Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car is a children's novel written by Ian Fleming for his son Caspar, with illustrations by John Burningham. It was first published in 1964 by Jonathan Cape in London and Random House in New York, and later made into a successful film.
Writer Ian Fleming took his inspiration for the car from a series of aero-engined racing cars built by Count Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s, christened "Chitty Bang Bang".
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[edit] Plot summary
Caractacus Potts is an inventor who renovates an old car (known then as the Paragon Panther) which was previously a three-time Grand Prix winner, but had fallen into disrepair. After repairing the car, the Potts family head off to the beach for a picnic.
The family explores along the Dover coast in the car, and find a cave with some fake scary devices inside. At the back of the cave is a store of armaments and explosives. The family lights a fuse and hurries out of the cave just before it explodes.
Then the gangsters/gun-runners who own the ammunition arrive. They tie up the parents in the Chitty and leave with the children to go to France. Chitty comes to life and the Potts chase the bandits across the channel to France.
There they meet a French chef and his wife, and they all end up capturing the bandits and handing them over to the police. Chitty then flies the Potts family back to England, with some special French fudge that the chef knew the recipe of. (The recipe was supplied at the back of the last novel.)
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
[edit] Film
The story was made into a musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1968.
[edit] Theatrical versions
On April 16, 2000 a stage musical based on the book and movie was launched at the London Palladium theatre. For full details on that production and subsequent productions see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (musical), starring Michael Ball. This version of the show closed in September 2005.
Despite some initial problems with the mechanical flying Chitty used in the show, it has enjoyed a very successful run. A Broadway version of this show opened on April 28, 2005 at the Hilton Theatre in New York City. It was also nominated for, but lost, the following 2005 Tony Awards:
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Erin Dilly)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Marc Kudisch)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Jan Maxwell)
- Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Anthony Ward)
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Mark Henderson)
- The Broadway production closed on 31 December, 2005 after 34 previews and 284 regular performances.
After closing in London, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang took to the road on its first ever European tour. The first stop on this was at the Sunderland Empire, where it previewed from December 9, 2005 and premiered on December 13, 2005. It will tour Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Southampton and Edinburgh.
[edit] Trivia
- In the original novel by Fleming, Caractacus is not a widower; consequently, the adult female interest is represented by his wife Mimsie rather than "Truly Scrumptious." The family's adventure with Chitty takes them across the English Channel to France and involves them with a character named "Joe the Monster." By comparison, the musical adaptation transforms the original story considerably in a fairytale direction.
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's number plate number was GEN11, apparently the closest to the word "genie" the UK motor vehicle registry would allow.
- "ItsChittyChittyBangBang" is a cheat for the PC-game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, that enables cars to fly.
[edit] External links
- UK Tour musical stage show website
- Broadway version
- Official site for the original car
- Details about the film production cars
- Details of the books, merchandise, and pretty much everything Chitty related
- Raul Esparza (Broadway musical production cast member) Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing, April 2005
| Chitty Chitty Bang Bang |
|---|
| Characters: Caractacus Potts | Truly Scrumptious | Child Catcher | Baroness Bomburst | Baron Bomburst |
| Objects and locations: Vulgaria | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (car) |
| Media: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (film) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (song) | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (musical) |
| Works of Ian Fleming | |
|---|---|
| James Bond: | Casino Royale (1953) | Live and Let Die (1954) | Moonraker (1955) | Diamonds Are Forever (1956) | From Russia with Love (1957) | Dr. No (1958) | Goldfinger (1959) | For Your Eyes Only (1960) | Thunderball (1961) | The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) | On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963) | You Only Live Twice (1964) | The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) | Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966) |
| Other Fiction: | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964) |
| Non-Fiction: | The Diamond Smugglers (1957) | Thrilling Cities (1963) |
