Animals are undeniably endearing and amusing, much like infants, possessing a certain unpredictable charm, though mostly in positive ways. However, unlike babies, they can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, which makes it easy to understand why the original “Doctor Dolittle,” produced by 20th Century Fox in 1967, was so challenging to film. Despite its high budget, the film never became a classic, earning low box office returns. Adding to the film’s woes, Rex Harrison had to deal with untrained animals, their penchant for urinating on him, and Harrison’s own notoriously difficult behavior.
From producers and directors to actors and even locals, nearly everyone involved in the making of “Doctor Dolittle” encountered significant problems. While intended as an entertaining family film, “Doctor Dolittle” could never measure up to major movies of the time like “The Sound of Music.”
Rex Harrison Was Fired for Bad Behavior
Rex Harrison signed on for “Doctor Dolittle” because his friend and former collaborator, Alan Jay Lerner, was slated to play his rival. Harrison had previously worked with Lerner on “My Fair Lady,” and their reunion was a significant reason for Harrison’s excitement about “Doctor Dolittle.” However, after months of delays, producer Arthur P. Jacobs fired Lerner and replaced him with Leslie Bricusse.
Harrison was naturally unhappy with this decision and took his frustration out on Bricusse. When Bricusse wrote and performed “Talk to the Animals” and won an Oscar, Harrison remarked, “Humorous songs are supposed to be funny… This isn’t funny at all.” Soon after, the then-president of 20th Century Fox fired Harrison, only to rehire him a few weeks later after Harrison apologized.
Christopher Plummer Was Cast, Then Dropped When Rex Harrison Wanted to Return
During Harrison’s brief firing, 20th Century Fox considered several replacements, including Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Jack Lemmon, and Peter Ustinov. Christopher Plummer came closest to being hired—Fox even bought out his contract for the Broadway play “Royal Hunt of the Sun.”
However, he lost the opportunity when the studio rehired Harrison.
Animals Kept Biting Rex Harrison
Perhaps the most troublesome aspect of filming “Doctor Dolittle” was training the animals. Squirrels chewed on the scenery, oblivious to the trainers’ efforts to teach them necessary tricks. Some on set were unsure how to handle the chaos. For example, some crew members gave an anxious squirrel a small amount of gin to calm it down—which backfired when the squirrel passed out.
Harrison said he was bitten by “a Pomeranian, a duck, a parrot, and the chimpanzee, Chee-Chee” on set. Reflecting on the shoot, he said, “My love for animals was at a very low ebb.”
Angry British Locals Placed Incendiary Devices Near Filming Equipment
Filming in Wiltshire, England, essentially ruined the countryside. The crew built artificial lakes and rivers, constructing the seaside town they wanted. However, it was the rainy season in England, so the town was easily flooded.
The construction and filming angered the locals, one of whom placed homemade incendiary devices near the set.
Filming Was Delayed for Three Days Because a Giraffe Stepped on Its Genitals
Herbert Ross was staging the musicals “Apple Tree” and “Doctor Dolittle” in New York and Los Angeles, respectively. He would spend weekends in New York with the stage show and then fly back to Los Angeles to continue filming.
One day, Ross returned to New York early. When the crew of “Apple Tree” asked him what had happened, he said, “We’re going to be delayed for three days because the giraffe stepped on his genitals.”
Filming Damaged the English Countryside
Most of the filming took place in Castle Combe, Wiltshire, England. Since the town was far from the sea, the crew had to dig artificial lakes and canals, then fill them with water to turn the set into a fishing village. These operations largely damaged the local town’s environment and upset the locals.
Ultimately, the director decided to rebuild some scenes on the Fox lot after the town in California flooded.
Animals Drank Paint, Ate Scripts, and Urinated on Stars
A movie set is not a comfortable place for animals. A fawn had to be rushed to the vet for a stomach pump after enjoying a liter of paint. Additionally, a goat ate the director’s script. And in a scene together, animals even urinated on Harrison.
Some ducks died unexpectedly during the lake scenes because they shed their waterproof feathers.
Cast and Crew Contracted Dysentery
During filming on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, crew members frequently suffered from serious illnesses. Swarms of insects bit people during the summer, leading to infections that ultimately caused many to contract dysentery.
Some actors, such as 10-year-old William Dix and Anthony Newley, even experienced terrible bouts of the flu.
Rex Harrison Delayed Filming by Refusing to Move His Boat
Harrison was also stubborn and unhappy with many aspects of the film. While filming on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, Harrison deliberately moved his boat into one of Anthony Newley’s shots. He then refused to move it for two hours, even though he knew he was hindering the progress of filming.
Samantha Eggar, who played Doctor Dolittle’s love interest, Emma Fairfax, said of Harrison: “Yes, he was unfriendly and mean, but he was also fun—until, of course, he turned on me too.”
Dozens of Animals Cycled Through the Production
There were hundreds of animals on set, but not all of them were well-trained, and some even died during filming. While there were large animals that were difficult to obtain, such as giraffes and rhinos, there were also hundreds of smaller animals used for filming, such as chimpanzees, squirrels, mice, sheep, and chicks.
Besides their numbers, these animals were difficult to train and behaved poorly on set.
Everyone Lied to the First Director
John Huston was originally tapped to direct “Doctor Dolittle,” but 20th Century Fox collectively lied to rescind the invitation. Huston, like Harrison, had a volatile temper. Executives collectively insisted that they were withdrawing Huston’s directing offer because of so-called legal issues with the film.
Producer Andrew Jacobs wanted someone easier to control on set, so he chose Richard Fleischer as his director.
A Problematic Character Had to Be Removed from the Script
The original script for “Doctor Dolittle” contained themes of prejudice and colonialism. The “Doctor Dolittle” series of books written by Hugh Lofting originally included a character named Bumpo Caboub. Bumpo asks Doctor Dolittle to turn him white so that the woman he loves will love him, and Doctor Dolittle grants his request.
Bumpo eventually goes to Oxford University, but Lofting implies that he is a cannibal and makes fun of his difficulty speaking English.
Local Caribbean Children Threw Rocks at the Snail Boat
In the film’s finale, Doctor Dolittle’s character was supposed to leave on a large pink snail-shaped boat. However, this plan failed. Many children in Saint Lucia had become ill from freshwater snails, so they saw the snail boat as an insult and threw rocks at it.
More importantly, the snail boat did not meet the director’s expectations. He said, “How could it be so wrong compared to what we saw in the prop shop? Even in a black-and-white long shot, it looked so wrong.”
The Film Nearly Bankrupted 20th Century Fox
Coincidentally, 20th Century Fox had achieved unparalleled success with “The Sound of Music.” They had hoped that “Doctor Dolittle” would come close to that number at the box office, but the film only grossed $3.5 million, while the film company had invested $18 million in the film. Harrison wrote that “Doctor Dolittle” “dealt a near-fatal blow to 20th Century Fox’s finances.”
The film received nine Academy Award nominations, although this was largely due to the filmmakers buying expensive steak dinners for the Oscar judges.