User reviews

This movie, also known by the alternative title "The $1,000,000 Duck", isn't clearly one of Disney's most solid films. It's not a great movie, but has its fun and originality.

The movie stars Dean Jones and Joe Flynn, both from "The Love Bug". The movie happens to be about an animal, but here's where its biggest originality is: it's not about a cat or a dog or other familiar animals in movies, but a duck! The duck is a cute and likable chap, but very strange. After wandering into a radiation lab, the duck becomes irradiated and many unusual things happen to it, such as to lay golden eggs. Before that, it was already a poor dumb duck.

Dean Jones portrays Professor Albert Dooley, the guy who takes the duck home to offer his son. His son becomes attached to the duck. But because of the whole golden eggs story, Albert Dooley becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming rich thanks to that, proving how people can get so easily greedy for money.

Then again, it's not a super movie, but has its moments, such as Dooley's giant car polluting the air like that and doing those engine noises when it stops (very much like Uncle Buck's car) and some moments with Joe Flynn. I also liked that nice and beautiful yellow sports car.

Almost at the end of the movie, there is a sequence that is all about a chase. The whole sequence is really nuts yet hilarious! While watching it, I couldn't help myself thinking «Damn, what a chase!».

That eternal Disney lead, Dean Jones, plays a harried scientist named Albert Dooley who's constantly sweating out bills. Then fortune arrives in an odd way. He's brought home a research animal named "Charlie", a white duck to whom Alberts' son Jimmy (Lee Montgomery) becomes attached. But Charlie was exposed to radiation after wandering into a laboratory, and now is capable of laying golden eggs. So naturally Albert and his lawyer buddy Fred (Tony Roberts) get dollar signs in their eyes. But their actions catch the attention of federal agents, led by James Gregory as Rutledge, who want to know how these private citizens are coming into possession of this gold.

"The Million Dollar Duck" is standard live-action Disney fare from this period. It's not a classic of its kind, rarely producing any true belly laughs, but it's amiable enough and amusing enough to keep it watchable for 93 minutes. Like many a Disney comedy, it builds up to a frantic chase sequence that does get over the top in a reasonably funny way. The movie does deserve some credit, though, for revolving around not a dog or cat but a different species. And the duck herself is endearing, and the human cast goes through their paces with efficiency. Joe Flynn is an irritable treasury agent and next-door neighbour, Sandy Duncan the somewhat air-headed, miniskirt-wearing wife / mother, Jack Kruschen is Alberts' boss at his lab, and Virginia Vincent plays Flynn's wife. Per Disney's style, familiar character actors in small parts do perk things up a little: Arthur Hunnicutt, Frank Wilcox, Bing Russell, Frank Cady, Hal Smith, Edward Andrews, Bernard Fox, Arthur Franz, Bruno VeSota, etc.

While never really inspired, there's enough good-natured mayhem here to make this palatable viewing for the intended family audience.

Six out of 10.

I sat down in 2021 to watch the 1971 Disney movie "The Million Dollar Duck". This is my second time to watch it actually. I remember watching it back in my childhood, probably in the early 1980s, but I could only vaguely recall the movie. So as I had the opportunity to sit down in 2021 to watch it, of course I did so.

This movie is still very entertaining and watchable, even now 50 years after the movie was initially released. So writers Ted Key and Roswell Rogers definitely did a good job with the script here, and that is quite the accomplishment which makes for a truly timeless classic movie.

"The Million Dollar Duck" is a twist on the classic tale of fowl being able to produce a golden egg. So it is a familiar storyline, but with added contents. And I will say that the Disney fingerprint definitely is showing on this 1971 movie. There was just something profoundly enjoyable about the movies Disney made back in the day.

The cast in "The Million Dollar Duck" definitely was good, and of course having Dean Jones in the lead role certainly made for a good movie, as he had a great track record with his older Disney movies. So if you enjoyed him in other of Disney's movies, you will also enjoy him in "The Million Dollar Duck".

This was definitely a movie well worth taking the time to sit down and watch again, and it is a movie that has something to offer to the entire family.

My rating of "The Million Dollar Duck" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Suitably entertaining.

'The Million Dollar Duck' follows very similar steps as a lot of Disney's wacky comedies from around this era, it that regard it isn't anything particularly noteworthy. The writing to set up the events of this film is poor, it's incredibly manufactured.

However, as with most of these sorta films, it does produce enjoyable moments. That's helped by the casting, which Disney pick masterfully the vast majority of the time. Dean Jones always elevates a production upward, even if his performance here isn't one of his best. Tony Roberts is decent as Fred, though none of the others do all that much; not even Joe Flynn (Finley).

Nothing out of this world, but a good enough watch nonetheless.

As a kid in the early seventies I remember clips from $1,000,000 duck being shown on Disney Time and Screen Test. I think it's a head nod to a certain bad tempered duck who made Disney more then $1,000,000. It's interesting to see Tony Roberts in something not directed by Woody Allen. I first saw it in full in the mid -seventies when the BBC showed it on Christmas Eve (that was the days when Disney was very grudging about their stuff being shown to anything other than a full cinema audience). A good film, a satire on greed and the American Dream.

"The Million Dollar Duck" is a silly but fun fantasy comedy. In spite of some critics' disdain for such movies - if they are for kids (they don't seem to mind the silly adult films). This one was pleasing enough for kids and adults. Disney wasn't the only studio that saw a market for such comical films mostly during the 1960s through 1980s.

The adult humor is here as well, but it may not register with many in 21st century audiences. Indeed, this film shows something of American culture that has changed. Through the middle of the last century - after WW II and well into the 1970s, one of the staples of humor was the Internal Revenue Service and government taxes. People of all stripes, but mostly common, everyday folks and hometown businessmen complained about government taxes. One couldn't go into a bar, barbershop, cafe or drug store and not hear someone lamenting the government tax burden. Government employees indeed were not very favorably regarded, whether with the IRS or not.

One suspects that the culture change by the late 20th century is what brought an end to such commonplace disdain. The transformation to mostly two-income households had lifted many more people above the subsistence level. So, most families spend more and can afford more things. Ergo, less complaint about Uncle Sam taking too much.

Still, a college research professor in 1971 should have made a sufficient salary to support a family of three fairly comfortably. But, not so in this film. The name of his office on the door to Albert Dooley's (Dean Jones) lab reads, "Psycho Bio Research Laboratory." All of the cast are good in their roles. Sandy Duncan is funny early on as the slightly dingy Katie Dooley. Watching her make applesauce in the kitchen is a hoot. And Dean Jones's reaction is hilarious.

James Gregory is very funny as the stuffy Treasury head. And, Edward Andrews plays the worried, angst-filled representative of the Federal Reserve Bank, Morgan, superbly. Tony Roberts is especially good as the crafty lawyer neighbor and friend who can't take his own advice. If one watches closely, there's no little amount of spoofing in this film. Not just about government agents, but lawyers and others as well.

One of the humorous criticisms I can recall from around that time had to do with government grants. One instance went something like this - while some people were out of work, others were homeless, and small businesses were struggling to keep going, the government awarded a $140,000 grant to study the mating habits of frogs. I wonder if Albert Dooley's place of employment wasn't intended as a little jab at government along those lines.

This film isn't packed with laughter scenes, or with witty lines or silly situations. It has a little bit of each, and should bring a smile to most kids and adults even well into the 21st century.

In some places, the movie is slow. And a vehicle chase scene with Jones hanging on to a utility truck ladder is quite old. It had been done in so many films before that it just doesn't seem funny this time. Here are some favorite lines.

Katie Dooley, "Jimmy, don't bother your father with that now. He's got little enough on his mind as it is."

Jimmy Dooley, "Mr. Hooper next door... he has a dog. He can afford to feed it. It's a great big one." Albert Dooley, "Mr. Hooper next door works for the U.S. Treasury and they have all our money. He could afford a giraffe."

Finley Hooper, "I wish that fool professor made enough money so I could investigate him."

Dr. Gottlieb, "Excuse me. I have to go recheck the IQ of this chimp - a hundred and forty, higher than mine."

Fred Hines, "Look Al, sweetheart. I'm only trying to save you money. I mean by making me a partner, you'll save paying me all those exorbitant lawyer's fees."

I'm sure not too many of the kids or even the parents that took their kids to see The Million Dollar Duck back in 1971 would realize that the British film Mister Drake's Duck was the inspiration for this Disney film. Nevertheless the British film of 1951 and the Disney film of 1971 are remarkably similar. Only the British had Mister Drake's Duck lay uranium eggs whereas this Disney duck lays gold ones after a bit radiation exposure and a concoction that Sandy Duncan makes and gets fed to the duck.

The British film was not one of their better comedies, but Mister Drake's Duck had some good moments and nice satire on the government of Great Britain in those post war Labour Days. This one just has a lot of good players looking very silly.

Two of them are stars Dean Jones and Sandy Duncan as a research scientist and his wife who are barely scraping by financially. The duck in question is part of a research project conducted by head scientist Jack Kruschen. When the duck flunks the intelligence test Kruschen gives him to Jones and his young son Lee Harcourt Montgomery becomes attached to it also.

Of course when it starts laying those golden yolks inside the egg at that point Jones and car pooling neighbor Tony Roberts think they've hit the leprechaun's pot. But then in 1971 America as now ownership of gold is most restrictive. Not to mention that ducks that can just squat and those orbs can ruin the monetary structure of the world. That sends neighbor Joe Flynn into action who works for the Treasury Department and Flynn's supervisor James Gregory.

The Million Dollar Duck has far more silliness than genuine humor in it. Far from gold, it's not even good sounding brass.

It is fashionable to rag and bash this movie. The points are understood. Take 1930's cornball humor, mix in the physical comedy of the Stooges and Keystone Cops, with the backdrop of a story from Antiquity, the goose who laid the golden eggs. Place it in modernity, being more the generic mid 20th Century with a lawyer and US Treasury folks. It's 1971, but the movie appears to ignore the changing outside world. The 'far out dudes' Wadlo boys give a wink to the Hippy Era, but not much else. It's small town California, a point which is made deliberately, which ironically harkens back to then President Nixon's growing up. Gold and small towns, one only can imagine if any super seniors from rural America ever saw this at the time. Gold was no giver to prosperity in their eyes, Williams Jennings Bryan and 'free silver' were all the rage.

The movie suffers from terrible timing. A huge shift in taste was sweeping the country, as this is more in tune with the rural sitcoms of the late 60's, recently purged, and less with the new 'dramadies' of 'All in the Family' and 'MASH.' If you remember 'Get Smart,' you might forgive some of the 'cheese' here. The silly chase scene at the end, who does that in a movie ? Hummm, 'The French Connection' (picture of the year in 1971) ? This wasn't a hip time to be a young kid, I'm of the X'er generation. It wasn't like the late 50's/early 60's (Boomers) or the 90's (Millennials), time periods hailed for Disney creativity.

If you're reading this, you probably have some appreciation for the humanities...some history and motifs of literature. Let's look at this differently. First, the characters. Sandy Duncan as the flighty housewife sends the critics into orbit. 'All in the Family' used this characterization as satire, here and even in 1971, it's uncomfortable. Let's say that's just a misunderstood bit of humor and exaggeration. For wide acceptance...a miss, ok. Joe Flynn checks in with his staple uptight bureaucrat as the Treasury agent. Dean Jones, the 'everyman' father and family man. An image he would work with on other more successful Disney films. Tony Roberts launched his film career as his slippery lawyer, works well for even modern audiences. The rest of the cast is rounded out with some longtime Hollywood figures, mostly of the past.

Some imagery and motifs. Mrs. Dooley gets a phone call from the bank one morning, because she's 'overdrawn' on her checking account. A crusty old 'banker' threatens to call her husband. Charlie the duck...offers a deposit. At the teller window, a balding middle aged guy with a three piece suit. Not too far fetched for small town banking in the late 60's, circa 1970. Not that unlike the experience of their parents in the 40's. Those old guys probably cut the Dooley's mortgage years ago. Fast forward thirty years later ? ATM's, online banking, mortgages cut from online services, tellers 20-something ladies with a blouse from Target and if you ask an officer at the bank too many questions besides hours and building address, they'll reach for the phone and call the 1-800 number. Later in the film, with the Feds ponder keeping the golden Charlie a secret, the first foreigner on the montage is French, notorious in the era for collecting US gold to settle trade debts. When the Dooleys and Fred arrange chase, the call Katie gets is on...a RED phone. Later, when the Feds are caught up in a traffic accident and announce to the crowd they're with the government, one patron says, 'Government ! No wonder you got everything all loused up !' A cynicism more fitting to the late 70's rather than on the heels of the 'go/go 60s'

Lastly the gold politics. We're in small town California here. Although McKinley's 'gold bugs' won California against Bryan 'free silver,' in 1896, gold was of the New York bankers and big city industrialists. Worker bees and farmers chose inflation supported 'free silver.' But, in 1971, the gold standard was on its deathbed. Mr. Nixon, who 'appears' in the movie, would take us off the gold standard entirely within a few years. So, own all the gold you want, as we go total fiat currency, a world none of the creators really lived through. The yellow sports car would never go for 7,995 dollars again.

Suburban comedy-fantasy from Disney, a spin on "The Goose That Layed The Golden Egg", itself drops a big gold-plated bomb: modern day family, 'kooky' for easy laughs, discover their pet duck lays solid gold eggs (the Mrs. actually takes one of these eggs to the bank, hoping to deposit it into her account!). Cartoonish, out-of-touch tale eventually turns into a queasy dissection of greed and how money rips families apart (fathers and sons, in particular). Full of long-in-the-tooth hippies and square adults, the picture is aimed at kids but probably won't keep many in their seats. Although officially titled "The Million Dollar Duck", the film was advertised in print and on television as "1,000,000 Duck". It's a wasted effort either way, despite promising chemistry between stars Dean Jones and Sandy Duncan. *1/2 from ****

...too bad I'm not 6 any more.

Not one of Disney's better efforts. If you want to watch an enjoyable

movie, this isn't it - it's just too silly. Not that I have anything against

silly movies, but this one isn't funny-silly, it's just silly.

It has the usual cast of Disney stock characters: the kind but

flawed - in this instance avaricious - male hero, the giddy and

empty-headed female hero, the cute kid, the nosy neighbours and

the stupid officials. Oh, and don't forget the cute animal, this time a

goose that has about as much personality as a blank page.

It may be possible to make a good movie about a goose that lays

golden eggs - and this isn't it.

Financially struggling scientist Albert Dooley (Dean Jones) is in a constant state of keeping his head barely above with water while his incompetent, spendthrift, and clueless wife, Katie (Sandy Duncan), and whiny manipulative son, Jimmy (Lee Montgomery) keep blissfully unaware. When through a series of mishaps, one of Dooley's reject test animals, a duck, attains the ability to lay golden eggs Albert's sure he's found his path to easy success, but a nosey Treasury agent named Hooper (Joe Flynn) and his family's quirks and a lesson straight out of Aesop's fables lead to hijinks and chaos aplenty.

Released in 1971, The Million Dollar Duck was yet another high concept gimmick film that had sadly become the primary staple of the Walt Disney Company after its founder's death. While not all of these gimmick comedies were bad with some such as Snowball Express, No Deposit No Return, The Barefoot Executive, and even Now You See Him Now You Don't being enjoyable if not particularly memorable, most of these film's were cheaply produced mostly interchangeable products that basically amounted to feature length sitcom rehashes using material that had been abandoned by TV airwaves with the Rural Purge. While I do have a soft spot for many of those pre-70s gimmick sitcoms, The Million Dollar Duck is less in line with the likes of Betwitched, Get Smart, and I Dream of Jeanie, and more in the company of buried embarrassments like My Mother the Car.

A very loose an uncredited remake of forgotten 1951 Biritish comedy Mr. Drake's Duck starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Mixing in elements of the fable The Goose who Laid the Golden Eggs, the screenplay written by Father Knows Best staff writer, Roswell Rogers is horrendous with no character having more than two braincells to rub together. That's basically the main problem with this film, every, and I do mean EVERY, character is an idiot who is so bereft of basic logic or common sense that it's nothing short of astounding these characters aren't drinking lead paint through their eyes. Sandy Duncan plays a character who's sole defining characteristic is she's clueless about the outside world and also a terrible homemaker with the "joke" lacking in any established logic with a scene of her misreading a recipe for applesauce in a cookbook with the wind changes the pages resulting in her using Garlic, Mustard, and Curry Powder sadly setting the expectations for the movie's bar of humor not even on the bottom rung but nowhere near the ladder. Vincent McEveety amps up the mugging, whining, and shrill deliveries of his cast to punishing degrees which results in a cast of talented performers that I know for a fact to be good giving some abysmal work. Film critic Gene Siskel famously stated this film was one of only THREE movies he had EVER walked out on in his entire career (the others being Maniac and Black Sheep) and while I don't know when he gave up on the movie, the fact he didn't finish it alone makes him smarter than I because I watched every single frame of this movie. Every idiotic gag, every second of a punishingly long chase sequence climax with confused motivations, and every second of a schmaltzy saccharine courtroom set epilogue that gives our idiot characters a happily ever after none of them deserve.

If the Million Dollar Duck isn't the nadir of Ron Miller era Disney, it's definitely sharing the same space. With a hackneyed set-up populated by characters that are both unlikable and stupid, the movie takes a premise too thin for even a 24 minute sitcom episode and punishing stretches it past the point of tolerance with every gag slowly delivered and telegraphed in advance, and a plot that lacks cohesion, stakes or logic, even by the loose standards of gimmick comedies. While I was rather lukewarm in my reception of 2 of the three Dexter Riley films, I may need to reevaluate my opinion because at least they weren't.....THIS!

Hard pressed scientist Albert Dooley has little money to spend as his work with animals isn't proving as profitable as he hoped it would be. However one day his worthless duck is exposed to high levels of radiation. Taking the duck home with him he finds that it can be stimulated to lay eggs – eggs made of solid gold. The more eggs it lays the more Albert becomes consumed with it and also the more attention the sudden increase in gold deposits in the local reserves draws from the Treasury Department.

This film is a good example of the films Disney made around this time, in the same way as animation with songs and smart-ass sidekicks are of the 90's. This is typical of the period but not the best example of when it works well. The plot is goofy and sets the tone for the sense of humour but it isn't used very well. Instead of laughs it really only produces energy and `wackiness'. There are a few laughs but not many. Most of the action has dated badly – with clichéd hippies, All-American happy families and forced physical routines.

Jones is OK, accustom as he is to roles such as this. He carries it well but the subject has less charm than some of his better films (Herbie for one). Of the rest of the cast only Tony Roberts really sticks in the mind as he has almost all of the good lines. The duck is cool though!

Overall this is a passable family film but it will not be `great' for any member of the family. There are better Disney films out there from this period – this one just lacked a certain spark to make it work better.

Walt Disney Studios comedy starring Dean Jones as Professor Albert Dooley, doing (benign) research on laboratory animals which includes one dumb but lovable duck who becomes accidentally irradiated, and after going home with Dooley, is discovered to now have the ability to literally lay golden eggs, causing the near bankrupt professor to nearly lose everything else he has to gain the hoped for wealth, especially as the U'S Government comes bearing down on him... Costarring Sandy Duncan as his wife, Lee Harcourt Montgomery as his son, and Tony Roberts as his best friend and neighbor.

Undeniably dumb film that just gets dumber and more desperately outlandish as it goes on but is certainly inoffensive enough. Contrived of course, but kids may still like it. Not quite the Turkey of its reputation though!

An absolutely excellent movie.

I cannot, for anything, understand any criticism of this fine film, such as Mr. Siskel, walking out on it, as he did this for only three movies, out of all the thousands he watched for reviewing.

Any movie, I say, any movie, with Joe Flynn, is great, and you add in Edward Arnold, and the solid Disney characters similar to those of the Dexter Riley era, and you have a smash hit.

The plot, what is wrong with that? The last I knew, Disney was known for fantasy, and family tales, with a happy ending.

Dean Jones, as usual, is superb, Sandy Duncan, great, as his loving and supportive, sweet wife. And Tony Roberts, great- punchy, yet a friend to the professor (Jones).

Concerning the portrayal of sweet, middle-class American family life, what is wrong with that? Nothing. Just because it does not look like life of today, is no reason to knock it, plus it provides deep joy for those who grew up in that era (1971), especially those who did so, in the Southland, where this gem was filmed.

Happy ending, with good lessons learned, a fine film.

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.

I first watched this movie when I was 10 years old, I have never watched it since! that's 23 years ago. I watched it again yesterday, it came back to me fast! And since this movie successfully brought back the memory and feel of those wonderful old days, I can't give it less than 10/10.

The story is simple, to save the duck "Charley" Professor Albert Dooley takes home this duck from the lab, not knowing that its a gifted duck, a different duck. The rest? Watch the movie, its the perfect family movie.

I think "The Million Dollar Duck" is one of the best movies Disney have ever made, it is a classic, a rare gem.

"Million Dollar Duck" may not be considered a classic but not every Disney movie needs to be one to be enjoyable. This movie always hits the spot. There are quite a few laughs and the last twenty minutes or so are exciting. The cast is fine. The story moves along at a nice pace. There are way worse ways to spend an hour and a half.

And it turns out that a few years later two University of Michigan professors managed to create pure 24-karat gold in the laboratory in 2012, and in 2020 a group of Swiss scientists managed to create an incredibly light type of 18-karat gold, the gold losing its value. In 3, 2, 1... Very cute movie, the family trio, dad, mom and son are cute, the lawyer friend too, and the sustainable evildoers... Cute...

I have to say that this is an underrated Disney movie along with Treasure Island (1950) this movie features a great cast of voice actors like Dean Jones the voice actor of Jim Douglas (The Love Bug), Mark Garrison (The Ugly Dachshund) and Steve Walker (Blackbeard's Ghost), Sandy Duncan the voice actress of Vixey (The Fox and The Hound) and Liz Bartlett (The Cat From Outer Space). Anyways let's move on the movie is about a duck of course who was tested and we realize that this duck can lay some golden eggs that was weird and unexpected I have never seen a duck putting some golden eggs but this movie is pretty good to begin.