The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
by Robert Stevenson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alan Hewitt, Annette Funicello, Leon Ames, Stuart Erwin, Tommy KirkDirector: Robert Stevenson
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Cinematographer: Edward Colman
Editor: Cotton Warburton
Producer: Ron Miller
Producer: Walt Disney
Writer: Alfred Lewis Levitt
Writer: Bill Walsh
Writer: Helen Levitt
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-03
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Product features:
- MISADVENTURES OF MERLIN JONES, THE (DVD MOVIE)
Movie Reviews of The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
Movie Review: The film contains two stories, the first is a FIVE STAR story, the second THREE STARS.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Misadventures of Merlin Jones stars two regulars from the Disney troupe of actors, namely Tommy Kirk, who is renowned for his starring role in The Shaggy Dog, and Annette Funicello, renowned for being the favorite of the Mouseketeers (T.V. show). The film begins with a catchy song, sung by Annette. The words appear below.
Then comes two stories. Both stories deal with the paranormal. The first story deals with mind-reading, while the second story concerns hypnosis. The first story rates FIVE STARS, in that all the elements hang together nicely to form a coherent tale. In a nutshell, during the course of a laboratory experiment, Merlin Jones acquires the abilty to read other person's minds. He tests this ability with Annette, who thinks, "Hold my hand." Later, in the college library, Merlin hears the thoughts of other students. For example, he hears the thoughts of a chubby coed thinking about a chocolate sundae, the thoughts of a pretty coed musing about how cute is Merlin Jones, and the thoughts of a beatnik male student composing beatnik poetry. But then, Merlin Jones, in his role as a part-time waiter in a cafe, hears the thoughts of a judge, conspiring crimes. Thus, the plot centers around Merlin Jones' efforts as a self-styled detective, in tracking down the judge's participation in crime. (The story has a surprise ending).
To give an example of the clever dialogue, early on in the story there is a confrontation betwen Merlin Jones and a football jock. The football jock wants to be Annette's boyfriend, so he attempts to put down Merlin Jones with the following statement. He attempts to make fun of Merlin Jones by exclaiming, "I can hear the crowd roar when he tackles a physics problem!"
In another clever episode, Merlin Jones has hooked himself up to a brain wave detector. In the science lab, he persuades Annette to hold still so that he can kiss her. The brain wave detector goes off scale. Then, Merlin Jones asks Annette to hook herself up, and to kiss him. She complies, saying, "Well, if its part of a scientific experiment, I suppose its all right." But when she kisses him, her brain waves result in a flat line. This causes Merlin Jones to be dismayed, but Annette points out that an electric plug in the machine had been disconnected. This is just another example of the finely written light comedy in the first story.
If there can be any criticism of the first story, it is that some of the actors portraying college students look like they are at least 35 years old.
But the second story deserves TWO STARS, as it is no better than a typical TV situation comedy. It is not boring, but it is simply not as good as the first story. The second story contains the same characters (Tommy Kirk, Annette, the judge, and the football jock), but it also contains a chimpanzee.
As a parting note, it might be fun to compare The Misadventures of Merlin Jones with Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In Merlin Jones, the authority figure is a judge. Tommy Kirks' goal, throughout the entire movie, is to collect evidence that the judge is a criminal, e.g., involved in a diamond robbery, murder, and other crimes. The judge acts cool and dignified throughout.
In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the authority figure is the school principal. Matthew Broderick's goal, thoughout the entire movie, is to trick the principal into becoming a buffoon and to commit crimes and the like, e.g.,crime of breaking and entering, and parking in front of a fire hydrant. The principal complies, and becomes, in the eyes of the school community, a progressively greater buffoon.
In Merlin Jones, the girlfriend (Annette) collaborates with Tommy Kirk, when they both masquerade as plumbers and snoop in the judge's home. What is amusing is that the toolbox carried by Annette is marked with, "BZ PLUMBERS." (Get it? Busy plumbers! Get it?) In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the girlfriend collaborates with Matthew Broderick, in Broderick's mission of trickery, when she poses as his daughter.
Annette sings the following song:
They call him Merlin Jones, the scrambled egghead, Merlin Jones, the campus kook. But my heart's whirling, I'm the girl in love with Merlin Jones.
I heard weird noises late one night as I passed the science wing. I looked inside and there he was working on the darndest thing. The thing got up and buzzed and beeped, and walked right out the door. And Merlin said, "At last it works, I wonder what it's for."
They call him Merlin Jones, the scrambled egghead, Merlin Jones, the campus kook. But my heart's whirling, I'm the girl in love with Merlin Jones.
Although I know his way-out brain is on cloud nine, his kisses make me want to be his Mrs. Frankenstein.
Call him crazy, call him mad, with oddball overtones. All I know I've got it bad for Mr. Merlin Jones.
Lots of fellas in the school have asked her out on dates. But this crazy way out wig is the only one that rates.
I can't help being proud of him when he puts his brain in gear. Although a voice inside says, "Hey get me out of here."
Summary of The Misadventures of Merlin Jones
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