As Desventuras de Merlin Jones

Bit of a disappointment by the end. It starts off very good, but sharply declines from the midway point.

'The Misadventures of Merlin Jones' is practically split into two stories, one about the ability to read minds and one about hypnosis. The former is entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but the latter is extremely stagnant and slow paced. The film loses all of the promising momentum that it previously builds.

Onto the cast, this is arguably Tommy Kirk's best performance to date with Disney. He is excellent as the titular character, adding a strong and fitting demeanour to the role. Annette Funicello (Jennifer) and Leon Ames (Holmsby) are noteworthy too.

Overall, it's a shame the production didn't finish how it started - I'd be rating this higher if it had. Still, this is one that is worth a watch.

If you're looking for something clean, family friendly and funny, here it is. The Misadventures of Merlin Jones delights from beginning to end. In this classic Disney fare, Tommy Kirk plays Merlin, an eccentric college student at Medfield college who is interested in science, in this case, hypnosis.

Along the way, he and girlfriend Jennifer, payed by Annette Funicello, find themselves getting into all sorts of mischief. Included in the mischief is a chimp and a judge, who likes to write crime novels.

Between the judge writing crime novels, a mischievous chimp and an eccentric student who uses hypnosis, what more in a plot could you expect or ask for?

A great film for kids and adults alike that the whole family can enjoy.

This 1964 Disney film, like many other of it's era have been long forgotten except by certain aficionados such as myself. The Misadventures of Merlin Jones stars Tommy Kirk as the title character and the unforgettable Annette Funicello in the female lead.

For those of you with short attention spans this movie actually wraps up one story line and continues to conclude another one...not only that, it's left open for a sequel called The Monkey's Uncle! Merlin Jones is the college campus genius who's wacky "scientific" experiments land him in more trouble than any good kid deserves. As a result of one experiment he gets his driver's license revoked, as a result of another he can suddenly read minds...including the mind of the judge that took his license away...and it seems that the good judge isn't all that good. Yet a 3rd experiment gets the judge himself into the same hot water that Merlin is usually in! Just as the title indicates this movie is one misadventure after another.

Don't try to analyze this movie, just sit back and enjoy it. This is the kind of movie whose sole purpose is to celebrate life's little absurdities. If you enjoy being silly then you'll enjoy this Disney gem.

The movie seems to have dramatic arcs that end at 45 minutes. First 45 minutes is about mind reading. The second 45 minutes was about hypnotism. Both almost seemed disconnected from each other. If there is anyone out there who knows about the production or about this T.V. show....Uh.. oops..I mean movie, let me know. I guess I'll have to mention my guess for why this Potential television series did not happen. The scandal of Disney discovering that "Tommy Kirk" was not heterosexual, caused Disney to drop his contract. Since the series was already in the can, they had to do something with it. So to make some money back, they linked two of the four episodes into two feature films. Again if somebody out there has the real answer...write.

Given how horribly Tommy Kirk was treated and some of the horrible films he made after Walt Disney gave him the boot one might be inclined to say The Misadventures Of Merlin Jones is a classic. I'm not one of them, in fact one wonders how this became a hit looking at it today.

Kirk in the title role is a scientific genius with the fashion sense of one. He's conducting all kinds of wild experiments which even put his relationship to fellow student Annette Funicello at risk. Still she puts up with him only God knows why.

The film bisects neatly in two segments, one concerning Kirk being supercharged with mind reading ability which produces a wonderful day in court with Judge Leon Ames. Police chief Stu Erwin thinks he's found a new crime fighting tool and in fact it does work on one interrogation subject. The second part has Kirk conducting experiments on hypnosis with a chimpanzee and Judge Ames with another day in court for Kirk.

No one ever want wrong underestimating the taste of the American public and this rather witless film was a big hit and inspired another, The Monkey's Uncle.

A whole lot of talented people look rather silly here. I can't see how The Misadventures Of Merlin Jones would appeal to anyone over 9.