Line #52 Film/DoctorDolittle


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doctor_dolittle_1967.jpeg]]
2
3	->''"If I could walk with the animals and talk with the animals\
4	Grunt, squeak and squawk with the animals\
5	And, lord, they could talk to me..."''
6
7	A 1967 American {{musical}} film, directed by Richard Fleischer and based on the ''Literature/DoctorDolittle'' books by Creator/HughLofting. It stars Creator/RexHarrison in the title role, with Creator/SamanthaEggar as Emma Fairfax, Creator/AnthonyNewley as Matthew Mugg, and Creator/RichardAttenborough as Albert Blossom. Script, songs and score were written by Music/LeslieBricusse.
8
9	The film had a TroubledProduction, with hundreds of animals to wrangle, location shooting troubles, and Harrison throwing his weight around. Producer Arthur P. Jacobs even had a heart attack during production (but was happy to get another pet project of his, ''Film/{{Planet of the Apes\|1968}}'', greenlit by the studio). It was a critical and commercial flop, but managed to score two UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, for Original Song ("Talk to the Animals") and Special Effects.
10
11	Many years later, the film received a ScreenToStageAdaptation, with Creator/MarkWilliams as Dolittle.
12
13	(For the Creator/EddieMurphy films, see ''Film/DrDolittle''.)
14
15	----
16	!!This film provides examples of:
17
18	* AdaptationalJerkass:
19	** Rex Harrison's Doctor Dolittle is far colder and more impatient than the jovial, excitable and friendly man of the original books. Can said to be a sort of CharacterExaggeration, since even in the books the Doctor occasionally showed traces of being BetterWithNonHumanCompany... just not nearly to the extent of rudeness as the Doctor in this movie.
20	** Gen. Bellows is much nastier than his book counterpart or any of the book characters whose roles he absorbs.
21	* AdaptationalNameChange:
22	** Alexander Blossom the circus ringmaster becomes Albert Blossom.
23	** Spider Monkey Island becomes Sea Star Island
24	** The Great Glass Sea Snail becomes the Great ''Pink'' Sea Snail
25	** Colonel Bellowes becomes General Bellows
26	* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Blossom doesn't steal money from the circus and run off.
27	* AdaptationDistillation: The film fuses ''Literature/TheVoyagesOfDoctorDolittle'' and ''Literature/DoctorDolittlesCircus'' with additional plot elements from ''Literature/TheStoryOfDoctorDolittle'' and ''Doctor Dolittle's Garden''.
28	* AgeLift: Matthew Mugg the Cat's Meat Man is much younger than his book counterpart who was in his thirties.
29	* AHeadAtEachEnd: The Pushmi-Pullyu, a llama-like creature with two front halves joined at the waist.
30	* AbsentMindedProfessor: The Doctor to a certain extent, mainly in terms of money.
31	* AnimalStereotypes: Subverted in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-V7oua1EVs Like Animals]]".
32	* AnimatedAdaptation: The 1970 TV cartoon produced by Creator/DepatieFrelengEnterprises was loosely based on this film, though with characterizations closer to the original books.
33	* AscendedExtra: Col. Bellowes was a minor character in Voyages, but a major antagonist here.
34	* BetterWithNonHumanCompany: Doctor Dolittle can speak with animals and relates well to them, but aside from a few close friends humans are really hard for him to deal with.
35	* BigEater: Magistrate General Bellows. According to his dog Rufus, he regularly enjoys meals that include things like four helpings of roast pheasant, two helpings of boiled trout, and six large portions of blackberry pie with whipped cream.
36	* BrutalHonesty: Dolittle, partly due to him being BetterWithNonHumanCompany. Emma calls him "very rude" because of what he said about her uncle, but she follows up with "Of course, I wouldn't mind so much except everything he said was true."
37	* CanonForeigner: Emma Fairfax and William Shakespeare the X. Story-wise, they loosely fill in for Theodosia and Prince Bumpo.
38	* CatsAreMean: Averted. We rarely see Dolittle interacting with cats, but in "Like Animals," he makes it clear their "affection is plain."
39	* CompositeCharacter:
40	** Col. Bellows combines the original minor character with the owner of the plow horse with spectacles, Sir William Peabody, and the judge Eustace Beauchamp Conckley from ''Voyages''.
41	** William Shakespeare the X is a mix of Prince Bumpo and the chief of the Popsipetels.
42	* CoolBoat: (after a fashion) The Great Pink Sea Snail.
43	* DecisionDarts: How they choose to visit the floating island. The idea is to open an atlas to a random page, close your eyes, and then jab a pin randomly.
44	* DefrostingIceQueen: Emma Fairfax starts out hating the doctor's guts. Thanks to Matthew (and his singing) she warms up considerably.
45	* DemotedToExtra:
46	** The Pushmi-Pullyu in the books had a far bigger role; here, it's reduced to a MythologyGag and [[TheCameo cameo]].
47	** Long Arrow is only obliquely referenced as a American Indian friend of the Doctor's
48	* DogsAreDumb: Averted with Dolittle's dog Jip, whose excellent sense of smell provides a wonderful navigation system aboard the Flounder.
49	* GiantFlyer: The giant lunar moth.
50	* GoneHorriblyRight: The Doctor disguises a seal as an old woman in order to smuggle her away from a circus. It works so well that when he throws her into the ocean (so she can go home to see her husband) he gets arrested and charged with murder!
51	* HollywoodNatives: The inhabitants of Sea Star Island initially appear to fit this trope, but it turns out to be a deliberate subversion. They are, in fact, highly educated and cultured, fluent in multiple languages, and only detain newcomers because of bad experiences with explorers. Granted, they plan to kill Dolittle's party for bringing bad fortune, but even that's done in strict accordance with their established laws.
52	* HypocriticalHumor:
53	** During "The Reluctant Vegetarian," we see Matthew Mugg agreeing that "meat is very unhealthy for you"--while chowing down on sausage.
54	** "If I weren't late for my fox hunt, I'd report you for cruelty to animals."
55	* IAmSong: "The Reluctant Vegetarian", in which he explains how his life has changed since he started talking with animals.
56	* ImprobableFoodBudget: He gets minimal salary, either in money or favors, yet he manages to feed hundreds of animals.
57	* InDefenceOfStoryTelling: Matthew sings ''two'' songs celebrating the Doctor's [[InformedAttribute imagination]].
58	* IWantSong:
59	** "Talk to the Animals" for Dolittle.
60	** Emma "Fred" Fairfax has one of these, about how she wants to escape the strictures of being a lady in 1845 England. Gets double points because it starts as being about another desire--the fact that she'd like to kill Dolittle.
61	* JerkAss: General Bellows is cruel to animals, has a blowhard personality, and [[spoiler: tries to get Dolittle committed to the madhouse.]]
62	* KindlyVet: Naturally. Being able to talk with his patients helps even more.
63	* NightmareFetishist: [[TagalongKid Tommy Stubbins]], of all people.
64	** When he and his friends have been imprisoned by the natives of Sea Star Island:
65	--->'''Stubbins:''' ''[cheerfully]'' I bet you anything you like they're going to kill us.\
66	'''Emma:''' Whoever said children have beautiful minds has obviously never met ''you.''
67	** Later, when Dolittle and the gang are about to be executed:
68	--->'''Stubbins:''' ''[gleefully]'' I once read a story about a tribe who would burn people alive, and ate them for dinner. I bet that's what they're going to do to us.\
69	'''Dolittle:''' Stubbins, will you please put a curb on your ''lurid'' imagination?
70	* PerpetualPoverty: The Doctor spends all his money looking after animals. Not helped by the fact that most of his clients are wild animals, who pay him in foodstuffs rather than actual currency.
71	* RewrittenPopVersion: The published version of "When I Look In Your Eyes" replaces the line "Isn't it a pity you're a seal?" with "How I love the world your eyes reveal."
72	* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Doctor Dolittle learns how to speak with the animals from his talking parrot. A Translation Convention is not used; conversations are shown taking place in gestures and animal noises, with Dolittle translating the important parts into English for the benefit of his human companions.
73	* SugarAndIcePersonality: Emma Fairfax again. She can be quite amiable to her companions but sometimes behaves like the snobbish lady she claims she doesn't want to be.
74	* TagalongKid: Tommy Stubbins. This seems to be his only purpose throughout much of the film.
75	* TravelingLandmass: Seastar Island.
76	* WhatDidYouExpectWhenYouNamedIt:
77	-->'''Matt:''' I told you ''Flounder'' was a terrible name for a boat!\
78	'''Dolittle:''' Nonsense. Flounder is a wonderful little fish, survived for millions of years.\
79	'''Matt:''' Hah! Aye, ''below'' the surface!
80	* YouNoTakeCandle: Dolittle initially addresses a native of Sea Star Island this way, until he learns the man speaks fluent English.

Context Film / DoctorDolittle