''The Strongest Man in the World'' is a 1975 American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Vincent McEveety Vincent Michael McEveety (August 10, 1929 – May 19, 2018) was an American film and television director and producer. Career Vince McEveety directed numerous Emmy Award-winning television series, including ''The Untouchables'', '' Gunsmoke ...

, produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

and starring

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the western series ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (1963–1964). In the late 1960s, he signed a ten-year contract with The ...

, Joe Flynn, and

Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 ...

. It is the second sequel to the 1969 film '' The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes'', after ''

Now You See Him, Now You Don't ''Now You See Him, Now You Don't'' is a 1972 American science fiction comedy film starring Kurt Russell as a chemistry student who accidentally discovers the secret to invisibility. It is the sequel to the 1969 film '' The Computer Wore Tennis S ...

'' (1972). Flynn died by drowning in July 1974 after principal shooting had completed, and the film was released six months after his death.

Plot

Medfield College's Dean Higgins ( Joe Flynn) is about to be fired for financial mismanagement due to extreme overspending by Prof. Quigley's (

William Schallert William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on '' Richard Diamond, Privat ...

) science class. Higgins finds out the high costs are for renting a cow as a test subject; they are feeding it various concoctions to make it fatter. In a rage, Higgins fires Quigley then threatens to have his entire class thrown out of college. When the dean slams the door as he leaves, Dexter Riley's (

) chemical experiment mixes with that of another student, Richard Schuyler's ( Michael McGreevey) vitamin cereal mix. When the cow eats some of the cereal into which the mixture has leaked, the students learn that the cereal gave the cow the ability to produce a huge supply of milk, over 80 gallons. When Dexter eats it the next morning he gains super-strength, as does the fraternity house's pet dog. Dexter shows the dean and Quigley his super-strength by picking up an obese kid in a chair with the right hand and Schuyler with the left. Higgins jumps on this as an opportunity to get Medfield out of its financial slump and keep the

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual c ...

from firing him. Higgins takes the formula-laced cereal to the board of the Crumply Crunch cereal company and demonstrates its effects to the board and its president, Aunt Harriet Crumply (

). They decide to advertise the powers of the formula-laced cereal by challenging Krinkle Krunch, a rival cereal company run by Mr. Kirwood Krinkle (

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

), to a competition between their sponsored weight-lifting team and Medfield's to see which cereal can give the other greater strength. Krinkle sponsors the well-funded State College. Krinkle has a mole named Harry (

Dick Van Patten Richard Vincent Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He was best known for his role as patriarch Tom Brad ...

) on the inside who tells the Krinkle president about the formula. Hearing this, he hires A. J. Arno (

Cesar Romero Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor and activist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in c ...

) and some of his goons, just released from prison, to steal it. They break in, but are almost caught before they can get it. They then kidnap Schuyler (as no one knows that Dexter's chemical was the vital ingredient of the formula, rather than Schuyler's vitamins). They take him to Chinatown where they use Chinese torture and hypnotism to get the formula. They then hypnotize him to return home and not tell what happened to him. This accidentally causes him to steal a police car, leading to a car chase which gets him thrown in jail. Fortunately, without Dexter's chemical added in, the formula Krinkle Krunch has in the cereal does not give super-strength; when Krinkle tries it, he ends up breaking his hand. While he berates the mole on the phone, the mole realizes that if they do not know that the formula does not work, then Medfield does not know either and will lose the weight-lifting competition. On the day of the competition, Dexter realizes it was his formula that gave the cereal super-strength; he sets off to the lab to get it, taking the Dean's beautiful but slow vintage car. When he finally gets there, he is confronted by Arno and 10 of his goons. By drinking some of the formula, Dexter is able to beat up all the men, then uses Harry to strike Arno and his men down like bowling pins. He hears on the radio that he must return to the contest in four minutes or forfeit. He adds some formula to the car's fuel tank, which makes it race off at high speed, shedding parts as it goes. He makes it in time to compete last, but the car is a complete wreck, to the Dean's horror. Medfield is losing badly, but Dexter uses the last of his super-strength to lift the 1,111 pound weight and win it for Crumply Crunch and Medfield. Higgins and Quigley get to keep their jobs, Arno is imprisoned yet again and the scheming Krinkle breaks his hand again after eating the wrong cereal.

Cast

as Dexter Riley * Joe Flynn as Dean Higgins *

as Aunt Harriet Crumply *

as A. J. Arno *

as Mr. Kirwood Krinkle *

as Harry *

Harold Gould Harold Vernon Goldstein (December 10, 1923 – September 11, 2010), better known as Harold Gould, was an American character actor. He appeared as Martin Morgenstern on the sitcom ''Rhoda'' (1974–78) and Miles Webber on the sitcom ''The Golden ...

as Regent Dietz * Michael McGreevey as Richard Schuyler * Richard Bakalyan as Cookie *

as Quigley *

Benson Fong Benson Fong ( Chinese: ; October 10, 1916 – August 1, 1987) was an American character actor. Born in Sacramento, California, Fong was from a mercantile family of Chinese extraction. After graduating from high school in Sacramento, he studied ...

as Ah Fong * James Gregory as Chief Blair * Ann Marshall as Debbie * Don Carter as Gilbert * Christina Anderson as Cris * Paul Linke as Peter "Porky" Peterson * Jack David Walker as Slither Roth * Melissa Caffey as Melissa * John Debney as John * Derrel Maury as Hector * Matthew Conway Dunn as Matthew * Pat Fitzpatrick as Pat * David R. Ellis as David * Larry Franco as Larry *

Roy Roberts Roy Roberts (born Roy Barnes Jones, March 19, 1906 – May 28, 1975) was an American character actor. Over his more than 40-year career, he appeared in more than nine hundred productions on stage and screen. Life and career Born in Tampa ...

as Mr. Roberts * Fritz Feld as Uncle Frederick * Ronnie Schell as Referee *

Raymond Bailey Raymond Thomas Bailey (May 6, 1904 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor, and comedian on the Broadway stage, films, and television. He is best known for his role as greedy banker Milburn Drysdale in the television series ''The Beverly Hill ...

as Regent Burns * John Myhers as Mr. Roscoe * James Brodhead as Cousin Edward * Dick Patterson as Mr. Secretary * Irwin Charone as Irwin * Roger Price as Roger * Jack Bailey as Jack * Larry Gelman as Larry * Eric Brotherson as Eric *

Jonathan Daly Jonathan Daly (born January 14, 1942) is an American actor who is known in America for his roles in ''Petticoat Junction'', ''The Jimmy Stewart Show'', and '' C.P.O. Sharkey'', and best known in Australia for being in the comedy duo " Delo & D ...

as TV Announcer *

Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman (February 17, 1923August 23, 2001) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors and relatives, almost in ...

as Officer Hurley * Iggie Wolfington as Mr. Becker *

Ned Wertimer Edward "Ned" Wertimer (October 27, 1923 – January 2, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Ralph Hart, the doorman on the sitcom ''The Jeffersons''. Life and career Early years Wertimer was born on October 27, 1923, in ...

as Mr. Parsons *

Milton Frome Milton Frome (February 24, 1909 – March 21, 1989) was an American character actor. Career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Frome landed his first acting job in the short subject ''Daredevil O'Dare'' in 1934. He did not act again until 1939 ...

as Mr. Lufkin * Laurie Main as Mr. Reedy *

Mary Treen Mary Treen (born Mary Louise Summers, March 27, 1907 – July 20, 1989) was an American film and television actress. A minor actress for much of her career, she managed to secure a plain, unassuming niche for herself in the Hollywood of the 1 ...

as Mercedes *

Eddie Quillan Edward Quillan (March 31, 1907 – July 19, 1990) was an American film actor and singer whose career began as a child on the vaudeville stages and silent film and continued through the age of television in the 1980s. Vaudeville and silent fi ...

as Mr. Willoughby * Jeff DeBenning as Mr. Rogers *

Henry Slate Henry Sonken (July 15, 1910 – August 11, 1996) was an American film, television and theatre actor. He was known for his appearances in the films ''Miss Sadie Thompson'', ''Loan Shark'', ''Hey Boy! Hey Girl!'', ''Somebody Loves Me'' and ''Rock ...

as Mr. Slate * Byron Webster as Mr. Webster *

Burt Mustin Burton Hill "Burt" Mustin (February 8, 1884 – January 28, 1977) was an American character actor.Obituary ''Variety'', February 2, 1977, page 94. Over the course of his career, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions. He a ...

as Regent Appleby *

Arthur Space Charles Arthur Space (October 12, 1908 – January 13, 1983) was an American film, television and stage actor. He was best known as Doc Weaver, the veterinarian, in thirty-nine episodes of the CBS television series '' Lassie''. Early years Bor ...

as Regent Shaw *

Bill Zuckert William Zuckert (born December 18, 1915-died January 23, 1997) was an American actor. Life / Career Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Zuckert began his career in 1941 in radio and lent his voice to hundreds of dramas over the next two d ...

as Policeman *

Larry J. Blake Larry J. Blake (April 24, 1914 – May 25, 1982) was an American actor. Career A native of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York, he started his career in vaudeville as an impersonator, working his way to a headliner. After appearing at the Roxy Theatr ...

as Pete * William Bakewell as Professor * Art Metrano as TV Color Man * Peter Renaday as Reporter * Lennie Weinrib as State Coach * Danny Wells as Drummer * James Beach as TV Man

Reception

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described it as "a Walt Disney comedy based on the old magic-formula story that's served the company well through thick (' The Absent-Minded Professor') and thin (' The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes'). The new film, which opened at theaters throughout the city yesterday, is nowhere near as funny as the first but a lot better than the second." Stuart Oldham of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' remarked that "the students of Medfield College unintentionally zap the laws of nature with unexpected and sometimes hilarious results." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

the film has a score of 63% based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Strongest Man in the World, The 1975 films 1970s children's comedy films American children's comedy films American science fiction comedy films American sequel films 1970s science fiction comedy films 1970s English-language films Films about hypnosis Films directed by Vincent McEveety Medfield College films Walt Disney Pictures films 1975 comedy films 1970s American films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links