The Duck Factory

Posted on by andertoons

Loyal reader and commenter, Fontessa, and I were discussing the lack of a hunky cartoonist archetype on TV. (See comments on this post.)

She was kind enough to remind me of a few cartoonist characters from boob tube history, although I wouldn’t call any of them hunky. (OK, maybe Ted Knight.)

But here’s one I bet most of you don’t recall:

Logo

Anyone remember who played the main character, cartoonist Skip Tarkenton?

Jim Carrey.

OK, he’s not exactly hunky either, but I’d say his career has turned out OK.

I actually remember watching this when I was growing up. It ran on NBC in 1984 for 13 episodes.

If memory serves, one character was a hooker. During the show I remember asking my Mom what a hooker was. I think that was pretty much the end of “The Duck Factory” for me. (Can someone verify the hooker character? Or do I have more to discuss with my therapist?)

Anyway, for the curious, here’s TV.com’s info, IMDB’s page, and, in the interest of completeness, the theme song.

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Published by andertoons

4 thoughts on “The Duck Factory”

  1. I don't remember The Duck Factory, but 1984 was a pivotal year in my life (I wonder what else I missed … ). But here's the big question: Does a cartoonist (do you) have a slightly off-kilter view of life? Is that what lets you find humor in the ordinary? Does looking for the sunny side make you more sanguine?

  2. Hmmm… There's a commercial for one of those dating sites that shows personality traits in the ad.

    "I find humor in everything" floats by at one point, and I think that's pretty much true for me.

    That being said, I'm also relatively moody. My wife is the perpetually happy sunny one.

    I think more than anything, it's kind of a puzzle mindset. How can I take INSERT TOPIC HERE and twist it around to be funny?

    I wish I knew more about how it all works, but, pretty much, the best I can do is recognize it when it hits, and hope I can hang in that zone for a while.

  3. There was, indeed, a hooker. She showed up in Episode 3, the Annie's. Among those who went on to great things was Jay Tarses who played the writer and later produced, among other things, the Molly Dodd series.

    The pilot had some wonderful moments, including the car-bumping motorcade to the funeral, and the discovery of the mirrors on the ceiling of Buddy's little 'nap room'.

    Beautifully written, spectacularly acted show. Should have run ten years instead of half a season.

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