The Million Dollar Duck

Plot

Albert Dooley, a scientist struggling to pay bills, contrasts with his past as a college valedictorian expected to succeed. His wife Katie makes a mistaken applesauce recipe, which Albert takes to work. The duck he is testing steals the discarded applesauce, wanders into a radiation lab, and becomes irradiated. Ordered to dispose of the duck, Albert gives it to his son Jimmy, only to discover it now lays eggs with solid gold yolks.

The duck, named Charley despite being female, lays an egg when a dog barks, in a Pavlovian manner. Initially only Albert, Katie, Jimmy, and Albert's friend Fred know of the golden yolks, but selling them attracts the attention of neighbor Mr. Hooper, a Treasury Department bureaucrat. Hooper spies on the Dooleys, suffering mishaps, and witnesses a golden yolk being laid. He warns his boss Rutledge about economic upheaval from an easy gold supply; after nationwide rumors, President Nixon orders the duck captured.

Albert grows greedy, neglecting his son. Treasury officials arrive to seize Charley, but Jimmy escapes with the duck via a hot rod driven by teenage boys.

Reception

The Million Dollar Duck was one of three films critic Gene Siskel walked out on during his career. Roger Ebert called it one of the most profoundly stupid movies he had ever seen. Scott Weinberg of DVD Talk criticized the depiction of Sandy Duncan's character as a housewife portrayed as unintelligent, and called the film one of Disney's worst live-action family comedies. Revisionist critics have been less harsh, acknowledging its appeal to children and the silliness of its premise.

Despite poor reviews, the comedic acting was appreciated, with both Sandy Duncan and Dean Jones receiving Golden Globe nominations for their performances. The film marked the motion picture debut of Tony Roberts, who received solid reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 17% approval rating based on 6 reviews, and on Metacritic a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews.