Doctor Dolittle (1967 film)

This article is about the 1967 film. For the 1998 film, see Dr. Dolittle (1998 film). For other uses of "Dr. Dolittle", see Doctor Dolittle (disambiguation).

Doctor Dolittle
Theatrical release poster by Tom Chantrell
Directed byRichard Fleischer
Screenplay byLeslie Bricusse
Based onDoctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
Produced byArthur P. Jacobs
Starring
CinematographyRobert L. Surtees
Edited by
Music by
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century-Fox
Release dates
  • December 12, 1967 (1967-12-12) (London premiere)
  • December 19, 1967 (1967-12-19) (United States)
Running time
152 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$17 million[1]
Box office$9 million[2]

Doctor Dolittle is a 1967 American musical fantasy film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, and Richard Attenborough. It was adapted by Leslie Bricusse from the Doctor Dolittle novel series by Hugh Lofting, primarily The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920), The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922), and Doctor Dolittle's Circus (1924).

Various attempts to make a film based on Doctor Dolittle began as early as the 1920s. In the early 1960s, actress-turned-producer Helen Winston acquired the film rights, but did not succeed in producing a film. In 1963, producer Arthur P. Jacobs acquired the rights and recruited Alan Jay Lerner to compose songs and Rex Harrison to star in the project. After numerous delays, Lerner was fired and replaced by Bricusse. In addition to the numerous technical difficulties inherent to working with the large number of animals required for the story, the production was impacted by numerous setbacks stemming from poorly chosen shooting locations and creative demands from Harrison, and the finished film cost almost three times more than its original budget of $6 million.

The film premiered in London on December 12, 1967. It recouped $9 million during its theatrical run,[2] earning only $6.2 million in theatrical rentals and becoming a box-office bomb.[3] Although the film received negative critical reviews, thanks to intense lobbying by 20th Century-Fox,[4] it was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture, at the 40th Academy Awards, and won Best Original Song and Best Visual Effects.[5] Over time, the film has become a cult classic.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Solomon 1989, p. 254.
  2. ^ a b "Box Office Information for Doctor Dolittle". The Numbers. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  3. ^ Solomon 1989, p. 230.
  4. ^ Harris 2008, p. 379.
  5. ^ "The 40th Academy Awards (1968) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2011.