Doctor Dolittle (1967) | |
| Director(s) | Richard Fleischer |
| Producer(s) | Mort Abrahams (associate), Arthur P. Jacobs |
| Top Genres | Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Film Adaptation, Musical |
| Top Topics | Animals, Book-Based |
Featured Cast:
Doctor Dolittle Overview:
Doctor Dolittle (1967) was a Adventure - Comedy Film directed by Richard Fleischer and produced by Arthur P. Jacobs and Mort Abrahams.
Academy Awards 1967 --- Ceremony Number 40 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Mario Chiari, Jack Martin Smith, Ed Graves; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott, Stuar | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | Robert Surtees | Nominated |
| Best Film Editing | Samuel E. Beetley, Marjorie Fowler | Nominated |
| Best Music - Scoring | Leslie Bricusse | Nominated |
| Best Music - Scoring | Lionel Newman, Alexander Courage | Nominated |
| Best Music - Song | Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse | Won |
| Best Picture | Arthur P. Jacobs, Producer | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
Film Albums: Doctor Dolittle ( 1967 ) - The Mike Sammes Singers
By The Metzinger Sisters on Jul 30, 2022 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film LoversWhen Doctor Dolittle was released in 1967, 20th Century Fox studios thought it would have received a much better box-office reception than it did. In fact, they were not the only ones who thought so. The music was so beautiful that The Lawrence Welk Show featured an episode that included many of the... Read full article
From the Archives: Doctor Dolittle ( 1967 )
By The Metzinger Sisters on Oct 12, 2020 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film LoversRex Harrison performed with a number of different actresses throughout his long career but he probably never expected to act with this fine lady. In this scene from Doctor Dolittle ( 1967 ), Sophie is posing as a baby in order to be smuggled out of the circus so that the kindly doctor could return h... Read full article
Musical Monday: Doctor Dolittle (1967)
on Jan 13, 2020 From Comet Over HollywoodIt?s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals. This week?s musical: Doctor Dolittle (1967) ? Mus... Read full article
TV/Movie Set : Doctor Dolittle ( 1967 )
By The Metzinger Sisters on Oct 14, 2014 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film LoversFor this edition of TV/Movie sets we will be looking at the beautiful home of Dr. John Dolittle, known to his friends simply as Doctor Dolittle or "that maahvelous man". Rex Harrison was the titular star in the extravagant 1967 musical based on the children's classic by Hugh Dowling. Dolittle was on... Read full article
TV/Movie Set : Doctor Dolittle ( 1967 )
By The Metzinger Sisters on Oct 14, 2014 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film LoversFor this edition of TV/Movie sets we will be looking at the beautiful home of Dr. John Dolittle, known to his friends simply as Doctor Dolittle or "that maahvelous man". Rex Harrison was the titular star in the extravagant 1967 musical based on the children's classic by Hugh Dowling. Dolittle was on... Read full article
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Quotes from
Dr. Dolittle: What?
Emma Fairfax: I mean, why don't you say what you mean?
Dr. Dolittle: What do you mean, say what I mean?
Emma Fairfax: [singing] For a month or more/I have listened and dreamed/While the moon has glistened and a million stars have gleamed/Waiting/
Dr. Dolittle: Waiting?
Emma Fairfax: Waiting/
Dr. Dolittle: What for?
Emma Fairfax: What for!/For a man I know who is clever and kind/But a man who never, ever seems to know his mind/Waiting/Waiting/Waiting for you to say you like me/Or hate me/Or miss me/Or kiss me/Or something/But nothing!/Nothing do you say at all!/Little wonder I feel sorely/Neglected/Unwanted/Rejected/And small/Little more than two feet tall!
Matthew: [after breaking the Doctor out of prison and escaping by ship] If you ask me, bein' at sea is very much the same as bein' in prison, except at sea ya stand a better chance of drownin'.
Dr. Dolittle: [singing about why he's a vegetarian] I stay away from deviled ham on principle/I wouldn't eat roast duckling if I could/Willpower has made me invincible!/My word, those sausages look good...
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Facts about
- One of the fawns snacked on a quart of paint during a scene break and had to have her stomach pumped.
- Gub-Gub the Pig had to be replaced several times during filming since piglets grow so fast.
- Squirrels ate through several key pieces of scenery, costing the crew thousands of dollars in repairs.
- In the scene where Rex Harrison is singing in the field of sheep, he had to be sprayed down repeatedly for flies. Worse, the sheep urinated on him as well, forcing multiple retakes.
- One of the goats broke loose during a scene, got ahold of the director's script and ate it.
- The first several weeks of filming in Castle Combe were disrupted by torrential downpours, after the producers had ignored detailed climate reports warning about the area's weather patterns - and a homemade bomb, set by a disgruntled member of the town the crew was filming in.
"The Reluctant Vegetarian" number proved to be one of the hardest to film, mainly because of the number of animals that had to sit still for a lengthy period. Hours of rehearsal and preparation went into it before filming actually started. During the first take, it looked like they might actually get it done without any additional shooting but then Rex Harrison stopped singing. Director Richard Fleischer asked him why he stopped, and Harrison said he heard him yell "Cut!" Fleischer denied this, and just as they were starting to argue about it, both of them heard a voice yell "Cut!" The guilty party turned out to be Polynesia the Parrot, who obviously had heard Fleischer yell this word many times during the production. Harrison took this in good humor, saying, "That's the first time I've ever been directed by a parrot. But she may be right. I probably can do it better."
Producer Arthur P. Jacobs originally thought he could interest Sidney Poitier in the role of William Shakespeare X, even hiring Broadway actor Gilbert Price to provide Poitier's singing voice. Poitier turned the part down, explaining "I'm an actor not an entertainer". 'Sammy Davis Jr' was also briefly considered. In the finished film the character does not sing.
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