The Duck Factory

The Duck Factory

1984
The Duck Factory
The Duck Factory

The Duck Factory

6.4 | en | Comedy

The Duck Factory is a 1984 NBC television series produced by MTM Enterprises that is perhaps most notable for being Jim Carrey's first lead role in a Hollywood production. The show was co-created by Allan Burns. The premiere episode introduces Skip Tarkenton, a somewhat naive and optimistic young man who has come to Hollywood looking for a job as a cartoonist. When he arrives at a low-budget animation company called Buddy Winkler Productions, he finds out Buddy Winkler has just died, and the company desperately needs new blood. So Skip gets an animation job at the firm, which is nicknamed "The Duck Factory" as their main cartoon is "The Dippy Duck Show". Other Duck Factory employees seen regularly on the show were man-of-a-thousand-cartoon voices Wally Wooster; comedy writer Marty Fenneman; artists Brooks Carmichael and Roland Culp, editor Andrea Lewin, and business manager Aggie Aylesworth. Buddy Winkler Productions was now owned by his young, ditzy widow, Mrs Sheree Winkler, who had been married to Buddy for all of three weeks before his death. The Duck Factory lasted thirteen episodes; it premiered April 12, 1984. The show initially aired at 9:30 on Thursday nights, directly after Cheers, and replaced Buffalo Bill on NBC's schedule. Jay Tarses, an actor on The Duck Factory, had been the co-creator and executive producer of Buffalo Bill, which had its final network telecast on Thursday, April 5, 1984.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP13  Call Me Responsible
Jul. 11,1984
Call Me Responsible

The ball is in Skip's hands when the show needs someone to fight for it at the network, or it will be cancelled.

EP12  You Always Love the One You Hurt
Jul. 04,1984
You Always Love the One You Hurt

Roland is pressured to quit the animation biz and follow in his father's footsteps -- as a dentist. Meanwhile, the staff consider changing the show when a parents group vote it one of the most violent kids' programs on TV.

EP11  The Children's Half Hour
Jun. 27,1984
The Children's Half Hour

It's Children's Night at the Apollo when Brooks' son and Wally's daughter both want to further their artistic careers -- to the joy of Brooks and the dismay of Wally.

EP10  The Duck Stops Here
Jun. 20,1984
The Duck Stops Here

Wally decides to throw his hat into the Shakespeare ring after his Dippy Duck voice escapes him.

EP9  It Didn't Happen One Night
Jun. 13,1984
It Didn't Happen One Night

The gang begin to suspect that Skip and Andrea are romantically involved. Meanwhile, Marty isn't happy about his friend's new girlfriend -- Sheree.

EP8  Ordinary People, Too
Jun. 06,1984
Ordinary People, Too

Skip helps come up with the cash to fund Andrea's film project, yet doesn't get the thanks one might think.

EP7  The Education of Mrs. Winkler (a.k.a. The Education of S*h*e*r*e*e W*i*n*k*l*e*r)
May. 24,1984
The Education of Mrs. Winkler (a.k.a. The Education of S*h*e*r*e*e W*i*n*k*l*e*r)

In hopes of being smarter, Sheree decides to finally get her high school diploma, and Brooks gives her a helping hand -- and a little something extra.

EP6  Can We Talk?
May. 17,1984
Can We Talk?

Marty's plagiarism becomes Skip's problem.

EP5  The Way We Weren't
May. 10,1984
The Way We Weren't

Aggie plans to attend a reunion with her old Navy pals, but when she can't scrounge a date, she asks Skip to accompany her.

EP4  No Good Deed
May. 03,1984
No Good Deed

Skip learns that no good deed goes unpunished when he gives Ginger a job she doesn't deserve and Marty's script a kinder review than it deserves.

EP3  The Annies
Apr. 26,1984
The Annies

A series of mishaps arise when the staff attend the Annies, where Buddy is to receive a posthumous award.

EP2  Filling Buddy's Shoes
Apr. 19,1984
Filling Buddy's Shoes

Someone must fill Buddy's shoes as the Dippy Duck showrunner. But who?

EP1  Goodbye Buddy, Hello Skip
Apr. 12,1984
Goodbye Buddy, Hello Skip

Skip Tarkenton finds his dream of being an animator coming true a lot sooner than he expected when he hops a bus to L.A.

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6.4 | en | Comedy | More Info
Released: 1984-04-12 | Released Producted By: MTM Enterprises , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

The Duck Factory is a 1984 NBC television series produced by MTM Enterprises that is perhaps most notable for being Jim Carrey's first lead role in a Hollywood production. The show was co-created by Allan Burns. The premiere episode introduces Skip Tarkenton, a somewhat naive and optimistic young man who has come to Hollywood looking for a job as a cartoonist. When he arrives at a low-budget animation company called Buddy Winkler Productions, he finds out Buddy Winkler has just died, and the company desperately needs new blood. So Skip gets an animation job at the firm, which is nicknamed "The Duck Factory" as their main cartoon is "The Dippy Duck Show". Other Duck Factory employees seen regularly on the show were man-of-a-thousand-cartoon voices Wally Wooster; comedy writer Marty Fenneman; artists Brooks Carmichael and Roland Culp, editor Andrea Lewin, and business manager Aggie Aylesworth. Buddy Winkler Productions was now owned by his young, ditzy widow, Mrs Sheree Winkler, who had been married to Buddy for all of three weeks before his death. The Duck Factory lasted thirteen episodes; it premiered April 12, 1984. The show initially aired at 9:30 on Thursday nights, directly after Cheers, and replaced Buffalo Bill on NBC's schedule. Jay Tarses, an actor on The Duck Factory, had been the co-creator and executive producer of Buffalo Bill, which had its final network telecast on Thursday, April 5, 1984.

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Cast

Jack Gilford , Jim Carrey , Teresa Ganzel

Director

Producted By

MTM Enterprises ,

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Reviews

rkhendrix What I remember about The Duck Factory, is that The Today Show had Jim Carrey on to promo the show. He was shy, not like he is now. One of the things they showcased, was his ability to do impressions simply by changing his face. He did Henry Fonda from On Golden Pond, simply by putting on a fishing hat. He looked dead on, just using his rubber face.I liked the show, but it just didn't stick around long enough to catch on. And I always wondered what happened to Jim Carrey, since Today touted him as a budding superstar. When he reemerged on In Living Color, I understood why he was a little prickly at being tagged "an overnight success." He clearly spent a lot of years trying to climb back up after Duck Factory.
Fernseher At the time, I didn't realize he was the star. I liked it a lot, but I thought it was an ensemble comedy with Jack Gilford and the girl as the main characters, with Carrey in the loudmouth sidekick part. I was always waiting for him to shut up and then the others could get back to the story. I've never been able to watch his other roles, he always seems so hammy and yet full of himself. Seems like they had a lot of familiar faces like Larry Gelman, the dentist on the Newhart show. I never realized it was on tape. Now that I know it's available I bought the two reels for $10. I'll be able to see if it really was as promising as I remembered it.
shark-43 I actually saw this sitcom when it first appeared on TV in 1984 (I must of been the only one). But since I myself was a cartoonist and fascinated by the whole process, I couldn't wait to see this show set in a cartoon studio. I remember enjoying the episodes and that Jim Carrey gave a believable, controlled performance and I was always a big fan of Jack Gilford. Needless to say, the show didn't last (wasn't really given much of a chance). The network didn't promote it at all - but it does show that Carrey can give naturalistic performances. I do admire Carrey's work, but he seems to have fallen into the Robin Williams trap - be manic and crazy at comedy - practically shouting out, "Love me, accept me" and then get all brooding and quiet when they try their dramatic turns. I'm all for actors trying to stretch their wings, but don't get angry when people don't exactly jump up, applauding and throw awards at you. (Truman Show, Man/Moon). As for Duck Factory, it is a sweet little show with good performances.
Psychett I saw this in a shop, and as I like Jim Carrey, I decided to get it. On the back, it said that "If you enjoyed 'Cheers', 'Airplane' and 'Absolutely Fabulous', you'll really appreciate the humour, the biting one-liners and the brilliant characters of The Duck Factory!"If only it lived up to it's hype. Jim Carrey plays an inexperienced cartoonist, working for the studio that creates "The Dippy Duck Show". However, the owner has just died, and the studio verges on having it's show being cancelled. If you enjoy watching extremely unfunny things, like a hooker trying to get to grips with being a receptionist, or the middle-aged battleaxe being humiliated by being forced to wear a skimpy outfit, then you'll probably enjoy this. A Maud rating of 1 out of 5. And that's only because I like Jim Carrey.