Beyond the fact that one is a children’s novel and the other is a children’s musical, what is the difference between Ian Fleming’s classic tale and Ken Hughes film version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Written by the author most known for conceiving and penning the adventures of 007 agent James Bond, the three volumes of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car first hit London shelves on October 22, 1964. The books, which boasted a wild imagination, were written for Fleming’s son Caspar and, believe it or not, were actually inspired by a series of aero-engined racing cars designed by Count Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s.
Four years after Fleming’s books were published, they were very loosely adapted to the big screen by Ken Hughes and children’s novelist Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach). The musical film, produced by the Bond franchise’s Albert R. Broccoli, starred Mary Poppins actor Dick Van Dyke and opera singer Sally Ann Howes in the main roles, headlining a cast that also included Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Heather Ripley, and Adrian Hall.
Over time, the MGM film has become a cherished childhood romp, while the book, a bit darker in tone, has been largely overshadowed by the bright musical. While the film is a mystical adventure of song and dance, the book involves helping the police track down criminals. Though both share some of the same elements, and some of the same characters, there are clearly a hefty number of differences between the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang novel and its subsequent movie.
The Potts Family
In both the film and the book, the central figures of the film are the Potts family. Headed by crackpot inventor Caractacus Pott (the movie would slightly alter the last name to “Potts”), the story is ignited once he buys and renovates an old, broken down automobile. In the book, the inventor attains the money from selling the idea for a whistle-like sweet to a local candy mogul. It’s an effort the film character also attempts, but fails miserably; rather the money is earned from Potts’ accidental participation in an exhilarating song and dance number (“Me Ol’ Bam-Boo”).
In the film, Caractacus’ (Van Dyke) adorable and flamboyant family consists of his twin children Jeremy (Hall) and Jemima (Ripley), as well as his eccentric explorer of a father (Jeffries). While the trouble-making children are brought onto the screen from the book, Jeffries’ character was an added component of the film, a jolly form of comic relief who later becomes the central goal of the story. But more on that later.
Interestingly enough, one character from the novel was left completely out of the film: that of Caractacus’ wife, Mimsie. It is assumed that Potts’ wife had passed away before the events of the movie, as Caractacus doesn’t seem very interested in a romantic life at the start of the film. Conversely, in the book, the Pott family is a happy, complete clan, one that uses their magical car together to help Scotland Yard track down a group of nasty villains.
The Stories’ Villains
If memories of evil bandits don’t coincide with memories of the film, don’t worry. That’s because they’re not there.
In the movie, the villain takes the form of the selfish, child-hating, but ironically childish Baron Bomburst (Fröbe). As the leader of the fictional land of Vulgaria, Bomburst’s tyranny is defined by misery, loneliness, and a nationwide ban on children. The Baron makes his way over to England after hearing tales of the amazing automobile, and steals Grandpa thinking that he was the inventor of the car. In addition to Bomburst, the film’s villains also include his pair of daffy spies (played by Alexander Doré and Bernard Spear), as well as the fearsome Child Catcher (ballet dancer Robert Helpmann).
Changes Between The Cars
As the title suggests, the car itself becomes a character in both stories. Named for the strange, repetitive sounds its engine makes, both versions of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang are magical automobiles, capable of some truly astonishing things. Though most, if not all of the vehicle’s special functions are transferred onto the big screen, the way they are introduced are completely different.
In the book, after being refurbished, Chitty first flies after the Pott family is caught in a traffic jam on their way to the beach. The car signals to Caractacus to pull a switch and suddenly, the vehicle sprouts wings and leaps up into the air, bringing the family safely down onto the beach for their picnic.
While both the movie and the book show the car’s floatation device activate after it is suddenly whisked into the ocean by a tide, it isn’t until they spot Grandpa being hoisted away on a giant blimp that the car first displays its aerial powers in the film. After seeing his father’s shack flying above them, Van Dyke’s Caractacus flings the car around and follows in pursuit. His panicked state causes him to stop paying attention to the road, sending him and his family off of a cliff. It is at this time that Chitty saves the day, sprouting its wings during the family’s nose dive (and after an intermission), and taking off in pursuit of Grandpa.
The Stories’ Romances
While there really isn’t much of a romantic plot line in Ian Fleming’s book, given that the Pott family is very much settled, Hughes’ film is very much banked on the blossoming love story formed between Caractacus and the beautiful Truly Scrumptious. Without a mother, Jeremy and Jemima are insistent that their father consider Truly, though he, again, doesn’t seem to be very interested in a relationship.
Of course, this changes throughout the film, with the two eventually proclaiming their love for one another and flying away with Chitty in the real world. Because Caractacus Pott is married in the book, it’ll come as no surprise that the character of Truly was wholly original for the movie. With that said, her father, a candy lord played by James Robertson Justice, is in the book, though his last name (Lord Skrumshus) is slightly altered.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is available to stream now on Netflix.
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