LAST UPDATED: 5-23-2001

This page is all about Herbie Rides Again, Herbie's second movie. This site will also have mistakes and other Herbie oddities about his movie. In my opinion, this is the third best Herbie movie, with The Love Bug first and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo second. It has different stars this time, with Helen Haynes as Grandma Steinmetz, and we learn later that this is Tennessee's grandmother. There's the connection! At first, you hear the Herbie theme, and you see Alonzo Hawk wrecking buildings. Then they reveal Hawk Plaza. It is 130 stories tall, even higher than the Sears Tower! (110 stories) Herbie appears and is the all correct 1963 car. However, does the 53 on the hood seem to be a bit bigger than the other movies? Almost more spread apart? Note the shadows (this means that this scene was filmed in Disney's Burbank studios) and Herbie's silver painted chrome. Also, note the extra spotlight. What is it for? Grandma Steinmetz explains that Jim went to drive foreign cars in Europe and Tennessee went to Tibet again because his guru got sick. What's up? Herbie IS a foreign car! Note the inside of the car as Willoughby and Nicole drives off...no headlining or seat belt mounting points. That's a really bad fake (model) car. The wheelie car uses counterweights, revealed by Art Vitarelli, 2nd unit director of the movie, however the original story was that a more powerful engine powered it. When Willoughby drives, Herbie gets big windows. He is probably a 1965 model...that happens alot in this film...and notice the farther back turn signals on the front. At the "Ye Chicken Jousting Tournament", Herbie keeps on getting big windows, then small windows, then big windows again throughout the tournament. At the end, he has pop out rear side windows! During the joust, Herbie hits the Red Knight hard!(Thanks to a fan for this info!) To put the end to another rumor…the Red Knight IS NOT THE SAME ACTOR who played Throndyke in the first movie. The dream is great (clips from the 1st movie) as well as the comic. Then comes Hot Wire Hawk! When he goes to steal Herbie, he unlocks the door by putting a hanger through the closed window. (How?) He starts the motor in 5 seconds by hot-wiring? When he's stuck in traffic, the gearshift locks itself! Notice the hazard switch/big windows...a '66! This is a great scene! Burnouts, crashes, all funny! Grandma heads out in a big window Herbie and the handbrake turn is great. Models are used for the bridge and parking lot jump. The Herbie that drives sideways when he was blocked at the dead end by Hawk's lawyer's cars was probably done by turning the camera. I'm not sure...does anyone else know? At the firehouse again and while chasing seagulls, he has pop out side windows, but at the market, he has cal look side ones. Watch for extra sheetmetal, slightly wider wheels, and cables underneath for the hidden driver system. Jumping off the wharf, the stunt car sinks, and the floating car, with cal look side windows, is being towed off screen (No, there's not a propeller!) Nicole says Volkswagen now. Why? Because VW sponsored this movie. (Disney actually had a Herbie parade in 1974 at Disneyland for the new movie!) A big window Herbie breaks in to the storage place. Watch for the mid 60's decklid...the license plate and light are too far up! Another car, that has weird looking 53's, does all of the stunt work. Watch the cable car chase! It's great! (Even the impossible burnout) On the window washing rig, Herbie (this one earlier than a '62-no fuel gauge) has a VW radio. The "Suds Herbie" is a big window car. The ledge was done by Hollywood tricks. Hawk's dream is funny. Most were models, but some were people in VW costumes! The "King (Kong) Hawk" dream was a last minute replacement for another dream. The other dream went like this:
There are 2 VWs with eyes and arms. Hawk is tied down to a surgical table. They are the Red Cross Herbies, named correctly because they had red crosses in place of the 53s. They scene goes like this:

One, with an ax and a welding torch, says, "Looks like he's done for doctor!" The other one with a knife and bucket, says, "Let's just take his carburetor out for just one last look." Just as they get really close, Hawk wakes up and the rest of the movie was unchanged. They took it out because it was controversial.

When Hawk arrives at Grandma's house that dark night, Herbie has correct small windows, however when he picks up the other couple, he has big ones. Now comes the best scene of the whole movie! It's Bugs, Bugs, and more Bugs! Here they are in order: a Herbie replica ('63), a incorrect sunroof '65 (which, BTW, was a painted over Herbie...you can see where the spotlight was), the white and green used car lot ones, the blue, red and yellow ones, the black one that was "camping", the "Luvbug", and the cutest of all, the little oval. The sign of the unkillable VW! A fact recently added here (thanks to Emeen, but noticed by others) is that the first 2 or 3 VW's (they're white) were actually used Herbies from the original film, earlier in this film, or something else. It is really noticeable in the first one, where the "53" still can be seen, but faded. The movie wraps up from here and Nicole and Willoughby get married. Another great Herbie film!
Did I miss any thing, just tell me! Thanks!