Hugh John Lofting was an English-American writer, trained as a civil engineer, who created the classic children's literature character Doctor Dolittle. The fictional physician to talking animals, based in an English village, first appeared in illustrated letters to his children which Lofting sent from British Army trenches in the First World War. Lofting settled in the United States soon after the war and before his first book was published.
Doctor Dolittle is a 1967 American musical fantasy film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, and Richard Attenborough. It was adapted by Leslie Bricusse from the Doctor Dolittle novel series by Hugh Lofting, primarily The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920), The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922), and Doctor Dolittle's Circus (1924).
Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 The Story of Doctor Dolittle. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in their own languages. He later becomes a naturalist, using his abilities to speak with animals to better understand nature and the history of the world.
Leslie Bricusse OBE was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films Doctor Dolittle; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Scrooge; Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory; Tom and Jerry: The Movie; the titular James Bond film songs "Goldfinger" and "You Only Live Twice"; "Can You Read My Mind? " from Superman; and "Le Jazz Hot!" from Victor/Victoria.
Carlo Fortunato Pietro Ponti Sr. was an Italian film producer with more than 140 productions to his credit. Along with Dino De Laurentiis, he is credited with reinvigorating and popularizing Italian cinema post-World War II, producing some of the country's most acclaimed and financially-successful films of the 1950s and 1960s.
Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli was an Italian film director and screenwriter, one of the masters of the commedia all'italiana. He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and received the Golden Lion for his career.
Robert L. Surtees was an American cinematographer who won three Academy Awards for the films King Solomon's Mines, The Bad and the Beautiful and the 1959 version of Ben-Hur. Surtees worked at various studios, including Universal, UFA, Warner Brothers, and MGM, lighting for notable directors Howard Hawks, Mike Nichols, and William Wyler, gaining him a reputation as one of the most versatile cinematographers of his time.
Walter Annicchiarico, known as Walter Chiari, was an Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles.
"Talk to the Animals" is a song written by British composer Leslie Bricusse.
Mario Nascimbene was one of the best known Italian film soundtrack composers of the 20th century. His career spanned six decades, during which time he earned several awards for the innovative contents of his composing style. During his career he composed soundtracks for more than 150 films.
Sardinian Vendetta is a 1952 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Walter Chiari, Carlo Croccolo and Giovanna Pala. It as shot at the Icet Studios in Milan and the Ponti-De Laurentiis Studios in Rome. The film's sets were designed by the art director Alberto Boccianti.
Stuart A. Reiss was an American set decorator. He won two Academy Awards and was nominated for four more in the category Best Art Direction. He worked on more than 100 films from 1947 to 1986.
Ed Graves was an American art director. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film Doctor Dolittle.
Hans Jürgen Kiebach was a German production designer, art director and set decorator. He won an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film Cabaret.
Neapolitan Carousel is a 1954 Italian comedy film directed by Ettore Giannini and starring Léonide Massine, Achille Millo and Agostino Salvietti. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival, winning its International Prize. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome and on location in Naples. The film's sets were designed by the art director Mario Chiari.
House of Ricordi is a 1954 French-Italian historical biographical melodrama film based on the early history of the Italian music publishing house Casa Ricordi. It is directed by Carmine Gallone and stars Märta Torén, Marcello Mastroianni and Micheline Presle. The Ricordi family's interactions with many of the great composers of the nineteenth century are portrayed. The film's sets were designed by Mario Chiari. It was shot at the Cinecittà Studios and on location in Milan, Paris and Rome.
Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures is a collection of short stories written and illustrated by Hugh Lofting, published posthumously as twelfth and last in the Doctor Dolittle series of children's fiction. The stories and illustrations were distributed during the 1920s by the Herald Tribune Syndicate and all may have been published in the New York Herald Tribune newspaper, among others. The 1952 collection was their first appearance in book form.
Mid-Century Loves is a 1954 Italian anthology historical melodrama film consisting of five segments directed by Glauco Pellegrini, Pietro Germi, Mario Chiari, Roberto Rossellini and Antonio Pietrangeli.
Samuel Edwin Beetley was an American film editor. He received two Academy Award nominations for his works in The Longest Day (1962) and Doctor Dolittle (1967). Beetley also won two Primetime Emmy Awards from seven nominations.
Dolittle is a 2020 American fantasy adventure film directed by Stephen Gaghan from a screenplay by Gaghan, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand, based on a story by Thomas Shepherd. Dolittle is based on the title character created by Hugh Lofting and is primarily inspired by the author's second Doctor Dolittle book, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922). Robert Downey Jr. stars as the title character, alongside Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Buckley, Harry Collett, and Kasia Smutniak in live-action roles, with Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, and Marion Cotillard voicing an array of creatures.
