The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes ** (1969, Kurt Russell, Cesar Romero, Joe Flynn, William Schallert) – Classic Movie Review 10,963

Director Robert Butler’s 1969 sci-fi family comedy film The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes stars the 18-year-old Kurt Russell as student Dexter Riley, who gets his wires in a twist and becomes a genius thanks to his electronic brain.

He appears on TV’s College Knowledge, rounds up a gang of crooks and gets mixed up in a car chase.

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes is a fair knockabout Walt Disney Productions comedy boosted by the likeable young Russell and Cesar Romero as the winsome villain A J Arno, along with William Schallert as favourite Professor Quigley and Joe Flynn as hidebound Dean Higgins.

Disney remade it for TV in 1995 as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes starring Kirk Cameron.

It was very popular and turned out to be the first of a Dexter Riley trilogy. It is followed by Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972) and The Strongest Man in the World (1975).

Also in the cast are Joe Flynn, William Schallert, Alan Hewitt, Richard Bakalyan, Debbie Paine, Frank Webb, Michael McGreevey, Jon Provost, Frank Weller, Alexander Clarke, Neil Russell, Pat Harrington Jr, Fabian Dean, Fritz Feld, Pete Renoudet, Hillyard Anderson, Howard Culver and Myron Healey.

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes is directed by Robert Butler, runs 91 minutes, is made by Walt Disney Productions, is released by Buena Vista, is written by Joseph L McEveety, is shot in Technicolor by Frank V Phillips, is produced by Bill Anderson, is scored Robert F Brunner and is designed by John B Mansbridge.

Kurt Russell turns 70 on 17 March 2021.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,963

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