The Dexter Riley film series consists of American science fiction-comedy films, centered around an eponymous college student (Kurt Russell).[1][2] The films, produced by The Walt Disney Company and taking place at the fictional Medfield College, follow the science class led by Professor Quigley, and their experiments, projects, and adventures. The college, under the direction of Dean Eugene Higgins (Joe Flynn) becomes involved in the nefarious plans of millionaire-turned-criminal, A. J. Arno (Cesar Romero).[3]
| Dexter Riley | |
|---|---|
 Official home video release box set collection artwork. | |
| Based on | Characters created by Joseph L. McEveety |
| Starring | |
Release date | 1969–1975 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $16,710,000 (total of three films) |
The film trilogy received mixed reviews, while its television film remake was poorly received.[4] The original trilogy has acquired a cult classic status.[5] In 1999 the Dexter Riley trilogy, along with a number of other Disney film series, were expanded as a franchise into the Walt Disney Parks attraction with elements included from each film.[6]
Films
edit| Title | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | December 31, 1969 | Robert Butler | Joseph L. McEveety | Bill Anderson | |
| Now You See Him, Now You Don't | July 12, 1972 | Joseph L. McEveety | Robert L. King | Ron Miller | |
| The Strongest Man in the World | February 6, 1975 | Vincent McEveety | Joseph L. McEveety and Herman Groves | Bill Anderson | |
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)
editAt Medfield College, a non-intellectual named Dexter Riley becomes brilliant overnight. Following an electrical accident that transfers a donated computer memory into his brain, he gains the ability to learn any knowledge instantly and perfectly. After Riley gains fame and attention via television appearances, the dean of a competing university decides to ruin his reputation. At the same time, A. J. Arno, a secret technological crime boss with an upstanding public persona, pursues the student and his school because the computer he donated-that is now integrated into Riley's DNA-holds the records of his nefarious acts.[7][2]
Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972)
editDexter Riley is a science student at Medfield College who accidentally invents a liquid capable of rendering objects and people invisible. As Dexter and his friends Debbie and Richard begin exploring their recent discovery, the product gains the unwanted attention of corrupt businessman A. J. Arno. Recently released from prison, Arno seeks the formula for criminal means before the students can even announce their discovery. Arno and his henchman plan to use the invisibility spray to rob a bank.[8][2]
The Strongest Man in the World (1975)
editDexter Riley, who is studying science at Medfield College, decides to create a formula that will make humans stronger. After several unsuccessful attempts, a laboratory mishap combines his formula with a vitamin-rich breakfast cereal. He and his classmates discover that eating it briefly provides superhuman levels of strength and endurance. The greedy college dean attempts to take advantage of the discovery, marketing the product to a cereal corporation. Competing cereal companies hire thugs, including A. J. Arno, to eliminate the new miracle product.[9][10][2]
Television
edit| Title | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriters | Story by | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disney's The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | February 18, 1995 | Peyton Reed | Joseph L. McEveety and Ryan Rowe | Joseph L. McEveety | Joseph B. Wallenstein |
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of made-for-television remake films of classic Walt Disney Productions were produced and released as a part of The Magical World of Disney series. Among them was The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.
After a laboratory accident, the contents of a computer's encyclopedia is transferred biochemically into the brain of Dexter Riley, a less-than-average college student. After his newly acquired genius he appears on a trivia show, competing between various universities. After acing the show's quiz, and acquiring all the points, another university finds out about how he attained his skills and does everything to discredit Dexter.[11]
Principal cast and characters
edit| Character | Films | Television | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Now You See Him, Now You Don't | The Strongest Man in the World | Disney's The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | |
| Dexter Riley | Kurt Russell | Kirk Cameron | ||
| Dean Eugene "E. J. Gene" Higgins |
Joe Flynn | |||
| A. J. Arno | Cesar Romero | |||
| Professor Miles Quigley |
William Schallert | William Schallert | Jason Bernard | |
| Richard Schuyler | Michael McGreevey | |||
| Debbie Dawson | Joyce Menges | Ann Marshall | ||
| Harriet Crumply | Eve Arden | |||
| Kirkwood Krinkle | Phil Silvers | |||
| Cookie / Chillie | Richard Bakalyan | |||
| Dean Al Valentine |
Larry Miller | |||
| Dean Webster Carlson |
Dean Jones | |||
| Norwood Gills | Matthew McCurley | |||
Additional crew and production details
edit| Film | Crew/Detail | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composer | Cinematographer | Editor | Production companies |
Distributing companies |
Running time | ||
| The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Robert F. Brunner | Frank V. Phillips | Cotton Warburton | Walt Disney Productions | Buena Vista Distribution Company | 1hr 31mins | |
| Now You See Him, Now You Don't | 1hr 28mins | ||||||
| The Strongest Man in the World | Andrew Jackson | 92 minutes | |||||
| Disney's The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes |
Philip Giffin | Russ T. Alsobrook | Jeff Gourson | Walt Disney Television, ZM Productions |
American Broadcasting Company, Buena Vista Television |
87 minutes | |
Reception
editBox office and financial performance
edit| Film | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Budget | Worldwide Total income |
Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All time North America |
All time worldwide | ||||
| The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | — | — | — | — | — | — | $5,500,000 | [12][13] |
| Now You See Him, Now You Don't | — | — | — | — | — | — | $4,610,000 | [14] |
| The Strongest Man in the World | — | — | — | — | — | — | $6,600,000 | [15] |
| Totals | $16,710,000[a] | |||||||
Critical response
edit| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | 50% (6 reviews)[16] | 54 (4 reviews)[17] |
| Now You See Him, Now You Don't | 80% (5 reviews)[18] | — |
| The Strongest Man in the World | —[19] | 63 (4 reviews)[20] |
| Disney's The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | —[21] | — |
Theme park attraction
editIn 1999, the theme of Journey into Imagination was changed and re-titled to include Figment. The ride features Dr. Nigel Channing, from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, who "hosts" an area known as the Imagination Institute. The story states that Channing's grandfather established the institute, while the area features references to Dean Higgins from the Dexter Riley films, as well as Wayne Szalinski from the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise, and Dr. Philip Brainard from Flubber. Walt Disney and Thomas Edison also make an appearance.[22][6]
Related films
editThe Dexter Riley film series takes place at Medfield College. The college is used as a primary location in two other Disney film franchises: The Shaggy Dog and the Flubber film series. Collectively, the three separate film series take place within the same fictional universe.[23][24] Additionally, the Merlin Jones film series take place at the in-universe sister-school, Midvale College,[25] while The World's Greatest Athlete is set at the related academic school of Merrivale College.[26]
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Shaggy Dog film series | |||||
| The Shaggy Dog | March 19, 1959 | Charles Barton | Lillie Hayward and Bill Walsh | Walt Disney and Bill Walsh | |
| The Shaggy D.A. | December 17, 1976 | Robert Stevenson | Don Tait | Bill Anderson | |
| The Return of the Shaggy Dog | November 1, 1987 | Stuart Gillard | Paul Haggis and Diane Wilk | Harvey Marks | |
| The Shaggy Dog | March 10, 2006 | Brian Robbins | Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley and Geoff Rodkey and Jack Amiel and Michael Begler |
David Hoberman and Tim Allen | |
| Flubber film series | |||||
| The Absent-Minded Professor | March 16, 1961 | Robert Stevenson | Bill Walsh | ||
| Son of Flubber | January 16, 1963 | Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi | Walt Disney and Bill Walsh | ||
| Flubber | November 26, 1997 | Les Mayfield | John Hughes | John Hughes and Ricardo Mestres | |
| Merlin Jones film series | |||||
| The Missadventures of Merlin Jones | February 11, 1964 | Robert Stevenson | Tom August & Helen August | Bill Walsh | Walt Disney and Ron Miller |
| The Monkey's Uncle | August 18, 1965 | Tom August & Helen August | |||
| Other films | |||||
| The World's Greatest Athlete | February 1, 1973 | Robert Scheerer | Dee Caruso and Gerald Gardner |
Bill Walsh | |
Notes
edit- ^ These numbers is an approximate calculation of the total income The Walt Disney Company made of film rentals. Box office numbers are not available from the company.
References
edit- ^ "Dexter Riley Franchise - List of movies, prequel and sequel for Dexter Riley Franchise - MyMovieRack". www.mymovierack.com.
- ^ a b c d "Kurt Russell was Disney's golden boy back in the '70s". The Grand Island Independent.
- ^ Arnold, Mark (October 27, 2013). "Frozen in Ice: The Story of Walt Disney Productions, 1966-1985". BearManor Media – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Strongest Man in the World - Movie Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. January 5, 2009.
- ^ "DIVING INTO DISNEY'S KURT RUSSELL DEXTER REILLY TRILOGY".
- ^ a b https://www.disneyworld.eu/attractions/epcot/journey-into-imagination-with-figment/ [bare URL]
- ^ "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes". Variety. January 1, 1970.
- ^ "Now You See Him, Now You Don't". Variety. January 1, 1972.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (July 10, 1975). "Screen: 'Strongest Man': Disney Comedy Brews Superhuman Formula". The New York Times.
- ^ "The Strongest Man in the World – What's On Disney Plus". 31 December 2019.
- ^ McCarthy, John P. (February 13, 1995). "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes Abc, Sat. Feb. 18, 8 p.m."
- ^ "Once Upon 1969: Kurt Russell and the decline of Disney's golden era". Vanyaland. July 23, 2019.
- ^ "Big Rental Films of 1970", Variety, 6 January 1971 p 11
- ^ "All-time Film Rental Champs", Variety, 7 January 1976 p 48
- ^ "All-time Film Rental Champs", Variety, 7 January 1976 p 44
- ^ "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes". Metacritic.
- ^ "Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "The Strongest Man in the World (1975)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "The Strongest Man in the World". Metacritic.
- ^ "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Epcot by the Numbers". D23. October 31, 2017.
- ^ Smith, Dave (July 3, 2012). Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered. Disney Electronic Content. ISBN 9781423178576 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Building Entertainment: The Animated Films of the Walt Disney Studio. Live-Action Edition. The Absent-Minded Professor". The Avocado. April 23, 2019.
- ^ Shepherd, Josh (January 15, 2021). "22 Missing Or Incomplete Disney+ Film And TV Franchises". What's on Disney Plus. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Dave (June 26, 2012). Disney Trivia from the Vault: Secrets Revealed and Questions Answered. Disney Electronic Content. ISBN 9781423178576. Retrieved January 28, 2022.