Main Cast: Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk
Release Year: 1963
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
Son of Flubber represented the first time that Walt Disney ever attempted a theatrical feature sequel: in this case, the earlier film was the 1961 moneyspinner The Absent-Minded Professor. While Flubber is more formula-bound than Professor, it proved an instant audience-pleaser, and a hit to the tune of nine million dollars. Fred MacMurray returns as professor Ned Brainerd, currently working on his new discovery, "dry rain." The comically destructive side effects of this discovery seemingly doom the professor to failure -- at least until the closing courtroom sequence -- but meanwhile he has better luck with Flubbergas, a byproduct of the antigravity glop he'd invented in the first film. In addition to MacMurray, Absent-Minded Professor alumni Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk, Leon Ames, Elliott Reid, Alan Carney, Gordon Jones, Forrest Lewis, and James Westerfield reprise their roles from the earlier film, while Ed Wynn shows up in a new guise as a nervous agricultural agent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
If not quite as good as its progenitor (The Absent-Minded Professor), the always amiable Son of Flubber is still very enjoyable family fun. Son's only real problem is in the screenplay. It's not bad, but it is a bit padded. In some films, padding becomes plodding; that's not the case here, as director Robert Stevenson keeps the pace moving along very nicely. However, the padding is necessitated by a plot that -- as laid out here -- comes across as a bit too thin. In fact, it needn't come across that way. The essential conflict, of Medfield College desperately needing a money-making scheme to save it from imminent destruction, is actually strong enough to work. But the writers don't hang the "tangents" onto that plot in a convincing way. Fortunately, none of this matters too much, as the tangents themselves are entertaining, if a bit formulaic; the "Flubber"-inspired products, and especially the ad for "Flubberoleum," are especially noteworthy. Of equal importance is the very agreeable cast, led by the eternally paternal Fred MacMurray. MacMurray is having a good deal of fun here, and it's contagious. He's well matched by the spunky Nancy Olson, the spirited Tommy Kirk, and the sleazy Keenan Wynn, plus a host of good character actors such as Leon Ames, William Demarest, and Charlie Ruggles. All this good company makes Son of Flubber a very pleasant diversion. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Charlie Ruggles - Judge Murdock; Leon Ames - President Rufus Daggett; Ken Murray - Mr. Hurley; William Demarest - Mr. Hummel; Paul Lynde - Sportscaster; Elliott Reid - Shelby Ashton; Bob Sweeney - Mr. Harker; Joanna Moore - Desiree de la Roche; Edward Andrews - Defense Secretary; James Westerfield - Officer Hanson; Alan Carney - Referee; Stuart Erwin - Coach Wilson; Forrest Lewis - Officer Kelly; Alan Hewitt - Prosecutor; Leon Tyler - Humphrey Harker; Jack Albertson - Mr. Barley; Eddie Ryder - Mr. Osborne; Harriet MacGibbon - Edna Daggett; Wally Boag - Father; Joe Flynn - Announcer in TV Commercial; Byron Foulger - Proprietor; Norman Grabowski - Rutland Football Player No. 33; Darby Hinton - Hobgoblin; Henry Hunter - Admiral; Gordon Jones - Rutland Coach; Harvey Korman; Dal McKennon - Juror; Belle Montrose - Mother in Commercial; Burt Mustin - 1st Bailiff; J. Pat O'Malley - Sign Painter; Jack Rice; Robert Shayne - Assistant to Defense Secretary; Beverly Wills - Mother; Hal Smith - Bartender; Ned Wynn - Rutland Student Manager; Lindy Davis - Newsboy Joey Marriano; William H. O'Brien - Attendant; Lee Giroux - Newscaster; Mari Lynn - Couple in Commercial; Brad Morrow - Football Player; Hope Sansberry - Secretary
Credit
Carroll Clark - Art Director, William Tuntke - Art Director, Bill Runtke - Art Director, Ron Miller - Associate Producer, Bill Walsh - Associate Producer, Bill Thomas - Costume Designer, Joseph L. McEveety - First Assistant Director, Robert Stevenson - Director, Cotton Warburton - Editor, George Bruns - Composer (Music Score), Pat McNalley - Makeup, Edward Colman - Cinematographer, Walt Disney - Producer, Hal G. Gausman - Set Designer, Emile Kuri - Set Designer, Peter Ellenshaw - Special Effects, Eustace Lycett - Special Effects, Robert Mattey - Special Effects, Robert O. Cook - Sound/Sound Designer, Dean Thomas - Sound/Sound Designer, Don DaGradi - Screenwriter, Bill Walsh - Screenwriter, Danny Dun - Book Author, Raymond Abrashkin - Book Author, Samuel W. Taylor - Short Story Author
Professor Ned Brainard's discovery of flubber hasn't quite brought him - or his college - the riches he thought. The Pentagon has declared his discovery to be top secret and the IRS has slapped him with a huge tax bill, even if he has yet to receive a cent. He thinks he may have found the solution in the form of flubbergas, which can change the weather. It also helps Medfield College's football team to win a game. But it also has one unfortunate side effect: it shatters glass, which eventually places Brainard on the lam. At home, his wife Betsy is jealous of the attention lavished on him by an old high school girlfriend.
