Reviews

This is a very underrated show, I really don't know why as it's so much fun! Many people think it's less funny than David Croft's other work such as Hidehi and You Rang M'lord, but I would hasten to disagree. The first few episodes are a little slow to get going, but after that it becomes hilarious! Series 2 is even better than Series 1, and I feel that if it had been allowed a 3rd series, it could have become a huge hit! The sunny setting is great and the characters are all wonderful - the Skinner family run Hatley station & take care of all the other staff - potty Ethel & her equally potty son Wilfred; predatory Vera Plumtree whose husband ("he was an engine driver you know") is now deceased, and therefore she now goes for anything in trousers! May Skinner is also a bit of a flirt, especially when new Station Master Cecil Parkin arrives and she realises that he is in fact her old flame - and possibly the father of her teenage daughter Gloria!!! Harry Lambert is a hilarious character, especially in episodes such as "Action Stations" where the staff all have to do role plays to prepare for the visit of Dr Beeching himself! A great series, full of slapstick fun!

This film is so True to Life!!! Contrary to some of the other reviewers, I have actually met real-life versions of LV and her awful mother! Sadly, these are not just caricatures - LV is a sufferer of Social Phobia or Social Anxiety Disorder (the modern name for extreme shyness!) from which I have suffered myself! And I have met many examples of Mari Hoff - although thankfully, not my own mother!!! (but in terms of scary school teachers & unsympathetic people from my childhood - yes, I have met many a Mari!) This film has me in tears every time, weeping with LV and struggling to take every breath with her. I tense up as I watch her tense up on stage, and long for her to be left alone so that she (and I!) can breathe again! I cannot imagine how on Earth her poor father managed to end up marrying Mari... it is a complete mystery!

As a lifelong Herbie fan, this '97 sequel was a lot better than I had expected! Herbie is every bit as adorable as ever (right down to his cute little beepy voice, which actually seems to imitate words and phrases in some places!) I even kinda like Horace the Hate Bug - although he is evil & beats up Herbie!!! But Horace is still a Beetle, so he's kinda cute too, and he makes me laugh, so he's no worse than an overenthusiastic Rotweiller! I even cried at parts of this movie, where Herbie's owner deserts him & Herbie gets all depressed... One thing I really missed was George Bruns' music! Some of the lines were too similar to the original 1969 Love Bug (which is such a perfect film, it should never have a 'remake') and the Professor Stumpfel thing was a bit too unbelievable (I prefer to stick with Tenessee Steinmez!) Overall however, a brilliant way to bring the Love Bug towards the 21st Century!

After you've watched The Love Bug, you will notice 2 things:

1) You will not be able to get that infectious calypso tune out of your head for at least a week and will be whistling it everywhere you go!

2) You will want to rush out and hug the nearest VW Beetle! And when you see one, you will no longer just see a car - you will see Herbie! You will see Herbie's personality spring to life right in front of you! You will see the headlamps as eyes and the wing mirrors as ears...

This lovely film is a timeless classic, packed with cute moments, great music, and fantastically funny lines !! Script-wise, it is definitely the best of all the Herbie movies. One criticism I have of the later movies is that I would like to have seen Herbie stay with his original owner Jim Douglas, and follow his adventures with that family rather than see him owned by lots of different people - partly because Jim, Tennessee and Carol are great owners for Herbie, but also because how does the poor little car feel being passed from owner to owner?! If Herbie was mine I would keep him and never sell him!!

There are so many negative comments here - but here is one from someone who has never seen the original Fantasticks movie. I'm from the UK and so I knew Jonathon Morris (El Gallo) long before I saw this movie. He was the star of a sitcom called "Bread" when I was a kid and was also presenting a kids game show "The Movie Game". I had a huge crush on him in my teens!! Then he went to the US, did the Fantasticks and starred in the stage show - which I saw in London. This movie may not be exactly the same as the original so I can see why fans of the original might be disappointed, but surely it is worthy of credit in its own right? Here in the UK we are so proud of Jonathon for all he's achieved!! I think he's done a brilliant job!

I was only 12 years old in 1990 when I bought the Howard's Way theme music on audio cassette - it was the first recording I ever bought!!

It was great to watch on a Sunday night! I always wanted to be out on the sea and be as successful as them!

Due to the recent repeats on UK Drama, there is now quite a lot of interest from fans on various websites who also seem to love the show and the music as much as I did.

Those sunsets and seascapes and the fantastic music would be better than ever if they were digitally remastered and released on DVD !!! It's high time it was!