The Million Dollar Duck (1971)

The Million Dollar Duck (Dir: Vincent McEveety, 1971). 

A domestic comedy from Walt Disney Productions. Referred to in publicity as $1,000,000 Duck, the tale is a spin on the Aesop’s Fable of The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs. 

After radiation exposure, dumb duck Charley begins to lay solid gold eggs. Much to the delight of cash strapped research scientist Albert Dooley (Dean Jones) and his dippy missus Katie (Sandy Duncan). Friendly neighbourhood lawyer Fred (Tony Roberts) is in on the act of keeping their discovery from nosy nextdoor US Treasury Department employee Hooper (Joe Flynn).  As gold fever engulfs the household, the generation gap between Albert and his son Jimmy (Lee Montgomery) grows. The kid only wanted a pet duck. At the risk of losing his poultry pal to the government, the pair fly the coop, hitching a ride on a hot-rod and creating crosstown chaos as mom and pop, the money men and the cops join pursuit of boy and bird .

By the end of the decade the Disney brand of formulaic comedy was kinda tired but, happily, The Million Dollar Duck finds the formula in pretty robust form. The familiar 70's Disney mix of cute kids, cuter animals, bungling bureaucrats, car chases and back-projection aided action are all present and correct. Little of the humour is subtle, but if you enter into the silliness of the plot there are plenty of big laughs, while a rooftop rescue climax is pretty hair raising, even if the outcome is a forgone conclusion.

Dean Jones had played essentially the same character in a previous half dozen Disney movies yet enters into the role with his usual good spirits. Nobody played the put upon everyman quite like Jones and his talent for kooky comedy and sheer amiability are put to good use here. Sandy Duncan, in her movie debut, impresses as the scatterbrained housewife who at least has the good sense to value the wellbeing of her son above wealth. So ditzy is Duncan that her character should be annoying, but being Sandy Duncan she instead is rather endearing! (Yes, I have a little bit of a soft spot for Ms Duncan!) With a talent for quirky situation comedy, coupled with an upbeat perky persona, it is a surprise that she only made three further big screen appearances. As usual for Disney movies of its era, The Million Dollar Duck is distinguished by a first class supporting cast. Comedy favourites Joe Flynn and Edward Andrews and character actors James Gregory and Jack Kruschen all make welcome appearances and add a little class to proceedings. 

With its strong cast, decent production values and keen sense of silliness, The Million Dollar Duck is an easy movie to admire. Disney kids of the 60s and 70s will undoubtedly feel pangs of nostalgia while watching, while today's more sophisticated young 'uns should still get a kick out of the goofy, goodnatured humour. Cultured it ain't, but its clean-cut charms are hard to resist.