When you get fed up with the shenanigans on Albert Square and all those Z-list celebrities being silly for the sake of it, why not switch off the box, go online and download something that’s guaranteed to be a lot more entertaining this Christmas. Namely, a classic movie with a Beetle in it! In no particular order, here’s our top 10 selection…

1. Herbie
No matter how many times you’ve watched it, it’s hard to tire of seeing that white number 53 Bug screaming around various dirt roads, unbelievably caning everything else in the process. Funny, heart warming and with lots of early Beetle eye candy to interest the enthusiast – it’s a must view over the Christmas period while you’re attempting to eat your own body weight in Quality Street. The original The Love Bug (1968) was best, of course, but the sequel Herbie Rides Again (1974) is almost as brilliant and Herbie goes to Monte Carlo (1977) is also good. It goes a bit downhill from there, to be honest, and while Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) isn’t bad, unless you’re a Lindsay Lohan fan the 2005 Herbie: Fully Loaded is a tad marginal.

2. The Cars that ate Paris
If you like weird, then this somewhat unsavoury 1974 Australian comedy horror set in the rural town of Paris in NSW will be right up your street. The poverty stricken inhabitants organise fatal car crashes so they can pick over their possessions and sell them on, while survivors are carted off to the local hospital for lobotomies. Well, we said it was weird! Meanwhile, the young folk in the village make good the car wrecks, creating odd looking creations which they drive in ritualistic banger car contests. One such car just so happens to be an early Beetle fitted with spikes which resembles a porcupine. In truth, the bizarre Bug doesn’t pay a huge part in the production, but it’s such a oddball film that it’s worth watching anyway.

3. Footloose
Now here’s one for the romantics. In the 1984 hit Footloose, when star Kevin Bacon (who plays Ren McCormack) tries to overturn the Bomont City Council’s ruling which outlaws dancing and rock music, as well as win the heart of love interest Ariel, guess what car he does it in? A Beetle of course. His trusty yellow Bug even made a comeback in the 2011 remake. If the Christmas spirit’s in danger of overflowing, here’s a rather sobering fact. The film was loosely based on a small community in Oklahoma where they did actually consider banning dancing and loud music. That’s probably even more scary than the actual film.

4. The Shining
Who remembers the opening sequence of this 1980 Stanley Kubric masterpiece when a yellow Beetle is seen making its way along the winding mountain roads on its way to the ill-fated Overlook Hotel, Jack Nicholson already grinning menacingly at the wheel. Shot at Glacier National Park, Kubric reportedly said that the memorable title scene was created to establish an ominous mood during Jack’s first drive up to the hotel — the vast isolation and eerie splendour of high mountains, and the narrow, winding roads which would become impassable after heavy snow. Just the thing to brighten up your Christmas. Possibly.

5. What’s up, Doc?
This 1972 comedy starring Ryan O’Neal and Barbara Streisand features a memorable Beetle car chase through the streets of San Francisco, including a sequence of one descending a flight of steps in true Italian Job style before eventually plummeting off the end of a pier. Where, of course, it proudly floats on the water… Fun, funny and with lots of mint condition early seventies Beetles to drool over, it’s ideal for raising a chuckle while you’re polishing off the mince pies.

6. Freaky Friday
When cookie mum Barbara Harris and troublesome teenage daughter Jodie Foster swap places, litterally, one of the youngster’s newly acquired privileges in her role as an adult was to climb behind the wheel of her mum’s red 1972 1302 Cabriolet. Lucky thing. The original 1976 Disney version was remade in 2003, when Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohen played the starring roles although, sadly, the topless Beetle had been replaced by a totally uninspiring American sedan.

7. The Delta Factor
When a convict is asked to help the CIA rescue a scientist from a Caribbean prison a car chase ensues along the jungle lined roads where a red Beetle basically outruns an equally classic Ford Mustang. This 1970 production was never a box office hit, but it’s still worth a look for its hilariously rubbish acting, silly seventies moustaches and ‘70s muscle cars.

8. Double Trouble
There’s a chance to see the King behind the wheel of a Beetle in this 1967 film which sees Elvis wrongly accused of a jewellery theft. It was one of Presley’s less popular musicals, so you might need to keep the sound down while you’re watching it. The car chase scene around a Belgian city with Elvis in one Beetle and the cops in another makes it worth a look, though.

9. It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad, world
Despite an all-star cast which includes Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney and Phil Silvers, the plot of this 1963 Stanley Kramer comedy is pretty weak which makes the cars – including an early red Beetle convertible – the main reason why you ought to make a point of watching it over the festive season. It’s basically one long car chase in pursuit of a sackful of money; it’s funny in places and easy to follow – which is handy if you’re feeling a little jaded by now…

10. Sleeper
Classic Woody Allen at its best, the 1973 film Sleeper is a comic science fiction romp that follows the fate of ‘Miles’, played by Allen, a robotic butler who is on the run from the authorities who want him to undergo brainwashing. There’s endless comedy lines throughout, with perhaps the most memorable being when Miles is asked if there is anything he doesn’t believe in, to which he replies “Sex and death – two things that come once in a lifetime – but at least after death you’re not nauseous.”

Of course in between the rib-ticklers every Dub lover’s attention will be pricked when Miles comes across a Beetle in a cave and exclaims, ”Wow, they really built these things, didn’t they?” as he proceeds to push it over a cliff. Classic stuff, and so much better than seeing Bing Crosby singing about glistening treetops for the billionth time…

Happy Christmas!

Ian

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage