The Disastrous History of Howard the Duck

[@Stereo6400]

when i was little i found this movie deep in my grandma’s library of tapes, and because she had so many old disney cartoons i naturally thought it was a disney movie and popped it in. after watching it and understanding absolutely zero percent of the jokes i decided it was my new favorite movie ever because funny puppet duck. when my parents were driving me home the next day, i decided to tell them alllllll about this hilarious new movie i’d discovered. my parents were SHOCKED and told my grandma to get rid of the movie, put the tapes up where i couldn’t reach them. and made me ask whenever i wanted to watch a movie. this led to a weird mandela effect where whenever i mentioned howard or the movie my grandma and parents INSISTED that no such movie or character existed and told me i must have been thinking of daffy or donald. eventually i was convinced because looking back i thought “well even if everyone was lying to me a movie that bizarre could never exist anyway, right?” then one day i saw it playing at a movie theater that played old movies and my uncle said “man, howard the duck. that movie was WEIRD.” and then it all came back to me and now i have trust issues

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Truly a fascinating story! Howard the Duck has touched so many lives in so many ways...some more bizarre than others.

[@sjbrooksy45]

Are your parent evangelicals? Why were they shocked?

[@Hektagon7085]

How old were you? Why were they shocked??

[@NathanSummers2050]

That's one of the best comments I e read for some reason and yeah that movie was freaking weird. I remember seeing it young.

[@georgeboehringer5530]

I like that movie when I was a kid I like it even more as an adult almost as good as big trouble in Little China good fun movie

[@wotterthose4511]

"Make sure it doesn't look like Donald Duck" *proceeds to just draw Donald Duck*

[@Austroid]

"B-but he's yellow instead of white!" 😅

[@komaristudios2863]

@@Austroid and with gloves

[@komaristudios2863]

And a little coat too which changes colors

[@craigusselman546]

With a cigar...

[@Launchpad05]

@@komaristudios2863 'Donald, and Daffy never wore gloves, right?'

[@samuelsolomon7330]

Given the origins of Howard and the direction of his character and series after getting his own comic, I couldn't help but think, "gee, kinda sounds like deadpool is today," and now I can see why so many people were fighting to get this movie made.

[@kenlieck7756]

Actually, the only HtD comic not by Steve Gerber that's worth reading is Stuart Moore's "Duckpool" one-shot!

[@alicemiller1936]

​@@kenlieck7756 Idk, I think Chip Zdarsky's run on the character from 2015-16 was pretty good too! Def worth checking out.

[@kenlieck7756]

@@alicemiller1936 Hey, I love Ty Templeton's work myself, but what Ty wrote was also *not* the character of Howard the Duck that had been deeply and consistently established by Steve Gerber since the 1970s. If you found Chip's story funny or interesting that's fine, but you know what they say: If it don't walk like Howard the Duck and it don't talk like Howard the Duck -- it ain't Howard the Duck!

[@kenlieck7756]

To correct myself, the book is 2017's Deadpool the Duck and it's a 5-issue miniseries. In it, just before meeting DP Howard says he feels like he's "living in someone else's story. Someone with a better track record at the box office. Good reviews, too..."

[@alicemiller1936]

@@kenlieck7756 Well to be fair, it's not actually the real Howard any more, it's his clone. The real Howard got a name change and still exists in the Image Universe. And we have a clone in the Marvel universe who while not the same is enough for me personally.

[@retropalooza]

As a credited gaffer on this movie set i must say this was such a disastrous production. I specifically remember the camera ops arguing with directors and the producers arguing with the production house fir money to feed us. I remember sleeping in the back of a pickup truck with four electricians for over a week under a bed cover, like a 5 man casket. Then u wake up and went to hell. By the way the two different written scripts went two way one was Howard the duck, the other was turned into suburban commando with hulk hogan

[@tapinewoods3937]

do you know why the y chose this design of Howard the Duck?

[@debacofzomb9889]

Well, when I was a child, I loved this movie 😁👍🏻

[@Ben-zr4ho]

Lol. Film union "electricians." I think you meant, "guys that carry lights and spools of wire around, or maybe turn the loud AC(s) off when they're about to shoot but when you have a power outage during a party and there are like 6 of them there they wont even flip the breaker because even if they might not be real electricians they've all seen someone ELECTROCUTED..." You mean those guys? You were in a five man coffin with those guys?

[@Ben-zr4ho]

You were probably one of those guys though. Unless you were one of the rare Hollywood gaffers thats like an actual gaffer that came up through stage production. So maybe I should be talking to you... "Hey you! Flip the fucking breaker!"

[@MultiCool55]

@@Ben-zr4ho This is weirdly specific

[@PetProjects2011]

26:32 Dan Aykroyd saying "I'm f***ing telling you, it's PG!" needs to become a meme.

[@x-X-PlagueDoctor-Xx]

"IT'S F***ING PG. I'M TELLING YOU" is beautiful.

[@stormevans6897]

"Life is too short to work for people like that" What a quote, what a guy that Robin Williams was.

[@Suddenlyits1960]

Robin Williams as stated later that he knew he dodged the bullet and didn’t want to be associated with a film like that. “These people didn’t know what they were trying to do with that film”.

[@xograyce]

That made me so sad hearing that

[@christianali5431]

Robin Williams: I won't work with George Lucas! Life is too short! Also Robin Williams: cuts his life short from suicide because people don't watch this movies as much as they used to.

[@mattdekker5693]

@@christianali5431 Yeah that quote was one of the least remarkable things ive ever heard but a famous person said it so the people swoon.

[@chickenman7801]

​@christianali5431 that's remarkably heartless.

[@imaginationmind8072]

Wait, you forgot one last appearance of Howard the Duck. In the Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout Howard, the duck has a few lines at the exit queue. I know because I work at the ride

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Interesting! I had no idea about that.

[@MeowMeow_95_]

What at the end? What does he say!?!?!

[@imaginationmind8072]

@@MeowMeow_95_ something along the lines of , the "collection is completely wrecked , you guys should visit more often." then the collector says "get back in your cage you ... duck"

[@level3xfactor]

That’s awesome!

[@Burialofagod]

“Guardians of the galaxy mission breakout Howard” …… what????

[@cryogenesys]

I worked on Howard the Duck, ( ILM Miniature effects) we had fun making it, but the difficulties were apparent, CGI wasn't up tot he task at that time, and the animatronic keep reminding me of a Teddy Ruxtpin doll - I think if it were made today, it would have done much better. Interesting side note - one of the Bikers in the opening scene is Flash Hopkins, CO-founder of Burning Man.

[@mjemigh3304]

Hopefully it WOULD be a lot better today, but not only because of the work you guys did in production. It needs a good story, too! If it were based on the original comic book character, but set today, rather than in the early '70s, it would attract a huge audience. Howard needs to go after the nutcases who make news in today's world. Certainly, this would decrease its longevity, but a ton of money could be made for a few years, at least. Most people today (excepting us old guys) would have no clue what was happening if they read the original comics, but I'm not sure it's all that important. Howard can still shake things up, despite being stuck in "a world he didn't create." Things are just as nutty today as they were then, after all. Just new characters. Oh, man, what he would have done with that last President we had.....

[@sha11235]

Probably. They didn't have the right technology to do this sort of film back then.

[@davidthedeaf]

Honestly the animatronics didn’t ruin it for me. It was everything else.

[@nigelfenlon9035]

Well my friend your work on Howard the duck was sublime intact CGI would have ruined him. I was only a kid watching Howard and to me he was so real on screen other special effect may have benefitted from modern CGI Howard on the other hand didn't require it. My hat off to you and your fellow artists

[@AkinokazeHaruichiban]

In all honesty, I'm 37 and loved it as a kid. I had it on VHS and the novelisation. I still have a soft sport for it now.

[@henryapplebottom7231]

Can we all take a moment to appreciate: Howard the duck CANNONICLY HELPED TO DEFEAT THANOS.

[@Alf-gm7tf]

He used quack-fu

[@thomasjohnston9795]

In the United Kingdom, one of our most revered critics Mark Kermode is a big big fan of the Howard the duck film and still defends it to this day. He also loved Hudson Hawk and told to this to Richard E Grant who told him he was an idiot

[@bleachmcgee1658]

What a brilliant man. Hats off to him!

[@Basile.BowBow]

I love Hudson Hawk too so I might also be an idiot lmao

[@CSDonohue11]

I agree with this feels you’re speaking of Howard is OOO G 🦆

[@angelvalle9963]

Hudson hawk is awesome 😎

[@Tardisntimbits]

I like Howard and I love Hudson Hawk,.so I'm with him lol

[@sinjin8576]

I always love when Lucas shows up in any interview post Star wars. The man just looks and sounds like someone ran over his soul with a car.

[@Bullitt3401]

Marcia cheated on George with the man that built the stained glass ceiling for the library at Skywalker Ranch. The divorce really, really messed him up and he gets to think about it every time he went to Skywalker Ranch. The Star Wars Special Editions we're a big F.U. not just to the fans, but to Marcia, as well, she was one of the editors.

[@dogdriver70]

Disney ran over his soul with $4 Billion.

[@jayo1212]

@@dogdriver70 nah, they rejuvenated his soul!

[@suicidebylifestyle9267]

@@Bullitt3401 I LOVED the special editions, it gave me a chance to see everything on a big screen.

[@zybch]

@@Bullitt3401 Its thanks to Marcia that a new hope was anything more than a messy flop. She saved that movie from Lucas's apalling editing skills, yet gets so little credit its disappointing.

[@7bordello]

Yesterworld videos are like Kubrick movies. They don’t come around often but they’re always worth the wait. 😊

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Appreciate the kind words and comparison to one of the greats!

[@bartplays3392]

Yep. I agree. Although he doesn’t upload often when he does it’s worth the wait of how interesting and high quality and great these videos are

[@venividi8523]

You're telling me, I'm still waiting for the next Kubrick movie, wonder what's taking him so long

[@slob5041]

@@YesterworldEntertainment You're the best youtuber. I've been into theme park history for a really long time and the stuff you find through pictures is insane.

[@JoshuaJacobs83]

I'm still waiting for a new Kubrick movie. Guy is making us wait almost as long as we've waited for Half Life 3 and the new Elvis album

[@shannahshubert304]

I must be one of the few that enjoyed Howard the Duck back in the day up to today. It will always hold a special place in my heart and I will always indulge in the nostalgia of it.

[@dolphinsrr]

I always love this film. And I feel that got the feel of the character from the comics. Don't agree with the criticism

[@pezcore2142]

i loved it as a child and think its just fine still to this day.. dunno why people hate on it so much.

[@Swiftbow]

I still love Howard the Duck, too. Maybe it's from a childhood of growing up on Muppets, but I never see the puppet... I see the character. I'm much more inclined to believe a puppet than bad CGI. I also saw Howard the Duck as a kid. But my parents also let me watch Caddyshack, Animal House, Stripes, Die Hard... (my Mom would cover my eyes or leave the room briefly if there was a sex scene or naked women.) Plus it's a fun movie... alien duck saves Earth from a Dark Overlord of the Universe and gets with a hot musician babe. He's like a reverse Captain Kirk!

[@Gandhi03]

I also loved Howard the Duck as a child. The music, the huge blaster, that mini plane, and Holly Robinson Pete...did I mention the music? Then again, I also liked that Masters of the Universe movie with Dolf Lundgren as a child...I guess I wasn't such a movie snob in my youth.

[@damon2772nomad]

I think if you lack imagination then you don't like this movie. I'd like to see a reboot.

[@erinmatthews3983]

“Life is too short to work for people like that.” As always, a brilliant statement from the late great Robin Williams.

[@hoagietime1]

My uncle was in the art department for this movie, I think he was a scenic painter. I remember he screened it for all the kids at a family reunion when it came out on VHS, I'm pretty sure everyone was horrified and it was turned off halfway through

[@craigcohen3682]

I want to thank your uncle for his work. I actually liked Howard the zduck.

[@MarcHendry]

Roger Rabbit could easily have gone this badly too. But at least they had the foresight to test out the animation and effects techniques before committing to the full thing

[@omegahorizon82]

Probably had twice the production time.

[@sha11235]

They might've had more time too.

[@felixdaniels37]

That movie truly is lightning in a bottle, and I'm so glad it exists.

[@Pimp-Master]

Didn't that movie require 4 years of production? Yep, I think so.

[@TMC1982Part2]

One thing that I realized about Robin Williams is that when he wasn't doing his schtick and "performing" and you actually got to have an actual and normal conversation with him, he actually seemed like a very intelligent and introspective guy. So it's weirdly refreshing to see a clip of him discussing the process of voicing Howard the Duck.

[@lynntaylor9681]

I'm glad he left Howard the Duck when he did. It would have ruined Robin's career.

[@Burialofagod]

Thanks captain obvious!!

[@ghettosled1976]

If you have the energy, any coke addict seems smart. Because they never stfu.

[@michaelsamuel9917]

@@lynntaylor9681 Popeye did that for a little while....

[@kenlieck7756]

@@michaelsamuel9917 Interesting formula they had for that one. Jules Feiffer (genius screenwriter) + Harry Nilsson (genius songwriter) + Robert Altman (genius director) + Robin Williams (genius comic actor) = Blow me down!

[@mcduane71]

I love how the history of such a niche Marvel character is somehow tied back to Morbius

[@arthurjeremypearson]

I loved that scene in Howard the Duck when he said "It's about Ducking time".

[@ectofriend]

I'm a legit HUGE fan of the original Howard the Duck comics. They're such this weird anomaly of pop culture that was super popular and beloved for a shot bit of time, but not in a fad way. So hearing about what this movie COULD have been and all the trouble it went through is oddly upsetting. We almost got a super cool movie out of this.

[@Scott.Sandifer]

10 year old me loved it. Watched it every time I saw it on cable. Still think of it fondly. But never once have I mistaken it for "good."

[@dunkelmonkey]

So bad it's good

[@RandomBitzzz]

This video looks like it took a tremendous amount of work, both in the research and overall production. I'm amazed at how well you told the story given the mess of contradictory accounts of events. Very well done sir!

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Appreciate the kind words! It was quite the challenge to piece everything together from the snippets of info across a wide variety of sources...the extreme mess of contradictory of information added that much more of a challenge, but also made it more fun in ways, like trying to solve a bizarre jigsaw puzzle with only 3/4 of the pieces.

[@clubin78]

I loved this move and now need to try to find the theatrical version of it. My memories of it is just the TV showings.

[@joshuamarks4425]

The most damaging part of this movie was that in the aftermath of Howard bombing commercially, the same Universal execs who pushed for all of those alterations and production crunch that led to the film being what it was, immediately fast-tracked a Jaws sequel a month after Howard came out, that *must* come out the following year, and put it in production without a finished script in the hopes of making a film that was immediately profitable to make up for Howard's losses. The result was Jaws The Revenge.

[@caucasoidape8838]

It's true, that man has no dick.

[@thejest69]

Sad that the writers, actors, producers, and the rest of the team actually making the movies takes the fall, when what really doomed it was the crunch, studio executives demanding rewrites, and mishandled advertising (there's plenty of bad movies, but its the overhyped ones that get mainstream infamous)

[@Nathriel]

@@thejest69 Without the time crunch and all the rewrites it probably would have been better than it turned out for sure.

[@Me_AV]

This time, it's personal. 😂🤣🤣

[@starchilde8698]

Executives ruin most things, they're artless leeches committed to being completely out of touch.

[@Sunny_Frost]

He is such an interesting character, and with how far animatronics, CGI and the like have come, I think the technology is finally there to make something closer to the actual source material, I'd love to see something like that

[@gracekim1998]

As long as he doesn’t look like Donald

[@SabinStargem]

@@gracekim1998 Considering that Marvel is owned by Disney, we could have Howard and Donald have a drunken fight at a bar, with assorted bikers getting the worst of it. All over whether or not Howard should wear pants.

[@kenlieck7756]

The only way to get close would be to become Steve Gerber, who is dead. Having said that, there is *one* person who has actually done a decent job of channeling SG: Stuart Moore has penned not one but two HtD stories that are commendably off-kilter, sharp and pretty damn funny. He even seems to have purposely avoided mention of the things that Marvel has fucked up post-Gerber, like that idiotic "Duckworld" shit and the accompanying cretinous puns. (Bill Mantlo saddled Howie with that, then took Gerber's superior Howard origin and gave it to his own Rocket Raccoon!)

[@Replicaate]

I mean, we did get to see Howard a couple times in the GOTG movies. Maybe he can join the Guardians for an adventure in a What If?

[@kenlieck7756]

​ @Replicaate Actually, HtD already has made two cameos in "What If?" as well. But none of that matters anyway since Marvel has stripped Howard of everything that made him a character worth anybody's attention -- and I'm not talking about his trousers! Y'see, technically Howard hasn't even been seen anywhere near the MU/MCU in years. He *escaped* from their corporate grasp and stuck them with a cheap double when they weren't paying attention! The details of that unbelievably brilliant switcheroo will blow your mind and you can find them here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6WbgIalm9impsU

[@warnegoodman]

Worth mentioning that Chip Zien, who voiced Howard, went on to have a tremendous career on Broadway.

[@mikeytoolica33]

I absolutely loved this as a kid, and I think people are crazy for trashing it. If I ever catch anyone trashing it again, you will learn how well quack-fu works. I would still watch it today

[@craigcohen3682]

I liked Howard The Duck too

[@mikeytoolica33]

@@craigcohen3682 For a live action movie, I thought it was flippin great

[@rekktekk8543]

Yeah it was weird and I like it. It was ahead of its time.

[@dunkelmonkey]

​@@rekktekk8543- definitely ahead of its time. If it was made 10 or 15 years later (given the technological leaps within that time frame) it would have been a much better film

[@epicgamerhank9509]

People talk about Morbius being a movie of all time. But we all know Howard the Duck deserves that title.

[@nintendofan7586]

My favorite moment is when Howard said the iconic line "its duckin time" and duck all over the bad guys, one of the marvel ever.

[@epicgamerhank9509]

@@nintendofan7586 Howard playing electric guitar > Vampire Dr. Who’s Dance.

[@nintendofan7586]

@@epicgamerhank9509 true

[@superbubsymariobobcat1097]

nope. that belongs to Hulk

[@SuperFlashDriver]

I'd hate to say this but the garbage pail kids exceed that by 3x more brutal than this film. This film make have it's weird quirks, but thankfully it didn't end up being as shit as the Garbage Pail Kids film or Freddy's Fingers....Those two are just....No, freakin' bad. And I did watch a review of the garbage pail kids years ago, and the story is ALL over the place.

[@blastinus3714]

I appreciate that Siskel & Ebert were familiar enough with the source material to understand precisely why it didn't work. It really seems like they did their homework on this one. Unlike the suits who ruined it.

[@tobiwalker7145]

I own the movie on DVD. I'd owned many of the comic books. When I showed the movie to kids who had no expectations, they loved it. Thank you for this deep dive into the lore of the Duck, about which I knew little. Your research is 100% appreciated and I think, in your honor, I'll give the movie a re-watch.

[@Swiftbow]

I'm looking forward to showing my kid (he's a little young at 1 and nearly 3/4), but I wanted to mention that it's also on Blu-Ray!

[@KenLieck]

You nailed it. That should have been the tagline: "The Movie for People With No Expectations!"

[@alexkitner5356]

In fairness, the list of movies that beat this out of the top ten in August of 86 is pretty legendary and hard to compete with. Top Gun, Aliens, One Crazy Summer, Karate Kid 2, and a number of others that were such successes that they're still getting $3.99 to rent them on Prime Video 35-plus years later.

[@DonHavjuan]

I didn't know anyone actually rented anything from prime.

[@AllOutBible]

MY PEOPLE!!! I've felt like the only Howard the Duck fan in the world! :) So good to see you!

[@retrofan4963]

You're not the only one friend :) I'm a huge fan of Howard the Duck as well.

[@spicytrashpanda]

Me also love Howard. Young me was terrified by the scene in the semi but grown up me loves the campy B movie feel.

[@craigcohen3682]

I loked Howard The Duck, too 😀

[@darrenmacqueen9884]

I just saw the movie for the first time last week. I just joined the fandom.

[@tecpaocelotl]

I loved Howard the duck as a kid. As an adult, i question that child. Lol.

[@trashyraccoon2615]

It’s an awesome, almost perfect 80s movie. That hasn’t changed.

[@craigusselman546]

Dont worry you are not alone I was one of those kids....

[@SasamiNoKebabHouse]

The movie is nowhere as bad as it's hyped up to be. Forget about the comics and just appreciate the incredibly charming 80's hollywood weirdness.

[@Game_Hero]

@@trashyraccoon2615 44:23 You are a quacker.

[@trashyraccoon2615]

@@Game_Hero Normies, especially critics, have absolutely s*** taste in movies and music.

[@WasatchWind]

Love when a nice documentary video comes out right as I'm about to have dinner.

[@MoeH3]

I loved it as a kid and it still holds up. Highly recommend.

[@dinosaysrawr]

Yep! I loved it as a kid, and rewatched it this year, and I'd classify it as sincere and weird-but-charming. I've definitely seen much, much worse!

[@taym510Oak]

Facts

[@nicolereid8487]

I think this movie is hilarious

[@Lemorande]

Fascinating video. George Lucas visited the set of Captain Eo once only during shooting. He visited the production offices during preproduction once as well. He was preoccupied with Howard The Duck, the Ewok project, recutting Return to Oz, and helping with Labyrinth. A little of George can go a long way, though.

[@elodvezer1790]

AN EXCELLENT made MOVIE...BEAUTY .. FUN history.... not disaster... just SUBJECTIVE ..... I loved watching this on Thursday LATE GREAT MOVIES in the 90's as a kid!!

[@Michael-be7uw]

I'm actually part of the 5% of people who actually love this movie I loved it as a kid and I still enjoy it to this day to me a classic

[@FrayHavoc]

Absolutely loved this movie as a kid, and still do today.

[@youngcansuela8327]

The only way someone could love it, is if they were a young kid when it came out, and now it’s just a straight nostalgia high lol. This movie is terribad lol

[@Suddenlyits1960]

@Fray Havoc,They have medication that can help with that now.

[@miriamchristmas2771]

i'm 48, i still like this movie *shrugs*

[@moks1315]

​@@youngcansuela8327 Nah, it's alright. I saw it for the first time less than a year ago. Worth a watch in my book. It's not a great movie but that still puts it above most of the swill studios pump out these days.

[@joejacobs3537]

Not me....

[@DaneofHalves]

I saw this movie as a kid. I watched it over and over and thought it was one of the funniest and silliest movies I've ever seen. And solidified my crush on Lea Thompson. Pretty decent special effects for the 80s.

[@OGKillercaptain]

Lea Thompson a true gem.

[@worldoftheflies]

I never wanted to be a duck so bad in my life. Lea Thompson, good lord.

[@danielr6686]

Lea Thompson was totally boinkable in the day.

[@danacato8956]

I totally love the movie Howard The Duck! I own the DVD and still watch it today.

[@LybertyZ]

Get help.

[@danacato8956]

@@LybertyZ really?

[@spicytrashpanda]

​@@danacato8956don't worry about him, it's a fun campy movie. Yeah, objectively it's not good but subjectively it's an American classic. I'm gonna join you and get a copy

[@RyoHazuki224]

This is a fascinating video! I was one of the few 80's kids who actually liked the movie when I was younger. Yeah as I grew up I knew it was cheesy and had a lot of questionable scenes and the plot was odd, but I still hold fond memories of the film. I'm not surprised though that the film had such a rocky creation, and even less surprised that it wasn't well received upon release. Still though, I'm one of the few that still holds out hope that there may be a true Howard the Duck film to come out in the future, doing the character justice!

[@youngcansuela8327]

The “few” 80’s kids that liked it?? Lol, most kids that were 6-10 or so when this hit vhs loved this movie.

[@Robman92]

I hope there will be an official MCU Howard movie 🤞

[@nicoleschannel329]

I really liked the film and Im not a 80s kid. It's unique and surreal really. I enjoy Howard :)

[@sunraider0_0]

​@@Robman92 I really hope there isn't. They'd fuck it up somehow.

[@Robman92]

@@sunraider0_0 I like James Gunns rendition of him in the Guardians cameo scenes

[@DavidHansenPlaywright]

As a kid growing up in the Cleveland area, I loved Howard the Duck. And because I was a kid, it really shaped my sense of humor, the thing was totally bent. Regardless of its popularity - among comic fans - most people only know of the character from the Lucas film, which is truly galling. While I am grateful that the MCU has done a little to rehabilitate the character through his occasional appearances, I'd really like them to give him a miniseries ... but only if it's directed by someone like Jim Jarmusch.

[@Dylan-Hooton]

Thank goodness the old Howard design wasn't used. That would have caused more nightmares to children than the one we got in the film, especially that exaggerated-looking eyes and those human teeth in its duck beak. 0_0

[@jennhernandz3912]

I personally love Howard the duck and think it just embodies everything 80s. It’s over the top it’s insane it’s wonderful that woman is in love with a duck no one questions and nobody thinks it’s weird what a great movie I think I’m a go watch it.

[@nigelfenlon9035]

You've inspired me I'm watching Howard right now in fact I'm sticking it on the projector I got for christmas I missed it in the cinema as a kid but wore out our video tape I watched it so much lol

[@DragonKingX78]

I agree, a very 80's movie, it's one of many that you couldn't make now a days.

[@Pimp-Master]

You must love Spielberg's "1941" then...it's got absurdity in every scene nearly. The audience literally groaned aloud when that film screened. I was an usher then. Total bomb of a movie.

[@Punketeria1369]

Personally, I super Loved Howrd The Duck when it came out. I was middle school aged, so my taste was Not as refined. But back then, my friends and I in school were all major fans, especially as it had some naughty adulty humour, which as kids we found awesome 🦆 Thanks for such a cool video, I love learning the behind the scenes drama and process 😊 No matter how "bad" a project may be, there is Always folks who appreciate it. chEErs!

[@maxordman4100]

Awesome work on this documentary! It is truly fascinating! That’s so weird how they made all those commercials for the movie but without the star! This is definitely one of your best videos ever! There were so many times I had to pause the video because I couldn’t stop laughing! Wow Marvel’s first theatrical movie and George Lucas’ third big production! What a legacy indeed for Howard The Duck! This video is truly golden my man! However I also have to say that I feel so sorry for that poor kid Joe who was the Howard body double! I hope that he went on to doing something much more pleasant for him after that! Poor kid! I’m not a huge fan of Howard but this story is truly fascinating and hilarious!

[@TheAeroAvatar]

It is incredible how much energy and struggle went into giving this character a movie, only for it to all to crash and burn. The story of how they actually got this movie made is more fascinating than the movie itself! I'm not sure why they thought this was ever a good idea, but too many bad decisions ensured it was doomed form the start.

[@seththebeatmxchine]

I feel like most movie passion projects turn out that way.

[@iraqiimmigrant2908]

I think the original script would have worked better. The studio made them rewrite the script no?

[@Spruill1]

Yesterworld videos make me happy. Thanks for the Christmas present Mark!

[@peterdibble]

Mark uploads a big new video AND we get a Golden Girls reference? This is what I'm subscribed for.

[@ALIEN-DUDE]

I remember my grandad telling me about a wacky marvel movie before the iron man and spider man ones, a film about a talking duck called howard. A few years later I got into nostalgia critic videos and found his review of this bizarre movie, thats how I know of this oddities existence.

[@readylisetteg0]

There is no reason so much hate for this movie exists. It's campy and fun. If you are anticipating the Criterion edition, you are the reason people don't get invited to birthday parties.

[@smugalice6206]

I met Tim Rose at a convention, and I asked what his favorite film that he worked on was. He said Howard the Duck.

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

He seems like a super nice guy!

[@smugalice6206]

@@YesterworldEntertainment He was! He really embraced the “it’s a trap” meme.

[@rootfish2671]

The Howard the duck animatronic was super advanced for it's time

[@sha11235]

What else has he worked on? I know, Men in Black.

[@queenmedesa]

@@sha11235 the dark crystal!

[@KaponoMonster]

I always love how yesterworld manages to to make non disney topics have some connection with Disney

[@kutulhumythos3410]

You missed some other bits from Howard's history: - His post-Gerber revival actually started as a feature in the re-vamped Crazy magazine in 1980. Its new editor Larry Hama turned a 3rd-rate Mad knock-off into a nasty New York-inspired punk rag that really horrified parents, especially since it parodied hard-R movies. It also gave kids the gruesome murder that created Caspar The Ghost, a re-lettered Death Of Phoenix saga that enraged the X-Fans, and handy tips on how to survive and prosper following a nuclear war. The HTD parts were the most normal section, and those were damned weird. Besides the Crazy reboot, Hama would go on to also create the GI Joe series, making him the patron saint for 80s grade-school edgelords. - There was a benefit comic for Steve Gerber's fight to regain the rights to Howard, called Destroyer Duck. It was one of the last projects artist Jack Kirby ever drew, another important creator screwed over by Marvel. Like the Iron Man, Avengers, Captain America, and Thor movies? Those characters were all created by Jack, - The first comic issue would inspire another funny-animal meets Conan comic: Cerebus The Aardvark in 1977. His creator Dave Sim would actually do a try-out page in the later HTD magazine. The success of Cerebus would directly lead to other independent black & white books, including The Tick and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So, Howard The Duck pretty much led the way for every creator-driven cartoon or movie from the 90s.

[@ARTbyJENTV]

Came to the comments to check I’m not the only weirdo who loved this movie 😂

[@TheGrobe]

I loved it the first time I saw it on TV as a little kid and I still love it!

[@spicytrashpanda]

Nope, you aren't. It was bizarre and a great campy B movie

[@ohioguyz8466]

Nope, I absolutely love this movie.

[@obsidiansands]

There's that one immortal scene that sums up the Howard The Duck movie in a nutshell: *"DUCK TITS! WOO-HOO!"*

[@TheDigitalApple]

I can’t believe Micheal Eisner replaced Adventure Through Interspace with Howard The Duck!

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Great call back

[@fusionspace175]

I'm lucky, in that I was the perfect age to appreciate Howard the Duck when it was made. It joined my VHS favorites alongside Willow and Roger Rabbit, Indiana Jones and Star Wars. I still enjoy it a lot, Howard has real personality as a character and is quite funny. It's a little hard to believe how strong he is given his height, but you have to go with it or he can't rescue Lea Thompson like Spider Man in that alley. It is functionally sort of a super hero movie, he does have to repel an alien invasion in the end, and there is a villain with super powers. It's an interesting movie even now, this was a great font of information about it, and I'm, definitely going to rewatch it next time I watch the movie. And if anyone hasn't seen it, give it an honest chance, don't expect it to pay off like funny bad movies do. I still think the biggest problem with its reception is that people were not ready for a humanoid duck and a human woman to be lovers.

[@Account_Not_Applicable]

In today's age, I think a human woman with a duck man would be MUCH better received

[@jackpijjin4088]

Apparently we *still* weren't ready for it by 2006, not so sure about today.

[@fusionspace175]

@@jackpijjin4088 Look he clearly has human level intelligence and a humanoid personality, humanoid hands and the duck with boobs imply humanoid genitals as well. It's not gross, it's beautiful, they're in love and perfect for each other. Oh, why do I bother? Sigh.

[@joshfacio9379]

Poor poor sonic 06.. lol.

[@candacewhite9040]

I was thinking the same thing. And that was why I liked it. Lol But yeah the Sonic game was weird. It's a mixed bag. 🤣

[@AmyASpaceOdyssey]

The director of this film also co-directed an amazing horror film called Messiah of Evil that nobody has heard of and that’s a shame because it’s a masterpiece.

[@danwroy]

No it's not but it's interesting

[@AmyASpaceOdyssey]

@@danwroy I respect your opinion but I strongly disagree. I think that movie is excellent.

[@playboysadness6494]

A strange film, but definitely mediocre at best

[@marcialaboo3996]

I grew up watching this as a kid. It was my mom's idea of a child-appropriate movie. Now as an adult, I see that it is not. I always remembered thinking that their relationship was really weird. Also, being a Clevelander, I always wondered why there were mountains and those weird-looking taxis.

[@hhairball9]

THAT was a very informative and entertaining documentary! I admire your dedication to your research! (Also, I enjoyed the sound of your voice so much, I even listened to your sponsor plug!) Great job!

[@PD-mi3qj]

Thank You, Mark! Best Christmas gift ever! Just like Defuntland, always well worth the wait! Thank you for continuing to create the fun and well researched content we all love!

[@justsimplygavin]

Another absolute classic. I’ve been wanting someone to cover the production of this movie because I was always so curious to see what went into making this movie the way it is, and you did not disappoint! Always happy to see a new video in my Sub box.

[@georgeboehringer5530]

I thought it was a cool movie when I wasn’t at elastic adolescent I appreciate it even more

[@gabrielyoung7760]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS! I have a great love for Howard the duck and im always looking for new videos and info about his fascinating past. To see an hour long video from yesterworld is …… GOLDEN!!!

[@weir9996]

29:05 I appreciate that Howard's new wardrobe came from "Sidney Land"

[@AmyC531]

Radioland Murders mention! Oh man, one of my childhood favorites and almost completely forgotten. You should have seen the smile on my face when I heard those words!

[@weirdotzero7065]

The first new video in 4 months and it's a 1 hour doc on one of the worst comic book adaptations of all time... I live for content like this.

[@dolphinsrr]

The film is not that bad. It has the same tone as guardians of the galaxy. And to me rocket racoon is the same kind of character as Howard. But different.

[@IcyDiamond]

Not gonna lie, a Howard The Duck Special Presentation in the MCU would be pretty fun

[@SomeHarbourBastard]

Agreed, though I do wish they bought Chip Zein back, Seth Green’s voice doesn’t do it for me.

[@Dylan-Hooton]

Alastor?!

[@mcduane71]

@@SomeHarbourBastard Ngl I like Green's voice, but if they were to change it for a Special Presentation/ Guardians 3, I think it'd be fun for a comedian like Bill Hader or Bill Burr to voice him. They are two that stick out in my head as some of the best comedians of modern day; Hader has a ton of range with his voice and comedic timing, and Bill Burr has the Boston accent and rude delivery with a lot of his best jokes. I think either would be perfect for a modern Howard comedic series similar to Peacemaker.

[@mitchfletcher2386]

@@SomeHarbourBastard Every time I hear Seth Green as Howard, it just reminds me of Yajirobe from "Dragon Ball". [In case you don't know, he's the fat samurai guy who lives on Korin Tower]

[@jasonblalock4429]

With James Gunn moving to DC, I doubt it'll ever happen. I think he was the only creative in the MCU who cared about Howard.

[@csbluechip]

Another brilliant documentary! I love your passion, and pace.

[@kaykepop4084]

I was 6 years old when this movie came out. There were so many commercials and advertisements. One morning my mom dropped me off at my uncle's house and his wife had the tv on and I had started watching before I realized it was Howard the Duck. When I saw his face I ran to the tv and changed the channel😅. It scared me so bad. Tried to watch when I was older but I could not get into it and never finished watching.

[@AnthonyAgnelli]

I have this dream once, not after I watched this video in-fact. I was a little kid again, and my parents abandoned me, and I was found by Howard the Duck and his human wife, they became my new parents. It was one of the weirdest and scariest dreams I had.

[@AnthonyAgnelli]

I yeah I was justified in being scared. Just watched the movie on KZbin. Weirdest thing ever. I could feel the movie sucking my soul out. I feel empty after watching it.

[@kenmorman6391]

I absolutely unashamedly "love" Howard the Duck!!! Both the movie and the comic book.

[@chrislongbeard]

I remember trying to rent Howard in '91 which was 6th grade. It was always out, so I got my parents to buy it. Loved it then and still own it to this day. Along with DVD and Bluray. Also have comics and movie posters/promos. My friends think I'm weird.

[@georgeboehringer5530]

I wasn’t adolescent I love the movie

[@Noobula-_-]

I love these longer documentary style videos that you and defunct land make keep up the great work!!!

[@gothicbagheera]

I loved this movie when I was a kid when it first came out. Now almost 35 years later, I still love this movie.

[@spencers4121]

I remember loving it as a kid, but like you I haven't re-watched in 35 years.

[@peze80]

Thanks for a great upload! I was born in 1980 and has been a fan of this movie since I first watched it. Two huge things that I learned from your video: the fact that Ghostbusters influenced this movie!! Mind blown! And that Robin Williams not only was considered but even CAST for the voice of Howard!!! I had no idea! Thanks again!

[@dylanfgarrison]

I LOVED this movie as a kid. Saw it many many times as soon as it came out on home video. Those critics don’t know $hit, this movie is amazing.

[@dylanfgarrison]

I’ll amend my comment having now watched the whole video. If you were around 10 years old AND your parents didn’t pay much attention to what it was you were watching this movie was amazing. I had no expectations, I didn’t know who George Lucas was, it was just another movie I enjoyed.

[@BananaPhoPhilly]

I watched this movie as a 10 year old and I thought it was the weirdest shit I’d ever seen. Turned it off after 10 minutes

[@KatieLHall-fy1hw]

@@dylanfgarrisonbut you know what? Sometimes that is the best way to watch a movie! That’s one of the reasons I love Wayne’s World so much. I had a vague awareness of them on SNL but wasn’t watching SNL and went in with 0 expectations, and knew none of thus actors I love that movie and it never fails to make me laugh. 😎

[@MistaBrandoVA]

I always appreciate deep dives like these going into film history! Amazing work as always dude! I’m actually bummed we didn’t get that og Howard movie, those sculptures/statues of the muppet they were making was so stylish! Very detailed and stylized like the original comic style. I would if those models are in a private collection somewhere? Marvel please if you’re reading this make a Howard the Duck show/movie but instead of cgi make him a funny muppet please I’m begging you 🦆 🙏🏻

[@Swiftbow]

I dunno... those early sculptures may have resembled the comic, but they were also horrifying. Do you really want to see that thing move? Also... the Howard we got is one of the few anthropomorphic ducks to properly NOT have teeth.

[@sheriffvader6908]

A muppet style Howard the duck would of saved it imo

[@captlazer5509]

George Lucas In Love short has played at meetings at Skywalker Ranch around the time Episode 2 was in production. The short is both a love letter to Lucas and a sly way to debate limiting the screen time of JarJar Binks. Thank you Howard The Duck.

[@Mekaneckpain]

I honestly don't understand why this movie is hated so much. I love it and re-watch it from time to time. He reminds me of ALF in terms of his personality.

[@SolidSnakeOO1]

Amazing work as always. Would love to see a video on the history of Return to Oz someday.

[@xsam88]

I now know more about this duck than I thought possible. Thanks Yesterworld

[@dwitefry4157]

The first volume of Howard the Duck is genuinely one of my favourite comics. I only own one of those huge, expensive Marvel Omnibus books and it's for Howard the Duck. I just want to share that cos someoen should admit to loving that comic every time Howard the Duck is brought up, cos it's wierd and wonderful.

[@G.S.Holland]

I was born too late to get caught up in the original comic book run of Howard the Duck. When I got into comics, it had been out for a number of years but never seemed to find their way to my local drug store. I recall seeing ads for it in comics I did read and always wanted to get original issues. They have never been cheap, unfortunately. But that Omnibus was a prefect way to get an instant collection for a fraction of the price of the original issues.

[@mjemigh3304]

Really?!? I've gotta find that! Of course, it's outdated for most people, since Howard went after newsmakers of the early '70s, but It would be perfect for me. I absolutely loved the comic book of the early part of that decade, although it went seriously downhill when it became a magazine. And the movie hit rock bottom.

[@G.S.Holland]

The movie killed the future of the character for such a long time, too. I know people are fond of it. I wonder how many of them also read the comics?

[@mjemigh3304]

@@G.S.Holland Not many, I would guess. A lot of them say that they saw the movie as a kid. By then, the '70s were something in history books. They wouldn't get the humor. I ordered the book yesterday. Thank you and dwite fry VERY much for letting me know about it!!!!!

[@pobbrett3244]

I was also one of those kids that loved this movie, there’s been whispers of a new reboot the last few years and hope that it does come to fruition as he’s a great character with a deadpool-esque comedic charm.

[@papingosstudios161]

Funfact: howard the duck is actually in the mcu he was in guardians of the galaxy and what if.. it would be cool if he got his own Disney+ show or special presentation

[@PaulinaAngel]

I remember watching Howard The Duck back in the early 90's on TV, I liked it for what it was, another 80's comedy movie. After seeing your video, I can now understand where things went wrong with it back in 1985, too many people had different visions of it, too much politics behind it and no regard for the source material which turned people onto the original comics. As far as Howard The Duck in the MCU, I feel that now that we've gotten many glimpses of him in Guardians, Endgame and What If, I feel that if something were to happen like a movie or a Disney+ show, at least it'll be Marvel doing all of the development and such instead of people outside of the organization, so Howard's future is very bright.

[@ltmmoviereviewsharrison3462]

I agree. A Howard the duck reboot has potential. If done with the right people.

[@SmoothCriminal12]

Well Clint Eastwood clearly liked Howard The Duck enough to cast Tim Robbins in Mystic River.

[@chileanyways196]

I’m so excited! The longer the Yesterworld episode the better

[@the-NightStar]

I honestly, and unironically enjoy this movie. I think it's far better at least than MOST people are willing to give it credit.

[@Swiftbow]

I think it's one of those movies that got such a bad rap early on that most of the long-term negativity sprung from people joining the crowd.

[@johndennison2769]

@@Swiftbow Kind of like Morbius tbh.

[@omegahorizon82]

Being 5-6 y/o in the 80's watching this 100xs it'll will always be a fond memory. I dare not watch it today and ruin the nostalgia.

[@ryandavis4448]

Intricate part of my childhood. Watched it dozens of times and I want to watch it again for old times sake.

[@trailersic]

@@omegahorizon82 I watched this as an 8yo, I'm in my 40s, I still enjoy every minute.

[@expandranon]

I was in some kind of sweet spot, where I was old enough to automatically enjoy anything like the movie, but young enough to have no expectations of what 'Howard the Duck' should look like. I loved the movie and tuned in every time it was available on cable TV.... which was often, probably because it was cheap.

[@nerdtvch5]

I think Howard the Duck has aged pretty well. Modern audiences seems to like mature and silly themes. The audience didn't exist when the movie came out. But it does now. I like it. Example, the original Iron Man is pretty mature, full of sex, drinking, and straight up killing people. Mixed in with some quips and jokes. Even the Hulk movie of that year has a few sex jokes. Captain America even has a running joke around sex. And how he can't get drunk. And the more recent Spider-Man No Way Home has an entire joke about Peter and MJ having sex. So the audience IS there. Plus, Lea Thompson is just wonderful in everything.

[@radikalmoderate5705]

modern audiences have been programmed to like anything that feeds the fix...

[@_Shadoh_]

@@Swiftbow American kids maybe. As an european child I understood all that stuff pretty perfectly back then 😄

[@trailersic]

@@_Shadoh_ Thankfully the condom was cut out in the UK, that's the only thing I cringe at.

[@retrofan4963]

Howard the Duck is really ahead of its time.

[@teddyboukagain9985]

I was a kid when this released and bought into all the media, Howard was talked about at recess a lot, the good thing about it flopping was it was on HBO quickly and my friends, family and I loved it. We couldn’t afford going to all the movies so we didn’t know how terrible it really was lololol.

[@Nerdtendo6366]

I forgot I was subbed to this channel it’s been so long, happy that you’ve uploaded :)

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

These longer ones take a long...long time. Especially this one, as its history was so full of contradictory information, so it took much longer than I anticipated and kept growing and growing the more I researched,

[@timothymills2934]

love how everybody hates this movie, cause it's one of the first movies I can even remember seeing (born 1984). I love this movie and feel like it's my own in a way. Now as an adult and having watched it again, I forgot about all the cheesy stuff, and glad when reminded. What I always remembered was the bad guy who fed off of "Power". It scared the shit out of me as a kid, which I love! I love everything about this movie! The only thing that could have made it better is a cameo of Pee Wee. Good Day!

[@TheGoreFamily718]

This video is the only exposure I've ever had to this movie. I actually didn't know it existed till you released this video.

[@stevendefeo8424]

When I was a kid, I watched this movie everyday for a year. One of my favorite movies ever

[@ryandavis4448]

I grew up on this movie. It's a solid piece of my childhood along side Weird Science, My Science Project, and Bakaroo Bonsai.

[@Kit_Bear]

Bonsai was dog shit.

[@frankdavid2640]

Granted i was like 7 when these were out but i loved my science project. Loved them all to be honest..

[@ryandavis4448]

@@frankdavid2640 yeeeaaa man...I ended asking my parents for a plasma globe for Christmas cuz of that movie, lol

[@frankdavid2640]

Bro his car... damm

[@ryandavis4448]

@@frankdavid2640 in Buckeroo Bonsai? "Now we are talking HyperSpace!!" 🤣

[@UnmeiUCray]

I remember seeing this when I was really young randomly, and years later I thought it was a fever dream until i saw it again when my mom was randomly watching it. This entire movie is literally what a fever dream looks like

[@Tmuk2]

I watched it while battling sea sickness on an overnight ferry from England to Spain. If you think watching it normally feels like a fever dream, you should give that a try.

[@VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM]

@@Tmuk2 LOL. I can imagine you telling people about this movie about a duck you watched when you were sick, and all them thinking "wow he must have been much sicker that we thought, hallucinating"

[@Eternaldarkness3166]

Still can't believe they haven't actually made a reboot of his movie yet, when they've showed him in cameos in the MCU

[@TheSci-fiAnarchist42]

We're all very lucky, or rather unlucky, that you made this documentary for us.

[@melasnexperience]

Now I'm thinking of how fun a TV show based on Howard the Duck's recent-ish run by Chip Zdarsky & Joe Quinones would be, since it was a great mix of funny & heartfelt. It wasn't quite to the same level as Gerber's initial run (nothing really could be), but it would be a solid foundation if they ever felt crazy enough to try their duck luck again.