The Love Bug

THE LOVE BUG (HERBIE). 1968 American comedy film and the first in a series made by Walt Disney Productions that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named "Herbie". It was based on the 1961 book Car-Boy-Girl by Gordon Buford. The film follows the adventures of Herbie, Herbie's driver, Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) and Jim's love interest Carole Bennett (Michele Lee). It also features Buddy Hackett (Tennessee Steinmetz) as Jim's enlightened, kind-hearted friend whose character creates "art" from used car parts. English actor David Tomlinson brilliantly portrays the villainous SCCA national champion race-driver Peter Thorndyke, owner of an auto-showroom who sells Herbie to Jim and eventually becomes Jim's racing rival.It was the third highest grossing film of 1968 taking 52 million dollars at the Box Office. It later spawned sequels with different casts ; Herbie Rides Again (1974) / Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) / Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) and Herbie Fully Loaded (2005).