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Caractacus Potts | |
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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang character | |
First appearance | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang |
Created by | Ian Fleming |
Portrayed by | Dick Van Dyke |
In-universe information | |
Nationality |
Caractacus Pott (Caractacus Potts in the film adaptation) is one of the main characters in Ian Fleming's novel Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and its film adaptation. The film version of the story makes several changes to his character.
In the original 1964 book, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car, Pott is a Royal Navy Commander and eccentric inventor who lives with his wife Mimsie and their twin eight-year-old children, Jeremy and Jemima, on their hilltop farm. He and his family are mentioned in the sequel books before appearing in the final one: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: Over the Moon, where they assist the Tooting family in stopping Tiny Jack.
The filmmakers, including screenwriter Roald Dahl, altered many of the book's details for the 1968 film musical version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , in which Caractacus is portrayed by Dick Van Dyke. The name Pott was changed to Potts and the character of Mimsie was written out as it was felt a burgeoning romance would serve the story better. Caractacus' film character is a widower who develops a romantic relationship with Truly Scrumptious, the daughter of the sweets magnate, Lord Scrumptious. The film also expunged the naval commander part of his life. His other inventions as seen in the film were designed and created by the craftsman Rowland Emett and are on display at Mid-America Science Museum.
In the movie, Caractacus' wife has died leaving him as a single parent to their two children Jeremy and Jemima. The daily routine is that Caractacus invents things to sell for his family's sustenance, while Jeremy and Jemima go to school or play in a garage owned by a neighbour, Mr. Coggins. The children discover and grow fond of a decrepit racing car which had been involved in a high-speed road race accident. When a dog and a child ran into the road from the cheering crowd, it had crashed down an embankment where it caught fire and exploded. The children persuade their father to restore it.
A stage musical based on the film premiered in London's West End in 2002, with Caractacus Potts played by Michael Ball. [1] The role has since been played on stage in the West End by Gary Wilmot (also on tour), Jason Donovan, Brian Conley (also on tour); and on tour by Tim Flavin, Joseph McFadden, Craig McLachlan, Kevin Kennedy (after playing the Childcatcher), Matt Baker, Aled Jones, Darren Bennett, Jon Robyns, Jason Manford and Lee Mead. For the 2005 Broadway production the role was played by Raúl Esparza. For the 2012 Australian production the role was played by David Hobson. [2] Since 2024, the character was played by Ore Oduba and Adam Garcia. [3] [4]
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car is a children's story written by Ian Fleming and illustrated by John Burningham. It was initially published in three volumes, the first of which was released on 22 October 1964 by Jonathan Cape, before being published as one book. The story concerns the exploits of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang—a car with hidden powers and abilities—and its owners, the Pott family.
Adam Garcia is an Australian stage, television, and film actor who is best known for lead roles in musicals such as Saturday Night Fever and Kiss Me, Kate. He is also a trained tap dancer and singer. Garcia has been nominated twice at the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1999 and 2013.
Truly Scrumptious is a fictional character in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and stage production based on the children's novel of the same name by author Ian Fleming.
The Child Catcher is a fictional character in the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the later stage musical adaptation. The Child Catcher is employed by the Baron and Baroness Bomburst to snatch and imprison children on the streets of Vulgaria.
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Harold Owen "Gary" Wilmot, MBE is a British singer, actor, comedian, presenter, writer and director who rose to fame as a contestant on New Faces.
Rachael Elizabeth Beck is an Australian stage and television singer-actress. From 1991 to 1994 Beck had a major role on the popular sitcom, Hey Dad..!, as Samantha Kelly. From 2006 to 2008, Beck appeared on all three seasons of Seven Network's celebrity singing competition It Takes Two, as a singing coach successively for Mark Furze, Ernie Dingo and Mark Wilson. She has appeared in the Australian musical theatre productions of Cats (1985), Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1995–96), Les Misérables (1995–96), The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Singing in the Rain and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Beck released her first solo album This Girl on 7 March 2014.
Truly Scrumptious is a song composed for the 1968 motion picture Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and later performed in its 2002/2005 stage adaptation. The song was written by Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman. It is about the lead female character, Truly.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is the vintage racing car which is featured in the book, musical film and stage production of the same name. 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. The original Chitty Bang Bang's engine was from a Zeppelin dirigible. The name reputedly derived either from the sound it made whilst idling, or from a bawdy song from World War I.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a musical with music and lyrics written by Richard and Robert Sherman and a book by Jeremy Sams. It is based on the 1968 film of the same name with screenplay by Roald Dahl, Ken Hughes, and Richard Maibaum. The 1968 film was based in turn on the book of the same name by Ian Fleming. The musical's world premiere was staged the London Palladium on April 16, 2002, directed by Adrian Noble before the show opened on Broadway in 2005.
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is an Academy Award-nominated song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the 1968 musical motion picture. In the film it is sung by Dick Van Dyke and Sally Ann Howes. "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is also featured prominently in Chitty the Musical, which premiered in London at the Palladium in 2002 and on Broadway in 2005 at the newly refurbished Lyric Theatre.
"Doll on a Music Box" is a song originally from the 1968 musical film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was subsequently performed in the 2002/2005 stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well. It is both a musical and lyrical counterpoint to the more free flowing, legato song, "Truly Scrumptious". In the song, Truly is disguised as a wind up music box doll, metaphorically and actually on a pedestal. In the song, Truly sings about herself and her rigid nature, all behind the mask of the "doll" she is portraying. In the motion picture the part of Truly was played by actress Sally Ann Howes. In the stage musical version, the part was re-created by 19-year-old London actress, Emma Williams. In 2005, the Broadway "Truly" was portrayed by actress Erin Dilly, who was nominated for a Tony Award that year for the role.
"You Two" is a song from the 1968 film musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The song also appears in the 2002–2005 stage musical version. It was written by Robert and Richard Sherman. The song is sung by a single–widower father, Caractacus Potts to his two twin children. An inventor by trade, Potts sings the song against the backdrop of his eccentric inventor's workshop. The melody from this song was also used in counterpoint several times with the melody of the title song, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".
"Come to the Funfair" is a song first written for the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but was cut almost entirely from the final edit of the film. The musical theme is still heard in the soundtrack immediately after "Caractacus Potts" sings "Hushabye Mountain". Then Potts gets the idea to earn money by cutting hair at the funfair. The music is heard as carnies walk by in the distance. The song was written by Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman.
"Think Vulgar" is a song created especially for the stage musical production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was written by Robert and Richard Sherman in 2001 and premiered at the London Palladium on April 16, 2002. It was subsequently replaced by "Act English" a year later. The song is sung in a private moment when the Vulgarian spies determine their strategy of deceit by which they will obtain possession of Caractacus Potts' invention, the car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
"Lovely Lonely Man" is a song from the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was written by Richard & Robert Sherman and sung by Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious. In the song, she pines for eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts at her family's estate after she has an outing with the inventor and his children in the eponymous car.
Erin Dilly is an American actress. She is most noted for her portrayal of Truly Scrumptious in the 2005 musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award.
JoAnn Gibb is a Scottish theatre actress best known for her role of Rumpleteazer in the 1998 film of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, and as the replacement Pearl the Observation Car in the original production of Starlight Express. She also played Belle in the 2006 UK Productions tour of Beauty and the Beast and appeared as Columbia in the 2000 UK national tour of The Rocky Horror Show.
Lee Stephen Mead is an English musical theatre, television actor and occasional singer, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat through the BBC TV casting show Any Dream Will Do. As well as subsequent West End roles in Wicked, Legally Blonde: The Musical and The West End Men, Mead has pursued a music career, releasing four solo albums and undertaking concert tours in the UK and Japan.
Heather Ripley is a Scottish former actress. She is best known for the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), in which she played Jemima Potts.