The World's Greatest Athlete
| The World's Greatest Athlete | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Robert Scheerer |
| Produced by | Bill Walsh |
| Written by |
Dee Caruso Gerald Gardner |
| Starring |
John Amos Roscoe Lee Browne Tim Conway Dayle Haddon Jan-Michael Vincent |
| Music by | Marvin Hamlisch |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
|
Release date
|
February 14, 1973 |
|
Running time
|
93 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $22,583,370 |
The World's Greatest Athlete is a 1973 American feature film released by Walt Disney Productions. It starred John Amos, Roscoe Lee Browne, Tim Conway, Dayle Haddon, and Jan-Michael Vincent. It is one of the few wide-release Hollywood sports films to look at the world of track and field, as the "World's Greatest Athlete", Nanu, played by Vincent, tries to make history by winning every event at the NCAA Track & Field Championship.
Sam Archer and his assistant Milo Jackson are coaches at Merrivale College. They have lost every game in every sport they've coached, raising the concerns of the head of the Alumni Association. With only one year left on his contract, Archer decides that he is in need of a vacation. Together, Archer and Jackson head to Zambia in Southern Africa.
While out on a safari, the pair catch sight with their guide Morumba of the Tarzan-like Nanu, who can outrun a cheetah in full bound. Seeing this, the coaching staff quickly whip out their recruitment pen and papers, but soon fall (literally) into the clutches of Nanu's godfather, spiritual leader Gazenga whose assistant remains in Africa. Because Nanu is an orphan and an innocent child of the bush, Gazenga believes that throwing Nanu into the world of competitive United States college athletics would interfere with his spiritual development.
Despite Gazenga's concerns, the ambitious coaches persuade Nanu to join the Merrivale College program. From this point forward, the plot is driven by a combination of slapstick and suspense, for Nanu's destiny as the World's Greatest Athlete will annoy several powerful people who are used to getting their way.
...
Wikipedia