Lord Love a Duck (1966)

Director:

George Axelrod

Writers:

George Axelrod (writer)
Al Hine (novel)

Release Date:

29 July 1966 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

This motion picture is an act of pure aggression

Plot:

A bright satirical comedy about an innocent high school girl granted her wishes by a student prodigy. A broad satire of teenage culture in the sixties, its targets ranging from progressive education to beach movies.

Plot Keywords:

Misfit | Devotion | Secretary | Crush | Murder

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Roddy McDowall	...	Alan 'Mollymauk' Musgrave
Tuesday Weld	...	Barbara Ann Greene
Lola Albright	...	Marie Greene
Martin West	...	Bob Bernard
Ruth Gordon	...	Stella Bernard
Harvey Korman	...	Weldon Emmett
Sarah Marshall	...	Miss Schwartz
Lynn Carey	...	Sally Grace
Max Showalter	...	Howard Greene
Donald Murphy	...	Phil Neuhauser
Joseph Mell	...	Dr. Milton Lippman (as Joe Mell)
Dan Frazer	...	Honest Joe
Martine Bartlett	...	Inez
Jo Collins	...	Kitten
Judith Loomis	...	Mrs. Neuhauser

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:18 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

George Axelrod Productions

Trivia:

Several appearances of a microphone dangling over actors' heads were deliberate, intended as satire, but so confused audiences that they were trimmed out of later release prints.

Quotes:

Stella Bernard: You lied to me, Miss Greene. You permitted me to believe your father was dead.
Barbara Ann: Well, they're divorced.
Stella Bernard: In our family we don't divorce our men; we *bury* 'em!

Soundtrack:

Lord Love a Duck

Definitely worth seeing once, just for the off-the-wall goings-on.

The darkest of black comedies, this odd curio is likely to delight some viewers while leaving others completely cold. McDowall is an odd duck of a high school student (the fact that the actor was 37 doesn't seem to matter in the film's lopsided world!) who fixates on Weld, a pretty fellow student who is used to being popular, but worries about her future at the all new Consolidated High. Soon, McDowall is somehow making every wish of Weld's come true from acquiring a baker's dozen angora sweaters to getting married and beyond! His omnipotent presence is welcome at first, but after a while becomes problematic. The bizarre, but ingratiating film creates a world of its own where fathers melt like butter before their nubile daughters, Principals break pencils in their mouths at the sight of pretty coeds and disapproving mothers-in-law are dealt with through the end of a booze bottle. Actually, these points are some of the most realistic in the film! Try an evangelist who delivers his message through the speakers of a drive-in movie or a house with a living room so cavernous that there's a distinct echo-effect during conversation! Quirky touches abound throughout, some enjoyable (the curvy teens dancing ala "Beach Party", the surreal luncheon with Weld's dad), some not (those annoying glimpses of boom mikes, intended or not.) McDowall (covered in makeup!) gives a strange, but intriguing performance. Weld is infectiously lovely and engrossing. Her hair alone, is deliriously sexy. Albright is wonderful and alternately hilarious and touching as Weld's cocktail waitress mother. Gordon, good or bad, is the Gordon that audiences have come to expect. Korman (in a role that screams for the talents of Paul Lynde) does a decent job as an excited Principal. West is adequate as the hapless guy who falls for Weld and pays the price. The title tune is catchy, though a tad overused. This isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a refreshingly different spin on the teen movies typically seen in the 1960's and a knowing glimpse into the old adage "Be careful what you wish for".