User reviews

I remember seeing this as a kid in the theatre, and saw it again for the first time in many years on cable recently. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it after all this time. Russell's performance is quite believable, despite the fantastic story line. Really good entertainment, and blows away much of the modern Disney entertainment provided these days, which is pretty nauseating.

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.

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.

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

Though highly successful at the time, I'm not sure the Kurt Russell trilogy starting with The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes has stood the test of time very well. It'll be hard to get kids to understand a movie that features a computer the size of an entire room. In an underfunded college, it's a huge achievement for them to get one computer donated to the campus. In a freak accident, Kurt gets electrocuted and melds his mind with the computer chip. He's a walking encyclopedia!

But, kids today won't understand how amazing his superpower is. They just whip out their cell phones and Google their questions, finding answers in seconds. They've probably never read an actual encyclopedia in their lives, relying on Wikipedia instead. If you're able to explain it to them, this might be a cute choice for family movie night. It's a classic Disney movie with no real danger anywhere, but with a pseudo-menacing bad guy (Cesar Romero) who wants money and power and chases after the good guy. There are terrible 1960s haircuts, music that will make you roll your eyes, and an extremely silly paint fight.

Before you feel sorry for big-time actors like Cesar Romero, David Niven, and Fred MacMurray who played in silly Disney movies when they grew older, keep this in mind: Many silver screen actors were disgusted by the inappropriate films after the demise of the Hays Code. Disney movies with banana peels and pies in the face reminded them of the good old days of the 1930s. They were probably very happy to make them!

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.

Remember when Disney used to make movies that were fun and entertaining? This Dexter Trilogy is one of them starting with The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. Kurt Russell and the gang are fun to watch. If you have fond memories this will reignite them. You're never too old for an old fashioned Disney movie. Ahhh, those were the days.

Kurt Russell was one of few to overcame the "Curse of younger stars" in Hollywood, in a nutshell promising young talents as Bill Mumy, Haley Mills, Shirley Temple, Macaulay Culkin, Fred Savage just named a few them had failed after as adult actors, instead Kurt Russell reaches on stardom passing by litmus text without scratches, on Walt Disney family standard this clever story unfolds upon a normal IQ student Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) was unintentionally electrocuted by a computer, by this Dexter has been receiving through his mind all computer database, becoming an instantly genius.

As current student at Medfield College, henceforth all Universities want his registration, in other hand a crook businessman A. J. Arno (George Romero) approaches him aiming for use its mental abilities on horse races, gambling and so on, meanwhile his College elects Dexter and others three moronic pupils running for an exciting University knowledge quiz upon a 120.000 dollars jackpot for the winner broadcasting on TV.

Attached a fine supporting casting as weird characters as Joe Flynn, William Schallert, Alan Hewitt and mainly by the clumsy crook Richard Bakalyan that stolen the show, strongly humor oriented mocking for the older scholars whom refuses accept newest ideas to enhance the upmost qualitative methodology at school, also a massive slapstick style is applied in many funny sequences, overall a harmless teenager comedy that will satisfy everyone.

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.

At Medfield College, an nonintellectual named Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) becomes brilliant over night. Following an electrical accident, he gains the abilities to remember any knowledge learned instantly and perfectly; all because a donated computer memory was transferred to his brain. After Riley gains fame and attention via television appearances, the dean of a competing university decides to go after him and ruin his reputation. At the same time A. J. Arno, a secretly technologically-based crime boss, with an upstanding public persona pursues the student and his school, as the computer he had donated - that is now integrated into Riley's - holds the records of his crime network.

Kurt Russell had appeared in Disney films since 1967, albeit in bit or supporting parts, but it wasn't until 1969 when the Studio still adjusting to the loss of their key creative force, Walt himself, had Russell headline a film. The result was The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes which is arguably the first of the "gimmick" comedies that would define the majority of output for 70s Disney, though foundations could be seen in the two Robert Stevenson films Blackbeard's Ghost and The Love Bug. The first Dexter Riley film unfortunately is beneath Kurt Russell's talents as it's basically a sitcom in feature film format.

From the staging, to the acting, to the plot that begins with a high concept and everything returning to the status quo established at the beginning of the movie, the movie has all the typical checkmarks seen in one of the may gimmicky sitcoms of the 60s from enduring classics like Bewtiched and I Dream of Jeanie to buried embarrassments like My Mother the Car. Russell as Dexter is more or less your typical hapless sitcom protagonist who stumbles into dilemma's let's ego or some other factor lead him astray then come back to the status quo through some grounded force, in this case his friends who for all intents and purposes are basically one singular character spread across 15 or 20 people.

There's a few chuckle worthy scenes sprinkled throughout the movie such as a scene where Dexter completes an entire exam booklet in a little under 5 minutes and then out of boredom starts squeaking his chair or eating lunch to the annoyance of the professor and other students. And I did get the odd chuckle from Joe Flynn and Alan Hewitt playing competing Deans trying to claim Dexter for their respective colleges. But not only are these points scattered thin throughout the movie, it only makes the movie feel more like a sitcom thanks to Flynn and Hewitt's association with them (McHale's Navy and My Favorite Martian). Even Cesar Romero as villain A. J. Arno is disappointing as he's basically playing a variation on the antagonist from Blackbeard's Ghost but without the Gravitas Robert Stevenson brought to that movie.

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes is harmless, but also weightless and toothless. From it's "gee gosh" protagonist to a silly story that reverts to the status quo on tired contemporary sitcom cliches, it's a movie that seems like it wants to be forgotten.

This was the first movie I saw with Kurt Russell, and have been a fan of him ever since. His acting in this film, as well other Disney films he was in, shows young Kurt firmly grasping what it takes to be a good actor, and he continues to do so to this day.

I saw this again recently, and its such a relief from some of the crap that Disney puts out now. Its a good example of good, clean family fun without the added bathroom jokes, etc., and for that reason I can see this might not appeal to kids today. But still, its a good, light-hearted comedy that'll still get a few laughs even today. Joseph McEveety provides a good story, and director Robert Butler executes it nicely. Joe Flynn and Cesar Romeo delivered some great performances, as did all the supporting cast.

So I watched this with my son who is 11, and he was expecting a much more literal interpretation of the idea of a computer wearing tennis shoes. I kind of knew what to expect because I think I may have seen this film before. It is not a classic film by any stretch of the imagination, but it shows us an era of Disney that has been lost. When they made films that were clearly for children but were wholesome or entertaining enough to maintain the intention of adult audiences. Kurt Russell does a very good job in the main role, and this film is full of zany performances from the supporting cast. It's a real treat to watch the bright colors of the 60s and to think about the idea that a computer could be the size of a small car or large car for that matter. An enjoyable romp.

Having had great success with their campus kook comedies "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones" and "The Monkey's Uncle" in the mid-1960s, Disney couldn't pass up the opportunity to continue their formula, now with Kurt Russell's Dexter Riley replacing Tommy Kirk's Merlin Jones. Small town college, eager to keep up with the times, accepts the donation of a (very large) computer from the local big shot--who then forfeits his usual $20,000 annual gift to the school, telegraphing us that he's a rat. Goof-off student Dexter is electrocuted after touching the computer wires with his sneakers in a puddle, thus giving him a computerized brain. Since Dexter isn't really a medical marvel--just the victim of an unusual circumstance--his winning at gambling and against other universities in a College of Knowledge face-off doesn't seem fair. Mathematicians test Dexter's brain and are amazed, while the dean of the school smiles like a shark on the sidelines--everyone is either corrupt or being duped. Family film is poorly made and in gloppy color, but kids in 1969 didn't notice or care. Russell returned as Dexter in 1972's "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" and in 1975's "The Strongest Man in the World". *1/2 from ****

People who are putting down this film as not good enough to 'show it's face in the theater' are showing their extreme ignorance.

These movies were made for family audiences and rebroadcast on Walt Disney's television program which highlighted family oriented movies with cast members that even signed morals clauses that they wouldn't act up (see Lindsey Lohan, etc. in these days) and trash the Disney image as being a family movie business.

Early on Disney had just made shorts and TV shows. In the late fifties they started making full-length films like 'The Shaggy Dog' with Fred MacMurray. It was so successful, it started something. Fred MacMurray was asked to do more films.

The Absent-Minded Professor (remade later with Robin Williams in the lead role in 'Flubber') was one of the successful movies made by Disney that was then edited for their TV audience.

It not only spawned a sequel, "Son of Flubber", but many more family films and comedies that were designed to help people forget their problems, while at the same time the commercials advertised Disneyland.

Disney was ahead of his time in providing programming in what were essentially well-made advertisements for families to enjoy and be reminded about visiting Disneyland, his 'family fun park'.

This light-hearted, fun comedy featured Kurt Russell in the early days of computers (pre-internet)getting the computer's full knowledge into his head.

In the remake (with Kirk Cameron) they updated it to the Internet infiltrating the student's mind and a 'super-hacker' from the opposing school (who's dean ironically is past Disney star Dean Jones) who seeks to hack Cameron's brain and stop his 'brilliance'.

The first of the three films that revolve around Dexter Riley (Russell), the dean (Joe E. Flynn), and friends is also the best done, though the others are enjoyable too. ('Now You See Him, Now You Don't' and 'Strongest Man In the World' are part of this three movie series)

It also teaches the value of humility. Riley did nothing to gain his knowledge, yet he became proud of how smart he was. He had to learn humility and how to treat his friends if he wanted to keep them. Good lessons to learn.

The Disney television films were made for families and are much better than the stuff made today for 'families' including politically correct films, sexually explicit, nasty language and all the other things that supposedly makes them more 'modern'.

Disney TV temporarily stopped around 1975. They have made some films since then that were still family oriented, though people that followed Walt and then Roy Disney didn't have the same ideas about films and the value of good stories.

Enter the Michael Eisner era...remaking classics and making part 2 stories of classics that have no basis in classic books and WERE released direct to video or DVD. Even marginal animated hits got sequels made. Actual hits like Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, got several (part 2 of Aladdin was a real turkey).

Several of the older Disney films were remade for a 'revived' TV program. The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes was one of the better attempts. I would say only a handful were watchable in their 'updated' form. They made kids have to act like adults while the adults act like kids (this might be a clever plot line in 'Freaky Friday', but when it enters into other stories, it's hard to make out who is supposed to be adult and who are kids.

No wonder kids today are forced to face problems beyond their years. They can't even escape it in the so-called 'escape films' on TV or in the movies these days (with rare exceptions).

It takes exceptions like Pirates of the Caribbean or The Chronicles of Narnia to remind Disney that people still like well-made escape films that are wholesome and uplifting for the whole family.

The Kurt Russell era at Disney Studios started with The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes which is a misleading title. Because when Russell gets shocked and the computer knowledge and memory retention is programmed into him, he's not wearing tennis shoes. In fact if he had he would not have been grounded and would have gotten the electric shock.

Although Kurt had appeared in several Disney features with this one he started starring in them on a regular basis and eventually quite properly worried that he would be fatally typecast in Dexter Riley type parts. Fortunately for his career he wasn't.

But for about 8 years or so after this film he was Disney's all American kid lead in a lot of teen comedies. Seeing Kurt and his fellow students at Medfield College you would hardly know there was anything like a counterculture war going on with kids doing things like tuning in, turning on, and dropping out, to dodging the draft, to protesting at the Pentagon.

Here the kids are doing nothing more than trying to aid their favorite professor William Schallert from hidebound Dean Joe Flynn. But after the computer comes and it's a large machine and Russell gets shocked from it, everybody wants a piece of him with his retentive memory. Including the guy who owned the computer gangster Cesar Romero. He forgot to erase the files of his business and when Russell starts blurting out his private information on a college bowl show on television, Romero decides he's got to be eliminated.

I won't say more other than Russell finds out who is friends really are. The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (who really didn't) is an innocuous and quaint Disney film. I think the younger generation who now own their own or have access to same in schools and libraries will get a laugh out of Joe Flynn's reluctance to enter the modern age and the monstrosity of a machine he bought.

Love this movie 95%. The only thing I have against this movie is that the acting is mediocre. Absolutely adore everything else. Especially Dean Higgins!

Computer is a movie that exists. That's pretty much all I can say about it.

The years have not been kind to The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. The plot and the tech in this movie are laughable, and not in a good way. I remember liking this movie back in the day, but I should have left it in the past where it belongs.

Classic Disney camp. I must admit, I watched this as a background film. From what I did watch of it, I was not blown away. But hey, at least it has a cool title.

This is just another one of those naive half-baked 60s movies that's not even good enough to show its face in a movie theater. The plot seemed really interesting, you know, a kid getting a computer into his head, if only the movie were as good! Uggh, it's just horrible. Life's time on earth is too precious to waste, and watching this movie would be an excellent way to waste it. It's like repeating the same scenes over and over and over and over again with different lines. I actually fell asleep during it. This was actually on Netflix, and the extremely corny movies are NEVER listed on there. I really can't believe they listed this. Please don't see it, take my word for it.

When this film came out the clip that was always shown on TV was Cesar Romero and his henchmen chasing the kids in a beach buggy and they spray red paint on him as he points a gun at them so that it goes over the windshield as well as Mr Romero and his henchman loses control and crashes into a haystack. A cow moos at Mr Romero after the crash and he says "Ah, shaddap". I wonder how many bottles of paint remover he used in cleaning himself up.

This film is unique and interesting especially for the time. It's great to see a young kurt Russell and a good goofy fantasy. However the years havnt been kind to this film and it suffers from lack of action and charisma.

The good parts of this film is that its unique, interesting at the start, and obviously has kurt russel in it. It has some funny moments and its light hearted.

The bad parts: The scenes seem to drag on a lot. This is only 130mins long but it felt like 230. They seem to really shove it in your face over and over again that hes smart now.. we get it. It gets boring after a while and the scenes are lacking charisma, character dynamics and plot direction badly.

Summary: Overall I would only reccomend this if your a die hard fan of kurt. It was just very average for me. If It didnt have kurt it would of been a 3 for me.