BY LEE PFEIFFER
Sally Ann Howes, who played the female lead as Truly Scrumptious, in the 1968 screen version of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", has died at age 91, three months after the passing of her husband, literary agent Douglas Rae. Howes was also a major name in theater productions, having received her first break as an understudy for Julie Andrews in the 1958 Broadway production of "My Fair Lady". When the audience heard that Howes was replacing Andrews at a matinee performance, the ticket buyers were understandably devastated. But Howes took pride in the fact that she won over the audience with her spirited performance and called that afternoon "the best I ever had". In 1963, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in "Brigadoon".
Howes was cast opposite Dick Van Dyke in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" when James Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli decided to adapt Ian Fleming's children's novel for the big screen. The film was released between two Bond movies: ""You Only Live Twice" (1967) and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969). However, Broccoli produced "Chitty" alone, as his Bond producing partner Harry Saltzman was working on his own solo projects. Broccoli once told this writer that the challenges of bringing a major musical to the screen while simultaneously preparing for another Bond film proved to be daunting, which is why he decided to never produce a non-Bond movie again. "Chitty" was a big budget production and Broccoli had enlisted some top talent including production designer Ken Adam, who rose to fame on the early Bond movies. The effects in the film remain impressive today, especially when one considers they were achieved in the pre-CGI era. Initially, the film was a boxoffice disappointment. However, over the years, it has become regarded as a beloved children's classic, especially in England. It would later spawn a successful stage production mounted by Broccoli's daughter Barbara and his stepson Michael G. Wilson that would play in the West End and on Broadway. Sally Ann Howes was deemed to be integral to the film's legacy and undoubtedly "Chitty" fans worldwide will mourn her passing. For more, click here.