Lord Love a Duck (1966) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

A high-school misfit devotes his life to turning a bubbly blonde into a social success.

Cast & Crew

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George Axelrod

Roddy Mcdowall

Alan "Mollymauk" Musgrave

Tuesday Weld

Barbara Ann Greene

Lola Albright

Martin West

Ruth Gordon

Photos & Videos

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Lord Love A Duck -- (Movie Clip) Our New School

Ben Mankiewicz Intro -- Lord Love A Duck (1966)

Lord Love A Duck -- (Movie Clip) Just Tell Mollymauk

Lord Love A Duck -- (Movie Clip) Grape Yum-Yum

Lord Love A Duck -- (Movie Clip) I Get Chills

Film Details

Genre

Comedy

Adaptation

Dark Comedy

Release Date

Jan 1966

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 26 Jan 1966

Production Company

Charleston Enterprises

Distribution Company

United Artists

Country

United States

Screenplay Information

Based on the novel Lord Love a Duck by Al Hine (New York, 1961).

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 49m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Synopsis

In the psychiatric ward of a prison, Alan Musgrave, who calls himself "Mollymauk" after an extinct duck-like bird, tells his story into a tape recorder. Alan and Barbara Ann Greene are both senior transfer students at Los Angeles' new, ultra-modern Consolidated High School. Under Alan's hypnotic spell, Barbara Ann reveals her desire to be popular. Alan assures her that he will make her every wish come true. First, Barbara Ann wishes to join a sorority whose members must each own a designated number of cashmere sweaters, and Alan has her persuade her father to buy the sweaters. To keep Barbara Ann from failing any courses, Alan has her use her sex appeal to obtain the job of secretary to the principal. Barbara Ann then meets wealthy and handsome college senior Bob Barnard during a sex seminar at a drive-in church, and she decides to vacation at Balboa, where Bob is to be chaperon. Alan takes her to Balboa, where he sets up a possible screen test for Barbara Ann with a producer of beach-party movies. Bob, who is in love with Barbara Ann, has problems with his zany mother, so Alan installs himself in the Barnard house and takes over the management of Mrs. Barnard by introducing her to alcohol. Mrs. Barnard discovers that Marie, Barbara Ann's divorced mother, is a bar girl and tries to end the romance. Thinking that she has ruined her daughter's life and her own, Marie commits suicide. Later, Bob and Barbara Ann marry, despite Mrs. Barnard's objections. Bob, who has graduated and become a marriage counselor, disapproves of his wife's career in movies, and Alan decides to eliminate him. Bob proves almost indestructible, but by graduation time Alan has put him in a wheelchair. At Consolidated's graduation, he pursues Bob with a bulldozer, eliminating him and everyone on the speaker's platform as well. Barbara Ann goes on to Hollywood fame as the star of "Bikini Widow." In the prison, Alan tries to explain why he did it all, confessing that it might have been for love.

Director

George Axelrod

Cast

Roddy Mcdowall

Alan "Mollymauk" Musgrave

Tuesday Weld

Barbara Ann Greene

Lola Albright

Martin West

Ruth Gordon

Harvey Korman

Sarah Marshall

Lynn Carey

Max Showalter

Donald Murphy

Joseph Mell

Dan Frazer

Used car salesman

Martine Bartlett

Jo Collins

Hal Baylor

Laurie Mitchell

David Draper

Donald Foster

Judith Loomis

Mrs. Butch Neuhauser

Martin Gabel

Crew

George Axelrod

George Axelrod

Maryce Bates

Raphael Bretton

Malcolm Brown

Lodge Cunningham

Daniel L. Fapp

Director of Photography

Jack Fier

Paula Giokaris

Neal Hefti

Neal Hefti

Lou Hippe

Jax

Miss Weld's Wardrobe

Larry H. Johnson

William A. Lyon

Gene Martin

Murray Naidich

Al Overton

Ernie Sheldon

Herman Townsley

Special Effects

Herman Webber

Assistant Director

Videos

Lord Love A Duck -- (Movie Clip) I Get Chills Ambitious student Barbara Anne (Tuesday Weld) in an altogether prurient job interview with unhinged principal Weldon Emmett (Harvey Korman) in George Axelrod's Lord Love A Duck, 1966.

Lord Love A Duck -- (Movie Clip) Our New School Harvey Korman (as principal "Weldon Emmett") assumes what must be the voice of writer-director George Axelrod, then receives odd-ball student Alan (Roddy McDowall), in Lord Love A Duck, 1966.

Lord Love A Duck -- (Movie Clip) Just Tell Mollymauk Vandalizing their new high school, miscreant Alan (Roddy McDowall) explains his nickname to Barbara Ann (Tuesday Weld) who offers her depraved ambition, in George Axelrod's Lord Love A Duck, 1966.

Lord Love A Duck -- (Movie Clip) Grape Yum-Yum Amoral Barbara Ann (Tuesday Weld), on a date with her lusty divorced dad (Max Showalter), needs twelve cashmere sweaters, in George Axelrod's Lord Love A Duck, 1966.

Lord Love A Duck -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Alan Happening title tune performed by "The Wild Ones" and fleshy teenage video, followed by hero Alan (Roddy McDowall) pursued by cops, opening George Axelrod's outlandish Lord Love A Duck, 1966.

Intro Aired: Apr 2016

Ben Mankiewicz Intro -- Lord Love A Duck (1966) Ben Mankiewicz introduces Lord Love A Duck, 1966.

Film Details

Genre

Comedy

Adaptation

Dark Comedy

Release Date

Jan 1966

Premiere Information

Los Angeles opening: 26 Jan 1966

Production Company

Charleston Enterprises

Distribution Company

United Artists

Country

United States

Screenplay Information

Based on the novel Lord Love a Duck by Al Hine (New York, 1961).

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 49m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Articles

Lord Love a Duck

March 1, 2007

An immensely talented playwright, screenwriter, and satirist, George Axelrod has rarely received the recognition he deserves within the Hollywood industry yet he was the man behind some of the wittiest screenplays of the fifties and early sixties. Foremost among them are two of Marilyn Monroe's best films (The Seven Year Itch (1955) and Bus Stop, 1956), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn in her signature role, and The Manchurian Candidate (1962), a highly paranoid thriller about a political conspiracy which prefigured President Kennedy's assassination by a year. Less well known but equally audacious is his go-for-broke directorial debut, Lord Love a Duck (1966), a poisonous love letter to the movie business that nourished him and a satire of Southern California culture with its drive-in chapels, fast food restaurants, and self-improvement seminars.

In the opening moments of Lord Love a Duck, we are introduced to Allan Mollymauk Musgrave (Roddy McDowall), a possibly deranged high school student who relates, in flashback, his infatuation with Barbara Ann Greene (Tuesday Weld), a beautiful but blank blonde teenager who became a movie star. Barbara Anne's rise to fame is soon revealed to be the result of Mollymauk's Svengali-like influence over her. Whenever he jingles a set of keys in her face, Barbara reveals her deepest fantasies and desires; an obvious movie homage to the hypnotism scene in Fellini's Nights of Cabiria (1957). With Mollymauk's guidance, Barbara Anne climbs the ladder to Hollywood fame via sexual manipulation, deception, and premeditated murder, all set to a catchy pop tune that parodies the types of songs featured in Beach Party movies.

Critics were divided over Lord Love a Duck when it was released due to its eclectic mixture of black comedy and social comment but it still stands as one of the more original and offbeat comedies of the sixties, even if it does unravel completely in the second half. Typical of the reviews at the time is this one from The New York Herald Tribune: "The targets are obvious and unlimited, ranging from teenage mores to modern educational jabberwocky...from momism to psychiatry to mayhem...subtle characterizations are mixed in with blatant caricature; wonderfully underplayed moments yield to screaming vulgarities, and one becomes aware of the movie-maker's devotion to subliminal smut. The best thing about the movie is its display of Tuesday Weld not only as a teen-age Lolita of unsurpassed loveliness but also as an actress of unexpected range...Lola Albright is also extraordinary in turning the cocktail waitress (Barbara Ann's mother) into a figure of tragedy, rather than pathos."

It's true that the women come off better than the men in Lord Love a Duck, even though they are mostly depicted as scheming, self-destructive, or just plain loony. That's still better than the writer/director's view of the American male who is represented here by a debt-ridden and incompetent father, a slick and pandering "new age" minister, a mama's boy, an effeminate high school principal, and the hero of the film - Mollymauk - who appears to be asexual. It's not a pretty picture but it's George Axelrod's world and welcome to it!

Producer/Director: George Axelrod
Screenplay: George Axelrod, Leonardo Benvenuti (novel) (as Al Hine), Larry H. Johnson
Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp
Costume Design: Paula Giokaris
Film Editing: William A. Lyon
Original Music: Neal Hefti, Ernie Sheldon
Cast: Roddy McDowall (Alan "Mollymauk" Musgrave), Tuesday Weld (Barbara Ann Greene), Lola Albright (Marie Greene), Martin West (Bob Bernard), Ruth Gordon (Stella Bernard).
BW-106m.

by Jeff Stafford

Lord Love A Duck

Lord Love a Duck

An immensely talented playwright, screenwriter, and satirist, George Axelrod has rarely received the recognition he deserves within the Hollywood industry yet he was the man behind some of the wittiest screenplays of the fifties and early sixties. Foremost among them are two of Marilyn Monroe's best films (The Seven Year Itch (1955) and Bus Stop, 1956), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn in her signature role, and The Manchurian Candidate (1962), a highly paranoid thriller about a political conspiracy which prefigured President Kennedy's assassination by a year. Less well known but equally audacious is his go-for-broke directorial debut, Lord Love a Duck (1966), a poisonous love letter to the movie business that nourished him and a satire of Southern California culture with its drive-in chapels, fast food restaurants, and self-improvement seminars. In the opening moments of Lord Love a Duck, we are introduced to Allan Mollymauk Musgrave (Roddy McDowall), a possibly deranged high school student who relates, in flashback, his infatuation with Barbara Ann Greene (Tuesday Weld), a beautiful but blank blonde teenager who became a movie star. Barbara Anne's rise to fame is soon revealed to be the result of Mollymauk's Svengali-like influence over her. Whenever he jingles a set of keys in her face, Barbara reveals her deepest fantasies and desires; an obvious movie homage to the hypnotism scene in Fellini's Nights of Cabiria (1957). With Mollymauk's guidance, Barbara Anne climbs the ladder to Hollywood fame via sexual manipulation, deception, and premeditated murder, all set to a catchy pop tune that parodies the types of songs featured in Beach Party movies. Critics were divided over Lord Love a Duck when it was released due to its eclectic mixture of black comedy and social comment but it still stands as one of the more original and offbeat comedies of the sixties, even if it does unravel completely in the second half. Typical of the reviews at the time is this one from The New York Herald Tribune: "The targets are obvious and unlimited, ranging from teenage mores to modern educational jabberwocky...from momism to psychiatry to mayhem...subtle characterizations are mixed in with blatant caricature; wonderfully underplayed moments yield to screaming vulgarities, and one becomes aware of the movie-maker's devotion to subliminal smut. The best thing about the movie is its display of Tuesday Weld not only as a teen-age Lolita of unsurpassed loveliness but also as an actress of unexpected range...Lola Albright is also extraordinary in turning the cocktail waitress (Barbara Ann's mother) into a figure of tragedy, rather than pathos." It's true that the women come off better than the men in Lord Love a Duck, even though they are mostly depicted as scheming, self-destructive, or just plain loony. That's still better than the writer/director's view of the American male who is represented here by a debt-ridden and incompetent father, a slick and pandering "new age" minister, a mama's boy, an effeminate high school principal, and the hero of the film - Mollymauk - who appears to be asexual. It's not a pretty picture but it's George Axelrod's world and welcome to it! Producer/Director: George Axelrod Screenplay: George Axelrod, Leonardo Benvenuti (novel) (as Al Hine), Larry H. Johnson Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp Costume Design: Paula Giokaris Film Editing: William A. Lyon Original Music: Neal Hefti, Ernie Sheldon Cast: Roddy McDowall (Alan "Mollymauk" Musgrave), Tuesday Weld (Barbara Ann Greene), Lola Albright (Marie Greene), Martin West (Bob Bernard), Ruth Gordon (Stella Bernard). BW-106m. by Jeff Stafford

George Axelrod, 1922-2003

June 25, 2003

George Axelrod, a writer whose sharp, cunning satires of the '50's and 60's influenced the more wry, pop-culture sensibility of modern filmmakers, died June 21 of heart failure at his Los Angeles home. He was 81.

Born June 9, 1922, in New York City to the son of the silent film actress Betty Carpenter, he had an eventful childhood in New York where, despite little formal education, he became an avaricious reader who hung around Broadway theaters. During World War II he served in the Army Signal Corps, then returned to New York, where in the late 40's and early 50's he wrote for radio and television and published a critically praised novel, Beggar's Choice.

He scored big on Broadway in 1952 with The Seven Year Itch. The comedy, about a frustrated, middle-aged man who takes advantage of his family's absence over a sweltering New York summer to have an affair with a sexy neighbor, won a Tony Award for its star, Tom Ewell, and was considered daring for its time as it teased current sexual mores and conventions. The play was adapted into a movie in 1955 by Billy Wilder, as a vehicle for Marilyn Monroe, with Ewell reprising his role. Unfortunately, the censors and studio executives would not allow the hero to actually consummate the affair; instead, Ewell was seen merely daydreaming a few romantic scenes, a situation that left the playwright far from happy.

Nevertheless, the success of The Seven Year Itch, opened the door for Axelrod as a screenwriter. He did a fine adaptation of William Inge's play Bus Stop (1956) again starring Marilyn Monroe, and did a splendid job transferring Truman Capote's lovely Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). Although his relationship with the director Blake Edwards was rancorous at best, it did earn Axelrod his only Academy Award nomination.

So frustrated with his work being so heavily revised by Hollywood, that Axelrod decided to move from New York to Los Angeles, where he could more closely monitor the treatment of his scripts. It was around this period that Axelrod developed some his best work since he began producing as well as writing: the incisive, scorchingly subversive cold war thriller The Manchurian Candidate (1962), based on Richard Condon's novel about an American POW (Laurence Harvey) who returns home and is brainwashed to kill a powerful politician; the urbane comedy Paris When it Sizzles (1964) that showed off its stars William Holden and Audrey Hepburn at their sophisticated best; his directorial debut with the remarkable (if somewhat undisciplined) satire Lord Love a Duck (1966) that skewers many sacred institutions of American culture (marriage, school, wealth, stardom) and has since become a cult favorite for midnight movie lovers; and finally (his only other directorial effort) a gentle comedy of wish fulfillment The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968) that gave Walter Matthau one of his most sympathetic roles.

By the '70s, Axelrod retired quietly in Los Angeles. He returned to write one fine screenplay, John Mackenzie's slick political thriller The Fourth Protocol (1987) starring Michael Caine. He is survived by his sons Peter, Steven, and Jonathan; a daughter Nina; seven grandchildren; and a sister, Connie Burdick.

by Michael T. Toole

George Axelrod, 1922-2003

George Axelrod, a writer whose sharp, cunning satires of the '50's and 60's influenced the more wry, pop-culture sensibility of modern filmmakers, died June 21 of heart failure at his Los Angeles home. He was 81. Born June 9, 1922, in New York City to the son of the silent film actress Betty Carpenter, he had an eventful childhood in New York where, despite little formal education, he became an avaricious reader who hung around Broadway theaters. During World War II he served in the Army Signal Corps, then returned to New York, where in the late 40's and early 50's he wrote for radio and television and published a critically praised novel, Beggar's Choice. He scored big on Broadway in 1952 with The Seven Year Itch. The comedy, about a frustrated, middle-aged man who takes advantage of his family's absence over a sweltering New York summer to have an affair with a sexy neighbor, won a Tony Award for its star, Tom Ewell, and was considered daring for its time as it teased current sexual mores and conventions. The play was adapted into a movie in 1955 by Billy Wilder, as a vehicle for Marilyn Monroe, with Ewell reprising his role. Unfortunately, the censors and studio executives would not allow the hero to actually consummate the affair; instead, Ewell was seen merely daydreaming a few romantic scenes, a situation that left the playwright far from happy. Nevertheless, the success of The Seven Year Itch, opened the door for Axelrod as a screenwriter. He did a fine adaptation of William Inge's play Bus Stop (1956) again starring Marilyn Monroe, and did a splendid job transferring Truman Capote's lovely Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). Although his relationship with the director Blake Edwards was rancorous at best, it did earn Axelrod his only Academy Award nomination. So frustrated with his work being so heavily revised by Hollywood, that Axelrod decided to move from New York to Los Angeles, where he could more closely monitor the treatment of his scripts. It was around this period that Axelrod developed some his best work since he began producing as well as writing: the incisive, scorchingly subversive cold war thriller The Manchurian Candidate (1962), based on Richard Condon's novel about an American POW (Laurence Harvey) who returns home and is brainwashed to kill a powerful politician; the urbane comedy Paris When it Sizzles (1964) that showed off its stars William Holden and Audrey Hepburn at their sophisticated best; his directorial debut with the remarkable (if somewhat undisciplined) satire Lord Love a Duck (1966) that skewers many sacred institutions of American culture (marriage, school, wealth, stardom) and has since become a cult favorite for midnight movie lovers; and finally (his only other directorial effort) a gentle comedy of wish fulfillment The Secret Life of an American Wife (1968) that gave Walter Matthau one of his most sympathetic roles. By the '70s, Axelrod retired quietly in Los Angeles. He returned to write one fine screenplay, John Mackenzie's slick political thriller The Fourth Protocol (1987) starring Michael Caine. He is survived by his sons Peter, Steven, and Jonathan; a daughter Nina; seven grandchildren; and a sister, Connie Burdick. by Michael T. Toole

Quotes

Dear sweet simple minded Barbara Ann. Barbara Ann whose deepest and most heartfelt yearnings express with a kind of touching lyricism the total vulgarity of our time.
- Alan

Everybody has got to love me. Everybody. This is my year. My horoscope says I am going to be famous. I am a Capricorn and I can't miss. I deserve it, too. I've been good. I haven't done bad things with boys. Well, a little. But not really bad. And only if I liked a boy.
- Barbara Ann

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.

Notes

Copyright length: 105 min.

Miscellaneous Notes

Winner of the Best Actress Award (Albright) at the 1966 Berlin Film Festival.

Released in United States Winter January 1, 1966

Released in United States Winter January 1, 1966

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