The Love Bug - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of The Love Bug or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to The Love Bug

[lena]

In the Irish coffee scene, the whiskey brand is "O'Gill's," a possible allusion to "Disney"'s "Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)."

[gabriel]

The backdrop in the race scenes is of the Riverside International Raceway.

[gerald]

The movie was made and released about seven years after its source novel "Car, Boy, Girl" by Gordon Buford had been first published in 1961.

[christina]

The station attendant at Tang Wu's Quick Service wears a jacket bearing the phrase, "Put a Dragon in Your Tank." It's a reference to "Put a Tiger in Your Tank," the 1960s advertising slogan by Esso and Enco, the forerunner of Exxon.

[ronnie]

The yellow "Thorndike Special" was an Apollo GT. Apollos were built in Oakland, California. The body shells were fabricated in Italy and shipped to the US, where aluminum Buick 215 CID V8 engines were installed. The same company later made another sports car called the Intermeccanica Italia. One of these appears in the Disney movie "The Million Dollar Duck (1971)." Dean Jones had the lead acting role, in the movie.

[lynn]

According to Guinness, this movie was the top money maker of 1969 in the US and Canada.

[tom]

According to the filmmakers in the DVD documentary, Herbie's number 53 came from a Disney director or producer, that liked retired baseball pitching star, Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers. 53 was Don Drysdale's uniform number.

[harry]

Dean Jones credits the film's success to the fact that it was the last live-action film that "Walt Disney" had authorized for production.

[carl]

Dean Jones plays the hippie in the drive-in restaurant. Iris Adrian plays the waitress. They had previously appeared together in "That Darn Cat! (1965)."

[kyle]

When Herbie gets onto the freeway and then gets scared, it's California State Route 60, the Pomona Freeway in Los Angeles. The on ramp Herbie turns onto and gets off of is Roscoe Blvd and California State Route 170 in Los Angeles. However the first shot of Herbie getting back onto the on-ramp is at California State Route 60.

[kylie]

During one scene in the movie, Herbie has lost one of his wheels, and Tennessee is hanging out of the passenger side door to balance him. The door opens, and there is no "53" logo on the door. This image was used heavily to promote the film, despite the glaring omission.

[ava]

The only existing "trick Herbie" from the movie, which can do things like squirt oil and open the doors by himself, is owned by Dean Jones.

[morris]

Herbie's California license tag number is OFP 857, while the racing number on his front bonnet and both side doors, painted in black within a black ringed white circle, is the number 53.

[ella]

Dean Jones personally requested to play the hippy at the drive-in. The director originally turned him down, but after Jones proved that he could convincingly take on the persona, he was immediately given the part.

[kristina]

The exchange between Jim Douglas and Mr. Wu while hanging from Herbie's rear bumper is, "Car very strong, and very fast. The strength of 40 horses." The stock Volkswagen Beetle engine had 40 horsepower.

[claude]

As Herbie drives through the Chinatown parade, brassy western marching band music plays, instead of more traditional Chinese tunes.