"The Roses of Success" is a song and musical number from the popular 1968 motion picture ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 musical-fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel '' Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' (1964). The film stars ...

''. In the film, it is sung when Grandpa Potts (played by

Lionel Jeffries Lionel Charles Jeffries (10 June 1926 – 19 February 2010) was an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He appeared primarily in films and received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Golden Globe Awa ...

) is caught in the Vulgarian inventors' workshop and is forced to modify a car that floats or face the consequences. The other imprisoned inventors sing this song in the hopes that they might cheer up the despondent Grandpa. He is cheered up and sings along, but in the end the car collapses. The song is also featured prominently in the 2002 and 2005

stage musical Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

versions of the film. In American TV broadcasts of the 1968 motion picture, this song is often cut to fit into a two-hour time slot. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers.

Literary sources

Sherman, Robert B. Robert Bernard Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) was an American songwriter, best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman. The Sherman brothers produced more motion picture song scores than any ...

'' Walt's Time: from before to beyond'', Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998. {{DEFAULTSORT:Roses of Success, The Roses of Success, The Roses of Success, The Songs written by the Sherman Brothers Songs written for films