The Strongest Man in the World

Kurt Russell for the third and last time plays Dexter Riley in the Disney Studio's film The Strongest Man In The World. I presume that he finally graduated from Medfield College and Dean Joe Flynn's life got a whole lot less interesting.

Actually Russell was trying very hard to break free from the Disney image and I would say he's succeeded rather nicely. Although he did make a recent return to the studio for Sky High.

In this final film as Riley, Kurt Russell once again in the laboratory stumbles on a formula for superstrength. At first he and his fellow student scientists think it went into Michael McGreevey's breakfast cereal and that starts a whole industrial espionage war between the Krumbly and Krinkly cereal dynasties as personified by Eve Arden and Phil Silvers. Arden has a traitor in the ranks in the person of Dick Van Patten and he enlists Russell perennial foe Cesar Romero for some nefarious activities.

And once again the Magic Kingdom makes Medfield College completely oblivious to the outside world. Well at least student protest and the Vietnam War were over by this time so who would notice?

The Strongest Man In The World still contains the amusement value of its predecessors.

This definitely was the end of an era at the Disney studios. This was the last of the so-called "college comedies" that began with the classic "The Absent Minded Professor", continued with the two "Merlin Jones" films ("The Misadventures of Merlin Jones" and "The Monkey's Uncle") and ended with the three "Dexter Riley" films ("The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes", "Now You See Him, Now you Don't" and this film). These films all followed the same formula but still were funny in their own way. However, by the time this film was done the formula had worn thin and this pretty much was the end of the line for this series of films. Kurt Russell was his usual funny self as the perpetually in trouble Dexter getting himself and his buddy Schyler in perpetual trouble. Ceasar Romero was also great as the kids' perpetual foil Arno.

However, it is also a somewhat surreal film due to the fact that Joe Flynn died after this motion picture finished filming. He definitely was great in his role as Dean Higgins and it was definitely an extension of his "Captain Binghamton" character and this capped off his legendary career as on of the all-time great curmudgeons.

Enjoyed viewing this very comical film dealing with a group of college students performing various tests in their school laboratory classes. Kurt Russell, (Dexter Riley) tries out a chemical he discovered by mistake and pours it on his cereal which he gives to a cow and eats some of it himself. The dean of the college is Higgins, (Joe Flynn) who is not very happy with this class spending all kinds of money on these experiments, but when he finds out it gives off a very special power of superhuman strength, Higgins decides to sell this formula to a cereal company. There are great veteran stars, Cesar Romero, (A J Arno), Phil Silvers, (Kringle) who gave great supporting roles along with Joe Flynn who had a short career dying at the age of 50 years of age. Great entertainment.

I was inspired to get this movie after seeing (and enjoying) Sky High with Kurt Russell and I happened to recall this movie. I originally saw "The Strongest Man in the World" as a child (I was 5 years old) and enjoyed it VERY much. As an adult, I find it's VERY silly, and campy and wonderful.

Very enjoyable is the opening animation, which depicts a little boy doing AMAZING & IMPOSSIBLE things: catching a king-kong style gorilla that fell from a building, carrying a cruise ship, & holding (with one hand mind you) a stage carrying 3 grown men pressing over their heads what looks to be about 1000 lbs. WOW! College science student, Dexter Riley (Russell) creates a vitamin formula that, by pure accident, becomes a temporary superhuman strength formula. News of the formula comes to the attention of two rival cereal companies who stage a weightlifting contest to see which cereal would render the eater the strongest. One cereal, supposedly having the strength formula in it. It DOESN'T. Now Dexter, must race against the clock to get the real formula in order to win the weightlifting match.

Again, funny, goofy, slow in certain areas, but it doesn't take away from the humor of the film.

College dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) is in danger of losing his job for financial problems. He promises to raise more money in 30 days while using science Prof Quigley as a scapegoat. Student Richard Schuyler is trying out different cereals for a cow. Higgins is horrified at all the money used to feed a cow and fires Quigley. Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell)'s experiment gets mixed with the cereal leading to powerful growth. Dexter tries the cereal himself giving him temporary super-strength. Higgins seizes on the opportunity and sells the formula to the cereal company run by Harriet Crumply. Harriet challenges cereal rival Kirwood Krinkle (Phil Silvers) to a competition. Krinkle calls on his mole V.P. Harry Crumply who is jealous of Harriet. Harry hires A.J. Arno who is just out of prison.

This is a functional Dexter Riley movie although I like "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" the most in the series. I don't think lifting things is the most exciting cinematic move. I actually think super speed is a superior power visually. It has more comedic potential and it would fit the car perfectly. This type of live-action Disney family comedies is fading in popularity at the time. Also this movie needs more Kurt Russell. There are sections where he is absent and he should not be. Richard Schuyler is in this more than Dexter Riley. Kurt Russell may be trying to slip away from his Disney roots at this time.