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The World's Greatest Athlete

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5.3/10 • 28

1973-02-141h 46m

ComedyFamily

From the JUNGLE to the GYM...He's the Greatest!

Stuck with a feeble sports department, college coach Sam Archer (John Amos) faces the ax unless he can reverse the school's athletic fortunes. An African vacation with his assistant (Tim Conway) answers Archer's prayers when he spots the athletically gifted Nanu (Jan-Michael Vincent). Sam counts on Nanu's remarkable abilities to put the team back on the winning track. This upbeat farce boasts an impressive cast of comedians.

Directors
Robert Scheerer
Editors
Cotton Warburton

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Jan-Michael Vincent

    Jan-Michael Vincent

    Nanu

  2. Tim Conway

    Tim Conway

    Milo Jackson

  3. John Amos

    John Amos

    Coach Sam Archer

  4. Roscoe Lee Browne

    Roscoe Lee Browne

    Gazenga

  5. Dayle Haddon

    Dayle Haddon

    Jane

  6. Billy De Wolfe

    Billy De Wolfe

    Dean Maxwell

  7. Nancy Walker

    Nancy Walker

    Mrs. Petersen

  8. Vito Scotti

    Vito Scotti

    Games spectator

  9. Howard Cosell

    Howard Cosell

    Himself - Announcer

Reviews1

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r96sk Avatar

r96sk

Aug 8, 2020

6/10

Bang average. 'The World’s Greatest Athlete' feels like a mixture of stuff we've seen before in this era of Disney. It doesn't do enough to make an impact on me, not helped by silliness of the story and meh casting. John Amos is the best part of this, I enjoyed what he brings to the table here. Away from him I'm struggling to remember any others already, Roscoe Lee Browne - who is in one of my favourite films, 'Treasure Planet' - is alright but I found his character boring. I think there's actually potential there with the overall premise, but as usual with this studio's early decades they choose to make it dumb and silly rather than meaningful - it would take a load of tweaking, but I reckon this would make a better coming-of-age/underdog story with a more proper tone. That would make it a completely different film, admittedly. Lastly, the score is surprisingly solid while the end scene is its most amusing moment. Those two things and Amos aside, this is a bland one.

Media

  • The World's Greatest Athlete poster
  • The World's Greatest Athlete poster
  • The World's Greatest Athlete poster
  • The World's Greatest Athlete poster
  • The World's Greatest Athlete poster
  • The World's Greatest Athlete poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
sports