It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Absolutely the worst movie.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This film comes from an era when Disney made good live action movies for the whole family to watch, I remember these movies fondly from my childhood so I was delighted to get a copy of this film to reminisce. Starring Kurt Russell as a college student this film boasts a massive cast of film and TV legends including Cesar Romero (The Joker from the Batman TV series), Joe Flynn (The Love Bug), William Schallert (practically every TV series - check out his bio) and even Pat Harrington Jr (appeared in loads and loads). At this time in the studios history Kurt Russell was the all American kid that they wanted in everything and this is one of 3 films where he plays Dexter Riley ("Now you see him, Now you don't" 1972, "The Strongest Man in the World" 1975). Before I tell you about the film bear in mind that this film was put out in 1969 when computers where the size of HGV's, telephones where all landlines, and kid's with spirit could accomplish anything. By today's standards this film is extremely dated but if you are able to suspend your disbelief for 91 minutes and not question the inaccuracies and goofs then you might find yourself enjoying this, probably more so than the 1995 TV Movie remake!!! Dexter attends Medfield College which isn't as lavish as other colleges in the state. Dexter and his gang persuade a local business man - A.J. Arno (Cesar Romero), to donate a computer to the college. Unfortunately not everything is as it seems as A.J. is a crook in his spare-time and he used to use the computer to handle his gambling houses. One night at college Dexter is involved in an accident with the computer which results with him getting the brain of a computer (the scientific tests performed on him to prove this are hilariously camp). Soon enough everyone wants a piece of the amazing Dexter, he practically tours the country doing everything from presidential tours to watching space rockets take flight. A.J. Arno wants a piece of this and tries to get Dexter for himself, as do the dean's of various colleges including his own. A.J. kidnaps Dexter the night before a University Challenge style quiz which carries a purse of $100,000, this means it's up to Dexter's friends to rescue him. Can they rescue him in time, will the police believe them, will Dexter be able to win the quiz show? OK so maybe some of the general knowledge questions/answers aren't accurate, nor is the medical exam, but who cares, this was made in the swinging 60's, it's full of colour, it's cheesy and it's totally harmless while being entertaining. If a VW beetle can have feelings and friends ('Herby' "The Love Bug") then Kurt Russell can play a kid who gets the brain of a computer after being electrocuted when in reality he should have died. 6 out of 10 from me, fun, colourful and cheesy.

Add this to the list of great non-animated Disney movies and TV shows of the fifties and sixties (some others are "Darbie O'Gill and the Little People," "Follow Me, Boys," "Spin and Marty," and "The Hardy Boys.") This is wholesome, fun, family entertainment. But it's also witty, well-written and not overly sentimental. A nice slice of Americana at its best.Kurt Russell, so appealing as a child actor in "Follow Me, Boys," returns to the screen as a nineteen-year-old (approximately) college student. His acting range is excellent, and he is accompanied by an able crew of supporting actors. Joe Flynn (who many will remember as the perpetually flustered captain in "McHale's Navy") is perfect as the dean of a private college that ranks low academically and in terms of financial resources in comparison to other colleges in the state -- especially the state university. Flynn -- in a sign of his college's limited resources -- drives what appears to be a Volkswagen Karman Ghia convertible. The driver's-side interior door latch is broken, so he simply uses a rope to keep it closed.He complains that the state university is rolling in taxpayer money that his private college can't lay its hands on, and rants and raves in a meeting of the college board of directors about the unfairness of that and about how the president of the state university is "greedy." The students overhear all of this through a bug they've planted in the dean's office. The dean, having declared that the school can't afford a computer that one of the professors wants, goes on to mention the names of some of the students he thinks should be put on academic probation.Hearing all of this, the students decide to try to get the computer themselves. What follows is a comedy of mishaps, misunderstandings and odd coincidences that is very entertaining. The overall theme -- that friendship is more important than money, fame and prestige -- is well supported by the plotting and character development in the movie.This movie, in my opinion, is worth watching more than once. Part of its charm is that the conception of what a computer was and could do was so different in 1969 than it is today.All in all, I highly recommend "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes."

People who are putting down this film as not good enough to 'show it's face in the theater' are showing their extreme ignorance.These movies were made for family audiences and rebroadcast on Walt Disney's television program which highlighted family oriented movies with cast members that even signed morals clauses that they wouldn't act up (see Lindsey Lohan, etc. in these days) and trash the Disney image as being a family movie business.Early on Disney had just made shorts and TV shows. In the late fifties they started making full-length films like 'The Shaggy Dog' with Fred MacMurray. It was so successful, it started something. Fred MacMurray was asked to do more films.The Absent-Minded Professor (remade later with Robin Williams in the lead role in 'Flubber') was one of the successful movies made by Disney that was then edited for their TV audience. It not only spawned a sequel, "Son of Flubber", but many more family films and comedies that were designed to help people forget their problems, while at the same time the commercials advertised Disneyland.Disney was ahead of his time in providing programming in what were essentially well-made advertisements for families to enjoy and be reminded about visiting Disneyland, his 'family fun park'. This light-hearted, fun comedy featured Kurt Russell in the early days of computers (pre-internet)getting the computer's full knowledge into his head.In the remake (with Kirk Cameron) they updated it to the Internet infiltrating the student's mind and a 'super-hacker' from the opposing school (who's dean ironically is past Disney star Dean Jones) who seeks to hack Cameron's brain and stop his 'brilliance'.The first of the three films that revolve around Dexter Riley (Russell), the dean (Joe E. Flynn), and friends is also the best done, though the others are enjoyable too. ('Now You See Him, Now You Don't' and 'Strongest Man In the World' are part of this three movie series)It also teaches the value of humility. Riley did nothing to gain his knowledge, yet he became proud of how smart he was. He had to learn humility and how to treat his friends if he wanted to keep them. Good lessons to learn.The Disney television films were made for families and are much better than the stuff made today for 'families' including politically correct films, sexually explicit, nasty language and all the other things that supposedly makes them more 'modern'. Disney TV temporarily stopped around 1975. They have made some films since then that were still family oriented, though people that followed Walt and then Roy Disney didn't have the same ideas about films and the value of good stories. Enter the Michael Eisner era...remaking classics and making part 2 stories of classics that have no basis in classic books and WERE released direct to video or DVD. Even marginal animated hits got sequels made. Actual hits like Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, got several (part 2 of Aladdin was a real turkey).Several of the older Disney films were remade for a 'revived' TV program. The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes was one of the better attempts. I would say only a handful were watchable in their 'updated' form. They made kids have to act like adults while the adults act like kids (this might be a clever plot line in 'Freaky Friday', but when it enters into other stories, it's hard to make out who is supposed to be adult and who are kids.No wonder kids today are forced to face problems beyond their years. They can't even escape it in the so-called 'escape films' on TV or in the movies these days (with rare exceptions).It takes exceptions like Pirates of the Caribbean or The Chronicles of Narnia to remind Disney that people still like well-made escape films that are wholesome and uplifting for the whole family.

"The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" is a very good film. Released by the Disney company in 1970 or so, it's a movie about a student who has all the knowledge, all the power, all the info - that made him as smart as one of those huuuuuge computers of the time!!!!! Hence, the name of the film is called "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes!"I've seen this original version not on the Old Disney Channel, but on a local station late one Saturday night in '97. It was good; I also remember the 1995 TV remake that I watched on ABC as were we moving here to Texas!Man, I wish I had all the knowledge like that boy did!!!!! Oops, this reminds me - I gotta quit writing reviews at the moment and finish writing my midterm paper - now!!!!!Before I go, let me say, enjoy this film!!!!!10/10