A fairly good Classic
Disney movie from 1961. Disney remade it in 1997, calling it
Flubber starring
Robin Williams. If you saw
Flubber, this movie might disappoint you,otherwise you'll like it.
Fred MacMurray (a Disney staple), plays Dr. Ned Brainard, a professor working at Medfield College. He's your stereotypical absent-minded nutty professor. Not only does he blow up his lab, but he's so absent minded with his calculations that he forgets to show up at his own wedding, three times.
He's trying to create a new formula in his garage. The college is in financial troubles, it may go under unless it gets some money. A mean millionaire, Alonzo P. Hawk(Keenan Wynne) wants to tear down the college and build housing. Any discovery Brainard makes could save the college.
Meanwhile, Brainard misses his wedding for the third time, because his lab blows up. He creates this new compound, which can bounce. But instead of bouncing less and less, like a regular ball, it bounces more and more. "It's creating its own energy!" It looks like a lump of blue-green playdough, and calls it Flubber, after the idea of "Flying Rubber."
With this new material, he takes his old Model T Ford (in 1961? Gee, he's absent-minded) and replaces the engine with a tank of Flubber, making the car fly around the town. Meanwhile, other things are getting worse. Betsy, his long-suffering fiancee, has grown tired of being stood up at the altar, and has started dating nerdy Professor Shelby Ashton.
Alonzo's son Biff just got booted from the College's Basketball team for low grades (The professor gave him an F in Chemistry). Without him as the Star player, the Medfield Team is losing horribly to Rutland College. During half-time, Brainard irons Flubber to the bottoms of all the players shoes, and they manage to jump and bounce all over the court in a stunning victory.
Alonzo Hawk catches on; he steals the professor's flying car and replaces it with an ordinary Model T. Meanwhile, Betsy is going to the college dance with Prof Ashton. The Pentagon's top officials come to see the new invention, but the 'dud' car won't fly.
Things are looking down, but Brainard gets his girl back, because Betsy feels sorry for the eccentric genius and promises to help him recover his flubbermobile. He turns the tables on Hawk, making him bounce for hours while he gets his car back. The Professor and Betsy both drive/fly to Washington D.C. to sell the flubber to the government, and with the money they'll save the College.
The movie doesn't look all that great; it's monochrome, and there are special effects like making the car fly with wires. Not too many jokes, but there are lots of people and things bouncing around and some slapstick.
This movie was such a hit that Paramount Pictures made their own with Jerry Lewis, in The Nutty Professor. Disney made a sequel, called Son of Flubber, which was okay.
I reccomend it for kids, this was one of those movies that got my imagination working.