Herbie Rides Again (film) In San Francisco, the dreams of Alonzo Hawk to build a skyscraper in his name are thwarted by Grandma Steinmetz who sits stubbornly in her firehouse home on the property he needs. Hawk sends his nephew, Willoughby, to charm Mrs. Steinmetz who, along with a beautiful airline hostess boarder and the magical Volkswagen Herbie, convinces him he should stay out of the whole mess. After many chases and confrontations, Herbie emerges victorious and both Mrs. Steinmetz and Willoughby find romance. Released first in England on February 15, 1974; U.S. release on June 6, 1974. 88 min. Stars Helen Hayes (Mrs. Steinmetz), Ken Berry (Willoughby), Stefanie Powers (Nicole), John McIntire (Mr. Judson), Keenan Wynn (Alonzo Hawk), Huntz Hall (Judge), Raymond Bailey (Lawyer), Liam Dunn (Doctor). This was the first sequel to the Disney favorite, The Love Bug. It was filmed on location in San Francisco, in an obsolete cablecar, at the Garden Court of the Sheraton Palace Hotel, and on the Golden Gate Bridge. While the cast was quite different from the first film, the car, Herbie, remained. The car was a 1963 Sunroof model 1200 Volkswagen. Bill Walsh, the producer and writer, explained that he got the number 53 from television. In a Disney press release he noted: “I was seeing lots of 53 on television while I was developing Herbie as a character. It was [Los Angeles Dodgers] pitcher Don Drysdale’s number among other things.” Released on video in 1982 and 1993.
