L'ordinateur en folie

I went to see this movie when I was ten years old and I loved it. Looking back and watching again as a 60-year old brings back good memories. In a world in flux this was a fun and cool little respite. It was the burgeoning day of the teen heartthrob and Disney wisely chose Kurt Russell. Russell was nigh on perfect as the "near-do-well" college student who suddenly becomes a national intellectual savant. Surrounded by a fine looking group of actors and actress it was kind of a warm hearted look later popularized as it is better to look good than to....well, you get it. As a ten year old I wanted to dress and be cool like these kids.

The story is fun too. Thrust into a spotlight with an encyclopedic all-encompassing computer like knowledge Russell played the role of Dexter making him a kind of photogenic celluloid teen idol right up there with rock stars. OK, the whole thing is rather stupid, but it's what I'd call "stupid good fun". Emminently watchable in spite of everything - and it was a big hit at the time.

Granted today the sophistication of youth and the ubiquitous nature of tech makes this flick quite dated. Even so, as a kind of time capsule of a time I give the film high marks. It was the perfect career turn for child actor Kurt Russell too. His staying power and consequent career speak for itself of course with this movie as a turning point. Disney would mine him for a while of course, but it was in the seventies he fully emerged as a leading man in an assortment of roles to which this film certainly was a springboard. In closing I love the fact that movies could be so simplistic and yet so much fun. A great time capsule of an era gone.

1960s Disney ends with a good, just not exceptional, film. It has been a long, up and down decade from the studio, with most falling under that category or lower.

'The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes' entertains to a satisfactory degree, with Kurt Russell leading brightly as Dexter. The rest of the cast aren't all that remarkable, even if there are a load of faces I recognise from other things. If I had to choose the most noteworthy, they would be Cesar Romero (Arno) & William Schallert (Quigley).

The plot is enjoyable, it's just as bonkers as you'd expect given it's in a similar vein to films like 1961's 'The Absent-Minded Professor'. I'd say it's better executed than that Flubber premise. There's also a cool chase sequence in this, too.

I'm curious to see where the sequels head.

When compared with modern movies, yes, it *does* fall short. However, it must be viewed with the genre and era it was made in. It's simply another of those "60's feel good movies" types. In a time when the country was in a turmoil and college campuses were a hotbed of controversy, this movie (and it's 2 sequels) chose to portray the college scene somewhat rosier than reality. So what? Disney did that a lot with his movies.Disney movie versions of many classic stories always were white-washed,sanitized versions of themselves. Remember the Jungle Book? It was a far cry from the original Kipling tale. This came out at, or near the time of the "Kent State" mess. Dates about it vary from placing it in 1969 or 1970. Whenever it actually played, it came at the end of a very turbulent time in America's history. I feel that audiences were looking forward to seeing a nice, quiet view of college life, however naive.

Squeaky-clean cut collegiate Kurt Russell (as Dexter Reilly) downloads data from his campus computer, and becomes a "cause celebre" by demonstrating his improved mental gymnastics. "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" continues the Disney studio's successful run of comedies featuring good-looking youngsters, great character actors, and a plot providing its star with a super-human strength. The first follow-up film had Mr. Russell discovering how to become invisible. Since it's a Disney film, the characters aren't too quick with the obvious (like the invisible hanging out in the girls' locker room), but everything is certainly likable.

The film is chock full of familiar favorites, like veteran Cesar Romero (as A.J. Arno), Joe Flynn (from "McHale's Navy"), and William Schallert (from "The Patty Duke Show"). Getting to play in roommate Russell's top bunk is handsome blond Frank Webb (as Pete Oaks), who also joined Russell and Medfield College co-star Jon Provost (as Bradley) in the pages of "16" and "Tiger Beat". The teen magazines duly noted the presence of three of their own in one film. Mr. Provost had background fame as the second kid to own TV's "Lassie" and Mr. Webb ended his career tragically. Both feature prominently in the film's relatively fun conclusion.

****** The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (12/31/69) Robert Butler ~ Kurt Russell, Frank Webb, Cesar Romero, Jon Provost

Dean Higgins refuses to buy a computer and would rather suspend various students. Businessman A. J. Arno donates a computer but then withholds the yearly contribution of $20k. Student friendly Professor Quigley needs a part to repair the computer. Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) uses the part and gets electrocuted. His brain turns into a computer and he becomes the smartest guy in the world. Unbeknownst to him, he also downloaded locations of Arno's crooked enterprises protected by the password Applejack.

This is noteworthy for introducing Dexter Riley and his light Disney adventures. I prefer the second movie "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" much more. This is not that funny. The adventure is a little flat. A human computer could be more fun. Russell was a young rising star and his theatrical presence is quite magnetic. It was probably fun for kids back in the day but it has become dated.