THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES (Dir: Robert Butler, 1969).

THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES (Dir: Robert Butler, 1969).

Kurt Russell stars in the first of Walt Disney Productions' Dexter Riley trilogy.

Ordinary Medfield College student Dexter Riley (Russell) acquires extraordinary knowledge after an electric shock from the science lab computer. Now able to learn facts and figures at lightning speeds, he finds himself mingling with the world's top intellectuals and winning TV game shows. However, he also finds himself dealing with bent bookie A J Arno; details of his illegal gambling ring having also been stored on the machine.

A decade after their first foray into live action fantasy comedy with The Shaggy Dog (Charles Barton, 1959) one might expect the formula to be wearing a little thin. But actually The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes finds it in pretty robust form. It's all innocent, inoffensive fun, with the attractive youths, inept crooks and car chases that fans of 60s/70s era Disney comedies had come to expect.


Much of the movies appeal comes from the game playing of its appealing cast. 18 year old Kurt Russell was always one of Disney's most likeable leading men and here proves himself adept at light comedy. He is supported by an accomplished cast, notably Joe Flynn as the long-suffering Dean Higgins and TV Batman's The Joker Cesar Romero as shady businessman A J Arno. Disney regular Richard Bakalyan played one of his many small-time hood characters; a role in which he seemed eternally typecast.


The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes was a significant hit for Disney and spawned a valuable franchise. Two sequels followed Now You See Him, Now You Don't (Robert Butler, 1972) and The Strongest Man in the World (Vincent McEveety, 1975), while a remake would appear on US TV in 1995.

Nobody would argue that The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes is a masterpiece. Yet, at the same time it would be churlish to be over critical of it. It is lightweight fun that sets out to entertain and in this it succeeds. Perhaps best enjoyed for nostalgia value today; a whimsical period piece but with enough easygoing charm to coast through its 90 odd minutes.

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SIX-FIVE SPECIAL (Dir: Alfred Shaughnessy, 1958).

Six-Five Special was a pre-Top of the Pops, youth oriented music television show, broadcast on the BBC for 96 episodes during 1957-58. Although short-lived the show was significant as the first Rock 'n' Roll programme on British TV. It was also vastly influential, pioneering a style of music television that would continue to be copied for decades to come. It also inspired this feature film adaptation from B-movie purveyors Insignia Films.

The slender story involves Anne (Diane Todd) a young woman with a talent for singing who is persuaded by her friend Judy (Avril Leslie) to up sticks and travel to London to pursue a career in showbusiness. Boarding the overnight 6.5 special train, the pair are surprised to find the locomotive full of stars, themselves bound for London to perform on the Six-Five Special television show. All pretence of a plot goes out of the window at about the halfway mark when the movie becomes strictly a musical revue.


Among the acts you won’t remember (The Ken Tones?) are enough genuine legends to make the movie a musical treat. Notable among the acts are Lonnie Donegan, Petula Clark, Jim Dale, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth. Some laboured comedy skits come courtesy of Mike and Bernie Winters. Television's Six-Five Special presenters Pete Murray and Jo Douglas also make an appearance, as does its resident bandleader Don Lang. It's undoubted highlight is the terrific performance from skiffle pioneer Donegan who sings two songs, 'Jack O'Diamonds' and 'Grand Coolie Dam'. He alone makes it worth watching.

If you are seeking intricately plotted cinema with a serious message I would look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for a lighthearted, dare I say twee, documentation of the state of the Hit Parade in 1958 you are in for a treat! Admittedly, this nostalgia fest will be most appreciated by 1950s teens and those with an interest in that era's music. Railway enthusiasts will also appreciate the steam locomotives on display. An invaluable record of the pre-Beatles British music scene, Six-Five Special is corny by today's standards but a lot of fun, nonetheless.

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THE SHAGGY D.A. (Dir: Robert Stevenson, 1976).

This kooky canine comedy from Walt Disney Productions was the belated sequel to hit The Shaggy Dog (Charles Barton, 1959).

Following on from the events of the original movie, now adult Wilby Daniels is now a successful lawyer, his dog morphing days behind him. However, the ancient cursed ring which turned him into a Bratislavian Sheepdog has been stolen from a local museum by some crooks in the pay of unscrupulous politician 'Honest' John Slade. With incredibly unfortunate timing, this occurs just as Daniels is about to run against Slade in a local election for the position of District Attorney. Daniels must run his campaign and try to get the ring back from Slade, whilst proving him corrupt. All the time running the risk of inadvertently turning into a sheepdog!

Replacing Tommy Kirk in role of Wilby Daniels from the original movie is Disney regular Dean Jones. Jones is appealing as ever, displaying his considerable talent for quirky comedy. Reunited with Jones in their 3rd film together is the equally appealing Suzanne Pleshette. With less to do than Jones, she still makes a good impression as the understanding Mrs Daniels.

Don Tait's screenplay, suggested by the Felix Salten novel The Hound of Florence, is his 5th screenplay for the studio and adheres rigidly to the cookie cutter approach adopted by Disney in this era. True to form, we have some broad slapstick humour, the inevitable car chase and the expected police car pile up. All achieved by some unconvincing back projection. Director Robert Stevenson had a 20 year association with the studio and this was to be his last feature before retiring. Responsible for classics such as Old Yeller (1957) and Mary Poppins (1964), The Shaggy D.A. must be regarded as one of his lesser works.

Still, I enjoyed this film as a child and get a nostalgic kick out of it as an adult. It doesn't quite live up to the weird and wonderful original but is certainly worth a watch if you like this sort of thing. Not quite Best in Show then, but a likeable mutt of a movie nonetheless.

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The Shaggy D.A. (1976)

The Shaggy D.A.  (Dir: Robert Stevenson, 1976). This kooky canine comedy from Walt Disney Productions was the belated sequel to hit  Th

FATHER BROWN aka THE DETECTIVE (Dir: Robert Hamer, 1954).

The second big screen outing for G K Chesterton's fictional detective Father Brown, adapted from his 1910 short story The Blue Cross.


Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective Father Brown (Alec Guinness) pits his wits against elusive master criminal Flambeau (Peter Finch), intent on stealing a priceless cross from the clergyman.


Originally exhibited in the UK as Father Brown, the movie is now more widely available in prints bearing its US title The Detective. A glance at Father Brown’ s cast and crew and one would be forgiven for thinking this Columbia Pictures release was an Ealing Studios production. Director Hamer is reunited with his Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) stars Alec Guinness and Joan Greenwood, whilst Ealing alumni Peter Finch, Bernard Lee, Sidney James and Cecil Parker all feature. However, any similarity between this lightly humorous detective story and an Ealing comedy ends here.


Languishing part way between comedy and mystery, the movie straddles both genres without a firm footing in either. Never reaching the witty heights of Kind Hearts and Coronets and not quite exciting enough to convince as a thriller. It ambles along nicely enough but lacks the narrative twists and turns that would have elevated the story above the mundane. Thelma Schnee and Hamer's screenplay never quite manages to over come the source material's inherent quaintness and at times threatens to become unbearably twee.


Alec Guinness is excellent as ever here, once again immersing himself chameleon like in the role of Brown. He is matched by the equally impressive Finch in a rare comedic performance for the actor, albeit not one especially played for big laughs. The rest of cast are, unfortunately, somewhat underused in what is largely a two-hander between Guinness and Finch.


Father Brown is good movie, but can't help but feel a little bit of a disappointment considering the talent involved. It is still worth a watch, if only for the excellent performances from its leading men. Not quite a classic, but a high quality time passer nonetheless.

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ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS (Dir: Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton S Luske & Clyde Geronimi, 1961).

Walt Disney's classic animated feature based upon Dodie Smith's novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians.


One Hundred and One Dalmatians tells the story of dalmatians Pongo (Rod Taylor) and Perdita (Cate Bauer), whose 15 puppies are stolen by the evil Cruella de Vil (Betty Lou Gerson). With the help of cohorts Horace and Jasper, Cruella intends to turn these and 84 additional pups into spotty dog skin coats. Utilising the ingenious Twilight Bark dog social network, Pongo and Perdita track their offspring to Cruella's abandoned Hell Hall country estate and embark on a daring rescue.

With it's impressionist background art and loose, stylistic approach to character design ...Dalmatians was Disney's most stylish and contemporary animation to date. Nearly sixty years after release it's highly graphic Mid-century modern stylings are as fresh and appealing as ever. In fact it's difficult to recall any other animated feature with such a dramatic and arresting visual style. In particular, praise must be given to beautiful rendering of early 1960s London; effortlessly capturing the spirit and atmosphere of the city and it's surrounding countryside.


Matching the impressive visuals is an exceptionally well realised screenplay by Bill Peet. One Hundred and One Dalmatians is an expertly crafted thriller, tightly plotted and exciting while remaining lighthearted and extremely witty. It is populated by a fantastic cast of characters, not least Cruella de Vil, possibly the greatest of all Disney villains. Clean-cut canine leads Pongo and Perdita are both heroic and charming and audiences will have no trouble identifying with the parental pooches on their daring quest to rescue the stolen pups.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians easily ranks among the greatest of Walt Disney's many significant achievements. Its beautiful visuals, flawless storytelling, top notch vocal work and fantastic music combine to make ...Dalmatians a masterpiece of movie making.

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