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{{Short description|1963 film by Robert Stevenson}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Son of Flubber
| image          = Son of Flubber - 1963 - Poster.png
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Robert Stevenson (filmmaker)|Robert Stevenson]]
| screenplay         = [[Bill Walsh (producer)|Bill Walsh]]<br>[[Don DaGradi]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|Story|[[Samuel W. Taylor]]}}
| producer       = [[Walt Disney]]
| starring       = [[Fred MacMurray]]<br>[[Nancy Olson]]<br>[[Keenan Wynn]]<br>[[Tommy Kirk]]<br>[[Joanna Moore]]<br>[[Leon Ames]]<br>[[Elliott Reid]]<br>[[Edward Andrews]]<br>[[Ed Wynn]]<br>[[Charlie Ruggles]]<br>[[Ken Murray (entertainer)|Ken Murray]]<br>[[William Demarest]]<br>[[Paul Lynde]]<br>[[Bob Sweeney (actor and director)|Bob Sweeney]]
| cinematography = [[Edward Colman (cinematographer)|Edward Colman]]
| editing        = [[Cotton Warburton]]
| music          = [[George Bruns]]
| studio         = [[Walt Disney Pictures|Walt Disney Productions]]
| distributor    = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Distribution]]
| released       = {{Film date|1963|1|16}}
| runtime        = 100 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = $22.1 million<ref name="numbers">[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1963/00252.php Box Office Information for ''Son of Flubber''.] The Numbers. Retrieved September 5, 2013.</ref>
}}
'''''Son of Flubber''''' is a 1963 American [[science fiction comedy|science fiction comedy film]] directed by [[Robert Stevenson (filmmaker)|Robert Stevenson]] and produced by [[Walt Disney Pictures|Walt Disney Productions]]. It is the [[sequel]] to ''[[The Absent-Minded Professor]]'' (1961) and the first sequel to a Disney film. [[Fred MacMurray]] reprises his role from the previous film as Ned Brainard, a scientist who has perfected a high-bouncing substance, Flubber ("flying rubber"), that can levitate an automobile and cause athletes to bounce into the sky. In addition to MacMurray, [[Nancy Olson]], [[Keenan Wynn]], [[Ed Wynn]], [[Elliott Reid]], and [[Tommy Kirk]] also co-star, reprising their roles from the previous film.

Released on January 16, 1963, the film was shot in [[black and white]], but a [[film colorization|colorized]] version was released on [[VHS]] in 1997.

==Plot==
Professor Ned Brainard's discovery of Flubber has not quite brought him or his college the riches he thought.

The Pentagon has declared his discovery "top secret" and the IRS has slapped him with a huge tax bill, even though he has yet to receive any money from his invention. Ned thinks he may have found the solution in the form of "Flubbergas", or the "son of Flubber", which can actually change the weather. His wife Betsy becomes fed up with all the stress and files for divorce; the professor's old rival, Professor Shelby, starts trying to woo her again.

Brainard's experiments with a ray projector device are making it rain inside people's houses all over town. When Brainard feels threatened by Professor Shelby's attentions towards his wife, Brainard uses it to make it rain inside Shelby's car, complete with thunder and lightning, to frighten the man, causing his car to crash right into the same police car that he wrecked in ''the Absent-Minded Professor''.

The Flubbergas also helps Medfield College's football team win an important game, but it has one unfortunate side effect: Flubbergas only works on makeshift clouds, but when it comes to real clouds, there is no rain at all, instead, it shatters the glass all over town. This places Brainard on the lam from Alonzo P. Hawk, who is planning to close Medfield College, and whose insurance company must pay the claims for the broken glass. Mr. Hawk traces the damage to Ned, and threatens legal action after Ned rejects his offer to become partners in a glass company scam.

At home, Ned's wife Betsy is jealous of the attentions lavished on him by an old high school girlfriend Shelby brings around to help him win Betsy's affections. She dumps Shelby after Ned is arrested.

On trial, Ned's future seems hopeless as he is faced with the various property damage lawsuit. A prosecutor urges Ned to return to his classroom and give up his science experiments. However, the county [[Agricultural extension|agricultural extension agent]] shows the court that crops all around the town have experienced accelerated growth because of Ned's experiments, because of what the agent names "Dry Rain".

The professor is acquitted and he and Betsy are reunited.

Driving home in their flying car, Betsy tells Ned she is now crazy about his science experiments, and soon they share a kiss. In the last scene, the football filled with Flubbergas flies into outer space.

==Cast==
{{columns-list|colwidth=35em|
* [[Fred MacMurray]] as Professor Ned Brainard
* [[Nancy Olson]] as Betsy Brainard, nee Carlisle
* [[Keenan Wynn]] as Alonzo P. Hawk
* [[Ed Wynn]] as A. J. Allen
* [[Bob Sweeney (actor and director)|Bob Sweeney]] as Mr. Harker
* [[Paul Lynde]] as the Sportscaster 
* [[Tommy Kirk]] as Biff Hawk
* [[Leon Ames]] as President Rufus Daggett 
* [[Charlie Ruggles]] as Judge Murdock
* [[Ken Murray (entertainer)|Ken Murray]] as Mr. Hurley
* [[William Demarest]] as Mr. Hummel 
* [[Elliott Reid]] as Prof. Shelby Ashton 
* [[Joanna Moore]] as Desiree de la Roche 
* [[Edward Andrews]] as Defense Secretary 
* [[James Westerfield]] as Police Officer Hanson 
* [[Alan Carney]] as Referee 
* [[Forrest Lewis]] as Police Officer Kelly
* [[Alan Hewitt]] as Prosecutor 
* [[Jack Albertson]] as Mr. Barley
* [[Stuart Erwin]] as Coach Wilson
* [[Eddie Ryder]] as Mr. Osborne 
* [[Harriet MacGibbon]] as Mrs. Edna Daggett 
* [[Beverly Wills]] as Mother in Commercial 
* [[Wally Boag]] as George – Father in Commercial 
* [[Ginny Tyler]] as Baby Walter (voice)
* Leon Tyler as Humphrey Hacker
* [[Joe Flynn (US actor)|Joe Flynn]] as TV Announcer Rex Williams (uncredited)
* [[Clegg Hoyt]] as George (silent uncredited part with Paul Lynde)
}}

==Production notes==
This is a film in which [[Ed Wynn]] and his son [[Keenan Wynn]] appear together. They also each appeared in ''The Absent Minded Professor''.

Plans to make a sequel to ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' were announced in November 1961.<ref>{{Cite news|title=MacMurray Set in 'Professor' Sequel: Disney Film About King Arthur; Peter Finch and Wife Co-star|author=Hopper, Hedda|date=Nov 4, 1961|work=Los Angeles Times|page=B6}}</ref> According to [[Walt Disney]]'s daughter, her father (who abhorred sequels) made the film only because there were unused gags from ''The Absent-Minded Professor''.

The scene, where the Professor makes it rain into Shelby's car, causing the accident with a police car, is very similar to the scene in ''The Absent-Minded Professor'', where the Professor repeatedly jumps on top of Shelby's car, honking his Model T horn, causing an accident with the same police car.

The football game was filmed on a field constructed in a studio, with players suspended by wires.<ref>{{Cite news|title=DISNEY IMPROVES ON FLYING TACKLE: Football Players Soar in the Air in 'Son of Flubber'|author=BOSLEY CROWTHER|date=May 5, 1962|work=New York Times|page=18}}</ref>

Medfield College, which was also the setting for the earlier film ''The Absent-Minded Professor'', was later used for Disney's ''[[Dexter Riley (film series)|Dexter Riley]]'' trilogy: ''[[The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes]]'' (1969), ''[[Now You See Him, Now You Don't]]'' (1972), and ''[[The Strongest Man in the World]]'' (1975), with all three starring [[Kurt Russell]] and [[Cesar Romero]].

[[Keenan Wynn]] would play a version of Alonzo Hawk once more, in ''[[Herbie Rides Again]]'' (1974), where his middle initial inexplicably changes from P to A.

==Reception==
''Son of Flubber'' was a critical and commercial success. It grossed $22,129,412<ref name="numbers"/> at the box office, earning $7.1 million in [[Gross rental|theatrical rentals]],<ref>"All-Time Top Grossers", ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', 6 January 1965 p 39. Please note this figure is [[Gross rental|rentals]] accruing to distributors not total gross.</ref> making it the [[1963 in film|6th highest-grossing film of 1963]]. The film holds an 88% "Fresh" rating on the [[Review aggregator|review aggregate]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/son_of_flubber/ Film reviews for ''Son of Flubber''.] [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. Retrieved April 19, 2024.</ref> It was less well-received critically than the original.<ref name="vagg">{{cite magazine|magazine=Diabolique Magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=The Cinema of Tommy Kirk|url=https://diaboliquemagazine.com/the-cinema-of-tommy-kirk/|date=9 September 2019}}</ref>

[[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote: "It is crazy, of course, in the spirit of old-fashioned sight-gag slapstick farce, but it is fun—and, indeed, a bit of a satire on the weird inventions of the new atomic age."<ref>Crowther, Bosley (February 9, 1963). "The Screen: Reinflation". ''[[The New York Times]]''. 5.</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' opined that the film "doesn't fill its father's footprints" and "lacks the ingenuity, clarity and neatness of its memorable progenitor. Fortunately, though, individual scenes within the less effective whole have the same uproarious, bellylaugh quality that characterized the original."<ref>"Film Reviews: Son of Flubber". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. January 16, 1963. 6.</ref> Philip K. Scheuer of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote: "Since I had no laugh-o-meter handy I was unable to clock the yocks but I am sure 'Son of Flubber' will hold its own against ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' and ''[[Bon Voyage! (1962 film)|Bon Voyage]]''."<ref>Scheuer, Philip K. (January 13, 1963). "Pounds of Trouble, Tons of Slapstick Fun". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Calendar, p. 3.</ref> ''[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]]'' thought that the film "strains too hard to repeat the success of its predecessor, ''The Absent-Minded Professor'', and is further weighed down by some unnecessary complications presented with little wit or sparkle. But the slapstick is generally as inventive as before, taking in a delightful spoof commercial for flubber and some excellent special effects when Professor Brainard launches his home-made clouds and his flubberised football player."<ref>{{cite journal |date=April 1963 |title=Son of Flubber |journal=[[The Monthly Film Bulletin]] |volume=30 |issue=351 |page=51}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1963]]
* ''[[Flubber (film)|Flubber]]'', a remake of the original film

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://movies.disney.com/son-of-flubber}}
* {{IMDb title|0057518}}
* {{TCMDb title|90803|Son of Flubber}}

{{Robert Stevenson}}

[[Category:1963 films]]
[[Category:1963 children's films]]
[[Category:1960s children's comedy films]]
[[Category:1960s science fiction comedy films]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Pictures films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American children's comedy films]]
[[Category:American science fiction comedy films]]
[[Category:American sequel films]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Robert Stevenson]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Don DaGradi]]
[[Category:Films produced by Walt Disney]]
[[Category:Films produced by Bill Walsh (producer)]]
[[Category:Medfield College films]]
[[Category:Films scored by George Bruns]]
[[Category:1963 comedy films]]
[[Category:The Absent-Minded Professor]]
[[Category:1960s American films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction comedy films]]