His wife, Katie (Sandy Duncan) gets a recipe for applesauce wrong and gives it to her husband to take to work for lunch, hoping it will help cut down on the budget.

Albert is ordered to get rid of the duck, so he figures he can give it to his son, Jimmy (Lee Montgomery) who has been wanting a pet, only to discover it now lays eggs with solid gold yolks.

In a Pavlovian manner, the duck, named "Charley" (despite being female), lays an egg when prompted by the barking of a dog.

Hooper spies on the Dooleys in a haphazard manner, often suffering mishaps such as falling off a tree branch after being yelled at by his wife to leave the neighbors alone.

Hooper warns his boss Rutledge (James Gregory) about the economic upheaval that an "easy" supply of gold could create in the world.

[5] Revisionist critics have been less harsh on the film, understanding its targeted appeal was to children and getting into the spirit of the essential silliness of the premise of an extremely valuable duck.

[6] Despite poor reviews for the film, the comedic acting was appreciated at the time of its release with both Sandy Duncan and Dean Jones being nominated for Golden Globes for their performances.