The Absent-Minded Professor The Absent-Minded Professor The Absent-Minded Professor is a 1961 American comic science fiction family film produced by Walt Disney Productions based on the short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor. The title character was based in part on Hubert Alyea, a professor emeritus of chemistry at Princeton University, who was known as "Dr. Boom" for his explosive demonstrations. The film stars Fred MacMurray as Professor Ned Brainard. The film was a huge success at the box-office, and two years later became the first Disney film to have a sequel, 1963's "Son of Flubber". The original 1961 film
Joe Brainard Brainard was born March 11, 1942, in Salem, Arkansas, and spent his childhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the brother of painter John Brainard. Brainard became friends with Ron Padgett, Dick Gallup, and Ted Berrigan during high school while working on the literary journal "The White Dove Review", which was printed five times during 1959/1960. The 18-year-old Brainard joined the journal as its art editor after fellow Central High classmate Padgett sent Brainard an anonymous Christmas card praising his work. After high school, the artist re-united with the "White Dove" boys in New York City shortly after leaving the Dayton