O Fabuloso Criador de Encrencas

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.

Son of Flubber

Fred MacMurray returns to his famous role of a wacky, absent-minded professor who invents a strange substance that he calls "flubber." In this sequel (the strangely named "Son of"), he does little but jump through the same hoops.

Entertaining, but not fresh.

2.5/5 stars.

• John Ulmer

this sequel to The Absent Minded Professor is actually a better movie.i found it funnier,more entertaining and it had a better story.the character were expanded a bit more,which makes sense,since it is a sequel.unlike Professor,this one doesn't have any slow or boring moments.it's much better paced.i like the fact that the wife had more to do in this one.the movie is just as silly,but it's meant to be,and if you keep that in mind going in,you'll probably enjoy it more.it's not high art or anything,but it will keep you entertained for 102 minutes or so.and it's fun for the whole family.my vote for The Son of Flubber:6.5/10

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.

"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."