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The AbsentMinded Professor (1961)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
16 March 1961 (USA)
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Tagline:
The funniest discovery since laughter!! [1976 re-release UK] more
Plot:
A college professor invents an anti-gravity substance which a corrupt businessman wants for himself. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another 3 wins
&
3 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Ask the Flying Monkey! (September 7, 2009)
(From AfterElton.com. 8 September 2009, 6:10 AM, PDT)
Movie Reviews: 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 15 November 2002)
(From AfterElton.com. 8 September 2009, 6:10 AM, PDT)
Movie Reviews: 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'
(From Studio Briefing - Film News. 15 November 2002)
User Comments:
More Bounce To The Ounce
more (22 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Fred MacMurray | ... | Prof. Ned Brainard | |
| Nancy Olson | ... | Betsy Carlisle | |
| Keenan Wynn | ... | Alonzo P. Hawk | |
| Tommy Kirk | ... | Biff Hawk | |
| Leon Ames | ... | President Rufus Daggett | |
| Elliott Reid | ... | Prof. Shelby Ashton | |
| Edward Andrews | ... | Defense Secretary | |
| David Lewis | ... | Gen. Singer | |
| Jack Mullaney | ... | Air Force Captain | |
| Belle Montrose | ... | Mrs. Chatsworth | |
| Wally Brown | ... | Coach Elkins | |
| Wally Boag | ... | TV Newsman | |
| Don Ross | ... | Lenny | |
| Forrest Lewis | ... | Officer Kelley | |
| James Westerfield | ... | Officer Hanson |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Absent-Minded Professor (Australia)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
92 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)
Certification:
USA:Approved (certificate #19680) (original rating) |
Canada:G (video rating) |
USA:G (re-rating) (1974) |
Australia:G |
Finland:K-8 |
UK:U
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Three generations of the Wynn family act in this film: Ed Wynn; his son Keenan Wynn; and Keenan Wynn's son, Ned Wynn.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Alonzo Hawk is talking to Ned and Betsy about 'merging together', Betsy is putting on his flubberized shoes. Right before Alonzo gets up you clearly see that the soles of the shoes do not have Flubber applied, although he jumps as if he did. He never changes shoes.
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Quotes:
[the fire crew has arrived to rescue Alonzo Hawk, who is now bouncing out of control]
Fire Chief: [shouting through megaphone] Mr. Hawk! This is the Fire Chief speaking! We'll have everything under control in just a moment. Now Mr. Hawk, try to relax.
Alonzo P. Hawk: Relax? How can I relax, you fat-head?
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Fire Chief: [shouting through megaphone] Mr. Hawk! This is the Fire Chief speaking! We'll have everything under control in just a moment. Now Mr. Hawk, try to relax.
Alonzo P. Hawk: Relax? How can I relax, you fat-head?
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Movie Connections:
Featured in "Disneyland: Disney Goes to the Oscars (#30.8)" (1986)
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Soundtrack:
Medfield Fight Song
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FAQ
List: Wacky basketballmore
more (22 total)
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The Absentminded Professor was the second film that Fred MacMurray in his second career rebirth with Walt Disney as the midwife. He scored an enormous success in The Shaggy Dog and Disney films together with his My Three Sons TV series established MacMurray as the quintessential family father figure which would endure for the rest of his life.
I do remember seeing this in the theater back as a youngster and back then the younger ones in the crowd were looking at Tommy Kirk who was at the height of his Disney popularity.
Nevertheless MacMurray gives a delightful performance as science professor Ned Brainerd who's accidentally invented a variation on rubber which has a great deal more bounce to it.
He's so wrapped up in his experiment that he's even forgetting his wedding day to Nancy Olson, AGAIN. She's about had it with him and ready to fall for the wolfish English professor Elliott Reid.
MacMurray has his own troubles. Other than helping his college win a basketball game with a team that they are way overmatched against, he's not quite decided what use this stuff he calls flubber is good for. But wealthy Keenan Wynn sure wants to get his hands on it.
Funniest sequence in the film is Keenan Wynn after MacMurray and Olson trick him into wearing flubberized shoes is seeing bounce slowly into the stratosphere before a quick thinking Tommy Kirk devises a way to counteract his flubberized dad.
The AbsentMinded Professor was so popular with audiences that Disney did another version with almost the entire same cast in Son of Flubber.
That one was almost as funny, but this still has a lot of laughs even after almost fifty years.