The Strongest Man in the World

Kurt Russell for the third and last time plays Dexter Riley in the Disney Studio's film The Strongest Man In The World. I presume that he finally graduated from Medfield College and Dean Joe Flynn's life got a whole lot less interesting.

Actually Russell was trying very hard to break free from the Disney image and I would say he's succeeded rather nicely. Although he did make a recent return to the studio for Sky High.

In this final film as Riley, Kurt Russell once again in the laboratory stumbles on a formula for superstrength. At first he and his fellow student scientists think it went into Michael McGreevey's breakfast cereal and that starts a whole industrial espionage war between the Krumbly and Krinkly cereal dynasties as personified by Eve Arden and Phil Silvers. Arden has a traitor in the ranks in the person of Dick Van Patten and he enlists Russell perennial foe Cesar Romero for some nefarious activities.

And once again the Magic Kingdom makes Medfield College completely oblivious to the outside world. Well at least student protest and the Vietnam War were over by this time so who would notice?

The Strongest Man In The World still contains the amusement value of its predecessors.

This was pretty much the comeback vehicle for Phil Silvers,or at least the first one where he showed some of the old hyperactive energy after he had a nasty stroke in 1972 while appearing on Broadway in A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM.

College lab genius Kurt Russell has developed a super strength formula,but it only works when poured over a certain breakfast cereal. Silvers just takes the formula,and repeatedly and painfully injures himself trying to do impossible stunts.

Keenan Wynnapaprently got tired of the similar part,so Cesar Romero(for the 3rd time)plays a professional crook trying to steal the formula(or whatever else Russell invents)/ Highlight is mid-film weight lifting demonstration by Joe Flynn,whose ridiculous tights should get him jailed for bad taste.

The third in Disney's Dexter Riley trilogy starring Kurt Russell. This time college student Dexter accidentally creates a formula that, when mixed with a vitamin cereal, gives him temporary super strength. Since the school is once again in financial trouble, Dexter and friends decide to use the formula to help out. How they do this is silly. It involves a weightlifting contest and a cereal company rivalry. Villainous A.J. Arno (Caesar Romero) from the previous films also returns, up to no good as usual. Russell's good and the series regulars like Romero and Joe Flynn are lots of fun. This would be Flynn's last movie. Nice support this time from Phil Silvers, Dick Van Patten, and the always cool Eve Arden. Pleasant, likable family comedy. It's corny but fun.

College dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) is in danger of losing his job for financial problems. He promises to raise more money in 30 days while using science Prof Quigley as a scapegoat. Student Richard Schuyler is trying out different cereals for a cow. Higgins is horrified at all the money used to feed a cow and fires Quigley. Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell)'s experiment gets mixed with the cereal leading to powerful growth. Dexter tries the cereal himself giving him temporary super-strength. Higgins seizes on the opportunity and sells the formula to the cereal company run by Harriet Crumply. Harriet challenges cereal rival Kirwood Krinkle (Phil Silvers) to a competition. Krinkle calls on his mole V.P. Harry Crumply who is jealous of Harriet. Harry hires A.J. Arno who is just out of prison.

This is a functional Dexter Riley movie although I like "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" the most in the series. I don't think lifting things is the most exciting cinematic move. I actually think super speed is a superior power visually. It has more comedic potential and it would fit the car perfectly. This type of live-action Disney family comedies is fading in popularity at the time. Also this movie needs more Kurt Russell. There are sections where he is absent and he should not be. Richard Schuyler is in this more than Dexter Riley. Kurt Russell may be trying to slip away from his Disney roots at this time.

I was inspired to get this movie after seeing (and enjoying) Sky High with Kurt Russell and I happened to recall this movie. I originally saw "The Strongest Man in the World" as a child (I was 5 years old) and enjoyed it VERY much. As an adult, I find it's VERY silly, and campy and wonderful.

Very enjoyable is the opening animation, which depicts a little boy doing AMAZING & IMPOSSIBLE things: catching a king-kong style gorilla that fell from a building, carrying a cruise ship, & holding (with one hand mind you) a stage carrying 3 grown men pressing over their heads what looks to be about 1000 lbs. WOW! College science student, Dexter Riley (Russell) creates a vitamin formula that, by pure accident, becomes a temporary superhuman strength formula. News of the formula comes to the attention of two rival cereal companies who stage a weightlifting contest to see which cereal would render the eater the strongest. One cereal, supposedly having the strength formula in it. It DOESN'T. Now Dexter, must race against the clock to get the real formula in order to win the weightlifting match.

Again, funny, goofy, slow in certain areas, but it doesn't take away from the humor of the film.