Howard the Duck (1986)

A sarcastic humanoid duck is pulled from his homeworld to Earth where he must stop a hellish alien invasion with the help of a nerdy scientist and a cute struggling female rock singer who fancies him.

Director:

Willard Huyck

Writers:

Steve Gerber (Marvel comics character: Howard the Duck), Willard Huyck

Stars:

Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lea Thompson	...	Beverly Switzler
Jeffrey Jones	...	Dr. Walter Jenning
Tim Robbins	...	Phil Blumburtt
Ed Gale	...	Howard T. Duck
Chip Zien	...	Howard T. Duck (voice)
Tim Rose	...	Howard T. Duck
Steve Sleap	...	Howard T. Duck
Peter Baird	...	Howard T. Duck
Mary Wells	...	Howard T. Duck
Lisa Sturz	...	Howard T. Duck
Jordan Prentice	...	Howard T. Duck
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Lieutenant Welker
Liz Sagal	...	Ronette, Cherry Bomb
Dominique Davalos	...	Cal, Cherry Bomb
Holly Robinson Peete	...	K.C., Cherry Bomb (as Holly Robinson)

Storyline

A scientific experiment unknowingly brings extraterrestrial life forms to the Earth through a laser beam. First is the cigar smoking drake Howard from the duck's planet. A few kids try to keep him from the greedy scientists and help him back to his planet. But then a much less friendly being arrives through the beam...

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Plot Keywords:

mini skirt | red panties | microskirt | woman wearing panties | nubile woman | 

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Taglines:

More adventure than humanly possible.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Howard

Filming Locations:

California Academy of Sciences, Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,070,136, 3 August 1986, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$16,295,774

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,667,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Lucasfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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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Goofs

During the diner scene 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, you can see that a wire that is attached to the guy.

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Quotes

Beverly: I'm sorry I'm so nervous. It's just that I've never been around a... Um, I mean, I've never even had any pets or anything, you know. They seem like such a hassle - you know, feeding 'em, cleaning up their little poo-poos, and...
Howard T. Duck: I'll try to be careful.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #33.97 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Duckworld Television Muzak
(uncredited)
Written and Produced by Thomas Dolby and John Barry
Performed by the Universal Studios Digital Gratification Consort and San Francisco Symphony as The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra)

User Reviews

It's not that terrible! Really!

"Howard the Duck" was a critical and commercial failure when it was first released in the summer of 1986. Since that time, the movie has become synonymous with one word: BOMB. However, while it is not a very good film, I feel "Howard the Duck" is not nearly as bad as many people seem to believe.

How can you dislike a film about a midget duck from another planet who (with the help of Lea Thompson and her gigantic '80s hair) saves Earth from impending doom? Not only that, but the menace threatening Earth is the Dark Overlord of the Universe, an evil force that has invaded the body of Jeffery Jones! "Howard the Duck" is one of those movies that is enjoyable in a mindless way. It is by no means classic cinema, but if you are in the right frame of mind, it is very fun to watch.

And don't miss the musical number at the end, when Howard and the cast do the "duck waddle"!