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The Barefoot Executive

The Barefoot Executive – 1971
Director
Robert Butler

Writers
Joseph L. McEveety (screenplay)
Lila Garrett (story)

Cast
Kurt Russell
Joe Flynn
Harry Morgan

Review by Wayne Malin

Silly but kids will like it,

Young idealistic Steven Post (Kurt Russell) wants to get ahead in the TV industry but obnoxious boss Francis Wilbanks (Joe Flynn) constantly ignores him. Then Steven’s loving girlfriend Jennifer (Heather North) gets a chimp (don’t ask) who can predict what TV shows will be hits (!!!). Steve uses the chimp (without telling anyone) and becomes vice-president of a network in no time (just like real life huh?)…but Wilbanks is VERY suspicious of how he knows what shows will be popular.

VERY silly Disney comedy. The humor and slapstick are either stupid and/or predictable, the characters are 1-dimensional and the lines would be laughed off “The Brady Bunch” as being too corny…but the kids will like this. Unlike the G rated movies today there’s no crude humor, no violence and no jokes about bodily functions. This basically has good clean (if silly) humor.

I admit most of the movie had me rolling my eyes but I did keep watching. I actually did laugh a few times towards the end (the reactions of a woman being interviewed on the street were very funny) and it was fun seeing Russell and John Ritter so young. Also Flynn has his moments as does Harry Morgan as the president of the network. North is sweet (but not TOO sweet) as Jen and look for Bill Daily at the end. And the chimp was adorable!

So it is silly and predictable with a title song that makes you want to cut your ears off…but it’s perfect for the kids. I give it a 5.

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70s Films

A tour through the great and not so great films of the seventies The seventies saw a huge change in styles and genres from the advent of the slasher horror movies like Halloween and the blockbuster summers films started by Jaws. More...

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