Doctor Dolittle is a 1967 musical film which tells the story of a doctor who learns from his pet parrot to talk to animals. The film stars Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley and Richard Attenborough. It was also the last film appearance of chimpanzee actor Cheeta. 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The musical film is a film genre that features songs, sung by the actors, interwoven into the narrative. ... Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey Rex Harrison (March 5, 1908–June 2, 1990) was a British theatre and film actor. ... From The Walking Stick, 1970 Samantha Eggar (born March 5, 1933) is a British actress. ... George Anthony Newley (b. ... Richard Samuel Attenborough, the Baron Attenborough of Richmond-upon-Thames (born August 29, 1923 in Cambridge, England) is an actor, director and film producer. ... Type species Simia troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, often abbreviated to chimp, is the common name for two species in the genus Pan. ... Cheeta (born c. ...

Plot synopsis

In the mid 1800s, in the town of Puddleby-by-the-Marsh, England, Irishman Matthew Mugg (played by Anthony Newley) takes his adolescent friend Tommy Stubbins (William Dix) to visit eccentric veterinarian Dr. John Dolittle (Rex Harrison). Dolittle, a former doctor, lives with a house full of animals - pigs, monkeys, goats, and a talking parrot named Polynesia (voiced by Ginny Tyler) among them. Events and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Irish can refer to multiple things: The island of Ireland or its culture, see also List of Ireland-related topics. ... George Anthony Newley (b. ... A veterinary surgeon removes stitches from a cats face following minor surgery on an absess. ... Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey Rex Harrison (March 5, 1908–June 2, 1990) was a British theatre and film actor. ... Species Sus barbatus Sus bucculentus Sus cebifrons Sus celebensis Sus domesticus Sus heureni Sus philippensis Sus salvanius Sus scrofa Sus timoriensis Sus verrucosus Pigs are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus Sus within the Suidae family. ... Cynomolgus Monkey at Batu Caves, Malaysia Monkeys, Mori Sosen (1749-1821) A monkey is any member of two of the three groupings of simian primates. ... Species See Species and subspecies A goat is an mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... Genera A parrot is any of the many birds belonging to the family Psittacidae. ...

The night is stormy, so Tommy and Matthew stay with Dolittle, and he tells them the story of how he learned to speak animal languages, of which he can now speak almost 200. He is currently attempting to master goldfish, so he can go on a quest for the mythical Great Pink Sea Snail. For the Pepperidge Farm brand of snack crackers marketed in North America, see Goldfish (snack). ... A legendary creature is a mythical or fantastic creature (often known as fabulous creatures in historical literature). ... Giant African Snail (Achatina fulica) The name snail applies to most members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells. ...

The following day, a short sighted horse seeks Dolittle's optometric assistance, but the horse's owner - General Bellowes (Peter Bull) - takes offence to Dolittle's notions of talking animals and the disagreement leads to an argument in which several animals get involved. Bellowes' niece Emma Fairfax (Samantha Eggar) chides Dolittle for his irresponsibility, but all it gets her is the nickname "Fred" given her by Dolittle and a slightly attracted Matthew. Normal vision for a achromatopsic colour-blind person. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ... Optometrists are primary care practitioners for all vision and ocular health concerns. ... From The Walking Stick, 1970 Samantha Eggar (born March 5, 1933) is a British actress. ...

Things take a turn, however, when a friend of Dolittle's from Africa sends him the rare two-headed llama-type creature, the Pushme-Pullyu. Matthew and Dolittle take the creature to a nearby circus, run by philanthropist Albert Blossom (Richard Attenborough), who immediately makes the Pushme-Pullyu the star attraction. Emma is less than enchanted by society's sudden interest in Dolittle. Meanwhile, the doctor befriends a seal named Sophie who longs to return to her family. He sneaks her from the circus, disguises her as a sickly old woman, and throws her into the ocean from some cliffs. However a witness - seeing the seal's clothing - thinks he threw a woman into the ocean, and Dolittle is arrested. Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and second most populous after Asia. ... For other uses of the word head, see head (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Lama glama (Linnaeus, 1758) The Llama (Lama glama) is a large camelid native to South America. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A philanthropist is someone who devotes his or her time, money, or effort towards helping others. ... Richard Samuel Attenborough, the Baron Attenborough of Richmond-upon-Thames (born August 29, 1923 in Cambridge, England) is an actor, director and film producer. ... Seal or SEAL can refer to: Seal, a device used to produce an official stamp as a symbol of authority. ... Ocean (from Okeanos, a Greek god of sea and water; Greek ωκεανός) covers almost three quarters (71%) of the surface of the Earth, and nearly half of the worlds marine waters are over 3000 m deep. ... geography, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. ...

During Dolittle's trial, he is horrified to learn that General Bellowes is the judge; and his defense - that the seal asked him to do it - is mocked openly. Emma, Matthew and Tommy take pity on the doctor and attempt to get him out, but even when Dolittle seems to prove his abilities in court, Bellowes orders him to be locked up in an insane asylum. With the help of Polynesia and the chimp Chee-Chee (Cheeta), Dolittle's friends break him out of prison and he, Matthew, Tommy and several of the animals take a ship out onto the ocean to search for the snail. A psychiatric hospital (also called a mental hospital or asylum) is a hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ... Cheeta (born c. ...

To the men's surprise, Emma has snuck on board with them and she asks to be treated as one of the crew. At dinner, Dolittle tells them the method he uses to find out where they will go - randomly sticking a pin into any page of the map and going where it tells them. Despite Emma and Matthew's fantasies of Tahiti or Barcelona, the map directs them to Seastar Island, a floating island off the coast of Africa. It is a legendary island apparently broken off from the mainland, which wanders the sea. A map of the world by Johannes Kepler A map is a simplified depiction of a space, a navigational aid which highlights relations between objects within that space. ... Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, at 17°40′ S 149°30′ W. The island had a population of 169,674 inhabitants at the 2002 census. ... Barcelona within Barcelonès Population (2003) 1,582,738 Area 1004 Km2 Population density (2001) 15,764/Km2 Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia, an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, and Spains second-largest city (after Madrid). ... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and second most populous after Asia. ...

During a fierce storm, the ship is torn apart and the group separately float, on wreckage, to a nearby island. Emma and Dolittle, when reunited, both realize that they share an attraction with each other. Reunions are interrupted, however, by the native population who take the human members of the party captive. The island's leader, William Shakespeare the Tenth (Geoffrey Holder) becomes impressed by the doctor's knowledge, especially when Dolittle asks a blue whale to help push the island back on course. However the whale's help also pushes a revered rock into a volcano, which earns the foursome a death sentence. Before it can be carried out, the island is pushed back to the mainland where it belongs and - for their part in it - Dolittle's team are welcomed as members of the tribe. A rolling thundercloud over Enschede, The Netherlands. ... The term native as an adjective or noun has the following meanings. ... Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die. ... Binomial name Balaenoptera musculus (Linneus, 1758) Blue Whale range The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. ... A volcano is a geological landform (usually a mountain) where magma (rock of the Earths interior made molten or liquid by extremely high temperatures along with a reduction in pressure and/or the introduction of water or other volatiles) erupts through the surface of the planet. ...

The group help make cough medicine when the entire animal population of the island fall ill, and one surprising patient turns up in need of help - the Great Pink Sea Snail itself. Discovering that the snail's shell exists like a luxury liner, Dolittle sends Matthew, Tommy, Emma and the animals back to England. He himself cannot go back, since he is after all a wanted man. A cough medicine is a drug used to treat coughing and related conditions. ...

A while later, Dolittle is living amongst the tribe when Sophie the seal turns up with a message. The animals of England have gone on strike without him, and he is wanted back. Dolittle and the tribesfolk construct a working model of the Giant Lunar Moth, and Dolittle flies back to England. A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. ...

Cast and crew

• Rex Harrison - Dr. John Dolittle
• Samantha Eggar - Emma Fairfax
• Anthony Newley - Matthew Mugg
• Richard Attenborough - Albert Blossom
• Peter Bull - General Bellowes
• Muriel Landers - Mrs. Blossom
• William Dix - Tommy Stubbins
• Geoffrey Holder - William Shakespeare X
• Portia Nelson - Sarah Dolittle
• Norma Varden - Lady Petherington
• Cheeta - Chee-Chee
• Ginny Tyler - voice of Polynesia

Adapted by Leslie Bricusse from the novels by Hugh Lofting, primarily Doctor Dolittle's Circus and The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle. Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey Rex Harrison (March 5, 1908–June 2, 1990) was a British theatre and film actor. ... From The Walking Stick, 1970 Samantha Eggar (born March 5, 1933) is a British actress. ... George Anthony Newley (b. ... Richard Samuel Attenborough, the Baron Attenborough of Richmond-upon-Thames (born August 29, 1923 in Cambridge, England) is an actor, director and film producer. ... Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi in Live and Let Die. ... Cheeta (born c. ... Leslie Bricusse (born January 29, 1931) is a British lyricist. ... Doctor Dolittle is the central character of a series of childrens books by Hugh Lofting. ... Hugh John Lofting (Maidenhead, Berkshire, England January 14, 1886 - Topanga, California September 26, 1947) was a British author, trained as a civil engineer, who created the character of Doctor Dolittle - one of the classics of childrens literature. ... The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle was the second of Hugh Loftings Doctor Dolittle books to be published, coming out in 1922. ...

Directed by Richard Fleischer. Richard Fleischer (born December 8, 1916) is an American film director. ...

Songs

• My Friend the Doctor - Matthew
• The Vegetarian - Dolittle
• Talk to the Animals - Dolittle, Polynesia
• Doctor Dolittle - Matthew, Tommy
• If I Were A Man - Emma
• I've Never Seen Anything Like It - Blossom, Dolittle, Matthew
• Beautiful Things - Matthew
• When I Look In Your Eyes - Dolittle
• Like Animals - Dolittle
• After Today - Matthew
• Fabulous Places - Dolittle, Emma, Matthew, Tommy
• I Think I Like You - Dolittle, Emma
• Doctor Dolittle (2) - Matthew, Tommy, Emma, the Islanders
• My Friend the Doctor (reprise) - Company

Trivia

Alan Jay Lerner was originally chosen to write the script, but due to creative differences, he left and was replaced by Bricusse. This gave Rex Harrison the chance to sit out his contract, and he was to be replaced by Christopher Plummer, but when Harrison agreed to stay, the producers paid Plummer his total agreed-upon salary to leave the production. The film was originally budgeted at $6 million, but the budget eventually tripled. The film's eventual $9 million box office gross was woefully inadequate to cover the budget. Alan Jay Lerner (born August 31, 1918 in New York City, United States ? died there on June 14, 1986) was a Broadway lyricist and librettist. ... Christopher Plummer photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1959 Christopher Plummer (born Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer on December 13, 1927) is a Canadian theatrical, film and television actor. ...

The film's release was accompanied by an enormous media blitz and over a million copies of the soundtrack issued to stores. The box office loss meant that - although the film was nominated for several Academy Awards - the media blitz failed, and soundtracks from the original release can still be found in "bargain bins" to this day. Soundtrack refers to the recorded sound accompanying a visual medium such as a motion picture, television show, or video game. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ...

In 1998, the film was adapted into a stage musical, starring Phillip Schofield as Doctor Dolittle, a pre-recorded Julie Andrews as the voice of Dolittle's parrot, and the animatronic wizardry of Jim Henson's Creature Shop — not necessarily in that order. Phillip Schofield (born on April 1, 1962 in Oldham, England) first appeared on UK television presenting Childrens BBC on weekdays in the 80s and then Going Live! on Saturday mornings for many years. ... Julie Andrews as Maria, with the Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music. ... Audio-Animatronics or just animatronics is a form of robotics created by Disneys Imagineers for several shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. ... Categories: Organization stubs | Movie studios | Jim Henson Company ...

Academy Awards

The film won Academy Awards for Best Effects, Special Effects and Best Music, Song (Leslie Bricusse for "Talk to the Animals"). Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... This is a list of films that have received an Oscar for best visual effects. ... Academy Award for Best Song // 1930s 1934 - The Continental from The Gay Divorcee 1935 Lullaby of Broadway from Gold Diggers of 1935 1936 The Way You Look Tonight from Swing Time 1937 Sweet Leilani from Waikiki Wedding 1938 - Thanks for the Memory from The Big Broadcast of 1938 1939 Over...

It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Music Score, Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment and Best Sound. The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. ... The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... From Rule Sixteen of the Special Rules for The Music Awards Original Score: An original score is a substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... This is a list of films that have received an Oscar for best sound. ...

External link

• Doctor Dolittle at the Internet Movie Database