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Biography

Doctor Dolittle is a 1967 American musical comedy 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). Various attempts to make a film based on Doctor Dolittle began as early as the 1920s. In the early 1960s, actress-turned-producer Helen Winston acquired the film rights, but did not succeed in producing a film. In 1963, producer Arthur P. Jacobs acquired the rights and recruited Alan Jay Lerner to compose songs and Rex Harrison to star in the project. After numerous delays, Lerner was fired and replaced by Bricusse. In addition to the numerous technical difficulties inherent to working with the large number of animals required for the story, the production was impacted by numerous setbacks stemming from poorly chosen shooting locations and creative demands from Harrison, and the finished film cost almost three times more than its original budget of $6 million. The film premiered in London on December 12, 1967. It recouped $9 million during its theatrical run, earning only $6.2 million in theatrical rentals and becoming a box-office bomb.[3] Although the film received negative critical reviews, thanks to intense lobbying by 20th Century-Fox, it was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture, at the 40th Academy Awards, and won the awards for Best Original Song and Best Visual Effects. Over time, the film has become a cult classic.