Recollecting Rhapsody: Welcoming Back the World of Dr. Dolittle

When I was younger, I was subjected to a number of draining old movies. The Christmas of my 9th year, I was given Little Women. Talk about a one-use present, even with Katharine Hepburn. After watching that four hour yawn once, there was no way I would make it through again without a nap. Still, with a title like "Little Women" at least you have some idea of what you're in for.

 They almost look evil.

Possibly the most deceptive movie, in terms of promise compared to length for me, was Dr. Dolittle. It started out so well. There were cool animals (seriously the push-me pull-me), and to top it all off, a man could talk to animals.

How could you go wrong? I'm not sure, but somewhere around two hours they did. Even in its day the film was a colossal flop, and it nearly bankrupted 20th century fox. The movie is an absolute drag. Sure, now it's memorable and lovable, but it's also incredibly long.

rather like the neck of this gastropod...

However, when I was recently coerced(or tricked) into rewatching it, I realized that this movie was a veritable gold mine. Unlike the miserable Eddie Murphy version/s, the original 1967 film has a brilliant score. Regardless of the fact that Rex Harrison sings about as well as an auctioneer, the songs are whimsical and the lyrics fantastic. In fact, the movie was awarded the Oscar for "Best Song," namely, "Talk to the Animals."

Its lyrics, which include "If people asked us, can you speak in rhinoceros/ We'd say, 'Of courserous, can't you?'" are great for their incorporation of a variety of animals, but the same could be said for the song Dolittle sings in court, "Like Animals," a song in which Dolittle juxtaposes the abhorrent conduct of man with the higher tastes of animals in a grand appeal for animal rights. Still, animal songs certainly don't dominate the score. Emma Fairfax, played by Samantha Eggars, challenges restrictive gender roles in her songs "If I were a man" and "At the Crossroads."

Still, all my favorite songs are sung by Anthony Newley, who oddly enough doesn't really have that great of a voice either — Rex and he must have been drinking the same kool-aid. Thankfully, Newley has a sort of gawkish charm (similar to Michael Crawford in Hello Dolly!) that makes up for it. He introduces the Doctor with a ridiculous and charming song called "My Friend the Doctor." Some of it's more interesting lyrics are shown below:

 

My friend the doctor says the moon is made of apple pie 

and once a month it's eaten by the sky,

and that is why

up in the sky

you'll find as every month goes by,

somebody up in the sky's making another one!

My friend the doctor says

the sun is made of cheddar cheese

the doctor even knows the reason why

the facts are these

try if you please

pretending you're a lonely cheese- 

wouldn't you want to try finding an apple pie?

Of course you would! 

Yet, Newley takes a more serious tone in what I consider the most magnificent song of the film: Beautiful Things.

That song literally gets me every time. I love it. However, with the one random exception of a 2008 Kohls commercial, it's been largely forgotten, along with pretty much the entire score. 

 

To me the most obvious reason as to why these songs are no longer recognized is due to the difficulty of acquiring them. For some reason, though scads of soundtracks were released, they were so unmarketable, they just didn't seem to survive. Furthermore, not even the original recording can be found on Itunes. When looking for the forgotten songs of the 1967 Dr. Dolittle, your best bet is to check out Bobby Darin's album "If I Were a Carpenter." Though it only has two or three songs, they are the best quality Dolittle covers I could find. Otherwise, besides "Talk to the Animals" this entire film has been forgotten in musical history.