Now You See Him, Now You Don't

Kurt Russell and his gang of college buddies return three years later in Now You See Him, Now You Don't. Just as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes was deliciously '60s, this one is deliciously '70s. The haircuts, the clothes, the music are all different in just three years - but that's college life for you! This time at Medford College, the science department is still underfunded and Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) is still incompetent. Kurt and his pals invent an invisibility spray solution, and they hope to impress Jim Backus, the head of the science contest, into giving them the grant money.

Even though he's supposed to be safely locked in jail from the end of the first movie, A. J. Arno (Cesar Romero) is back and ready to thwart Kurt's plans. But when you're trying to steal things you can't see from people you can't see, it's pretty tough. It's also pretty funny. It's a Disney movie with nothing bad happening from start to finish, so it's safe and fun for the whole family. It's also less dated than the original, since invisibility still hasn't been invented (even though computers have been) yet.

This is a 1972 Disney movie. For the time, I was eleven years old and I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Feeling nostalgic, I purchased the three series DVD's of the Dexter Riley movies and even now, at age 46, I still enjoyed them. It was all about fantasy, magic, and clean fun. And it still is! I wasn't sure which of the three movies came first then second and last. So now I have the official dates. On December 31, 1969 The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes--On July 12, 1972 Now You See Him Now You Don't--On February 6, 1975 The Strongest Man In The World. I still think the middle movie was the best. The special effects were amazing back in 1972 to us kids. I definitely recommend it to all ages.

Kurt Russell and a whole bunch of the cast from The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes got to repeat their characters in Now You See Him, Now You Don't. The biggest surprise of course was Cesar Romero who with Richard Bakalyn should have been in jail because of what happened in the last film.

But Romero apparently had a good lawyer and he's out and holding the mortgage on dear old Medfield College. Kurt and his buddies find out that Romero plans to foreclose on the college and open it up as a gambling palace with dogtrack, casino and all.

In the meantime Russell as Dexter Riley again is now conducting experiments with invisibility. Lightning strikes once again and he's got himself a liquid invisibility formula which could win a science award and solve dear old Medfield's problems.

But not if Romero gets his hands on it because he has other more nefarious plans as any crook just might.

Some nice special effects characterize Now You See Him, Now You Don't as the kids use the invisibility formula to help Dean Joe Flynn win a golf match. Golf pro Billy Casper never was up against something like this when he faced off against Hogan and Snead.

And once again absolutely no hint of what was going on in the real world coming into the the Disney created world of Medfield College.

Still the film has some good laughs in it and it shouldn't be taken all that seriously.

College dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) is trying to cut the chemistry department budget. He dismisses all the science being done by the students. A lightning strike hits the lab. The next day, Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) checks the damaged experiments and discovers an invisibility liquid. He shows his friends Richard Schuyler and Debbie Dawson. Crooked investor A.J. Arno (Cesar Romero) has bought up the college's mortgage. The Dean is clueless but the three friends suspect Arno has nefarious motives.

This is the second of the Dexter Riley movies from Disney. It is charming family fun. There is an endearing innocence about these movies. Baby-faced Kurt Russell is great. I also love the pre-CGI special effects. As a kid, I was engrossed by them. As an adult, I am enchanted by them. The story is silly but that's also part of the charm.

Dexter (Kurt Russell) returns from The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes for a new adventure that can stand alone. Dexter, ever the college student prone to misadventure, has an idea for a formula to render things invisible. Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) is less than impressed and sets his hopes for winning a lucrative science prize with the pupil studying bees. However, the bees sting the student and he turns out to be allergic. There goes THAT chance for a prize. But, wait, Dexter does it! He actually concocts a liquid that makes him invisible. Trouble is, a unscrupulous businessman (Cesar Romero) learns about it and decides he can use that formula, thank you, for something illegal. Can he manage to steal the bottle out from under Dexter's nose? This is a companion movie to the TCWT but one need not have seen the first film to enjoy this one. Russell is a genial leading screw-up who comes through when it really counts. The rest of the cast is also a dream, with Flynn, Romero, Jim Bacchus and others showing why their comic abilities are still held in high regard today. The script is just innocent fun that is charming, with the special effects somewhat simple, by today's standards, but effective nonetheless. If you want to sit down and relive a bygone era or just want to share a quality, G-rated film with your family, this is a great choice. Although it is over 30 years old, there is a great possibility that even now you will see your loved ones giggle away the blues with a showing of this fine flick.