Bob Crane, Kurt Russell and a host of overaged stable-players from the Disney studios struggle to inject some life into flaccid farce about a middle-aged California businessman who schemes to separate his college-age daughter from her beach-bum friends. A continuation of the generation-gap ideas introduced earlier in films such as "Take Her, She's Mine" and "The Impossible Years"--this time, however, without the political activism. Director Vincent McEveety, working from a script by his uncle, Joseph L. McEveety (also from Disney's stable),eschews any meaningful underpinnings for the sake of yahoo laughs, such as Crane attempting to water-ski (the gang records Dad's antics with a home-movie camera for posterity, managing to capture his clumsy moves from an array of different angles!). What can you say about a Disney picture the company itself didn't want to release? Crane, at this point in his career, had developed a permanent bitter scowl on his face. His concerns about his daughter are understandable at first (and rather trenchant),but the McEveetys are too interested in maintaining the comic chaos, to which Crane's unflappable persona isn't well-suited. *1/2 from ****

TV's "Colonel Hogan" (Bob Crane) strives for mainstream film stardom in this out-of-touch and instantly dated Disney comedy that fails in its endeavors to attract the "hip" generation. He'sthe father of a college-age girl (Kathleen Cody) who hangs out with a high school crowd pop couldn't stand (along with boyfriend Kurt Russell),and his efforts to get her away from them puts her four hundred miles away near San Francisco where she seemingly ends up with the right crowd only to really be involved with the wrong crowd.

But pop is striving too hard to be hip, as we see in the first quarter of the film, becoming involved in his daughter's social life by accompanying her gang to the beach, ending up waterskiing (and making an absolute fool of himself),and even more so when he follows her to school. She learns that she didn't get a scholarship on her merits, and then he must confront the beatnik punk she is seeing protesting with on the news and announces her engagement to!

Absolutely absurd and pointless in every manner, this has some amusing moments but no plot other than his interference in her life and constantly making a fool out of himself. Bruno Kirby is rather aggravating as a squeaky voiced best friend of Russell whose constant job change ends up with him driving a different type of work vehicle for every crazy stunts they end up in, and Dick Van Patten and Joe Flynn are typically pompous as Crane's stuffy bosses.

The beautiful Barbara Rush photographs exquisitely but is completely wasted as the wife and mother, only able to react to the stupid stunts her husband gets in with a roll of the eye and a few words of hope. It's the always terrific Judith Lowry (Mother Dexter, "Phyllis") who steals the film with her two scenes as mother Barlow, the head of the coed dorm that's Cody lives off campus. The typical Disney sitcom look with their usual array of mostly colorless character regulars makes for a weird film that I found amusing when seeing it upon its first release and later on "The Wonderful World of Disney" on TV, but in retrospect years later, simply stinks. Three songs tossed in are completely forgettable as well, and "These are the Best Times" a cringeworthy finale. In short. "Superdad" is "Superbad".

Southern California lawyer Bob Crane (as Charlie McCready) doesn't like the potentially sexual relationship between beautiful blonde daughter Kathleen Cody (as Wendy) and beach bum boyfriend Kurt Russell (as Bart). First, Mr. Crane decides keep an eye on the kissing couple by joining the youngsters' beach partying gang. This results in some misadventures in water. Later, Crane conspires to send Ms. Cody to a faraway college. Not too smart. With her face and figure, Cody has no trouble attracting collegian attention, and becomes inadvertently engaged in a hippie gang protesting Crane's golfing business partners Joe Flynn (as Cyrus Hershberger) and Dick Van Patten (as Ira Kershaw)...

"Superdad" is the generation gap seen through the rose-colored Disney lens, which results in a sharp focus on fluff.

Canceled television series stars populate the cast. Most notably, Crane had escaped "Hogan's Heroes" and Cody emerged from "Dark Shadows" (both in 1971). Extending his teen years, Mr. Russell plays a secondary role, as does motherly Barbara Rush (as Sue),late of "Peyton Place" (1969). There is a quick pace, along with dependable amusements from all-purpose driver Bruno Kirby (as Stanley Schlimmer),hip octogenarian Judith Lowery (as Mother Barlow),and the Disney regulars. The studio held the film up in favor of "Charley and the Angel" (1973). Bobby Goldsboro's "These Are the Best Times" failed to chart. Nothing could help "Superdad" bridge the box office gap.

***** Superdad (12/14/73) Vincent McEveety ~ Bob Crane, Kathleen Cody, Kurt Russell, Barbara Rush