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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)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Mario Chiari, Jack Martin Smith, Ed Graves; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott, StuarNominated
Best CinematographyRobert SurteesNominated
Best Film EditingSamuel E. Beetley, Marjorie FowlerNominated
Best Music - ScoringLeslie BricusseNominated
Best Music - ScoringLionel Newman, Alexander CourageNominated
Best Music - SongMusic and Lyrics by Leslie BricusseWon
Best PictureArthur P. Jacobs, ProducerNominated
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Doctor Dolittle 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 Lovers

When 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 Lovers

Rex 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 Hollywood

... 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 Lovers

For 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 Lovers

For 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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Doctor Dolittle Quotes:

Emma Fairfax: If I were his nephew instead of his niece...
Dr. Dolittle: If you were his nephew, you'd hardly be called Emma Fairfax.
Dr. Dolittle: Tell me, Stubbins... what would you do if you had two heads?
Tommy Stubbins: I'd join a circus, sir!
Dr. Dolittle: Exactly.
Matthew: [after the shipwreck when they are locked up on the floating island] You know, bein' is prison is much the same as being on a boat. Except in prison there's less chance of drowning.
Dr. Dolittle: If one place is as good as any other, it's high time we decided. Otherwise when we get there, we won't know we've arrived.
Polynesia: I speak over two thousand languages, including Dodo and Unicorn. I had a classical education.
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Doctor Dolittle Facts
The film's release was accompanied by one of the most massive merchandising tie-in campaigns in Hollywood history. Among the items merchandised were puzzles, a reprint of the original Hugh Lofting series of books by Dell Publishing, children's toys (including talking Pushmi-Pullyu and Rex Harrison dolls from Mattel), school supplies, a line of pet foods, and, in a truly bizarre move, small toy figures in each package of "Shake-a-Pudding". Additionally, as well as the obligatory soundtrack album, several major artists recorded "Talk to the Animals" and other songs from the picture, with star Anthony Newley recording an album of nothing but "Dolittle" songs for RCA Victor. Sammy Davis Jr. and Bobby Darin' also released all "Dolittle" albums along with instrumental albums from jazz musicians Joe Bushkin and Gordon Beck. Most of the merchandise sold poorly, killing off movie studio interest in such revenue streams. Ten years later, this attitude allowed George Lucas to easily get the merchandising rights for Star Wars and profit spectacularly from it.
Two songs were originally written for the picture, and filmed, but didn't make it to the final cut of the picture, "Where Are the Words?," sung by Anthony Newley, and "Something in Your Smile," sung by Rex Harrison. Both songs appeared on the soundtrack LP and CD, however, and the latter song may be heard under the film's opening titles.
Rex Harrison was under contract to play the title character but after the departure of original scriptwriter and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, Harrison tried to back out of the project. Christopher Plummer was hired as a replacement. When the studio successfully lured Harrison back they paid Plummer his entire agreed-upon fee of $300,000 to sit out the production of the film. Harrison was wary of Leslie Bricusse writing the score since he was an unknown quantity to him and, on his own, had English songwriters Donald Swann and Michael Flanders try their hand at songs for the film. Swann and Flanders signed a contract with Fox in February 1966 and completed at least four songs (Animalitarians/I Won't Be King/A Total Vegetarian/Goodbye to Sophie) which Harrison recorded as demos before Harrison heard and approved the Bricusse score for use in the film.
Nine separate versions of the musical soundtrack were commissioned in several languages, with over a million copies pressed total. Almost none of them sold, which is why to this day the soundtrack turns up in many thrift stores and 99-cent "cut out" bins.
"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."
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