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Herbie Goes Bananas is a 1980 film and the fourth of a series of films made by Buena Vista Distribution starring Herbie, the white Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own. It stars Mel Brooks collaborators, Cloris Leachman, and Harvey Korman.

Synopsis[]

Loosely picking up where Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo left off, Pete Stancheck has inherited Herbie from his uncle, Jim Douglas. He travels to Mexico with his friend, Davy Johns, to retrieve Herbie. There, they meet little Paco, a comically mischievous, orphaned pickpocket.

Pete and Davy board a cruise ship called the Sun Princess to Panama to enter Herbie in the Brazil Grand Primeo. Unknown to them, Paco has hitched a ride in Herbie's trunk to avoid three irate victims of his thievery. On the trip, they meet an anthropology student named Melissa and her extravagant, eccentric Aunt Louise, who is trying to find a husband for her. When Herbie wreaks havoc on board, Pete pretends to court Melissa, with the intended result that her Aunt Louise will sponsor him and Davy for their race.

Meanwhile, Herbie helps Paco escape captivity. Paco dubs him "Ocho" and causes mischief with the ship's crew, such as taking a sailor's dinner which makes it look like Herbie ate it and spat out the chicken bones. When the overenthusiastic ship's captain, Blythe, has his costume party wrecked by Paco and Herbie, he puts the latter on trial and sentences him to be dropped into the sea. After landing, Paco is saddened until he sees Herbie emerge from the water, albeit rusted over. Paco then goes to work as a taxi driver, giving people rides in Herbie in order to make money.

Due to an error, Captain Blythe is separated from the Sun Princess and tries to locate her while Louise is trying to work up a relationship with him. They unknowingly become two customers in Paco's taxi after he is pursued by the villains, causing a car chase with Herbie.

Thence follows an Inca gold-stealing plot, Herbie's matador part in a bullfight, a romance between Louise and Captain Blythe, and some bananas which are initially used to camouflage Herbie in a convoy of farm vehicles traveling to market and later used to comic effect by Herbie and Paco in an attempt to stop the villains escaping in their plane. They are in pursuit of Paco, who misplaced some important film when he stole their wallets.

In the end, the villains are arrested and everyone is reunited on the Sun Princess. Pete starts a serious relationship with Melissa, and he and Davy prepare Herbie for an upcoming race, with Paco as the driver. When Paco remarks, "Ocho", Davy says that is Spanish for eight. Paco replies of course, as that is Herbie's number, 53. 5 + 3 = 8!

Cast[]

Reception[]

The film was the most poorly received film in the Herbie franchise since its inception in 1969 with The Love Bug. Most film critics remarked that the series had run its course, with Leonard Maltin commenting that there was "one amusing scene where Herbie turns matador; otherwise, strictly scrap metal." Maltin (who rated the film *½ out of ****) added that the plot dealt with its cast "encountering all sorts of 'hilarious' obstacles along the way." Phil Patton, author of the book Bug: The Strange Mutations of the World's Most Famous Automobile, observed that the Herbie franchise was "a game of diminishing returns: Herbie Goes Bananas...is filled with "south of the border" clichés and stereotypes."

Songs[]

Trivia[]

  • Only a few of the rusted Herbies that were used as props are left. The one thrown into the sea was never retrieved. A total of 26 VW Beetles were used due to the enormous amount of stunts and tricks.
  • This was the third sequel in The Love Bug series, and the last theatrical Herbie film for 25 years until the release of Herbie: Fully Loaded in 2005.

Gallery[]

Screenshots[]

Miscellaneous[]


v - e - d
Herbie logo
Media
Films: The Love Bug (video) • Herbie Rides Again (video) • Herbie Goes to Monte CarloHerbie Goes Bananas (video) • The Love Bug (1997)Herbie: Fully Loaded (soundtrack)

Television: Herbie, the Love Bug
Video Games: Herbie: Fully LoadedHerbie Rescue Rally
Books: Herbie's Special Friend

Disney Parks
Moteurs... Action! Stunt Show SpectacularDisney's All-Star Movies Resort
Characters
The Love Bug: HerbieJim DouglasTennessee SteinmetzCarole BennetPeter Thorndyke

Herbie Rides Again: Willoughby WhitfieldNicole HarrisMrs. SteinmetzAlonzo Hawk
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo: Wheely ApplegateDiane DarcyGiselleBruno von StickleMax and QuincyInspector BouchetFontenoy
Herbie Goes Bananas: Pete StancheckDavy JohnsPacoPrindleQuinnShepardMelissa
The Love Bug (1997): Hank CooperSimon Moore IIIDr. Gustav StumpfelHorace
Herbie: Fully Loaded: Ray Peyton, Sr.Maggie PeytonTrip Murphy

Songs
The Love Bug Found a New FriendHerbie, My Best FriendBorn to Be WildMagicFirst
Locations
The FirehouseSan FranciscoParisPanamaMexico
See Also
Thorndyke Special
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