Duckman

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The cast of Duckman (left to right: Eric Duckman, Bernice, Ajax Duckman, Gecko Duckman, Charles and Mambo Duckman, 'Grand-Ma-Ma', Cornfed Willibald Fivel Pig)

Duckman was an animated sitcom developed by Jeff Reno & Ron Osborn, based on characters created by Everett Peck in his Dark Horse comic. The series consisted of 70 episodes airing from 1994 to 1997 on the USA Network. The initial showrunners were Reno & Osborn, and the show was produced by Paramount Television. The animation was produced by Klasky Csupo. In later years, the show running duties went to David Misch and Michael Markowitz. Producer Gene Laufenberg was with the show for most of its run. The music for first season episodes was composed and performed by Frank Zappa; however, seeing that the show premiered post-mortem to Zappa all the music was spliced and rearranged by son Dwiezel Zappa.

The series followed the adventures of a dim-witted and lascivious private detective duck who lived with his family and sister-in-law named Bernice (an identical twin to his wife). Duckman's wife, Beatrice, died before the show began in 1994 (Worldbook Encyclopedia, 2004).

[edit] Characters

• Eric Tiberius Duckman (Jason Alexander), the main character; a slovenly, womanizing private detective who is more interested in sex than work. He is lazy, sarcastic and obnoxious, and usually has a cutting quip or insult on the tip of his tongue. Because he is easily distracted by beautiful women or get-rich-quick schemes, he relies heavily on his right-hand-pig Cornfed, who has gotten him out of numerous precarious predicaments. Duckman is also a widower; when his wife died, he began living with her sister Bernice, who hates Duckman with a passion. He also has an arch-enemy named King Chicken who blames Duckman for his persona as an evil genius (he was hazed by Duckman in high school), as well as various problems in the world and is constantly looking for revenge. Duckman's catch phrase is "What the hell are you staring at?!?" He is a graduate of Don Galloway Detective School and also has a detective license from Panama signed by Manuel Noriega.
• Willibald Feivel Cornfed, also known as Cornfed Pig (Gregg Berger), Duckman's mildly Joe Friday-esque business partner; loosely based on the character "Greggery Peccery" as portrayed by Frank Zappa in a handful of songs. An amazingly talented pig, Corned knows dozens of ancient martial arts. Cornfed was secretly a virgin - this was "remedied" in an episode regarding the Cornfed family's genetic disease contracted from a relative generations past who enraged a tribal elder in a foreign country and was force fed an odd berry. Most (if not all) of the cases solved by the Duckman Detective Agency are solved by Cornfed, with Duckman usually hurting the case rather than helping. Cornfed deals with all of the elements of the detective agency that Duckman ignores, such as getting the clients, paying the bills and solving the cases. Cornfed has also helped Duckman numerous times with his personal life, and has often offered him advice on how to keep his family together and how to avoid the various villains, scoundrels and old ladies who want to see him dead. Cornfed might look mild-mannered, but in his chest beats the heart of a super pig. He has had numerous former occupations, such as mailman, truck driver (at which point he reunited Duckman and his wife Beatrice, also naming their son Ajax after the company he was employed by), waiter, plumber, clerk for a Supreme Court justice, and member of the Irish Parliament. He has a medical degree from a Peruvian med school, and was also educated in air conditioner and VCR repair.
• Charles and Mambo Duckman (Dana Hill then Pat Musick, and Elizabeth Daily), Duckman's twin sons, whose heads shared the same body and both think very differently. In fact, both heads are often arguing with each other. Charles and Mambo are geniuses. Although Charles and Mambo may seem physically odd, they often are more level headed than their single craniumed father. Duckman can never seem to remember Mambo's name (calling him "la bamba," "mandingo," "mono" and "Gumbel," among other things). In later episodes, occasionally one will attempt to commandeer their one shared body.
• Ajax Duckman (Dweezil Zappa), Duckman's eldest teenage son. Speaks mostly like a surfer, always calls his father "Dod" and is usually very shy. Ajax is not the smartest person in the world, and does not seem to have very many friends. Despite being somewhat slow on the ball, he is a skilled free-verse poet, and occasionally surprises Duckman with a few words of slacker wisdom, as well as the occasional piece of obscure knowledge. He is not quick to take action unless he needs to, and when he does need to take action, usually finds a way to avoid it. Still, his dad is proud of him. Ajax got his name from a trucking company Cornfed was driving for when he and Duckman first met.
• Bernice Florence Hufnagel (Nancy Travis), Duckman's sister-in-law. Dresses in spandex and is a fitness buff (with oddly thick thighs for a duck), always trying out the latest exercise trend to keep her body fit and muscular. Because she blames Duckman for the death of his wife, Bernice hates him with a passion and constantly criticizes him for his lack of interest in his children and anything else involving his family. She would like nothing more than to see him fail or get in over his head on one of his investigations. To Duckman's kids Ajax, Charles and Mambo, she is considered to be their primary caretaker, since their father is usually either running off on a dangerous case or dealing with a dangerous case of the runs. Bernice does have a soft spot though... she never fails to show her appreciation to anyone who can show up her no good brother-in-law. This may be among the reasons why she fell in love with King Chicken towards the end of the series and they were engaged in the final episode. The identical twin sister of Duckman's wife Beatrice, it was revealed in the fourth season that she was actually a triplet, and had another sister, Beverly, who was separated at birth. She eventually became a congresswoman.
• Beverly Hufnagel (Nancy Travis), is Bernice's long-lost sister. It was revealed in the fourth season that Bernice and Duckman's wife Beatrice were separated from their triplet sister at birth. Eventually she tracked them down and took over Bernice's place in the household when Bernice was elected to Congress.
• Grandma-ma, Duckman's apparently comatose and immensely flatulent mother-in-law. In the episode "Aged Heat", she was kidnapped by her dopplegänger Agnes Delrooney (played by Brian Doyle-Murray), who posed as her for several episodes until her scam was revealed (although in the meantime there was an episode which made it obvious that it was really Grandma-ma). Grandma-ma sits in the same chair and rarely moves. She never says a word, but rarely keeps quiet. How does she do this? She usually lets her flatulence do the talking for her. Grandma-Ma has a soft spot in her round form for her son-in-law, but can only express it in her disgusting bouts of wind-passing. Grandma-Ma also loves to watch TV, although most of the Duckman family often wonders if she is aware of what she is watching... or whether or not she knows where she is. She is possibly comatose.
• Gecko, Duckman's purple dog. Although this may seem strange in the real world, in a family that has a two headed duck and a patriarch whose best friend is a pig, Gecko is the most normal of the bunch. Like most dogs, Gecko likes to eat, but as far as watch dogs go, is not very good. Still, Duckman prefers his company any day over Aunt Bernice's. It's also shown in one episode that Gecko was stolen by Duckman from one of his neighbors, and that his true name is "Fluffy."
• King Chicken (Tim Curry), Duckman's arch-nemesis. Stops at nothing to try to rid the earth of his nemesis. King Chicken hates Duckman with every feather of his being. Blaming Duckman for some past transgressions (such as hazing him back in high-school), he has been the constant thorn in Duckman's side, doing everything he can to ruin the duck detective's life. Although his plots often end in defeat, King Chicken keeps on clucking, returning again and again with more nefarious schemes. Became engaged to Bernice during the series finale. His catch phrase is simply "Mwah ha haa, bawk bawk bawk!" At first, every time he appeared, he would give the same speech about why he does what he does, and in later episodes, the other characters act bored with his story. The final time he does this, it cuts to a live acted news bulletin, stating that actor Tim Curry has disappeared, leaving a statement that "He will not return until they promise to stop making him repeat that stupid speech about..." and then the newsman recites the whole thing straight and verbatim, complete with the laughing and clucking at the end.
• Honey Chicken, King Chicken's wife. She has frequent 'romantic' affairs with Eric, and has had a daughter together with King. Is engaged to Eric in the final episode.
• Fluffy and Uranus (Pat Musick), Duckman's two teddybear-like office assistants who, despite being constantly killed, maimed, or otherwise tortured, always kept an attitude surprisingly like that of the Care Bears. They file his files, clean his desk and floors, and always greet him with a smile and a kind word. Is it any wonder that Duckman usually ends up tossing them into a blender or throwing them out a window? Poor Fluffy and Uranus would do just about anything for their boss, Mr. Duckman, but their syrupy good nature often provokes mindless acts of violence. In one episode in the fourth season, they get their revenge when Duckman fires them, causing them to turn into giant killer grizzlies, and hunt him down.

The show regularly featured high-profile guest stars, including David Duchovny, Heather Locklear, Coolio, Burt Reynolds, Carl Reiner, Lisa Kudrow (in fact, there was even an episode titled "The One Where Lisa Kudrow Has A Small Part"), Leonard Nimoy, Ben Stiller, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Brian Keith, Ben Stein, Janeane Garofalo, and Dan Castellaneta.

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Season 1: 1994

• 1. 1- 1 4000 5 Mar 94 I, Duckman
• 2. 1- 2 4001 12 Mar 94 T.V. or Not to Be
• 3. 1- 3 4003 19 Mar 94 Gripes of Wrath
• 4. 1- 4 4004 26 Mar 94 Psyche
• 5. 1- 5 4005 9 Apr 94 Gland of Opportunity
• 6. 1- 6 4006 16 Apr 94 Ride the High School
• 7. 1- 7 4007 23 Apr 94 A Civil War
• 8. 1- 8 4008 30 Apr 94 Not So Easy Riders
• 9. 1- 9 4009 7 May 94 It's the Thing of the Principal
• 10. 1-10 4011 21 May 94 Cellar Beware
• 11. 1-11 4010 28 May 94 American Dick
• 12. 1-12 4012 4 Jun 94 About Face
• 13. 1-13 4013 11 Jun 94 Joking the Chicken

[edit] Season 2: 1995

• 14. 2- 1 4215 11 Mar 95 Papa Oom M.O.W. M.O.W.
• 15. 2- 2 4214 18 Mar 95 Married Alive
• 16. 2- 3 4216 25 Mar 95 Days of Whining and Neurosis
• 17. 2- 4 4217 3 Apr 95 Inherit the Judgment: The Dope's Trial
• 18. 2- 5 4218 10 Apr 95 America the Beautiful
• 19. 2- 6 4219 17 Apr 95 The Germ Turns
• 20. 2- 7 4220 24 Apr 95 In the Nam of the Father
• 21. 2- 8 4221 1 May 95 Research and Destroy
• 22. 2- 9 4222 8 May 95 Clip Job

[edit] Season 3: 1996

• 23. 3- 1 4224 6 Jan 96 Noir Gang
• 24. 3- 2 4223 13 Jan 96 Forbidden Fruit
• 25. 3- 3 4225 20 Jan 96 Grandma-ma's Flatulent Adventure
• 26. 3- 4 4226 27 Jan 96 Color of Naught
• 27. 3- 5 4327 10 Feb 96 Sperms of Endearment
• 28. 3- 6 4328 17 Feb 96 A Room With a Bellevue
• 29. 3- 7 4329 24 Feb 96 Apocalypse Not
• 30. 3- 8 4330 2 Mar 96 Clear and Presidente Danger
• 31. 3- 9 4331 9 Mar 96 The Girls of Route Canal
• 32. 3-10 4332 16 Mar 96 The Mallardian Candidate
• 33. 3-11 4333 6 Apr 96 Pig Amok
• 34. 3-12 4334 13 Apr 96 The Once and Future Duck
• 35. 3-13 4335 20 Apr 96 The One With Lisa Kudrow in a Small Role (also known as Planet of the Dopes)
• 36. 3-14 4336 27 Apr 96 Aged Heat
• 37. 3-15 4337 4 May 96 They Craved Duckman's Brain!
• 38. 3-16 4338 11 May 96 The Road to Dendron
• 39. 3-17 4339 25 May 96 Exile in Guyville
• 40. 3-18 4341 22 Jun 96 The Longest Weekend
• 41. 3-19 4342 29 Jun 96 The Amazing Colossal Duckman
• 42. 3-20 4343 6 Jul 96 Cock Tales for Four

[edit] Season 4: 1997

• 43. 4- 1 4449 4 Jan 97 Dammit, Hollywood
• 44. 4- 2 4446 11 Jan 97 Coolio Runnings
• 45. 4- 3 4440 18 Jan 97 Aged Heat 2: Women in Heat
• 46. 4- 4 4445 25 Jan 97 All About Elliott
• 47. 4- 5 4447 1 Feb 97 From Brad to Worse
• 48. 4- 6 4448 8 Feb 97 Bonfire of the Panties
• 49. 4- 7 4450 15 Feb 97 Role With It
• 50. 4- 8 4451 22 Feb 97 Ajax and Ajaxer
• 51. 4- 9 4452 1 Mar 97 With Friends Like These
• 52. 4-10 4453 8 Mar 97 A Trophied Duck
• 53. 4-11 4454 15 Mar 97 A Star is Abhorred
• 54. 4-12 4455 22 Mar 97 Bev Takes a Holiday
• 55. 4-13 4456 12 Apr 97 Love! Anger! Kvetching! (also known as Ain't Gonna Be No Mo No Mo')
• 56. 4-14 4457 19 Apr 97 Duckman and Cornfed in 'Haunted Society Plumbers'
• 57. 4-15 4458 26 Apr 97 Ebony, Baby
• 58. 4-16 4460 3 May 97 Vuuck, as in Duck
• 59. 4-17 4459 10 May 97 Crime, Punishment, War, Peace, and the Idiot
• 60. 4-18 4461 24 May 97 Kidney, Popsicle, and Nuts
• 61. 4-19 4462 14 Jun 97 The Tami Show
• 62. 4-20 4463 21 Jun 97 My Feral Lady
• 63. 4-21 4464 28 Jun 97 Westward, No!
• 64. 4-22 4465 12 Jul 97 Short, Plush and Deadly
• 65. 4-23 4466 19 Jul 97 How to Suck in Business Without Really Trying
• 66. 4-24 4467 26 Jul 97 You've Come a Wrong Way, Baby
• 67. 4-25 4468 2 Aug 97 Hamlet 2: This Time It's Personal
• 68. 4-26 4469 16 Aug 97 Das Sub (also known as Class Warfare)
• 69. 4-27 4470 23 Aug 97 Where No Duckman Has Gone Before
• 70. 4-28 4471 6 Sep 97 Four Weddings Inconceivable

[edit] Trivia

• Duckman's catch phrases included "What the hell are you staring at?", "Hommina hommina how wah", "Where's the crapper?", and his trademark scream of "D'wah!".
• Duckman's dance, the Funky Duckman, is to stick his arms out infront, move his hips back and thrust; "You thrust your pelvis, ha!" Sometimes it is introduced with the phrases "You get your down down" and/or "Come on everybody and do the Funky Duckman!"
• Due to being on in the early days of basic cable, the length of the seasons is lopsided. The first two are rather short, twelve episodes for the first, and only nine for the second, while the third is more standard for a network show, and the fourth is unusually long, with nearly thirty episodes.
• "Noir Gang" episode directed by Jeff McGrath is shot in black and white.
• Episode 51 "With friends like these" was supposed to be voiced by the cast of "Friends", somehow it did not work out. Designs were changed at the very last minute.
• The original timeslot for new Duckman episodes was changed to a later time during the night due to complaints from parents about children seeing the adult humor-oriented show.
• Duckman originally aired on USA Network.
• In the episode "Bonfire of the Panties" Jason Alexander plays both Duckman and himself.
• In episode 21, "Research and Destroy", Ajax is introduced to the disorder proxy-glossariasis by Barry Brittle, creative VP of Water Mark greeting cards - "a rare disease where, occasionally, instead of saying the word I mean to say, I say the next word in the dictionary", e.g. "...you and your family are gonna be in big, big trough."

• In the final episode, many characters get married and as the ceremonies draw to a close, Beatrice (Duckman's deceased wife) appears and shocks the entire crowd. Cornfed reveals he knew that Beatrice was alive all along. This plot twist is never resolved and has thus created a cliffhanger.
• Writer Michael Markowitz noted (in Sep 1998): "We never formally planned Part II... and I'll never tell what I personally had in mind. I'm hoping to leave it to my heirs, for the inevitable day when Duckman is revived by future generations. Ah, the Spandex suits they'll wear, the hovercrafts they'll fly!"

[edit] See also

• Everett Peck
• Squirrel Boy
• USA Network

[edit] External links

• Duckman at TV.com
• Duckman at the Internet Movie Database