Mister Drake's Duck

Mister 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 a farmer who discovers that one of his ducks has started laying radioactive eggs.

Plot

Mr. Drake inherits Green Acres Farm in Sussex, in the English countryside, where he moves with his new American bride Penny. Because of a misunderstanding, Penny unexpectedly finds that she owns 60 ducks. She is astonished when one of the ducks begins laying radioactive eggs. As the news spreads, the Drakes come under siege by the army. Green Acres Farm is designated a prohibited area, and of all its inhabitants and visitors are made prisoners. The military launches Operation Chickweed to identify and seize the radioactive duck.

Cast

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Donald Drake
Yolande Donlan as Penny Drake
Jon Pertwee as Reuben
Wilfrid Hyde-White as Mr. May
Reginald Beckwith as Mr. Boothby
Howard Marion-Crawford as Major Travers
Peter Butterworth as Higgins
A. E. Matthews as Brigadier Matthews
Tom Gill as Captain White
John Boxer as Sergeant
Ballard Berkeley as Major Deans
Roger Maxwell as Colonel Maitland
Ben Williams as Auctioneer

Production

The film was based on a radio sketch by Ian Messiter called The Atomic Egg which Val Guest liked. He wrote it for Yolande Donlan and it was originally called Mrs Drake's Duck but the title changed when Douglas Fairbanks Jr agreed to star. "They got on very well Yo and Doug and we all had a lot of laughs," said Guest. Nat Cohen invested in the film.

Reception

Upon the film's American release, A. H. Weiler of 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.... They are, of course, laboring one joke, but do come up with enough laughs to make Mister Drake's Duck a pleasant if slight lampoon."