Son of Flubber

Fred MacMurray is back as the wacky science professor. Due to the absurdities of government, such as taxing him for Flubber profits before he's made a dime from it while waiting for "appropriations", he goes in search of other applications for his discovery, leading to comic complications such as creating an indoor thunderstorm, breaking windows, and growing enormous vegetables. The most hilarious application is "Flubber gas", used in a football game that's even funnier than the basketball game from the first film. Every time I saw this film, I laughed so hard at the sight of the Flubberized football player that my sides hurt. The great supporting cast from the first film is back, with the addition of Paul Lynde as the sportscaster doing the incredulous play by play of Flubber football.

"Son of Flubber" is a comedy sci-fi sequel to Walt Disney's highly popular "The Absent-Minded Professor" of 1961. And, this film picks up where the latter left off. Fred MacMurray's Prof. Ned Brainard and young college protégé Biff Hawk (played by Tommy Kirk) are drive-flying his old Model T (or Model A?) to the Pentagon to meet with the brass on the future of flubber. But, the government wants to keep it under wraps, and unfortunately, Ned can't talk about it and he won't even get a small cash advance. As the Defense Secretary, played by Edward Andrews, explains, they have to go to Congress to get the appropriations to develop flubber (for whatever national interests), and then they will have the money to pay Prof. Brainard.

But, he needed an advance of at least $350,000 to save Medfield College. That would pay off the loan with Alonzo P. Hawk, who otherwise is going to bulldoze the college for a development project. There's only one thing to do. He's got to market his newest invention. Where the first film had the professor trying out flubber in a basketball game, this film takes to the gridiron where the prof's gas will be used to win a big football game.

There are all sorts of complications here, with the professor's wife, Betsy, played by Nancy Olson, and the college president, played by Leon Adams, and the community. It's a fun and funny film in the tradition of Disney movies of this sort. This one has a big cast of well-known actors and Disney standouts, including others who would become known as the early Disney Legends before that became an official list. Besides MacMurray and Kirk, Keenan Wynn and Paul Lynde were among this group. Other top actors of the day in the film are Ed Wynn, William Demarest, Charles Ruggles, and Stuart Erwin.

Here are a couple favorite lines from this very good family film.

Defense Secretary (Andrews), "Remember - you're in Washington. Stop trying to be reasonable about money or you're going to bollix the whole thing."

Desiree de la Roche (played by Joanna Moore), at her costume Halloween party, "There's a tank of martinis in here and everybody'd bobbing for olives."

There is no disguising that this is an obvious attempt on Disney to cash in on the success of "The Absent Minded Professor" made 2 years earlier. No one can fault them for that - however, there seems to be little originality in this version. You would think they would have made a greater attempt at new gags and originality. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

There is the same sports scene set-up. In AMP it was a basketball game. In SOF it is a football game. There is the same romantic rivalry between Brainard (Fred McMurray) and Professor Shelby Ashton (Elliott Reid), over Brainard's wife, Betsy (Nancy Olsen). They do throw in a 4th party in this film for good measure -Desiree de la Roche (Joanna Cook Moore) - as Brainard's old flame who has her sights set on him again. There is another prank on Professor Shelby while he is driving in his car (this time its filling with water from a Brainard created rain cloud inside the car). You still have Alonzo Hawks (Kennan Wynn) trying to destroy Medfield College by calling in their overdue loan. You have the same cops from the prior moving getting their new squad car destroyed again. So as you see, not a lot of originality here.

The worst scene in my opinion is the ending of the court room scene. The giant fruit and the marching band were way over the top. I did like the stunts on the football field, however. Some of the jumping and flying ball players looked very realistic. I also liked the closing shot of the satellites, the flying football, and earth in the background. Pretty good special effects.

It is interesting that McMurray was an accomplished saxophone player, so look for him playing the actual music during the Halloween party. Also, Paul Lynde makes his film debut in this movie. I liked seeing William Demarest (later to be Uncle Charley on "My Three Sons") in a small role that matches him up with McMurray. He doesn't begin "MTS" until 1965 which is 2 years after this film. Also, you may remember Joanna Cook Moore as the actress that played Andy's girlfriend Peg on "The Andy Griffith Show" for 4 episodes in 1962. Perhaps it helped her land this role. She has another claim to fame - she married Ryan O'Neal in 1963 and is the mother of Tatum O'Neal.

Overall, this sequel doesn't play quite as well as the first. It is still entertaining in places and has a host of noteworthy supporting players.

This is the sequel to "The Absent Minded Professor" [1961]. Slower, and more uneven. The "Absent Minded Professor" was mainly a one-joke affair; Fred MacMurray's fantastic invention "flubber", and by the time "Son of Flubber" came out, it had worn a bit thin. For instance, the SoF copied the AMP with a sports contest. In AMP it was the basketball game half-way through, but in SOF it was a football game as the grand finale [which shows you the tired plot line]. It does have its moments, though...watch for Paul Lynde as the sportscaster, as well as the father/son team of Ed and Keenan Wynn.

Perhaps it's just the vivid memories from my childhood, but this is a far underrated Disney film from the 60s. Is it moving? Not really. Is it groundbreaking? Not really. Is it the best Disney film ever made? Not even close. But something about this film entertains me even as an adult.

There are a few sequences in this film that are comedy gold. I laughed hysterically as a kid. But even now that I'm a grown man, I can't help but find these sequences still hilarious.

It's a really whacky film with whacky characters and whacky scenes. But you know what? It's also a unique film. It's a snapshot of 1960s Americana that's very, very special, in my opinion, and even better than the first installment The Absent Minded Professor.