Hello friends, happy Monday! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I’m back with my Disney Movies project, watching all the movies in chronological order. Today I’m here with the last of the 60s! Let’s jump right into it!

The 60s had a total of 52 movies, which took me about 5 months to watch. I’m going to be breaking the 60s up into 3 posts; early, mid, and late 60s.

We’re at the end of the decade and it felt like musicals were a real big deal, not my cup of tea, but I made it through! Again we had more animal movies, I swear the obsession is real… like even a movie about a raccoon! Lastly, we again only had 1 animated movie, which brings the total to 3 animated movies for the decade, which is the lowest out of all the decades so far. I look forward to what the 70s will bring.

Monkeys, Go Home!: Another movie to add to the not on Disney+ list, although this one is on Prime to rent, which I had to since I couldn’t find it online. This was a really silly and wacky movie. First of all, what was Disney’s obsession with chimps? This is the third (I believe) movie where they’ve used as a plot device. I didn’t hate it in this one, but it’s starting to feel like a pattern. This is also actor, Dean Jones, third appearance and I believe he’ll be making more as the years go on. I find it interesting that if Disney likes you, you’re basically set to do a handful (if not more) films. Be the face of Disney, if you will. Anyways, this film is about Hank who moves to a small town in France… with his chimps. He plans to use them as labour workers, picking olives. No one knows about them, and he plans to keep it that way, because if the town found out, they wouldn’t like it. And sure enough, the town does find out and they riot. It’s with the help of Father Sylvain, that he can get the town to see reason. I found myself half paying attention to this, not because this was boring per se, but I found a lot of this to drag a bit. The main plot was entertaining and silly with the chimps, but it’s like we didn’t see enough of that. Instead it felt like the more secondary plots ran the film and that’s what bored me. I get that it was to add background and to paint a picture of the place Hank moved to, but it was just alright to me. The side plot with Hank’s cousin was pretty funny, I will admit that, even if it didn’t need to be added, it’s one of the parts that stood out to me. Most of this film was spent on the town’s politics and how one American can cause such a ripple. The acting in this was really well done, that made up for some of the plots. In the end though, this felt like another strange movie that Disney cranked out. It had little substance but served its purpose of being entertaining. I don’t think I’d watch it again, but I’m not mad that I’ve seen it once. (1967)

The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin: So this movie is on Disney+ … but some of the others that are better than this aren’t, nothing makes sense. Alas, just by looking at the thumbnail for this movie I knew it was going to be a western, which I’m not really invested in, but of course I watched for this project. I didn’t completely hate this; there were parts that weren’t necessary, like all the racist depictions, it wasn’t bad enough they really tore into Mexicans, but they also brought in Asians [I think they were supposed to be Chinese], it made this so hard to watch because those scenes were so bad. I feel like those scenes were supposed to be used for comedy and some were just downright mean and nothing was funny, so much cringing. This did open with a sensitivity warning, so I knew something was coming, but ehh. This movie takes place in 1849 during the Gold Rush, where Jack, a 14-year-old boy with his sister Arabella who have been orphaned, decides he’s going to get rich fast by hiding on a ship heading for San Francisco to find gold. When they realize he’s gone, it’s their butler, Eric, who goes after him. From there, Jack and Eric begin their travels looking for gold, but it’s not as easy as they imagined as there’s a crooked judge after the gold as well. In order to win over the money, there’s a match set for anyone who thinks they can fight, Mountain Ox. As Eric gained the nickname, Bullwhip, for being able to take him out once before, so he signs up to the challenge. I have to say most of the fighting and the extra work was so goofy and over the top. I mean, I get that it was probably supposed to be for kids to entertain them, but wow was it overdone. There were moments throughout that were slower than others, but for the most part the film goes by fast, with scenes that had actors playing off each other. I think Eric and Jack were supposed to, but the actor who played Eric was the one who was really pulling the weight. He was not only witty, but he had facial comedy too that really set the tone for a lot of the scenes and most of the film. This also balanced live action with animation because between scenes, especially for the transitioning ones, we’d get this little animated clip that would take us from character to character, plot to plot. It was effective because they were entertaining and well made, and it let the viewer know we were switching things up. In the end, this wasn’t my favourite film, but like I said, I also didn’t hate it. I don’t think I’d rewatch it, but seeing it once was fine for me. (1967)

The Happiest Millionaire: If I’m being honest, I don’t know what to make of this movie. I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it. For one thing, this turned out to be just shy of three hours worth of musical, which is two too many hours for me. I’m not a musical person, and the fact that characters just started singing out of nowhere always bothers me, and this film is basically that over and over and over again. This could have been a straight hour and a half movie, but with all the musical and dance numbers, this gets stretched out so far. This takes place in Philadelphia, 1916 and ends in around 1917 and the whole time watching this, I felt like I actually spent a year watching this. We start by meeting John Lawless (a character who breaks the fourth wall the entire movie), straight from Ireland, looking for a job as a butler at the Biddle household. Now you’d think, okay this film is about Lawless, but the amount of times the film changes directions is incredible. We follow Mr. Biddle, the millionaire, for a bit and all his strange eccentric ways, like keeping alligators as pets. He’s obsessed with bible study, boxing and getting America into the war in Europe. Then it switches to his daughter, Cordy and all she wants is to find a suitor and she thinks the way to go about it is by going to boarding school like her brothers (who we see in one scene and then they’re gone). At boarding school she meets the man of her dreams, Angier, and the story takes off about him and his life dreams of working with cars in Detroit, but his parents (or maybe just his attached at the hip mother) want him to follow in the family tobacco business. Most of the plots are connected, but it’s just one thing after another that I thought this would never end. It almost felt directionless because of all the detours we take to get to the end. In the end, everyone is happy, but my gosh does it ever take forever to get there. I read that this film was based on a real family, which is interesting because yes, it was entertaining, but I think could have benefited being two movies or a TV show with all the content they had to work with. I love Fred MacMurray, he’s so good at playing a father figure, and this film was no exception. He also got to do some goofy acting as well, which he’s proven he’s also very good at. The way he can blend the two always comes off as, for the most part, charming, sometimes it’s a little over the top, but I really enjoyed it here. Him singing, although I don’t know if I’d call it singing, it was more of him reading his lines in a singsong way, was interesting. I didn’t exactly care for it, but he pulled it off well enough. Most of the other actors were pretty good with the singing and dancing. The actor who played Lawless was hilarious, not only could he move, but his facial expressions were what kept me entertained. Overall, I know for a fact I won’t be watching this again because the length alone is daunting, but seeing it once was good enough for me. (1967)

The Gnome Mobile: I had no idea what to expect from this movie, which is like most of these films, but I didn’t realize the “gnome mobile” was going to be an actual car. Anyways, this was an alright film; it’s not on Disney+ but I found it on Prime to rent. For some reason it’s been taken off YouTube because it’s violated their terms, which I thought was interesting. This film is about D.J. Mulrooney, a very rich man in the lumber industry. He’s looking to cut down some of the forest, but on a trip with his two grandchildren through said forest, his granddaughter, Elizabeth finds a gnome, Jasper, who has a terrible problem. His grandfather is fading and he wants to get married so he can have the gnomes live on, only there are no other gnomes, the species is dying. Elizabeth insists they help Jasper. And so they embark on a mission in the “gnome mobile” to find other gnomes. Meanwhile, D.J. gets committed to an asylum because his business partner thinks he’s crazy for seeing gnomes and the two gnomes get kidnapped by a freak show owner. I get that this was probably supposed to be funny and slapstick-y but I just couldn’t get into this movie. I found all the funny parts gimmicky and just too over the top for me. I’m sure kids would think this movie was a riot, but I found myself bored and unamused. Then, in the end sequence where Jasper goes to find a bride, and all these girl gnomes appear, it was like a cross between the bachelor and survivor the way all these girls were attacking him, fighting for his “love”. It was strange and a bit out of left field. I assumed there would be like one girl or maybe a few and he would choose, not this whole animalistic race to win. Even the acting I found was subpar. I’ve loved the little girl who plays Elizabeth in other things, but this movie she just came off as whiny and she felt a lot younger than she was supposed to portray. Even the kid who played her brother looked bored the entire time, as if he didn’t want to be there. I did enjoy the actor who played D.J.’s performance because he also played the gnome grandfather, and he did a great job being both characters because he played them both so differently that it felt like two actors. Aside from that, this film at least only runs just over an hour so it’s quick and fast-paced, but this one was not for me. I don’t plan to rewatch this one again. (1967)

The Jungle Book: I was actually really excited for this one and I’m not really sure why. Maybe because it’s the first animated film in a long while and I usually really enjoy them, or the fact that I know I’ve seen this one, I’m not sure but I ended up enjoying this less than I thought I would. This starts with a sensitivity warning, which at first I thought had to do with something Indian, as this takes place in the Indian jungle, but it’s actually for the representation of King Louie and how he comes off as a stereotype of Black people, which I could see. While I was watching it, it felt a little off to me, kinda like where are they going with this. After some googling, that character was supposed to be based off the Italian actor who portrayed him, but after further search, the character was originally going to be played by a Black actor, so I don’t know how innocent their intentions really were here. Nevertheless, this film is about a young boy, Mowgli, referred to as Man Cub for the majority of the movie, who was left in the jungle and has spent the first decade living among the animals, mostly with a wolf family. Now that he’s getting older, and Shere Khan, a tiger who hates mankind because of their guns (which, I honestly don’t blame him for) has returned to that part of the jungle, the animals decide, for Mowgli’s safety to bring him back to where he came from, the Man Village. Bageera, a black panther, and the one who found Mowgli, takes it upon himself to return him, but Mowgli refuses to go, he likes the jungle. So it becomes an adventure film of his journey and the different animals he encounters. You would think that this all sounds so exciting and fast-paced, I really forgot how slow this was. I feel like it took ages to get to each adventure and character. Even though this movie is only an hour and twenty minutes, it felt like it went on for longer than that. There was something really dry about the way the plot progressed. The songs were really catchy at least. I mean, Bear Necessities, is an all-time classic. The animation was good too, but this just had a hard time keeping my attention. Then the way this ended was strange to me. He all of a sudden wants to return to the Man Village… because of a girl? I guess they needed a way to get Mowgli to finally go back to his people, but it felt so icky the way they went about it. I read that Disney didn’t want this movie to follow the book it was based on too closely because it was too dark, but he had no problem with exploiting women for the benefit of the plot, alright then. This movie just wasn’t as fun as I remembered it and now after looking it up, it’s made me like it even less. I feel like after this rewatch, I don’t feel the need to rewatch it again. I got all I needed to out of it. (1967)

Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar: I really thought we’d gotten away from the documentary-style like movies about animals… I guess not. This just made me sad for all the animals involved in this, because I’m sure they weren’t treated right. I read that they had to use four different cougars to film this. I’m not sure about all the other animals seen, though. This movie is about a cub who’s lost his mother, and when a man named Jess comes across him in the forest, he decides to take him home to care for him. Jess names him Charlie and the two become friends. But as Charlie gets older, the more trouble he causes, which leaves Jess frustrated about what to do with him. I mean, I guess this was supposed to be cute and funny, but who in their right mind thinks, oh this baby cougar is alone, I should bring it home with me?! I know I have to suspend my belief on it, but as the movie progresses, everything that happens, could have been avoided if he’d just left the cougar alone. They tried to train it like a house cat… but he’s a wild cougar… it’s not really the same. I also didn’t care for the narration, like all the other movies with animals before this, talking for the animals is not my thing. There’s only been one exception in Thomasina, where we were inside that cat’s head, like a character, not someone externally telling us what’s going on. Aside from that, I guess all the shenanigans that Charlie gets into were supposed to be funny, but I couldn’t help rolling my eyes, I wish I had found them entertaining, but I couldn’t help but see the mess every time. I’m glad that this was just over an hour long because this didn’t need to be any longer than that. It was the perfect length to give the movie an arc of falling for the cougar, dealing with the cougar, then letting the cougar go. If anything, this was a good lesson in leaving wild animals alone. Lastly, why is this movie called ‘lonesome’? Charlie is rarely ever alone. He’s found very early in the beginning of the movie, then makes friends with other animals throughout. Then when the humans are done with him, he finds a mate. Lonesome doesn’t seem like the correct adjective. Anyways, I don’t see myself rewatching this one, it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t that good either. This is another one of those not on Disney+ specials and I had to rent it on YouTube, so it’s not hard to find, but not worth having to pay to watch it again. (1967)

Blackbeard’s Ghost: This wasn’t exactly what I thought this was going to be, but it also was a nice surprise. I thought we’d be on a pirate ship on the water and having some sort of adventure like that. Instead, this was about a man named Steve, played by Dean Jones, who is starting a new job as a track coach at a university who accidentally summons Blackbeard’s ghost. In order to get rid of the pirate, Blackbeard must commit one good dead and since Steve is the only one who can see him, he has to help him. Obviously a lot of humour ensues, a lot of talking/fighting to himself, getting into mishaps. It was definitely entertaining and lighthearted fun. Also knowing that Blackbeard’s good dead was going to help old ladies just made it an all around wholesome movie. Actors Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette are working together, this time they actually have the chemistry and it’s fun to watch them; in their previous role it was so forced it hurt, but I’m glad to see this time it worked out. This movie was just shy of two hours, but it didn’t feel that way; it was so fast-paced and full of action and intrigue that I completely lost track of time. The tricks that Blackbeard did could get a little gimmicky, but for the most part they were enjoyable. The way this ended was interesting, with the whole gambling scene and then the scene with the old ladies, made me question the logistics of the movie; there were definitely some plot holes. I get it was for the sake of moving the film along, but it just felt like, really, now this is an option. That aside though, this was still a silly, fun movie that I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing again. (1968)

The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band: This is probably the most political Disney movie I’ve seen yet. This film mixed politics with a musical to keep things interesting and I have to say, it wasn’t all bad. Taking place during the 1888 presidential elections, we meet the Bower family who are very musically inclined. When the oldest daughter, Alice has a suitor come by, Joe Carder, he tries to get the family to move to the Dakota territory, but the family isn’t too thrilled about it, especially grandpa. But in the end they make the move, and quickly realize the political climate they just walked into. The family are strong Democrats, while the territory of Dakota are strong republicans. The movie goes back and forth between the two sides on who’s better; grandpa has a few outbursts, where his ideals almost cost his granddaughter her job and future husband. By the end of the film we see who wins the presidency and the chaos it ensues, but they also need to learn to work together. This is definitely not a movie I would have picked on my own (well most of these Disney movies are like that) but this pulled on history that I’m not aware of. For someone who isn’t really into politics, this movie was actually interesting and not as boring as I thought it would be. I don’t know if it was the acting or the writing or a combination of the two but I found myself engaged and actually listening and following along. The dance sequences I could have done without, especially that last one that was roughly twenty minutes long. They did add some entertainment to what could have been a very dry film, but when they just start singing, I can’t stand that. The way this movie ended on so much disorder and destruction before they could find peace felt so cringy to watch because really you’re doing all that for what? Because you have a difference of opinion, yikes. The resolution comes quick, after that, but it felt like it couldn’t come fast enough. The “love story” between Alice and Joe felt rather odd. It was believable until the end when they’re fighting, she’s literally not happy until last few seconds of the film and she all of a sudden decides to forgive him in song of course. This is another to add to the not on Disney+ camp, but it wasn’t too hard to find. With that said though, I don’t see myself rewatching this, once was good enough for me. (1968)

Never a Dull Moment: For a movie called ‘never a dull moment’ there were quite a few dull moments in this. I could tell they tried to make it really exciting, but they spent too much time talking and not enough doing, which made this dull and bland at times. This was another Dick Van Dyke film where he was trying to get out of something. I have to admit, though, he’s a very good physical comedy actor; the way he used his body to play a drunk was hilarious and very believable. I feel like this may be the first Disney movie that wasn’t made for kids because this had very strong themes of drinking, crime, violence and sex. I was watching this going, this is Disney?! Also makes it not surprising it’s not on Disney+ (although Disney+ has other content on there not for children). Anyways, this was about Dyke’s character, Jack, who’s an actor, who gets mistaken for a hit man and is basically forced to go along with this gangster’s plans to steal an art piece from the museum. No matter how hard Jack tries to get out of it he seems to fall deeper into the scheme. For the most part this is an entertaining watch. I watched this while half paying attention and I could still follow along with the plot. It’s simple with a lot of comedy work from Dyke, so much so, it got to the point that he was carrying the whole movie and his acting got to be a little too over the top and over-acted. I couldn’t have cared less about the characters because this was more about the plot than it was the them. You have your hero and your villain, the entire time we’re supposed to root for Jack, but there were moments throughout that I really didn’t care about him at all. The only thing I cared about was whether he would end up going through with everything or not. They really keep us waiting until the very last seconds of the film to find out. Even though this was only an hour, forty, this still felt kinda long for this heist film. Maybe if there had been more action and less talking and exposition, this would have led to a better film. That to say, I won’t be rewatching this one. (1968)

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit: This movie surprised me by how much I was invested in it, despite the funny name. By the end, I was totally engrossed by the plot and the horse jumping. Even though this was highly predictable, it was still very enjoyable. This isn’t on Disney+ (although it should be!) but I found it for free on YouTube. This is about Fred Bolton an advertising man who has two problems and thinks he can solve both of them at once. His boss wants him to create a great campaign for one of their clients, a stomach medication, Aspercel. Meanwhile, his second problem is his daughter, Helen, who wants nothing more than to ride and have her own horse, even though they can’t afford one. This sparks Fred into an idea, if he buys his daughter the best horse, names it Aspercel, and the horse wins all kinds of ribbons and medals, it will create an ingenious campaign for the medicine. But of course, things don’t go quite to plan. At first I was kinda annoyed that the father was basically exploiting his daughter for the sake of his job. Obviously when she finds out she’s upset, yet she still goes on with it. It isn’t until Kurt Russell’s character, Ronnie, shows up to put a stop to it; I was glad to see her father not pressure her at all and they found a new way around their problem. Dean Jones plays a father really well, and it made this film that much more heartwarming because of it. He was goofy but also caring and respecting. The shenanigans he gets into with Aspercel, the horse, were undoubtedly funny and they didn’t go on for too long either. Sometimes films don’t know when to quit the funny stuff, but this one went just the right amount because anymore and it would have drawn on for too long. And of course they made the horse kinda goofy, too. Not only did he have a peculiar colouring to him (hence the gray flannel suit) that set him apart from all the other horses, they had to throw in he was a beer loving horse, too for giggles. That felt a little weird to me (I’m hoping it was just sugar water). And of course we had to have a little romance thrown in because what’s a film without romance? Although I will say, I’m glad how out of the way and subtle it was. Both with Fred and Suzie and Helen and Ronnie. It made me laugh how it ended for Fred. Lastly, the amount of transitions they used in this felt like they were just discovering it, it almost felt a little jarring at times, but that didn’t ruin my enjoyment. All that to say, this actually wasn’t a bad film at all, it was well worth the 2 hours. The set up, and how everything progressed worked well and the characters were likeable and definitely learned from one another. I’d really consider watching this one again because it was so heartening and comforting to watch. (1968)

The Love Bug: I know that this is a Disney classic and is beloved by all, but this one didn’t really do it for me. If anything the previous movie I liked better than this one. The concept was good, but the way it played out had me kinda bored. This was about a race car driver, Jim Douglas as he comes into possession of Herbie, a Volkswagen Beetle who has a mind of its own. Over the course of the movie, we see the relationship form between Jim and Herbie as they go on adventures, racing together and how the different characters in this play a part, like the rude salesman who can’t stand Herbie, but also tries to buy it back, or his love interest who Herbie helps get together and I can’t forgot his friend and roommate, who has probably loved Herbie the most from the very beginning. All of this combined made for an entertaining movie, but it felt drawn out. I feel like scenes could have been cut down a bit, although in the beginning I felt like there were some interesting cut shots where it felt jarring how we moved from one scene to the next without much of an explanation. What was supposed to be funny, didn’t really feel funny, like the jokes didn’t land, but the physical comedy had some good punches. I also didn’t care for how Jim and Carole started to get together; it felt so forced, like someone was trying to make them enemies to lovers, but they both didn’t hate each other so it didn’t quite work. Over time, it got better but that beginning was rough. The whole convoluted plot with the salesman, Herbie and Jim was interesting, I mean I like how it played out, but watching it unfold was a little confusing. All that to say, I wanted to like this more than I did because I was really looking forward to this one. I probably won’t rewatch it, but I know that this is only the first Herbie movie, so I look forward to see where we go with them! (1969)

Smith!: I will admit, as soon as I saw this was a Western, I had already claimed not to like it… and I was right. I could also see the moral they were trying to impose on this film, but ehhh I don’t think it holds up all that well. The premise is that we’re following a guy named Smith, who was raised by Native Americans and so it’s well known that he likes and stands by them. Anyways, Smith needs money to keep his farm going, but he keeps spending it trying to help out the Indians, this time is no different. When Indian Gabriel is falsely accused of murder, it’s Smith he and the tribe go to for help to prove their innocence. I get that this was trying to be seen as ‘look not all white people are bad’ but it fell into the white saviour trope. The depiction of the Native Americans was awful because they spend the whole movie painting them in this terrible light, and having them be laughed at, just so a white man can come and explain them away (quite literally). It was nice to see that they gave space for the Indian to tell his story because he’s never been given that opportunity before, but why did Smith have to translate? The man could speak English, let the Indian speak for himself. I’d also like to point out that only one of the actors who played an Indian was actually Native American, the rest were Hispanic or painted to look Indian. Moving on from that though, this was a slow moving story that didn’t have me engaged for much of this. I didn’t really care what was happening. I obviously wanted to know how the trial would end, but everything else in between felt like it dragged on. Smith’s wife was such a wishy washy character, who I’m not sure if we’re supposed to eventually like, but I just found her to be annoying. I get that she’s supposed to be some sort of voice of reason for Smith, since he likes to do things without telling anybody, but geez she was just as bad as the cop in her racism… and yet Smith didn’t seem to care when his wife said bad things, but not the cops… Like she even tries to give him a gun and he’s like I don’t need that; you’d think he’d be just as angry at his wife as he is at the cops for insinuating he should shoot/kill an Indian. Her character and their relationship didn’t make sense to me. Anyways, this was another Western that I didn’t enjoy and I know I won’t watch again. Also, the version I watched, on YouTube, since it’s obviously not on Disney+, was an hour and 42 minutes, but I’ve seen other sites state it’s an hour 52, so I’m pretty sure the version I watched was edited for content, but still, not great. It also surprised me that in the year 1969, Disney was still making movies like this. (1969)

Rascal: For a movie about a raccoon, I didn’t hate this or really dislike it as I thought I would. Every time I haven’t heard of the Disney movie I’m about to watch, and I look it up and see the poster, I always go in thinking I’m not going to like it, so I like when I’m surprised and proven wrong. This movie had more heart than I thought it’d have too. Taking place in the summer of 1918, we follow a young boy named Sterling, who saves a raccoon from a lynx and decides to keep the raccoon as a pet, calling him Rascal. Well that goes over well. He wants to ‘de-raccoon-ify’ him, that’s what Sterling says. So he goes about getting the pest out of Rascal and basically house training him. First off, I like how this was told, it’s narrated just enough to give it that storybook feel. It’s Sterling when he’s older reminiscing on one of the best summers he’s had. Then it goes into that summer, and he only comes in as a narrator a few times and it’s done real nice. This was also very slow, take your time kinda story, nothing was fast-paced about it, but somehow that worked for this movie. It really made the viewer stop and slow down and just enjoy the story. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this when we see all the disasters and messes Rascal gets into. I thought this was going to end up going the same way that the Charlie the cougar movie went, but this was better than that. Yes, Sterling had to learn the hard way about his pet raccoon, but we also learn why he decided to adopt the raccoon and it just became this really wholesome film about a boy filling the void of his parents. Again, at first I couldn’t stand Sterling’s sister, Theo, why did she think her father and her brother needed a woman to take care of them (granted yes this is the year 1918). It’s not until the very end when she comes back that we understand why she was so adamant about someone taking care of things. It should have dawned on me sooner and of course to kids, they aren’t going to pick up on it – they just see a kid getting to live alone with his pets and they think that’s cool, whereas an adult goes, no this kid needs someone to take care of him, which I liked to see didn’t mean it had to be a woman. And that’s what Theo does, she literally spells it out for her father, which I usually hate when we’re hit over the head with information, but again I really thought it worked here. The father had no idea and if I’m honest, I didn’t pick up on it either. In the end, I thought this was a cute, wholesome movie that had a lot more meaning and life lessons for adults and kids. I don’t think I’d watch again, it’s not on Disney+ for reasons unknown, but if it was, there’s a higher possibility I’d watch it again. (1969) 

The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes: This movie has a strange name, and I don’t really get the ‘wore tennis shoes’ part, I’m assuming it has to do with to the guy becoming a computer, but it’s never referenced in the movie. Aside from the strange name, this was actually a pretty entertaining movie. We are back at Medfield college (there are quite a few movies that take place here) where Dexter Riley is a student. The school can’t afford a computer (I mean, they were huge and took up whole rooms!) but he and his friends convince the Dean to let a wealthy businessman donate an old computer, a computer that was used for illegal gambling. One night while replacing a broken part, Dexter receives an electric shock and becomes a human computer able to calculate, translate and absorb information quicker than any human. Now everyone wants a piece of him. He becomes world-wide news and a global sensation. The Dean wants to use him to win a televised quiz tournament to win the school $100,000 and the wealthy businessman wants him dead because Dexter is starting to remember what was stored in the computers… all the illegal gambling. This definitely held my interest, the plot was fast-paced with no dead space. Each scene felt like it had a purpose and nothing dragged, which made for a really easy going watch. What got annoying though were the transitions. It was like they just learned how they could change a scene by using this optical flip and every scene felt like it ended that way. It’s great to use every once in a while, especially if you’re going from a scene talking about something, then you flip to it, but not everything needed to be that way. First off, I want to say, yes I could suspend my belief that a person can become a computer (it makes for a fun plot because you know it’s not believable at all), but then when it came to him joining the quiz team was when I was taken out of the belief. I thought it was interesting that they would allow a computer-smart kid to join the quiz team, like it’s widely known he’s basically a computer, it almost felt like cheating since he was the only one on the team who answered anything, and it made his teammates look dumber than they were. They did do a good job of showing that a computer isn’t always reliable in the end, which I thought was a good lesson. I also want to say that you can tell the 70s are coming with the hair and clothes and I can’t wait! Lastly, Kurt Russell was a lot of fun to watch, he’s a great actor who has a lot of spark. Apparently this is a film series so I’m excited to see what shenanigans Dexter and his computer get up to next. This was fun, lighthearted sci-fi that was engaging and funny to watch. I could see myself watching this one again. I’m glad I ended the 60s on a high note! (1969)

Have you seen any of these movies? Let me know in the comments below!