O Chimpanzé Manda-Chuva

A young man who works in the mail room at a TV network wants to move up the corporate ladder but finds himself stymied by his selfish boss. By chance he discovers that his neighbor's chimpanzee has a knack for picking successful TV programs.

This is classic Disney all the way. Somewhat silly, harmless fun, it is not hard-hitting and has really no deeper meaning or social commentary. One could, if they wanted, point to the jokes about monkeys picking what we see on TV. But that is not exactly deep satire.

Kurt Russell was alright early in his career, but it seems like this was an even bigger showcase for John Ritter. As Ritter's first film, he does not get a large amount of screen time, but certainly makes the most of each line he delivers.

Nice, safe family comedy featuring a television network, a cute/funny chimp, and a young Kurt Russell in the prime of his Disney phase.

Kurt is a low-level employee with a big television network with high-level ideas. By shear chance, he discovers that his neighbor's pet chimp is able to correctly predict the big ratings winners for each week's programs, and surreptitiously uses the animal to move up within the organization.

The chimp demonstrating his disdain for poor programming (clearly enunciated raspberries, followed by screams of displeasure, and culminating in his throwing some destructive object at the screen) sent me into fits of laughter.

But it also gave me (as a seven year old) an inkling into how the television industry works, and thereby planted the seeds of a life-long interest in the boob tube. And to this day, I am still wondering what the subject matter of "Devil Dan" is, and why it was so much more of a winner program than "The Happy Harringtons"...

Get the kids away from "Nickelodeon" for a couple of hours with this campy treat...

Although not part of the Dexter Riley series (in fact made just after the first one), it carries Russell where Dexter might have gone after college. The same type of humor skims the surface of this movie but, it is the biting satire that is it's heart. Playing to the pretentious attitudes of people who cater to each other more than their clients, in this case the TV audience, they are completely stumped when an outsider successfully predicts the new favorite shows. But Russell holds a secret that would completely demoralize everyone in charge. Never mind a young mail clerk seems smarter than seasoned pros, but what about a monkey!

This movie showed a maturity the Riley series never did, although the concept of a bunch of college slackers was ahead of it's time, and stood out from the rest of the Disney fare at that time. Well worth viewing as it shows Russell at the beginning of his adult career. His comedic timing and relaxed, natural acting talent are quite evident here.

Steven Post (Kurt Russell), an ambitious mail clerk at the fictional struggling UBC (United Broadcasting Corporation) Network, discovers that a chimpanzee named Raffles in the care of his girlfriend Jennifer Scott (Heather North), has the uncanny ability to choose which television programs will succeed or fail with audiences by blowing raspberries at shows he hates and claps his hands at shows he likes. Through a series of shenanigans, Post convinces executives Wilbanks (Joe Flynn) and Crampton (Harry Morgan) that Post actually has the abilities and his usage of the chimp eventually results in UBC becoming the top rated network. Wilbanks and Crampton soon grow suspicious of Post's overnight success and fearing their future in the company is at stake set out to discover Post's secret.

After the success of The Computer Wore Tennis Shoe's Disney reunited star Russell and director Robert Butler as well as a few supporting players for The Barefoot Executive. Like The Computer Wore Tennis Shoe's, the movie follows Kurt Russell as simple everyman but unlike his previous film the movie adds more weight to itself and feels like an actual movie rather than an extended sitcom plot. The movie builds it's premise on the framework of working one's way to the top and incorporates the gimmick premise of a Monkey that can pick successful TV shows. While the satire in The Barefoot Executive isn't the most cutting or acerbic about entertainment or corporate culture (save for the rather obvious satire of a Monkey understanding the public better than highly paid executives do) the movie is a pleasant enough sit thanks to Russell playing a more tangible level than Dexter Riley and Butler having honed his skills improving his timing and use of comedic friction. The story is fairly predictable and you'll be able to tell what story beats you're approaching well in advance of when the characters get to them but luckily the movie has enough amusing gags that it's familiar story doesn't make them stumble.

The Barefoot Executive isn't especially memorable and doesn't reach the highest points of Disney Gimmick Comedies like That Darn Cat, Blackbeard's Ghost or The Love Bug, but it is a well made film with good comic work from talented actors that's an amusing albeit not all that memorable sit.

Young idealistic Steven Post (Kurt Russell) wants to get ahead in the TV industry but obnoxious boss Francis Wilbanks (Joe Flynn) constantly ignores him. Then Steven's loving girlfriend Jennifer (Heather North) gets a chimp (don't ask) who can predict what TV shows will be hits (!!!). Steve uses the chimp (without telling anyone) and becomes vice-president of a network in no time (just like real life huh?)...but Wilbanks is VERY suspicious of how he knows what shows will be popular.

VERY silly Disney comedy. The humor and slapstick are either stupid and/or predictable, the characters are 1-dimensional and the lines would be laughed off "The Brady Bunch" as being too corny...but the kids will like this. Unlike the G rated movies today there's no crude humor, no violence and no jokes about bodily functions. This basically has good clean (if silly) humor.

I admit most of the movie had me rolling my eyes but I did keep watching. I actually did laugh a few times towards the end (the reactions of a woman being interviewed on the street were very funny) and it was fun seeing Russell and John Ritter so young. Also Flynn has his moments as does Harry Morgan as the president of the network. North is sweet (but not TOO sweet) as Jen and look for Bill Daily at the end. And the chimp was adorable! So it is silly and predictable with a title song that makes you want to cut your ears off...but it's perfect for the kids. I give it a 5.