The Million Dollar Duck (1971)

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 | Golden Egg | Professor | 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:

Continuity: Katie hands Albert his lunch bag, telling him that the applesauce is on top, which suggests that there are other lunch items in the bag. Later, when the chimpanzee opens the sack, there's only the applesauce.

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)

Not great, but funny if not taken too seriously

This movie, also known by the alternative title "The $1,000,000 Duck", isn't clearly one of Disney's most solid films. It's not a great movie, but has its fun and originality.

The movie stars Dean Jones and Joe Flynn, both from "The Love Bug". The movie happens to be about an animal, but here's where its biggest originality is: it's not about a cat or a dog or other familiar animals in movies, but a duck! The duck is a cute and likable chap, but very strange. After wandering into a radiation lab, the duck becomes irradiated and many unusual things happen to it, such as to lay golden eggs. Before that, it was already a poor dumb duck.

Dean Jones portrays Professor Albert Dooley, the guy who takes the duck home to offer his son. His son becomes attached to the duck. But because of the whole golden eggs story, Albert Dooley becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming rich thanks to that, proving how people can get so easily greedy for money.

Then again, it's not a super movie, but has its moments, such as Dooley's giant car polluting the air like that and doing those engine noises when it stops (very much like Uncle Buck's car) and some moments with Joe Flynn. I also liked that nice and beautiful yellow sports car.

Almost at the end of the movie, there is a sequence that is all about a chase. The whole sequence is really nuts yet hilarious! While watching it, I couldn't help myself thinking «Damn, what a chase!».