Classic Disney comedy is on full display in “The Absent-Minded Professor.” Fred MacMurray plays Ned Brainard, a chemistry professor who gets so caught up in his invention of flubber that he forgets about his wedding plans, not once, but three times. (Flubber is “flying rubber” which picks up energy when it hits a hard surface, causing it to bounce continually.) The film benefited from expert direction by Robert Stevenson (“Darby O’Gill and the Little People” 1959) and a lucid screenplay by Bill Walsh.
MacMurray is is classic form as the good-natured but forgetful Prof. Brainard, not too different from his role as Steve Douglas on the television series “My Three Sons” (1960-1972). Co-stars include Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk, Leon Ames, Edward Andrews, Wally Boag, Allan Hewitt, Raymond Bailey, Wally Brown, David Lewis, and Ed Wynn as the fire chief. This small part by Wynn united him with his son Keenan Wynn in a rare feature film appearance together.
The watchable and hilarious movie “The Absent-Minded Professor” was successful at the box office for producer Walt Disney, Walt Disney Productions, and Buena Vista Distribution. It was nominated for three Oscars, including special effects, art directions, cinematography. A sequel was released in 1963 called “Son of Flubber” with most of the original cast members. A remake came out in 1997 titled “Flubber” featuring Robin Williams and Marcia Gay Harden.
The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
cinema
My Review
Classic Disney comedy is on full display in “The Absent-Minded Professor.” Fred MacMurray plays Ned Brainard, a chemistry professor who gets so caught up in his invention of flubber that he forgets about his wedding plans, not once, but three times. (Flubber is “flying rubber” which picks up energy when it hits a hard surface, causing it to bounce continually.) The film benefited from expert direction by Robert Stevenson (“Darby O’Gill and the Little People” 1959) and a lucid screenplay by Bill Walsh.
MacMurray is is classic form as the good-natured but forgetful Prof. Brainard, not too different from his role as Steve Douglas on the television series “My Three Sons” (1960-1972). Co-stars include Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk, Leon Ames, Edward Andrews, Wally Boag, Allan Hewitt, Raymond Bailey, Wally Brown, David Lewis, and Ed Wynn as the fire chief. This small part by Wynn united him with his son Keenan Wynn in a rare feature film appearance together.
The watchable and hilarious movie “The Absent-Minded Professor” was successful at the box office for producer Walt Disney, Walt Disney Productions, and Buena Vista Distribution. It was nominated for three Oscars, including special effects, art directions, cinematography. A sequel was released in 1963 called “Son of Flubber” with most of the original cast members. A remake came out in 1997 titled “Flubber” featuring Robin Williams and Marcia Gay Harden.