The Misadventures of Merlin Jones

Synopsis of Movie
Following in the steps of earlier youthful hijinks comedies like The Shaggy Dog and The Parent Trap, Disney’s The Misadventures of Merlin Jones re-teamed Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello for some pseudo-science wackiness.
Kirk plays the title character, a college student brainiac who invents a mind-reading helmet. Using his psychic headgear, Merlin overhears the thoughts of Judge Holmby, who is planning a robbery. Together with girlfriend Jennifer, the budding genius tries to foil the Holmby’s plot, only to discover they may have misjudged the judge.
Later, while experimenting with hypnotism, Merlin has the judge kidnap the science department chimp. When Merlin gets blamed for the crime, the young man has some serious explaining to do.
Directed by Robert Stevenson (The Absent-Minded Professor, Mary Poppins), the low-key, low-budget Merlin Jones was a big money-winner for Disney. Building on that success, the studio filmed a 1965 sequel, The Monkey’s Uncle.
Movie Release History
1964 - The Misadventures of Merlin Jones1965 - The Monkey's Uncle
Movie Sub Categories
live-actionsci-fi/fantasy
comedy
disney
Movie Studio
DisneyCast
Jennifer Annette FunicelloMerlin Jones Tommy Kirk
Judge Holmby Leon Ames
Police Captain Loomis Stuart Erwin
Mrs. Gossett Connie Gilchrist
Professor Shattuck Alan Hewitt
Norman Norman Grabowski
Kohner Michael Fox
Detective Dal McKennon
Bailiff Burt Mustin