Contemporary sources alternately referred to the title as Doctor Dolittle and Dr. Dolittle throughout development, production, and distribution.

On 30 Apr 1962, DV reported that Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. had signed Helen Winston to produce a feature film adaptation of Hugh Lofting’s twelve “Doctor Dolittle” children’s books, which were published between 1920 and 1952. According to a 4 Oct 1967 Var article, Lofting’s surviving family members established a deal with Winston’s company, Luster Enterprises, in late Dec 1961, with plans for a spring start date. This production schedule was pushed back an additional year, at which point Winston entered negotiations with Twentieth Century-Fox in Apr 1962, allowing her to supervise the development of a first-draft screenplay. Her work on the script was completed by Jul 1962, but Fox decided to cancel the option two months later. It was not until Dec 1963 that Fox revived the project after receiving interest from Apjac Productions, Inc., owned by producer Arthur P. Jacobs, who was granted film rights in early 1964. A 14 Jun 1964 NYT news story announced Jacobs’s intent to collaborate with Broadway and film lyricist Alan Jay Lerner to develop the script as a musical vehicle for Rex Harrison. According to the 24 Jan 1966 DV, Lerner hoped to work with André Previn, but plans fell through due to Previn’s schedule.

A full year after Lerner’s attachment, the 16 Jun 1965 Var stated that he had been replaced by Leslie Bricusse, in his first official film job. In a 19 Jul 1966 profile for the LAT, Bricusse recalled his first meeting with Arthur P. Jacobs after adapting a musical adaptation of André Obey’s French play, Noah, which involved animals, and the two agreed to work on Doctor Dolittle when Noah was delayed. According to Bricusse, his screenplay was largely inspired by the third and fourth books in Lofting’s series, Doctor Dolittle’s Post Office (1923) and Doctor Dolittle’s Circus (1924). As the title role was intended for Harrison, songs were tailored for his unique song recitation and acting delivery, while the character of “Emma Fairfax” was created specially for the film.

A 19 Jun 1966 NYT article suggested that Harrison stepped off the project during this transition period until Bricusse’s deal was secured, but a 17 Apr 1969 DV review of John Gregory Dunne’s book, The Studio, offered a more detailed version of the process by which directors were considered for Harrison’s approval. When Harrison objected to Richard Fleischer, Dunne alleged that the actor resigned, at which point the studio replaced him with Christopher Plummer. Once Harrison agreed to return, Plummer was dismissed with $300,000 pay.

With Fleischer officially signed to direct, he and Jacobs quickly began searching for actors to fill out the supporting cast. Items in the 29 Sep 1965 DV and 9 Dec 1965 LAT indicated that Linda Bennett and Hayley Mills were considered for female roles before the casting of Samantha Eggar. The 19 Dec 1965 NYT announced that Sidney Poitier had been assigned to play “Prince Bumpo Kahbooboo” of the fictional African country, “Jolliginki”—a role that would include at least one song titled, “I’ll Fight A Lion.” According to a 13 Apr 1966 Var item, composer and arranger Irwin Kostal disclosed that Shani Wallis would provide the singing voice for Eggar, while Poitier’s vocals would also be overdubbed. Just a few weeks later, however, the 5 May 1966 DV announced Poitier’s departure from the project, prompting Jacobs and Bricusse to remove his character from the script altogether. A 29 Aug 1966 DV brief suggested that Hugh Griffith was originally cast as “Albert Blossom,” but he was replaced by Richard Attenborough.

A casting announcement in the 4 Aug 1966 DV also included the following actors, whose participation could not be confirmed: John Parker , Alice Bushell, Thomas Kelly, David Folland, Clarence Mortimer, George Mossman, Dan Cressy, Lois Purvin, Harold Bowley, Eugene Bloom, and Jill Wynner. Ginny Tyler provided the voice of “Polynesia” the parrot, as was confirmed by her obituary in the 30 Jul 2012 DV.

Principal photography began 27 Jun 1966 in the English village of Castle Combe, which many sources noted had recently received the distinction of the British Travel Association’s “most beautiful village.” Articles in the 28 Jun 1966 NYT and 29 Jun 1966 LAT described the many modifications made to transform the town into the Victorian port of “Puddleby-on-the-Marsh,” including the creation of a sandbag dam intended to block the trout stream enough to install a number of fishing boats and artificial seaweed. Greenery was also uprooted to make way for retaining walls, and television antennas removed from houses. Although the filmmakers received permission from the city council, the large crew’s imposing presence incited mixed reactions from locals, such as twenty-two-year-old baronet Lieutenant Sir Ranulph Twiselton-Wykeham-Fiennes and several comrades, who were tried and ultimately fined for planting three bombs near studio equipment. One explosion caused minor damage on the first day of production, although police disposed of the others. After the incident, a 14 Jul 1966 DV article referred to two other sabotage attempts, and extra security teams were hired to supervise the set.

In addition to these complications, inclement weather prevented the production from continuing in England. Although the schedule had allotted eight to ten weeks for exteriors, the 27 Jul 1966 DV announced that the unit was returning to Los Angeles, CA, to continue filming in the San Fernando Valley. According to the 19 Aug 1966 DV, some scenes took place at Fox’s movie ranch at the current Malibu Creek State Park, while the 5 Oct 1966 edition claimed that a circus sequence originally planned for U.K. locations was instead shot at Placerita Canyon with some 200 background actors. The following month, the 10 Nov 1966 and 22 Nov 1966 DV indicated that the cast and crew had relocated to the Caribbean for eighteen days in Barbados and Saint Lucia. Items in the 2 Dec 1966 DV and 14 Dec 1966 Var indicated that heavy tropical storms caused further delays, stalling the unit’s move back to California until mid-Dec, when they filmed a sequence in Carmel and completed studio work. The following month, the 11 Jan 1967 Var estimated that the production had run approximately fifty days over schedule, with an anticipated wrap date of 30 Jan 1967.

On 3 Apr 1967, DV reported that the cast and crew had reassembled for an added four-minute, $500,000 musical number. A DV brief two days later revealed that the expenses included the cost of temporarily closing production of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Sweet November (1968, see entry) so star Anthony Newley could complete the necessary footage for Doctor Dolittle.

Although initial estimates placed the budget at around $6 million, various contemporary sources cited a final production cost of $15—$17 million. A 4 Oct 1967 Var article claimed that $1 million was spent on Samantha Eggar’s wardrobe alone—a figure that was matched, and likely exceeded, by the use of several hundred live animals, with trainers and feedings amounting to weekly fees of $4,500. Due to quarantine laws, separate sets of animals had to be hired for each country of location, with multiple animals often requiring more than one double as they grew in size throughout production. For example, trainers worked with nearly forty piglets to portray “Gub-Gub” the pig due to the species’ quick growth rate. The 14 Jul 1966 DV reported that “Mary” the rhinoceros fell ill during the rainy shoot in England, and another was purchased for $9,000, with an additional $11,000 spent to ship the animal from Mombasa, Kenya. The 11 Jan 1967 Var corroborated this story, and revealed that a giraffe also died during shooting. The 19 Aug 1966 DV claimed that Jungleland trainers of Thousand Oaks, CA, did not use tranquilizers on the animals, but a squirrel in England was pacified with doses of gin. The crocodile was allegedly the only fake animal used in the entire picture.

Although the troubled production had concluded in early summer, problems continued, as the 31 Aug 1966 DV reported that original producer Helen Winston had filed a lawsuit against Arthur P. Jacobs and Apjac Productions for inducing the Lofting estate to break their pre-existing deal with Winston’s company. The 4 Oct 1967 Var relayed other complaints in her affidavit, which pointed out that Winston was the one to suggest filming in Castle Combe, England, while Bricusse’s script included an “animal strike” that was unique to Winston’s early draft and not derived from the original books. Winston requested a restraining order against the film’s release unless the producers agreed to give her a screen credit reading, “Conceived by Helen Winston.” Bricusse retains sole credit.

Even before filming was officially completed, Fox was confident in the film’s appeal and began securing roadshow premiere dates and an unprecedented promotional campaign, which a 17 Sep 1967 article in the Minneapolis Tribune speculated to include $100 million worth of merchandising, eighty-seven versions of the soundtrack album recorded by such performers as Sophia Loren and Kate Smith, and book tie-ins from several publishing houses. Items in the 24 May 1967 Var and 7 Aug 1967 DV also referred to album versions sung by Bobby Darin and Sammy Davis, Jr. The first public preview screening was held in Sep 1967 at the Mann Theater in Minneapolis, MN, and the event was allegedly not well received.

Doctor Dolittle premiered 12 Dec 1967 in London, England, as part of a royal benefit event attended by Queen Elizabeth II. Early reports in the 25 Jan 1967 Var and 20 Feb 1967 DV indicated plans for a two-night New York City premiere sponsored by Project Hope; however, a 13 Dec 1967 Var brief listed the charity event for the evening of 19 Dec 1967 at the Loew’s State Theatre, with regular “hardticket” sales to begin the following day. According to the 13 Feb 1967 LAT, proceeds for the 21 Dec 1967 Los Angeles premiere at the Paramount Theatre were donated to the Motion Picture Relief Fund. The event was followed by a circus-themed champagne party, and a children’s matinee premiere was scheduled for the next afternoon, marking the beginning of its regular bookings. The film was not a commercial success, with several sources referring to its box-office returns as a “letdown” for Fox. A 21 May 1969 DV claimed that studio head Richard D. Zanuck refused to discuss exact figures in reference to its financial losses.

Despite this, the film won Academy Awards for Music (Song) for “Talk To The Animals,” and Special Visual Effects, and received seven nominations in the categories of Art Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing, Music (Original Music Score), Music (Scoring of Music—adaptation or treatment), Sound, and Best Picture. Richard Attenborough’s role as Blossom earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture. Additional nominations included Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Rex Harrison), Best Original Score – Motion Picture, Best Original Song – Motion Picture (“Talk To The Animals”), and Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

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