Moviecut—Son of Flubber

source: Son of Flubber

Lots of good performances and cameos. Best is probably Paul Lynde, in his own way stealing the show as the football announcer. And Ed Wynn as the agricultural witness. Better than The Absent Minded Professor. Supposedly Walt Disney didn't like sequels, but there were so many "left-over" gimmicks froom ABSENT that they made this film.

Robert Stevenson returned to direct this sequel to "The Absent-Minded Professor" which also sees Fred MacMurray return as Medfield college professor Brainard, who is working on a new invention derived from flubber called flubbergas, which he hopes will make the school a fortune, since the Pentagon put a hold on flubber itself for military use, and he has been sent a big tax bill by the IRS. Keenan Wynn returns as crooked businessman Alonzo Hawk, who also wants flubbergas for his own profit, while Brainard uses it to affect the weather and help the school football team. Equally silly sequel, only more so, and as a result is a slight step-down from the first. For kids mostly.

For me to say that this "Gosh! Golly! Gee!' Disney picture (from 1963) could've been a whole lot better than it was would truly be an understatement like never before imagined. With its utterly cheap, laughable, old-school visual effects - "Son of Flubber" was, indeed, a mighty disappointing SyFy/Comedy story concerning Prof. Brainard's brilliant invention of anti-gravity gas. And, with that as its premiss - This picture's plot-line, literally, had a whole, big world of creative potential sitting right there on its very doorstep waiting to be explored to the max. But - Unfortunately - This dismal "product-of-its-time" wimped out to the absolute nth degree. And - As a result - All that "Son of Flubber" amounted to being was just another pathetic pile of forgettable nonsense that had "childish drivel" clearly written all over it.

By the time Son of Flubber was released by Walt Disney in 1963, Fred MacMurray was firmly established in the third phase of his career as star of G-rated Disney films and television situation comedies. MacMurray was able to do this because of a unique clause he had written into his contract with CBS which produced the My Three Sons show that he starred in for a dozen or so years. All of MacMurray's scenes in all episodes were filmed at the beginning of the cycle so as to allow him to do those Disney films as well. It worked out great for him. Disney took virtually the entire cast of The Absent Minded Professor and added several new faces as well. In the previous film, MacMurray revolutionizes rubber by making a substance that bounces higher with each bounce than lower. That film ends with MacMurray flying to Washington in his Model T (you read it right) to give flubber for the defense of the free world. But Washington, DC red tape being what it is MacMurray and his new bride Nancy Olson aren't seeing any money any time soon. But not to worry, Fred's found a byproduct of flubber that he calls flubber gas. A lighter than air substance that really makes anything fly. In the first film, MacMurray used his college's basketball team as a test for flubber. In Son of Flubber, flubber gas is tested during a football game with the same hilarious results. In fact more so because in this film Paul Lynde is the stressed and harried play by play announcer of the college football game. For me he's the highlight of the film. In Son of Flubber, Disney gives us an entertaining and worthy successor to the Absent Minded Professor that after almost fifty years will still appeal to anyone not made of stone.

"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."

This is a thousand times better than the first film. The age gap between Fred Macmaurray and Nacy Olson no longer matters as they are now married and no longer just dating. Tommy Kirk is fantastic as Biff Hawk, I'm suprised he did not get above the title billing. It does seem strange that the actor playing Humphrey Hacker was a decade older than Kirk. What a shame this was not filmed in colour, I can't imagine watching this film in the original black and white.

A poor follow-up to 'The Absent-Minded Professor'. 'Son of Flubber' is inferior in every department. I praise the original for its amusing humour, but this film manages to lose it almost entirely. There are a few smirk-worthy moments, but it's mostly stale. A large reason for that is the lacklustre plot, which isn't ever interesting. The Flubber itself is rarely used, as they instead focus of its "gas". The conclusion is, like with the 1961 film, rather dull and adds little. Fred MacMurray, to his credit, is again good in the role of Prof. Brainard. Nancy Olson (Betsy) and Keenan Wynn (Alonzo) are both involved again, while Tommy Kirk (Biff) is shoehorned into a bigger part; not sure why. Speaking of forced characters, James Westerfield and Forrest Lewis again appear in the roles of officers Hanson & Kelly; they were, in my opinion, only funny in 'The Shaggy Dog', which these films evidently share the same universe with. Surely this sequel needed to be bigger and grander than the earlier film? Instead it practically follows the same path without setting the world alight. Still, I'm intrigued to see where the story goes for the Disney Channel produced sequels - though I'll have to wait to view, given they oddly aren't on the studio's streaming service or anywhere else. Overall, this isn't worthy of a watch.

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.