Queer Duck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Queer Duck | |
|---|---|
 A Queer Duck episode opening splash screen |
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| Genre | Animated series |
| Running time | 3 minutes approx. |
| Creator(s) | Mike Reiss |
| Starring | Jim J. Bullock Kevin Michael Richardson Billy West Maurice LaMarche Estelle Harris Tress MacNeille |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Original channel | Showtime |
| Original run | 2002–2004 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Queer Duck was an animated series that originally appeared on Icebox.com in 1999, and later moved to the American cable television channel Showtime in 2002, where it aired as a followup feature of the American version of Queer as Folk. Although far from being the first gay cartoon character, Queer Duck was the first animated TV series to have homosexuality as its predominant theme. Like several later television cartoons, Queer Duck was animated in Adobe Flash.
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[edit] Cast
The title character, actually named Adam Seymour Duckstein (voiced by Jim J. Bullock), is a gay anthropomorphic duck who works as a nurse. His boyfriend, the indigent artist Steven Arlo “Openly” Gator (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, in the style of Harvey Fierstein), is shy and insecure. Their friends throughout the series are Bi Polar Bear (voiced by Ren & Stimpy and Futurama actor Billy West, in the style of Paul Lynde) and the urbane Oscar Wildcat (voice actor Maurice LaMarche).
Recurring supporting characters include Queer Duck's in-denial mother (played by Estelle Harris, George's mother on Seinfeld) and the group's nemesis, Dr. Laura Schlessinger (played by voice actress Tress MacNeille).
The show was created and written by Mike Reiss, executive producer of network cartoons The Simpsons and The Critic. The animation was directed and designed by Xeth Feinberg.
[edit] Recurring themes
Although each four-minute episode stands by itself rather than being part of a larger narrative, several themes and events occur through the 20-episode series. Queer Duck reveals his homosexuality to his parents in the first episode. In the course of the series, Queer Duck and Openly Gator get married, and it's revealed that Queer Duck has a lesbian sister. In another episode, he has a brother and a nephew. Queer Duck also meets Santa Claus and attends Mardi Gras.
Much like The Critic, Queer Duck features numerous cameo appearances by celebrities, whose voices are impersonated by the cast. In addition to Dr. Laura, the Queer Duck gang encounter Bob Hope, Jack Nicholson, Cary Grant, and in particular Barbra Streisand, with whom Queer Duck is obsessed, as well as noted ultra-conservative preacher Jerry Falwell. These celebrities are the only human characters. All other characters are anthropomorphic animals like Duck and his friends, except for the woman Queer Duck sleeps with in the final episode.
[edit] Episodes
| # | Title | Airdate | * | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | I'm Coming Out | |||
| Queer Duck comes out to his friends and family |
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| 2. | Fiddler on the Roofie | |||
| 3. | Oh Christ | |||
| The plans of Mr. and Mrs. Duckstein to deprogramme our hero are met with fabulously entertaining results |
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| 4. | Queer Doc | |||
| 5. | B.S. I Love You | |||
| 6. | The Gayest Place on Earth | |||
| 7. | Gym Neighbors | |||
| 8. | Queer as Fowl | |||
| 9. | Wedding Bell Blues | |||
| 10. | Ku Klux Klan and Ollie | |||
| 11. | The Gay Road to Morocco | |||
| 12. | Quack Doc | |||
| 13. | Oscar's Wild | |||
| 14. | A Gay Outing | |||
| 15. | Radio Head | |||
| 16. | Tales of the City Morgue | |||
| 17. | Homo for the Holidays | |||
| Here Openly Gator is introduced to his sister-in-law, where we find Duck is not exactly the most beloved child of his parents. And Mr. and Mrs. Duckstein take an adventure cruise. |
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| 18. | Bi Polar Bear and the Glorious Hole | |||
| Gator and Duck get eighty-sixed from the Wiener Dog. Meanwhile, Bi Polar Bear gets stuck in the cave entrance of Oscar Wildcat's home, becomes very popular in the neighborhood, and really enjoys the attention. |
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| 19. | Santa Claus is Coming Out | |||
| 20. | Mardi Foie Gras | |||
[edit] Other Characters
- Truman Coyote, a parody of Truman Capote
- K.Y. Jellyfish, a parody of the brand of sex lubricant K-Y Jelly
- Ricky Marlin, a parody of Ricky Martin
- Dr. Ben Swine (a psychiatrist), a parody of Ben Stein
- H.I.V. Possum, a play on HIV, the Human Imunodeficiency Virus, and the term HIV-positive, which is sometimes abbreviated “pos”
- Kangaroo Reeves, a parody of Keanu Reeves
[edit] Trivia
- The theme song is performed by drag icon RuPaul.
- The show's music composer, Sam Elwitt, produced a CD of Muzak-style Ramones songs, under the name the Nutley Brass.
- Part of the opening shows Queer Duck traipsing across a green hill, in a parody of a similar scene in the film The Sound of Music.
- Due to its adult themes, Queer Duck is rated TV-MA in the US.
- Queer Duck was voted #94 in a 100 Greatest Cartoons program on Channel 4 in the UK.
[edit] The Movie
Queer Duck: the Movie, an all-new feature film, was released on DVD July 18, 2006. The film reunites the original creators and cast of Queer Duck, plus special guest stars Conan O'Brien, Tim Curry, Bruce Vilanch, and David Duchovny as "Tiny Jesus".[1] Gay-themed channel Logo premiered the film on July 16.
[edit] External links
- Official site at Showtime (for US residents only)
- Queer Duck at the Internet Movie Database
- Queer Duck: The Movie at IMDB
- Mishmash Media
- The Nutley Brass
