ELYSSA DAVALOS RIDING DISNEY'S 'HERBIE GOES BANANAS'

Elyssa Davalos is downright gorgeous in Disney's HERBIE GOES BANANAS circa 1980

The first two of Disney's Bueno Vista Herbie films, THE LOVE BUG and HERBIE GOES TO MONTE CARLO, center on the little car involved in big races; the ultimate underdog stories wherein Herbie is the focal point...

In the third installment, HERBIE RIDES AGAIN, the cute lil' V-dub's merely used as a vehicle for a plot centering on humans while the final sequel does the same thing but in a much more entertaining story and better characters, including a wily Charles Martin-Smith (AMERICAN GRAFFITI) and his handsome buddy Stephen W. Burns as heirs to the love bug, picking Herbie up in South America and then being chased around by mobsters.

Herbie in Herbie Goes Bananas directed by both Star Trek and Disney go-to Vincent McEveety

The good guys meet a pickpocket orphan who becomes Herbie's best pal, and along the way journey on a cruise ship and even take part in a bullfight. Meanwhile, Burns falls in love with freespirited socialite Cloris Leachman's daughter, the beautiful Elyssa Davalos, doing the cliché girl wearing glasses with real beauty soon to unveal (although she's cute either way), while Martin insists they run a con job, giving a little edge to the romance.

HERBIE GOES BANANAS is an enjoyable romp from beginning to end, with many different locations and sticky situations for the characters (including Harvey Korman as a cranky ship captain joining Leachman) and our titular bug to sneak out of, dodging seedy villains John Vernon, Alex Rocco and Richard Jaeckel. But they're no match for Herbie, who, though taking back seat a lot of the time, winds up stealing the show.

Opening credits with Mexican Blanket font for HERBIE GOES BANANAS

Elyssa Davalos as Melissa Louise in HERBIE GOES BANANAS Rates: ***1/2

Elyssa Davalos as Melissa Louise in HERBIE GOES BANANAS

Elyssa Davalos as Melissa Louise in HERBIE GOES BANANAS

Villainous duo John Vernon and Richard Jaekel in Herbie Goes Bananas

Stephen W. Burns and Charles Martin Smith in Herbie Goes Bananas

Herbie in Herbie Goes Bananas with child actor Joaquin Garay III as Paco

Elyssa Davalos in HERBIE GOES BANANAS with Stephen W. Burns (later died of AIDS) and Charles Martin Smith