Superdad

I must have been eight years old with nothing else to do one Saturday in 1974 when this screened at the local cinema. I went along knowing nothing about it but assumed it would involve a dad who is secretly a superhero. I can't remember at what point I resigned myself to Dad never getting into costume but I spent most of the film rather confused and alienated by what turned out to be a rather gentle generation-gap comedy about a father trying to manipulate his daughter's love life. 45 years later, having hardly thought about it in the meantime, I thought I'd see how it looks from this distance. Well, it's not great. It's a mildly interesting glimpse at 70s culture seen through a Disney lens. For the first 20 minutes of rather forced humour I wondered if I should have bothered but I warmed to it a little as it went on. Probably the only reason it stuck in my mind was a mildly scary confrontation between the dad and an unhinged hippie artist called Klutch on his bizzarely decked-out houseboat/studio. It's hard to guess who Disney was aiming at with this. Young kids would have been bored and confused, as I was. Adults would find it juvenile, and teenagers would probably rather just find it a bit lame. The best you can say is that it's not that bad. You might relate to it if you have a teenage daughter, or if they will sit still long enough you could watch it with your kids (or grandkids) and tell them about the bad old days before Star Wars when, if there wasn't a Doug McClure film out that week, something like this was quite often the best a kid could hope for from a trip to the cinema.

Southern California lawyer Bob Crane (as Charlie McCready) doesn't like the potentially sexual relationship between beautiful blonde daughter Kathleen Cody (as Wendy) and beach bum boyfriend Kurt Russell (as Bart). First, Mr. Crane decides keep an eye on the kissing couple by joining the youngsters' beach partying gang. This results in some misadventures in water. Later, Crane conspires to send Ms. Cody to a faraway college. Not too smart. With her face and figure, Cody has no trouble attracting collegian attention, and becomes inadvertently engaged in a hippie gang protesting Crane's golfing business partners Joe Flynn (as Cyrus Hershberger) and Dick Van Patten (as Ira Kershaw)...

"Superdad" is the generation gap seen through the rose-colored Disney lens, which results in a sharp focus on fluff.

Canceled television series stars populate the cast. Most notably, Crane had escaped "Hogan's Heroes" and Cody emerged from "Dark Shadows" (both in 1971). Extending his teen years, Mr. Russell plays a secondary role, as does motherly Barbara Rush (as Sue), late of "Peyton Place" (1969). There is a quick pace, along with dependable amusements from all-purpose driver Bruno Kirby (as Stanley Schlimmer), hip octogenarian Judith Lowery (as Mother Barlow), and the Disney regulars. The studio held the film up in favor of "Charley and the Angel" (1973). Bobby Goldsboro's "These Are the Best Times" failed to chart. Nothing could help "Superdad" bridge the box office gap.

***** Superdad (12/14/73) Vincent McEveety ~ Bob Crane, Kathleen Cody, Kurt Russell, Barbara Rush

I wanted to like this film. Really.

After all, any Disney film with Russell, Flynn and even a young Kirby has to have something good, doesn't it?

Well, usually.

As a father who can't stand the thought of letting go of his little girl, Crane is kind of irritating as the "Superdad" of the title.

Did I say "kind of"? Scratch that: VERY irritating.

The main picture in my mind is of Crane screaming like a girl while taking a high water ski jump. After that, I'd just stay home and tell my daughter to go and have a good time.

At least Flynn's around for laughs. Why couldn't he have been the dad? Now that would have been really super.

Two stars, plus a half star extra for Flynn. Way to go, Joe.

I was nine years old when I saw this movie and liked it then as I still do to this day.I was at that great age when I wanted to be 18 like the characters in the movie and it didn't hurt that Kathleen Cody was a knock out lady to boot as well as the other ladies in the film.It's a harmless movie of a Father and Mother seeing their Daughter maturing in the real world as well as a lot of laughs in the storyline.Bob Crane was very funny with his portrayal.A lot of great California footage of Newport Beach and San Francisco.It's a great summertime movie that brings me back to 1973.Fisherman's Wharf gets some great exposure as well.

Charlie (Bob Crane) is a harried human resources manager for a shipping company. His boss (Joe Flynn) is on his back constantly, for they are having union negotiation troubles. At home, Charlie is experiencing some problems, too, as his soon-to-be-an-adult daughter, Wendy, is spending the summer with her beach friends, including Bart (Kurt Russell). One day, a television psychologist recommends that parents become more involved in their children's lives. Taking this to heart, Charlie first joins the beach crowd, where he discovers beach volleyball and water skiing may be near-lethal activities. Then, Charlie decides that a college farther away from this group of kids would be a good idea for Wendy. He pulls strings and Wendy is admitted, although she would prefer to stay near Bart and the gang. Will Charlie never stop interfering in Wendy's life? This is a fun movie with some good messages, too. The scenes where Charlie sets out to mingle with the beach group are hysterical, as he tries to compete physically with the younger set. In that role, Crane is a stitch and should be commended for his work, despite the dark side we now know he was hiding, in real life. Russell is, as always, a "hunk with charisma" and as sunny natured as they come. The rest of the cast, including Flynn, Dick Van Patten, Barbara Rush, and especially, Bruno Kirby, are top notch. Do you long for the good old days, when movies were cleaner but still humorous and heart-warming? Try hard to locate this film or catch it on the Disney Channel. It has charms and lessons for just about everyone.