carrotcake8 I remember enjoying this outrageous and delightful film when it opened in select reserved seat engagements Dec. of 1967. a blu-ray disc was finally issued late last Fall 2017. unfortunately according to info in the soundtrack album which i still have and the souvenir program the A++ HD transfer is of the general release print not the original cut used for the reserved seat engagements. I don't understand why when films originally released on exclusive roadshow engagements the blu-ray disc doesn't use the original cut.

mark.waltz Like Ronald Dahl's "Willy Wonka" and "Matilda", "Doctor Dolittle" is really not a musical for children, extremely dark in its themes, even though it would appeal to young audiences because of its usage of many different animals. Hugh Lofting's stories were the basis for this big budget musical which 20th Century Fox thought would be their financial smash hit follow-up to "The Sound of Music". What is obvious here is that they put way too much in it, and even if it doesn't reach the length of "The Sound of Music", it is missing that Oscar Winning movie's huge heart which showed you can make it past adversity. Here, Doctor Dolittle (a perfectly cast Rex Harrison) is going up against the prigs of society in conversing with animals, a fact which upsets his sister (Portia Nelson). This leads to confrontations with the imperious General (Peter Bull) and his uppity niece (Samantha Eggar in an impressive musical performance) and the adventures which Dolittle and his various friends take as he explores his ability to "talk to the animals".There's so much to like here, starting with Harrison's performance. He's a common man in comparison to his Oscar Winning Henry Higgins, but he's more fond of the furry creatures than his own species. Of course, he hasn't met Mr. and Mrs. Blossom (the very amusing Richard Attenborough and Muriel Landers) yet, and the rubber-legged Matthew Mugg (Anthony Newley) considers Dolittle his very best friend, along with little William Dix. Then, there's the gregarious Geoffrey Holder, named after William Shakespeare, the king of a tropical island and another reason for Dolittle to open his heart up to people. So in short order, it's a very busy plot, filled with lovable and cuddly creatures both realistic and mystical, most memorably the Pushmi-Pullyu, a giant snail and a large moth that is obviously no relation to the infamous Mothra of science fiction camp legend.As for the songs by Leslie Bricusse, they are really enjoyable, making the actual soundtrack a "10". "Talk to the Animals" was the most popular, winning an Oscar and becoming a hit for Sammy Davis Jr. Eggar is very moving when she sings "At the Crossroads" which reveals a lovely lady behind a cold demeanor. You know that she's going to open up to seeing things from Dolittle's point of view. Ironically, Harrison's "My Fair Lady" had him opposite Eliza Dolittle and sharing witticisms with her father Alfred P.Anthony Newley is sometimes a bit hard to take in large doses, and like many stage stars, is a bit too big for the screen. Here, he is a lot more subtle and as a result, he comes off unscathed. Attenborough's big production number, "I've Never Seen Anything Like It!" gives the typical British music hall type number (here in a carnival setting), and he is a joy to behold, winning a Golden Globe but not even nominated for an Oscar. Children might love the animals, real and imagined, but they will find the story a bit heavy, especially if they've seen the totally unrelated Eddie Murphy film.A stage production of this toured the United States to mixed reviews, but even though it performed at the Macy's Parade (with Tommy Tune in the title role), it never made it onto the Broadway stage. Perhaps, in memory of this movie not making a profit, producers were reluctant to take on a project that would definitely need to be re-tooled for the Broadway stage with stronger sets that would cost more for an intended longer run. But then again, a national tour is guaranteed to create a curiosity in audiences who don't get to New York, so perhaps it is just as well that it didn't. A mixed bag no matter how lovely to look at is still a mixed bag.

Kenneth Anderson The thing about getting older is that nostalgia begins to rear its head and one looks at films from one's youth through a haze of sentimentality. Back in 1967 when I was ten years old, "Doctor Dolittle" was all over the place. Toys, dolls, games and posters were everywhere, and the radio and TV variety shows were full of Sammy Davis Jr. singing "If I Could Talk to the Animals." Even with all of this, "Doctor Dolittle" seemed just the kind of family entertainment that I tended to avoid. Now, more than 40 years later, I've finally got around to seeing the film, but I'm no closer to knowing if I would have liked it any better at age ten.The problem with the film seems to be one of mistaken premises. Studios looked at "The Sound of Music," "Mary Poppins" and "My Fair Lady" and tried to duplicate their success, but they seemed to have paid attention to all the wrong things.The adaptation of a popular children's book (like "Mary Poppins") was a good idea, but rather than attempt to recreate the rather dumpy doctor described in the books ("Mary Popping"s David Tomlinson would have been great, but he lacked marquee value, likewise "Dolittle"s, circus-owner, Richard Attenborough would have made a great Dolittle…certainly a livelier one) they opted for the stiff and starchy Rex Harrison. The actor's lack of warmth may have fit the character's unease with humans, but his clear disinterest in anyone else in the film comes across as merely distant and bored. The apathetic Harrison doesn't even try to make Dolittle even a little bit different from "My Fair Lady"s Professor Higgins. Coming across solidly as a misanthrope, he fails also to demonstrate any real rapport with the menagerie of animals on display.The charmless Harrison was greatly helped by the winning softness of Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady." Here Harrison has zero chemistry with Anthony Newly (whom it's reported he disliked for being Jewish) nor the requisite veddy-British female love interest, Samantha Eggar who is not only waaaay to young for him, but, despite her stunning looks, adds absolutely nothing to the film because she seems even more distracted and bored than Harrison. Lastly, there is a mush-mouthed little boy thrown in for no apparent reason (William Dix) beyond giving Newly someone remotely human to give plot exposition to.The songs from "Mary Poppins" and, to a somewhat lesser extent, "The Sound of Music" had the quality of being witty and smart while having a sing-song, nursery-rhyme quality that made it easy for kids to remember and want to sing along. The undistinguished collection of songs in "Doctor Dolittle" sound more like they were written with hopes of becoming standards or Oscar contenders than on being anything that kids might find fun to listen to.From beginning to end "Doctor Dolittle" is a clumsy musical almost on par with "Lost Horizon" in its inability to entertain on even the simplest levels. I think fans of Rex Harrison may like the movie, for it is what he does film after film, and it is a pretty good showcase for the phenomenon that was Anthony Newly (an oddly fascinating actor/singer whose unconventional looks and singing style could only have made it in the 60s), but "Doctor Dolittle" is dreary when it should be cheerful, lumbering when it should be light-hearted, and long-long-long. If the filmmakers were less cynical about tapping into the "The Sound of Music" money-making zeitgeist and more concerned with actually making a fun children's classic, there's no telling how much could have been done musically with the "Doctor Dolittle" books.

readinglips This film's reputation is so bad that you may be tempted to watch it. If so, you'll find a few charms ("Talk to the Animals" and "When I Look Into Your Eyes" numbers, great production values and a very game Rex Harrison) and riches of embarrassments.It actually starts off fairly well with Anthony Newley introducing Dolittle and explaining how the doctor shifted from human patients to animals. But as it grids on, songs begin to sound similar, dropped in only when it's time for something different (rather than growing out of the plot and characters). The script has a few clever lines, but mostly unbelievable characters (in particular, Samantha Eggar's character is angry without motivation, whereas she could have provided some much needed romantic interest) and situations. (Yes, it's a fantasy, but fantasies can be convincing.) Amazingly, Rex Harrison puts a lot of effort into his part and many of his scenes do pay off ("When I Look Into Your Eyes" song; courtroom scene). The photography, sets, costumes and other production values are gorgeous and you can see the money up there on the screen. But by film's end, one is appalled by the huge investment of time, talent and money, which yield so little result.