The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)
Equal parts Disney slapstick fantasy, Tarzan movie and
underdog sports flick, The World's Greatest Athlete had
enough zany spirit for several films.
With a cast that included Tim Conway, John Amos, a then-unknown
Jan-Michael Vincent (later star of TV's Airwolf ) and
sportscaster Howard Cosell as himself, the movie continued the
Disney sports comedy tradition of Gus and The Strongest
Man in the World.
Amos plays college track coach Sam Archer, and Conway is his
assistant, Milo Jackson. Faced with yet another dismal team and
increasing pressure from Dean Maxwell, the two men are ready to
pack it in.
But on a trip to the African wilderness, Archer and Jackson
discover Nanu (Vincent), a born athlete raised in the jungle. The
coaches swindle Nanu's godfather, Gazenga, into letting them take
the 'world's greatest athlete' back to the States.
Nanu instantly turns the team around, astounding even the
seasoned Cosell. But the two coaches messed with the wrong
godfather, and witch doctor Gazenga takes creative revenge,
shrinking Jackson to mouse size and wreaking effects-fuelled havoc
on the way to the championships.
The World's Greatest Athlete wasn't the biggest hit in
the Disney line-up of 70's comedy, but it was a wildly fun treat
for those who saw it.
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