The Absent Minded Professor (1961)

A college professor invents an anti-gravity substance which a corrupt businessman wants for himself.

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Bill Walsh (screenplay), Samuel W. Taylor (story)

Stars:

Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fred MacMurray	...	Professor Ned Brainard
Nancy Olson	...	Betsy Carlisle
Keenan Wynn	...	Alonzo P. Hawk
Tommy Kirk	...	Biff Hawk
Leon Ames	...	President Rufus Daggett
Elliott Reid	...	Professor Shelby Ashton
Edward Andrews	...	Defense Secretary
David Lewis	...	General Singer
Jack Mullaney	...	Air Force Captain
Belle Montrose	...	Mrs. Chatsworth
Wally Brown	...	Coach Elkins
Wally Boag	...	TV Newsman
Don Ross	...	Lenny
Forrest Lewis	...	Police Officer Kelley
James Westerfield	...	Police Officer Hanson

Storyline

A bumbling professor accidently invents flying rubber, or "Flubber", an incredible material that gains energy every time it strikes a hard surface. It allows for the invention of shoes that can allow jumps of amazing heights and enables a modified Model-T to fly. Unfortunately, no one is interested in the material except for Alonzo Hawk, a corrupt businessman who wants to steal the material for himself.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | the white house | washington monument washington d.c. | flubber | experiment | 

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Taglines:

THAT FABULOUS 'SHAGGY DOG' GUY DISCOVERS 'FLUBBER' The GOO that Flew!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Absent Minded Professor

Filming Locations:

Renwick Gym, Pomona College - 333 N. College Way, Claremont, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Three generations of the Wynn family act in this film: Ed Wynn; his son Keenan Wynn; and Keenan's son, Ned Wynn.

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Goofs

When the professor is explaining to Charlie how flubber will power the Model T, it is obvious that the engine and transmission are missing from the car. He then takes the car out for a test drive/flight. The bottom view of the car clearly shows the engine and transmission in the Model T.

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Quotes

First Referee: There's nothing in the rule book that says one team can't jump higher than the other.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a colorized version (made in 1986 and later in 1997), on TV, VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: Fred MacMurray (1961)

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Soundtracks

Medfield Fight Song
Written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

User Reviews

Watch This Fun, Screwball Romp - but ONLY If You Are Not Jaded and Have Lost Sight of What Simple Fun Is

I think it is time this movie is reviewed by its positive qualities and not just centered on how utterly sophisticated the reviewer would like to be remembered by the readers of IMDB.com.

First of all, let me say there is nothing wrong with "hokum" or old American values or screwball comedies or old Disney movies. As with anything, it's always in the eye of the beholder. This movie was fun to watch and funny in enough places to warrant a watch by any self-respecting human being with a warm sense of humor.

Second of all, The Absent-Minded Professor elicited a wonderful collection of chuckles from me. Perhaps I didn't expect them...but they did come and especially in one joyful moment during a basketball game. Believe me, I am not even an NBA fan...but that scene cured a lot of ills. Maybe it was my frame of mind on that particular day. But, the record stands that I did laugh, and with some old-fashioned "glee", I might add.

Third of all, I believe comedies are sometimes taken too seriously: As if we were supposed to come away with some vastly profound elucidation from the experience.

Fourth of all, one has to be rather shallow not to appreciate the the wonderful collection of character actors in this and many Disney movies - before the prohibitive cost of making movies made it impossible to have a diverse collection of actors. I miss this kind of movie where character actors litter the celluloid landscape as if in some garden of earthly theatrical delights "a la Frank Capra or Preston Sturges".

One last thing, it was a travesty that this 1961 movie, though nominated for some Oscars, did not win at least in the Technical categories. Yes, it's goofy to us in these 'Post-2001 A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, ET, Independence Day' times, but all of them owe a bit of thanks to the legacy of the past.

And this movie is part of that legacy of fun effects which advanced us ever so kindly into our present state of "sophistication", and sometimes, Ungrateful Complacency and Ennui.