Doctor Dolittle (1967, USA) C-152m. SCOPE **½ D: Richard Fleischer. Starring Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, Richard Attenborough, Peter Bull. Heavy-handed adaptation of the beloved children's tales by Hugh Lofting, about doctor Harrison, whose conversion to a veterinarian is told in indifferent fashion. Episodic plot also concerns Eggar's infatuation with the animal doctor. Sometimes funny, certainly well-designed and colorfully shot (by Robert Surtees), but it lacks esprit and appealing characters. An okay view, a slight disappointment, given these epic dimensions. It was nominated for nine Oscars, winning two (Special Effects, Best Song). Remade in 1998.