The Duck Factory

This little gem of a comedy (the title refers to a cartoon studio whose main character is a duck) didn't get its due. It stars Jim Carrey in his pre-crazy period as well as the wonderful Jack Gilford. The entire cast is a delight in this show that really deserved a stay of execution. I'm glad that imdb says its out on video, but I've never seen it anywhere. I'll guess I'll keep looking.

I remember seeing "The Duck Factory" on NBC as a teenager( makes two who saw it). I had an interest in voice-work and animation, plus curious to see what Don Messick looked like.

The show was OK, from what I remember, but felt NBC did not really give it a chance. Typical of shows that are actually good but the almighty dollar, and ratings, rules so it was cut.

The basic concept was earnest, young art school grad Jim Carrey lands his dream job at a venerable animation studio only to find the crazy people who work there are running the place into the ground and it is up to him to be the responsible grown up who keeps it all together. See the irony? One of the greatest physical comics ever, a man who is himself a living cartoon character, is locked into a straight-man role, while everyone else on the show is supposed to be a lunatic. Carrey is such a good actor that when he emerged a decade later as a wild man on "In Living Color," I was absolutely amazed. It didn't help anything that this show took the time slot of the truly inspired "Buffalo Bill" show with, oh, you know, Dabney Coleman, Gina Davis...

Thought up by veteran MTM writer-producer Allan Burns, "The Duck Factory" was set backstage at an animation studio specialising in "The Adventures of Dippy Duck." This delightful but short-lived comedy got a video release when Jim Carrey's career took off, and disappointed people expecting to see him clowning around the place; as the talented young animator newly arrived at the studio and who's charged with retooling the show (his first suggestion is to kill off a main character, but when the producer objects, Skip [Carrey's character] quickly bounces back with "Did I mention this takes place in outer space?" As anyone who's seen enough Hanna-Barbera shows will attest, this gambit is hardly unrealistic...), he mostly plays straight man to the more off-tilt people around him. He's never been as good since. (I'm serious.)

As a lifelong cartoon fan, this behind-the-scenes show was a treat - one episode taking potshots at well-meaning but often misguided PC consultants was particularly good (the show fell victim to whining about cartoon violence and agreed to tone it down, but the results were so dire that they went back to the old fashion - and this was several years before "The Simpsons" did the episode with Marge taking on Itchy and Scratchy!). Plus the cast included the great Don Messick as the star of their voice cast and Jay Tarses as the show's writer who wanted to be more; "The Duck Factory" may only be a footnote in the MTM story, but it deserved to be more. And note: Apart from the abortive pilot "Carlton, Your Doorman" (as in "This is..." - it revolved around the unseen character from "Rhoda"), this was MTM's only foray (so to speak... if you're not a cartoon fan, you won't get the joke) into animation.

"Where's the cat?" (QUACK!)

I'm surprised no one mentioned that the fictitious "Duck Factory" studio was purportedly inspired by the true-life animation studios of Jay Ward, which brought us Rocky & Bullwinkle, Mr.Peabody & Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, etc. Ward was an infamous penny-pincher who worked his staff under almost sweat-shop conditions. Although he always pleaded poverty, Ward managed to squirrel away a sizable fortune for himself. (Which is the set up for this show's pilot.) To his defense, Ward surrounded himself with some of the best writers and voice artists in the business, most of whom were thrilled to work with him. Their enduring product speaks for itself.