Son of Flubber

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 to be top secret and the IRS has slapped him with a huge tax bill, even if he has yet to receive a cent. He thinks he may have found the solution in the form of "Flubbergas," (the "son" of Flubber) which can change the weather. His wife Betsy becomes fed up with all the stress and starts separating from him, and the professor's old rival Shelby starts trying to woo her again. Brainard's experiments continue, by making it rain inside people's houses, as well as in Shelby's car too while he's driving, which causes him to get into an accident with a police car. It also helps Medfield College's football team to win a game, but it also has one unfortunate side effect: It shatters glass, which eventually 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, traces the damage to Ned and threatens legal action (After Ned rejects his offer to become parters in a glass company scam, hoping to use the money to save Medfield College). At home, his wife Betsy is jealous of the attention lavished on him by an old high school girlfriend setup by Shelby to get his hands on Betsy, but she dumps him after Ned is arrested.

On trial, Ned's future seems hopeless as he is faced with the damage lawsuit, and a Prosecutor asking Ned if he would return back to his classroom. Until a farmer shows the court that his crops grew extra large because of Ned's experiment, which the farmer names "Dry Rain", and the professor is acquitted, and he and Betsy are reunited.

Driving in their flying car, Betsy said she is crazy about science to Ned, and soon they share a kiss. In the last scene, the football-filled with flubber gas flies into outer space.

Reception

Son of Flubber was a critical and commercial success. It grossed $22,129,412 at the box office, earning $7.1 million in theatrical rentals, making it the 7th highest grossing film of 1963. The film currently holds an 86% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.