In 2000 I received an e-mail from B. Baker, a “long-time member of the cult of Mr. Willy Wonka.” He was helpful enough to correct some errors in my information about the film and mention some interesting trivia as well…
“On your CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG page, the middle graphic isn’t a video cover — at least I don’t think it is. Rather, it’s a placard or window card produced in 1968 or 69 to promote the release of the film. I have attached a similar graphic to this message that might be in slightly better shape.
[NOTE: I’ve fixed this now.]
Also, Harry Saltzman, Cubby Broccoli’s partner from 1962-75 on the James Bond films, had no involvement with CHITTY and is not credited as a producer. [Though Broccoli and Saltzman were firmly a team on the Bond films, each did produce films on their own in the ‘sixties — Saltzman produced the Harry Palmer films as well as BATTLE OF BRITAIN, and Cubby made CHITTY.]
[NOTE: This is also fixed.]
Here’s a bit of unresolved CHITTY trivia: while a mass market paperback of Fleming’s short book was published in 1968 as a movie tie-in with the campaign art on the cover, a novelization [apparently not written by Dahl] of the film’s screenplay was also published. It was a digest-sized paperback, featuring the campaign art on the cover, color (!) stills on the inside, and a short account of the making of the movie. I haven’t seen this book since 1969, but it did exist.”