Mister Drake's Duck

Mr Drake's Duck is a 1951 British science fiction comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Yolande Donlan, Jon Pertwee, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Reginald Beckwith. The screenplay concerns Mr Drake, a farmer, who discovers that his hens have started laying radioactive eggs.[2]

Mr Drake's Duck
Directed byVal Guest
Produced byDaniel M. Angel
Written byIan Messiter
Val Guest
StarringDouglas Fairbanks Jr.
Yolande Donlan
Jon Pertwee
Music byBruce Campbell
CinematographyJack E. Cox
Edited bySam Simmonds
Distributed byEros Films UK
United Artists US
Release date
  • 7 February 1951 (1951-02-07)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£100,000[1]

Plot

Mr. Drake (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) inherits "Green Acres Farm" in Sussex, in the English countryside, and moves in with his new American bride Penny (Yolande Donlan). Through a misunderstanding, Penny unexpectedly finds herself the proud owner of 60 ducks. She is further astonished when one of the ducks begins laying radioactive eggs. As the news spreads, the Drakes find themselves under siege by the army. "Green Acres Farm" is designated a prohibited area, and all its inhabitants and visitors made prisoners. "Operation Chickweed" is formed: a bureaucratic concern wherein the army, Navy and Air Force all lay separate claims upon the atom-age duck.

Cast

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote, "Mister Drake's Duck is responsible for some chuckles, a few good-natured gibes at the British armed services and civil servants and the international race for atomic supremacy," concluding, "they do come up with enough laughs to make Mister Drake's Duck a pleasant if slight lampoon."[3]

References
  1. "Star's snap decision to play opposite unknown redhead". Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 9 April 1950. p. 12. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. "Mr. Drake's Duck (1951) - BFI". BFI. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009.
  3. "Movie Review - Mister Drake s Duck - THE SCREEN; Atomic Era Hits Farm - NYTimes.com".


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