I love, you’ll love, LORD LOVE A DUCK (1966)

Posted by Stephen Jannise

Holy shit, everybody! If there was a plug-in that automatically placed a movie on the top of a reader’s Netflix queue the second they clicked on the link for that film’s review, I would use it for this post. Because I know that nothing I say here can convince many of you to overlook this film’s Netflix synopsis and the garish 60’s Disney-esque box art that I feature above. But, as Daniel has already said here, unless you are okay with your life being pathetically inadequate, you have to see Lord Love a Duck.

Daniel mentions and includes a picture of the scene in which Tuesday Weld tries on sweaters while her father ogles her, groaning and grunting the whole time. This is cinematic ecstasy, the pinnacle of good feeling that can be achieved within a movie theater. I know you’ve watched jokes go on for far too long in comedy after comedy (there’s one in this very movie involving the line “What a drag”); the laughter begins to fade and a general feeling of “get on with it!” pervades the audience. Well, this scene kept getting funnier and funnier. That’s what I mean by cinematic ecstasy, the scene pushes you further and further until you reach a quite unexpected high. I was wiping away tears after I finally stopped laughing.

At the same time, the film manages moments of striking poignancy. Lars, host of Weird Wednesday, introduced Tuesday Weld as an actress of surprising depth. Considering the films we usually see at Weird Wednesday, and the fact that her name is Tuesday Weld, I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to go along with him on that statement. That was until the Weird Wednesday audience, a crowd that is generally drunk and in the mood to laugh, hoot, and holler, came to a completely silent standstill as Weld learns that her mother has killed herself. This beautiful actress, so lighthearted and joyful throughout the movie, begins to crumble before us, and you could hear a pin drop in the theater. I didn’t see that coming.

Tuesday, will you sign my yearbook?

If the film has a weakness, it’s in the last act when Roddy McDowall’s Mollymauk sets out to kill Tuesday’s husband and fails again and again. This becomes a bit ponderous. But, boy, does the film recover in its final moments, which I will let you discover for yourself. And discover this film you must. Speaking of Netflix, the site suggested that, if I liked Lord Love a Duck, I would also enjoy Dr. Strangelove and Bye Bye Birdie. That sounds about right; add those two films together and you’ll begin to understand the experience of watching Lord Love a Duck. Watch this fucking movie before I toss you in the mucko.