The Million Dollar Duck (1971)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Vincent McEveety

Writers:

Ted Key (story)
Roswell Rogers (writer)

Release Date:

30 June 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Comedy

Plot:

Professor Dooley takes home a duck from his research laboratory as a toy for his son, but soon finds out that it lays golden eggs.

Plot Keywords:

Egg | Duck | Professor | Golden Egg | X Ray

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes.

Cast

Dean Jones	...	Professor Albert Dooley
Sandy Duncan	...	Katie Dooley
Joe Flynn	...	Finley Hooper
Tony Roberts	...	Fred Hines
James Gregory	...	Rutledge
Lee Montgomery	...	Jimmy Dooley (as Lee Harcourt Montgomery)
Jack Kruschen	...	Doctor Gottlieb
Virginia Vincent	...	Eunice Hooper
Jack Bender	...	Arvin Wadlow
Billy Bowles	...	Orlo Wadlow
Sammy Jackson	...	Frisby
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Mr. Purdham
Frank Wilcox	...	Bank Manager
Bryan O'Byrne	...	Bank Teller
Ted Jordan	...	Mr. Forbes

Also Known As:

The $1,000,000 Duck (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:G | Finland:S | Norway:A | Sweden:Btl | USA:G

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Towards the end of the movie, when Jimmy is chasing Charlie the duck, we see a VW Beetle with the license plate OFP 857, the same as Herbie's in The Love Bug (1968), another movie starring Dean Jones.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the truck brakes and Albert, in the cherry picker, hits the bridge, the shot changes from a mid shot of Albert to a close up. However, the background remains the same in both shots, revealing that Albert was filmed in front of a chroma key background.

Quotes:

Jimmy Dooley: I didn't want a duck! I wanted a puppy!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Village of the Giants (#6.23)" (1994)

Dean Jones and Sandy Duncan make a good team, but this Disney effort is for the birds

Disney spin on "The Goose That Layed The Golden Egg" itself drops a big white bomb: kooky suburban family discovers their pet duck lays solid gold eggs (the Mrs. actually takes one of these eggs to the bank, hoping to deposit it into her account!). Ostensibly a fantasy, this out-of-touch Disney comedy eventually turns into a queasy dissection of greed and how money rips families apart (fathers and sons, in particular). Full of long-in-the-tooth hippies and square adults, the picture is aimed at kids but probably won't keep many in their seats. Although officially titled "The Million Dollar Duck", in the film's TV advertisements the announcer calls the movie "One Million Dollar Duck". *1/2 from ****