The Million Dollar Duck
| The Million Dollar Duck | |
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Theatrical release poster designed by Ward Kimball and Ted Berman
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| Directed by | Vincent McEveety |
| Produced by | Bill Anderson |
| Written by |
Ted Key Roswell Rogers |
| Starring |
Dean Jones Sandy Duncan Joe Flynn Tony Roberts James Gregory Lee Montgomery |
| Music by |
Buddy Baker Paul J. Smith |
| Cinematography | William E. Snyder |
| Edited by | Lloyd L. Richardson |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
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Release date
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Running time
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89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $5.1 million (North America) (rentals) |
The Million Dollar Duck (also titled as The $1,000,000 Duck) is a 1971 American comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions about a goose that lays golden eggs scenario. It was directed by Vincent McEveety, and stars Dean Jones, Sandy Duncan and Joe Flynn.
Scientist Albert Dooley (Dean Jones) struggles to pay the bills. His wife, Katie (Sandy Duncan) gets a recipe for applesauce wrong and gives it to her husband to take to work for lunch, hoping it will help cut down on the budget. In a humorous chain reaction, the duck Albert is testing steals the applesauce after Albert has thrown it away in the trash, and then wanders into a radiation lab and becomes irradiated. Albert is ordered to get rid of the duck, so he figures he can give it to his son, Jimmy (Lee Montgomery) who has been wanting a pet, only to discover it now lays eggs with solid gold yolks.
In a Pavlovian manner, the duck, named "Charley" (despite being female), lays an egg when prompted by the barking of a dog. At first, the only ones who know of Charley's golden yolks are Albert, Katie, Jimmy and Albert's friend, Fred, but as they sell the yolks of gold, they gain the attention of a suspicious neighbor, a government bureaucrat from the US Treasury Department named Mr. Hooper (Joe Flynn). Hooper spies on the Dooleys in a haphazard manner, often suffering a mishap such as falling into the swimming pool from a tree branch after being yelled at by Mrs. Hooper to leave the neighbors alone. However, Hooper sees a golden yolk laid firsthand with Fred and Albert celebrating. Hooper warns his boss Rutledge (James Gregory), about the economic upheaval. A series of nationwide phone calls among politicians spreads rumors, culminating in a Rutledge getting a phone call from President Nixon to "get that duck"! Albert is affected by greed and no longer cares for his son, which saddens Jimmy. The Treasury Department officials (with Mr. Hooper) soon arrives at the house and orders them to turn over the duck. Jimmy, watching from upstairs, climbs out the window with Charley, and then rides off with a couple of teenage boys and their hot rod as the government officials try to seize Charley.
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Wikipedia