Sally Ann Howes Of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' Fame Dies At 91

Dec 23, 2021 by apost team

Sally Ann Howes of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” fame died on Sunday in Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of 91, according to The New York Times. Andrew Hart Adler, the actress’s son, confirmed her death, though as of Dec. 23, no cause of death has been reported.

Howes was born in London on July 20, 1930, to Patricia Malone, an actress, and Bobby Howes, a comedian. Her parents’ love for show business seems to have rubbed off on Howes, as she began to act in school plays from a young age. Thanks to her family’s background, it didn’t take long for an agent to spot Howes’ talent, and so at just 12 years old, she appeared in her first feature film: “Thursday’s Child.”

From then on, Howes quickly established herself as a career actress, landing roles in “Dead of Night,” “Anna Karenina” and “The History of Mr. Polly” throughout the 1940s. Howes’ talent wasn’t limited to acting for the big screen, however.

She also made her mark performing in West End musicals in the 1950s. And in 1962, the actress won a Tony Award for her performance in Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner’s musical “Brigadoon.”

But if Howes will be remembered for one accomplishment, it will be for her role in the 1968 musical “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” which would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award.

The children’s movie, which often made an appearance on British television on Christmas Day, followed two young siblings and their widowed father, an eccentric inventor named Caractacus. 

While the two kids are skipping school, they run into a woman named Truly Scrumptious (played by Howes), who falls in love with the children’s father. Much of the musical revolves around Caractacus’ flying car.

Roger Ebert praised the film, calling it a perfect kids movie.

“Well, ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ contains about the best two-hour children's movie you could hope for, with a marvelous magical auto and lots of adventure and a nutty old grandpa and a mean Baron and some funny dances and a couple of moments when you've just GOT to cover your face and peek between your fingers, it's so scary,” the late film critic wrote in 1968.

Howes’ theater performances also received critical praise. After her Broadway debut in a 1958 production of George Bernard Shaw’s “My Fair Lady,” The Times called her an “alert and versatile actress” who was “radiating intelligence and guile.” 

“Sally Ann Howes, the current Eliza, is a strikingly beautiful young lady with a rapturous voice that sounds like Julie Andrews,” Brooks Atkinson wrote in his review for The Times.

Since Howes began acting as a young girl, the star appeared in more than 140 films, musicals, plays and television shows, making her one of the 20th century’s most prolific actresses.

“I’ve never prepared for anything,” Howes said of her career in 2012. “I’ve always jumped into the next thing, and therefore it’s been a strange career. I enjoyed experimenting.”

Howes is survived by her son, Andrew Hart Adler, and two grandchildren. Her husband, Douglas W. Rae, died earlier this year.

apost.com

Rest in peace, Sally Ann Howes. Do you have a favorite film, television show, musical or play that Howes starred in? Do you have fond memories of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”? Let us know — and help keep Howes’ memory alive by passing this on.