Herbie Rides Again is the first sequel to Disney's fabulously successful
The Love Bug. The emphasis here is on Mrs. Steinmetz (
Helen Hayes), a feisty old San Franciscan who refuses to sell her home to conniving developer Alonzo Hawk (
Keenan Wynn). Hawk's nephew, lawyer Willoughby Whitfield (
Ken Berry), joins Mrs. Steinmetz's camp when he falls in love with her niece Nicole (
Stefanie Powers). (This, of course, is after Nicole angrily slaps Willoughby with a boiled lobster, sending him plummeting over a balcony railing and into the drink). The day is saved by Herbie, the almost-human Volkswagen, who rallies every VW in town to thwart Hawk's machinations. Herbie Rides Again performed admirably enough to inspire still another sequel,
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide