, they hope to stage a racing comeback in the event.

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

Diane and her Lancia unfortunately crash into a lake towards the end of the race, and with victory in sight. But Herbie and Jim manage to save both car and woman from drowning. Because of this, she soon changes her attitude toward Jim 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 restarting because of being determined to stay with the Lancia, Diane is now fully convinced that cars can have minds of their own because she now knows her own car is alive as well. She encourages the little car not to relent in the 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 now 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 outsmarting him through driving upside down on the tunnel roof. Jim drives Herbie to victory for (also according to dialogue) the 20th time in their careers.


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