The Misadventures of Merlin Jones

Watch: The Misadventures of Merlin Jones

Unrated

3/25/19641h 31m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ BRAWN vs. BRAIN ~

Overview:

Merlin Jones, a precocious and intelligent high-school boy, experiments with hypnosis and creates a mind-reading machine. However, his experiments land him in deep trouble with the law.

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

inventor
hypnosis
mind reading
boy genius

Cast

Tommy Kirk

~ as ~

Merlin Jones

Annette Funicello

~ as ~

Jennifer

Leon Ames

~ as ~

Judge Holmsby / Lex Fortas

Stuart Erwin

~ as ~

Police Captain Loomis

Alan Hewitt

~ as ~

Professor Shattuck

Connie Gilchrist

~ as ~

Mrs. Gossett

Norman Grabowski

~ as ~

Norman, Midvale Football Player

Burt Mustin

~ as ~

Bailiff

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

r96sk
Written 4 year(s) ago
7
Bit of a disappointment by the end. It starts off very good, but sharply declines from the midway point.

'The Misadventures of Merlin Jones' is practically split into two stories, one about the ability to read minds and one about hypnosis. The former is entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but the latter is extremely stagnant and slow paced. The film loses all of the promising momentum that it previously builds.

Onto the cast, this is arguably Tommy Kirk's best performance to date with Disney. He is excellent as the titular character, adding a strong and fitting demeanour to the role. Annette Funicello (Jennifer) and Leon Ames (Holmsby) are noteworthy too.

Overall, it's a shame the production didn't finish how it started - I'd be rating this higher if it had. Still, this is one that is worth a watch.