The Absent-Minded Professor
The most amazing discovery since laughter!
Bumbling professor Ned Brainard accidentally 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.
Comedy
Family
Science Fiction
6.5
195 reviewsRuntime: 96 min.
Budget: $2,000,000
Revenue: N/A
Release Date: 1961-01-20
Director(s): Robert Stevenson
Production: Walt Disney Productions
Languages: English
IMDB: tt0054594
Where to Watch
Stream: 
Disney Plus
Disney PlusRent: 
Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Amazon VideoGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At HomeBuy: Amazon Video
Apple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At Home
Amazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At HomeData from JustWatch
Collection: Flubber Collection
Flubber Collection Collection
Trailers
Cast
More Like This
Recommendations
Reviews
John Chard★ 7/104/12/2020
Substance X, we dub thee - Flubber! The Absent-Minded Professor is directed by Robert Stevenson and adapted to screenplay by Bill Walsh from a story by Samuel W. Taylor. It stars Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olsen, Keenan Wynn, Tommy Kirk, Leon Ames and Elliott Reid. Music is by George Bruns and cinematography by Edward Colman. Out of Disney, we get the kind of wacky family friendly comedy that serves a purpose on a miserable real life day. MacMurray's professor has invented flying - gravity defying - rubber, which he christens Flubber. It can make you bounce up to incredible heights, make the prof's car fly and naturally it draws the attention of evil business man Alonzo Hawk (Wynn). A bunch of nutty scenarios ensue (the basketball match is a pure joy) and the prof has to win back the girl he keeps forgetting to marry (a radiant Olson). It's a creative piece of writing and it saw Disney take note for continued success in live action pictures. 7/10
r96sk★ 7/106/29/2020
An amusing film regarding Professor Brainard, a character I've always associated with Robin Williams having seen the 1997 remake first back when I was younger. Fred MacMurray plays the aforementioned in this, the original. He is pleasing here, giving a more than satisfying performance - even if it is pretty similar to the one he gives in <em>'The Shaggy Dog'</em> back in 1959. Elsewhere, Keenan Wynn plays Alonzo Hawk - he is perfect for that role. Nancy Olson (Betsy) and Tommy Kirk (Biff) are also recognisable Disney faces, though it's MacMurray and Wynn who are the standouts by quite some distance. The special effects haven't aged well at all but I can forgive that. However, the editing is very choppy when the Flubber is in use. I get why, of course, but I feel they could've sharpened the edits up a tad. The main part that I'll remember from this is the humour, which is nicely crafted. There's a lot of set pieces with the Flubber and basically all of them give laughs to some degree. If it wasn't for the fun, I'd be rating this lower - especially after the somewhat out of place ending. I prefer the remake with Williams, though that one leaves a similar impression - with the previously mentioned actor elevating that film up tremendously. This, for a special effect-filled production from 1961, is solid.