The Absent-Minded Professor

The Absent-Minded Professor, motion picture about a scientist who invents a substance that defies gravity. Released in 1961, this comedy was based on a story by Samuel W. Taylor and produced by Walt Disney. After Professor Ned Brainard (played by Fred MacMurray) invents his flying rubber, which he calls Flubber, a villainous businessman (Keenan Wynn) tries to steal it from him. Brainard helps the local high school basketball team win a big game by putting flubber on their shoes. He makes an old jalopy fly by putting Flubber in its fuel tank.

Director

• Robert Stevenson

Cast

• Fred MacMurray (Professor Ned Brainard)
• Nancy Olson (Betsy Carlisle)
• Keenan Wynn (Alonzo Hawk)
• Tommy Kirk (Bill Hawk)
• Leon Ames (Rufus Daggett)
• Elliott Reid (Shelby Ashton)
• Edward Andrews (Defense Secretary)
• Wally Brown (Coach Elkins)
• Forrest Lewis (Officer Kelly)
• James Westerfield (Officer Hanson)
• Ed Wynn (Fire chief)
• David Lewis (General Singer)
• Belle Montrose (Mrs. Chatsworth)
• Alan Carney (Referee)
• Gage Clarke (Reverend Bosworth)
• Alan Hewitt (General Hotchkiss)
• Jack Mullaney (Captain)
• Raymond Bailey (Admiral Olmstead)
• Wendell Holmes (General Poynter)
• Don Ross (Lenny)
• Charlie Briggs (Sig)
• Wally Boag (Television news reporter)

Quotes

• Line from movie poster: “It's all about a wacky prof who invents an antigravity goo that flew!”
• Brainard (bouncing ideas off his dog, Charlie): “We’ve got to give it a name, Charlie. Let’s see. Flying Rubber. Flubber? All right. Substance X, we dub thee: Flubber.”

Trivia

• Fred MacMurray also starred in Double Indemnity (1944) and The Shaggy Dog (1959).