Over at t'other blog I have a post about Duckman, one of those '90s shows that inspired a considerable cult following on the internet but seems to be pretty much forgotten today. (And there's no sign of a DVD release.) It's too bad, because while this show was not the best-looking prime-time cartoon, it was often very funny, and its combination of animated sitcom and pitch-dark bad-taste satire was more successful than later shows that tried to do the same thing.
I actually think the best episodes of the run came from the last couple of seasons, where the show lightened up a little at the behest of the network -- in the final season they even added a "nice" character, Bernice's long-lost sister Beverly, to make the family more palatable -- and it was more relaxed and funny. But there were a lot of very good episodes in its 70-episode run.
While there's no DVD, DailyMotion has a bunch of full episodes, and YouTube has some more. Unfortunately they don't seem to have my favorite, "Crime, Punishment, War, Peace, and the Idiot," a parody of Russian epic literature (where the flatulent, comatose Grandma-ma recalls her marriage to the Duckman-like cad Trigorin).
By the way, one of the most prolific writers for the show, Michael Markowitz (he wrote, among many other episodes, the series finale which deliberately ended on a cliffhanger that was never resolved or explained), has his own blog, "Should Have Asked Me."
Yes, man! Klasky-Csupo in their prime!
ReplyDeleteI can't name off the top of my head the best episode, because they're all terribly funny. But I do know that it attracted some talented artists during its run, including Vince Waller, Steve Loter, Donovan Cook, and Chris Savino.
I could have done without the family stuff, but Cornfed should have had his own series.
ReplyDeleteMr. Late-to-the-Party. That's me.
ReplyDeleteI probably shouldn't even be doing this. As I posted a long time ago at my blog, the more I think about this show, the more pissed off I become that it's not on DVD.
"Duckman's" combination of razor wit and bawdy humor made it the 'must watch without parental knowledge' show of my formative years. For good or ill, I've yet to determine.
Anyway, some of my fave episodes:
Clip Job - Where a deranged TV critic (Ben Stiller, fantastic) kidnaps Duckman and tries to tell him that his show contributes to the moral decay of society. If only he'd waited a few years for much more degrading stuff.
About Face - The "Taxi" knock-off you mentioned at t'other blog (I looked it up). The girl's name here is Angela, for crying out loud. I submit the last scene to anyone who'd call Duckman an irredeemable bastard. "Let it ring", indeed.
The Tami Show - A bald-faced rip on the then-trendy psychological thriller genre, esp. "Hand that Rocks the Cradle".
Dammit, Hollywood - A deposed studio exec's last act is to turn the studio's power to Duckman, who will no doubt cause the exec to be welcomed back. Worth it if only for the devastating parodies of Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger.
Perhaps I should save a lengthy response like this for my own blog (I just freakin' love this show). Maybe when the show comes out on DVD, knock wood...
"...and thrust your pelvis!"
ReplyDeleteI love that show. Good to run into your blog!