According to the IMDB trivia, reviewer Gene Siskel admitted that he walked out of this movie and simply couldn't finish it...it was that bad. Well, that makes me curious...could the film be THAT bad?!
After being laid up after surgery, I decided to catch up on some of the films on Disney+. Up until recently, I've avoided the Disney live-action films from the late 60s through the 1970s because they have a reputation for being terrible. Well, this is NOT the case, as I've recently seen several excellent family films from Disney during this period, such as "Justin Morgan Had a Horse" and "The Bears and I". Well, this doesn't mean they're all good....and there are plenty of broadly written and dopey stinkers...and shortly after "The Million Dollar Duck" began, I realized this. The dialog is pretty bad...and the story very broadly acted and silly. And, like these Disney films, it's really only something kids might like...adults really will struggle to sit still during this one. Since I was hurting and unable to do housework, I guess I was stuck with this one...unlike Gene Siskel.
The first really badly made scene was the cooking scene that was supposed to be kooky. Apparently Katie Dooley (Sandy Duncan) is a terrible cook, as she puts apple peels, seeds, curry, garlic and all sorts of other horrid ingredients into homemade applesauce!! This was meant to be funny. It wasn't. And, I realized there'd be more like this to come....and, sadly, there was.
The film stars Dean Jones as Dr. Albert Dooley...a man who is struggling with debts, a goodball wife and an incredibly ungrateful son who demands a puppy even though the family simply cannot afford it. Fortunately, Dooley ends up developing a duck that can take them out of their financial woes, as she is apparently able to lay golden eggs...which works well in stories like "Jack and the Beanstalk" but which just seems pretty dim here.
After seeing the film, I am heartily in agreement with Gene Siskel...."The Million Dollar Duck" is a bad film...one that adults couldn't possibly love. Those who do, likely saw it as kids and love it for sentimental value...but otherwise it's just painful. Most painful is the writing and Ms. Duncan's performance, though no one really came off very well in this one.
By the way, it is ironic that there's a scene where the mean neighbor (Joe Flynn) is fighting with the duck in his swimming pool. In real life, Flynn was found dead in his own pool only.three years later.
After being laid up after surgery, I decided to catch up on some of the films on Disney+. Up until recently, I've avoided the Disney live-action films from the late 60s through the 1970s because they have a reputation for being terrible. Well, this is NOT the case, as I've recently seen several excellent family films from Disney during this period, such as "Justin Morgan Had a Horse" and "The Bears and I". Well, this doesn't mean they're all good....and there are plenty of broadly written and dopey stinkers...and shortly after "The Million Dollar Duck" began, I realized this. The dialog is pretty bad...and the story very broadly acted and silly. And, like these Disney films, it's really only something kids might like...adults really will struggle to sit still during this one. Since I was hurting and unable to do housework, I guess I was stuck with this one...unlike Gene Siskel.
The first really badly made scene was the cooking scene that was supposed to be kooky. Apparently Katie Dooley (Sandy Duncan) is a terrible cook, as she puts apple peels, seeds, curry, garlic and all sorts of other horrid ingredients into homemade applesauce!! This was meant to be funny. It wasn't. And, I realized there'd be more like this to come....and, sadly, there was.
The film stars Dean Jones as Dr. Albert Dooley...a man who is struggling with debts, a goodball wife and an incredibly ungrateful son who demands a puppy even though the family simply cannot afford it. Fortunately, Dooley ends up developing a duck that can take them out of their financial woes, as she is apparently able to lay golden eggs...which works well in stories like "Jack and the Beanstalk" but which just seems pretty dim here.
After seeing the film, I am heartily in agreement with Gene Siskel...."The Million Dollar Duck" is a bad film...one that adults couldn't possibly love. Those who do, likely saw it as kids and love it for sentimental value...but otherwise it's just painful. Most painful is the writing and Ms. Duncan's performance, though no one really came off very well in this one.
By the way, it is ironic that there's a scene where the mean neighbor (Joe Flynn) is fighting with the duck in his swimming pool. In real life, Flynn was found dead in his own pool only.three years later.