Every captain starts out as a cadet, and if Kurt Russell's comic turn is the best thing in Captain Ron, it might be because he spent much of his youth in Disney movies, including these (all out of print but available in some stores):
*FOLLOW ME, BOYS! (1966) Corny comedy-drama about a Boy Scout troop. Minor Role: At 15, he's compelling as a tough kid who's reformed under the wing of a scoutmaster (Fred MacMurray). Adult Follow-up: Plays wise-guy carpenter who's reformed under the spell of rich amnesiac (Goldie Hawn) in 1987's Overboard.
*THE ONE AND ONLY, GENUINE, ORIGINAL FAMILY BAND (1968) Overly cheerful musical about an overly large family in the 1880s. Minor Role: Lip-synchs songs and plays snare drum. Adult Follow-up: Lip-synchs songs and plays guitar in 1979's Elvis.
*THE HORSE IN THE GREY FLANNEL SUIT (1968) Frothy capitalist farce about an advertising exec who buys his daughter a horse. Minor Role: Pulls off tense confrontation scene with girfriend's creepy father (Dean Jones). Adult Follow-up: Has tense confrontation with creepy alien life-form in 1982's The Thing.
*THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES (1970) ''Wacky'' comedy about a college student who's transformed into a human computer. Minor Role: Wears really tacky double-breasted suits and ties with panache. Adult Follow-up: Wears really glitzy suits and ties with panache in 1988's Tequila Sunrise.
*THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE (1971) Another of those ''wacky'' comedies, about a TV-network mail boy who moves up the corporate ranks with the help of a clever chimpanzee. Minor Role: Exhibits comedic rapport with costar Raffles the chimp. Adult Follow-up: Exhibits comedic rapport with costar Sylvester Stallone in 1989's Tango & Cash.
