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.

Having seen all of the Dexter Riley films that Disney has put out, I can honestly say that "The Strongest Man in the World" is my favorite.

And why not? Not only does it have Russell in all his youthful exuberance and Flynn as the eternally befuddled Dean Higgins but it also features parts for Eve Arden, Phil Silvers and Cesar Romero as A. J. Arno, the Alonzo Hawk for the '70s.

When Russell and his fellow college cronies discover a potion and add it to their favorite breakfast cereal, it gives whoever consumes it super-human strength. Of course, every unscrupulous character within reach is after it and will go to any lengths necessary (even Chinese acupuncture hypnosis. You heard me.) to gain their ends.

Wild special effects highlight this film, and as always, Flynn takes his broad, funny role as Higgins and runs with it, showing off the benefits of super-human strength to an amazed Arden and her associates.

It may be set in the '70s but gags like this stand the test of time. And "The Strongest Man in the World" is still as funny now as it ever was.

What can I say; If it has Joe Flynn in it, I'll watch it.

Ten stars. And one more thing: if you're the dean of a college, never let Kurt Russell borrow your car.

I grew up with the Dexter Riley/Medfield college trio of films. Well kind of, I was in grade school with The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes came out and a freshman in High School when Now You See Him Now You Don't was released. I enjoyed both of them and kind of got an image (mostly false as it turned out) of what lay in store for me at college. They were silly Disney fare that I loved then and still do today because they take me back to my youth.

By the time this movie came out I was a senior in high school and wasn't much interested in Disney moves any longer. But I did see it later on TV and I have to say it failed to live up to the first two. The first two movies were silly and fun, this movie was just silly, not so much fun. It seemed strained, as if all the actors from the first two were trying to squeeze the magic out of their characters one final time and having trouble succeeding. Kurt Russell was a no-show for much of the film, probably because he was trying to distance himself from Disney at the time and it was just as well. He was in his twenties by this time and the Dexter Riley persona no longer fit him. Cesar Romero seemed like he was just going through the motions. As if they asked him to play A.J. Arno one more time and he agreed either for a paycheck or out of nostalgia for what once was. And Joe Flynn, back as Dean Higgins was another story. He passed away not long after filming this movie and it's very apparent throughout the film that he's not well and is just a shadow of his former self. It's really sad to watch.

This movie was the last in a long line of live action Disney college/teenager movies and it barely manages to stumble across the finish line. Watch the first two Dexter Riley movies, they're well worth your time. This one not so much.

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.

This is the final installment in the Medfield High comedy/fantasy trilogy, and is as good as the other two. Yet again Dexter Reilly stumbles upon an incredible scientific discovery which brings him and his friends into another wacky adventure.

Fortunately, the same great cast is involved again including Kurt Russell, Cesar Romero and the brilliant Joe Flynn. Plenty of laughs this time round ensure you're enjoy this movie every time you see it.