As it happened: SidepodFilmClub - Summer Break Edition

• 19:30

  Hello everyone, and welcome to the third Sidepodfilmclub!

• 19:31

  Today we are watching The Love Bug - the original Herbie film. I hope you've got your copies ready.

• 19:32

  

• 19:36

  We've paused our rental at this point on the film, so that when 8pm rolls around we can just hit play.

  Hopefully you can all find the same place.

• 19:42

  Just under 20 minutes to go now, how about some Herbie trivia? According to IMDB: Herbie The Love Bug was a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle deluxe ragtop sedan painted in Volkswagen L87 pearl white.

• 19:43

  Apparently, the interior would normally be white too, but they had to paint it in a special grey that wouldn't reflect the studio lights.

• 19:45

  The film stars Dean Jones, who also appeared in a Saved by the Bell made for TV movie. The things you find out!

• 19:49

  The film is 1hr 47 minutes long, which seems a good length for a film. Two hours is too long.

• 19:49

  This is your ten minute warning.

• 19:52

  From what I can tell, there were several sequels to this film: Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas, and that one with Lindsay Lohan in it.

• 19:53

  According to Wikipedia (!), Volkswagen get no mention in this film, except a brief view on a keyring. The subsequent films are a bit more product placement happy.

• 19:55

  Five minutes!

• 19:57

  Just over two minutes to go. Everyone ready? When the timer hits zero, we're going to press play and hope you're all with us!

• 19:59

  One minute!

• 19:59

  I'm excited.

• 20:00

  We are go, go, go.

• 20:00

  What crazy kind of racing is this? Looks like Yamamoto is involved.

• 20:02

  Some beautifully retro typeface giving us all the credits. Comment from Amy: I hate the way old movies have all the credits first. Get to the movie!

• 20:04

  "I'm not a mechanic, I'm a driver!"

• 20:07

  That car is far too yellow. We do not approve.

• 20:08

  That car salesman guy seems to be playing the exact same part that he did in Mary Poppins. Bit snippy, bit shouty.

• 20:10

  He's a racing driver taking public transport. Ridiculous!

• 20:12

  Yay for Herbie! Never stand near the car and shout. Noted.

• 20:13

  Aww, Herbie was scared of the big lorries. Although... driving the wrong way down the freeway would be equally frightening.

• 20:15

  "Ohhh, THAT Jim Douglas."

• 20:15

  Laguna Seca, I've heard of that.

• 20:19

  Comment from Lukeh: Has she tried turning off the child lock?

• 20:20

  Herbie the matchmaker!

• 20:21

  You really shouldn't wear a white coat if you're going to start digging around in a car engine.

• 20:24

  His best friend is kinda crazy. The stop light makes him wait six seconds longer than anyone else.

• 20:27

  Ah, Herbie gets his name! Named after the mechanics uncle.

• 20:28

  MARMOT!

• 20:28

  Herbie has his colours and number now, too. That's the Herbie we know and love!

• 20:31

  Is Jim going to spend the entire film with a dirty face?

• 20:33

  They have to stick their hand out the car to signal they're ready to race? Madness!

• 20:34

  I like that Herbie and the mechanic have an affinity so quickly.

• 20:37

  I don't want to pick holes, but there was no Herbie in that wide shot they just showed. May just be racing footage?

• 20:38

  Perhaps Jim should try shutting his windows, that might save getting a dirty face.

• 20:39

  They didn't have tractors and cranes in those days. Donkey will do.

• 20:41

  Honesty = "a quality not necessarily to be despised."

• 20:45

  Silly Jim is suggesting Herbie is not a real car. That's not going to go down too well. Then again, neither will the cream being poured into the VW.

• 20:48

  Comment from Pat W: I didn't know they had squirty cream in 1969

• 20:48

  Jim is always chewing in the car. I don't think you're allowed to do that in motorsport these days.

• 20:53

  She said she wasn't a mechanic and now she's putting on overalls and picking up spanners. I call shenanigans.

• 20:55

  Now I'm very confused. She is a mechanic, and Tennesse is not. He just welds stuff.

• 20:58

  Thimblehead is a fantastic insult.

• 21:02

  That's an actual phone in a car. Twirly lead and everything.

• 21:03

  Comment from me: herbie is a clanger?

• 21:06

  The man appears to be walking around in a load of paintings - also similar to Mary Poppins!

• 21:07

  Is it right that Herbie's suicide attempt is hilarious?

• 21:13

  Mr Thorndyke came up with the idea of smallprint? Real boos!

• 21:15

  They're going to race with all three of them in the car? There must be some kind of weight disadvantage there!

• 21:16

  There's a bear!

• 21:20

  I wonder if people running and carrying the car is not slightly against the rules?

• 21:22

  I wish this was a real race. It's a cross between rallying and F1, and endurance racing. All that rolled into one.

• 21:26

  "I'm tryin' but my mind don't get the message."

• 21:30

  They can't really not finish the race though. Not really.

• 21:35

  Yay, Herbie is ready to race!

• 21:37

  These are shortcuts I can get on board with!

• 21:39

  The green screen is so bad. Herbie is meant to be to the left of Herbie as we look, but the yellow car is on the left hand side. Herbie woulda been over the cliff.

• 21:42

  Motorsport is dangerous enough, isn't it? Let's add some blowtorch into the mix.

• 21:44

  They won!

• 21:44

  They must stop being quite so patronising. "The little car" this and "the little car" that.

• 21:47

  It wouldn't freak people out at all to see a car with no driver.

• 21:47

  That's the end!

• 21:49

  Thanks to everyone who joined us for Sidepodfilmclub today. See you next time!