The Monkey's Uncle (1965) on Netflix
Student Merlin Jones legally adopts a chimpanzee named Stanley. Midvale College is challenged to build a man-powered flying machine to win a wealthy donor's gift, so he designs one.
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- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb5.9/101,096 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Merlin Jones, a student at Midvale College, goes to court to adopt the chimpanzee Stanley. The college then learns that a wealthy man, Mr. Astorbilt, will make a large donation if the school builds a man-powered flying machine by a set date; if it fails, the money goes to a rival school. Merlin designs a lightweight plane whose propeller is driven by bicycle pedals. He works out that no one on the football team is strong enough to pedal it into the air, so he mixes a strength elixir based on adrenaline. To win the players' help, he adapts a sleep-learning method, playing records of their history lessons read by his girlfriend Jennifer while they sleep.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Monkey's Uncle (1965)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Tommy Kirk had been fired from Disney over his homosexuality and was battling a drug problem when the studio recalled him to make The Monkey's Uncle.
- The writing credit "Tom and Helen August" was a pseudonym for Alfred Lewis Levitt and Helen Levitt, two blacklisted writers; the film's home-video release restored their real credits.
- Annette Funicello called bringing in the Beach Boys "a stroke of brilliance," and said singing with the group, whose four-part harmonies let her sing without echo, was the highlight of her Disney film career.
Stills
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