 The professor in the movie is named "Finney."  Matheson, Richard (qv) gave this character the name in tribute to  Jack Finney, the science fiction writer. It is controversially said  that Matheson stole or borrowed his idea for "Bid Time Return" (the  book that the movie was based on pub. 1975) from Finneys book "Time  and Again" which was published in 1970.