Trivia
Lea Thompson actually did the singing for all of the songs of her character's band, as did the other actresses in the group. On the 2009 DVD, Thompson states that even during filming the studio had not made a final decision as to whether to keep Thompson's singing voice or dub her.
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Popular vocalist Tori Amos auditioned for the part of Beverly Switzler, eventually played by Lea Thompson.
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Howard landed on Earth on 8 September. It was on that date in 1966 that Star Trek premiered on NBC.
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Executive producer George Lucas spent $2 million on Howard's duck suit, and eight different actors worked inside the costume. According to the 2009 DVD release, a child actor was intended to be the "main" Howard, but didn't work out; another actor, Ed Gale ended up performing the lion's share of the major scenes as Howard and as such earned himself a credit at the start of the film.
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Shortly after the movie was released, Frank Price quit his job as the head of Universal Pictures, the studio that funded the film. "Variety" reported the story with the headline, "'Duck' Cooks Price's Goose."
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In a 1986 interview in "Star Hits" magazine, singer Belinda Carlisle stated that she auditioned for a role in the film.
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According to reports at the time of the movie's release, George Lucas was heavily in debt (having just built the $50-million Skywalker Ranch complex) and was counting on this film to get him back in the black. When it bombed, he was forced to start selling off assets to stay afloat. His friend Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple Computer, offered to help by buying Lucasfilm's newly-launched CGI animation division for a price well above market value, and Lucas, in desperate straits and thankful for the assistance, agreed. That division eventually become Pixar Animation Studios.
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WILHELM SCREAM: Heard when Dr. Walter Jenning (while being the Dark Lord) sends the man through the window with his energy and the guy lands on a car.
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George Lucas's close friend John Landis was originally slated to direct this film but after reading the script turned down the opportunity due to the police car crashes in the finale. He felt this was too similar to that of his previous film The Blues Brothers.
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Although "space" rabies was a non-existent disease (Howard used to scare Beverly's management into paying her band), the real rabies virus can only be transmitted by mammals; not birds.
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Text from the license in Howard's wallet:
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- MARSHINGTON D.C.
- EXPIRES ON HATCHDAY 86
- N2465258
- HOWARD T. DUCK
- 3636 Lakeside Dr.
- Marshington, DC 10031
- sex fthr eyes height date of hatch
- M WHT BLU 3-01 09-05-58
- pre lic ex. 82
- MUST WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES
- OTHER ADDRESS
- X Howard T Duck
- 9-3-82 CtM sc DMV #29
The Evil Overlord is based on the Marvel villain who originally brought Howard to Earth. His full title in the comics is Thog the Nether-Spawn, Overmaster of Sominus.
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For her eighties'-style look, Lea Thompson (Beverly) had to have her hair styled for about two hours each day. She admitted later that she was not very happy about the treatment and that she should have worn a wig instead.
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Chip Zien was cast as the voice of Howard after filming was completed. During filming, puppeteer Tim Rose spoke Howard's lines through a microphone.
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On the DVD commentary for the film, one of the commentators claims that George Lucas reassured him that the project would, in twenty years, be seen as a masterpiece. As of the year 2012 the film was still considered one of the worst ever made.
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