Hardluck Hotel (episode)

<infobox> <title source="name"><default>Hardluck Hotel (episode)</default></title> <image source="image"/> <label>Production #</label> <label>Producer(s)</label> <label>Story by</label> <label>Script</label> <label>Directed by</label> <label>IMDb Ref</label> <label>Episode</label> <label>Original air date</label> <label>Previous Story</label> <label>Next Story</label> <label></label><default>Source</default> </infobox>

Summary:

Count Duckula decides to go on a holiday to a hotel called Hardluck Hotel, though when he arrives, nothing is even close to his liking. The hotel itself is in terrible disrepair, the service is bad, and everything is rank and fetid.

To end this torment, Duckula goes straight to the hotel manager to check out, but as luck would have it, it has only just been revealed in the papers that Transylvanian drachmas (Duckula's currency) are now deemed worthless in the current market. Faced with this dilemma of not having one red cent to pay for his considerably short stay, Duckula is then forced to work as a hotel employee to pay off his debt.

To make matters the worst possible for this unfortunate Count, his servants, Nanny and Igor stop at this hotel for a vacation, and, not knowing that Duckula is serving as the hotel's staff, see fit to order the hapless young duck around and around. Change, however, may be on its way for the Count, who is not at all happy that, ironically, he had been serving his own staff for a whole week.

Credits

• Voices: David Jason, Jack May, Brian Trueman, Jimmy Hibbert, Ruby Wax
• Narrator: Barry Clayton
• Written by Brian Trueman
• Vocals: Doreen Edwards, Mike Harding
• Music: Mike Harding
• Design: Chris Randall, Margaret Riley, Paul Salmon, Vincent James, Dan Whitworth, Ed Williams, Andy Roper
• Design Assistant: Andrea Hough
• Storyboard: John Stevenson
• Layout: José María Zumel, Ricardo Machuca, Miguel Angel Aisa, Manolo Almela, Juan Antonio Serrano, Miguel Angel Fuertes
• Animation: Mariano Rueda, Ignacio Amero, Emilio Luján, Valentín Caín, Julian Tarrago, Edward Sasu, Pedro Molina, Vicente Rodriguez, Amaro Carretero, Juan Antonio Rojo, Luis L. Varela, Bujor Estefanescu, Ezequiel Martín, Chris Doyle, Francisco Tena, Alberto Conejo, Angel Jariego, Julio Diez, Pedro Mohedano, Roberto Marcano, Ventura Rodriguez, Javier Gutierrez, Russell Brookes, Manuel Galiana, Fernando Jariego, Ramon Sanchez, Juan Antonio Serrano, Marivi Rodriguez, Rob Stevenhajen, Valentín Doménech, Carmen Chenza, Paca Moreno, Manuel Doctor, Miguel Angel Fuertez.
• Backgrounds: Igashi Taruma, Felix Cascajo, Milagros Banares, Miguel Angel
• Supervised by Carlos Alfonso
• Special Effects: Carlos Alfonso
• Camera: Santiago Gomez, Victorio Gonzalez
• Painting: María Del Mar Fernández, María Fernández, Margarita Pina, Teresa Diego, María José Álvarez, Loli Torres, Paco Villanueva, Angeles Sanz, Julia García, Delia Hernandez, Lourdes Santos, Susana Díez, Ángeles Vacas.
• Supervised by Paloma Antón
• Xerox: Jose Luis Aisa, Andres Palacios
• Line Test: Eva Moreno, Sergio Alfonso
• Production Control: Bob Burrows
• Film Editor: Patrick Haggerty
• Assistant Editor: Jane Hicks
• Dubbing Mixer: Ted Spooner
• Animation Directors: Carlos Alfonso, Juan R. Pina
• Associate Producer: Chris Randall
• Executive Producer: John Hambley
• Produced by Mark Hall, Brian Cosgrove
• Directed by Chris Randall
• © Cosgrove Hall Productions MCMLXXXVIII

Background Music Pieces:

• "Vamp Til Ready" by Wally Asp
• "Casbah Nights" by George Fenton and John Leach

Trivia:

• T'he hotel manager is based upon the legendary British TV character Basil Fawlty, from the 'Fawlty Towers' TV comedy series. Fawlty, played by John Cleese, was also a hotel manager who was notorious for being rude to his own guests.
• Duckula's room number is "1313". According to superstition, the number 13 is considered unlucky and many hotels don't have a room with number 13.
• The American accented chambermaid Gloria's voice is possibly based on Rosie the Robot Maid's voice from Hanna-Barbera's TV cartoon series 'The Jetsons'.
• The name 'Hardluck Hotel' might have been a spoof of the Elvis Presley hit single 'Heartbreak Hotel'.
• Igor orders a "mouldy bread with green slime sandwich" and Nanny orders a "peanut butter sandwich with custard and a cherry on top," which Duckula says is her favourite.

Quotes:

• Igor, referring to Hardluck Hotel: "(T)he most rundown, despairing, gloomy and sinister hotel that anyone in his right mind could ever wish for."
• Count Duckula: "Where's the elevator?"
• Hotel Manager (when asked "where's the elevator?"): "At the basement. It stopped there at the turn of the century and we hadn't had time to service it yet."
• Hotel Manager (after Duckula says that he is a vegetarian): "Really?! I would see a doctor, they do marvelous things these days."
• Duckula: "I'm checking out! In fact, I'm nearly passing out."

Photos:

File:Basil Fawlty.jpg

The hotel manager, inspired by the character Basil Fawlty

Gloria the chambermaid

File:Mr Grinder.jpg

Mr Grinder, "The Complaints Department"

File:The Great Duckeruni.png

The Great Duckeruni acting as the hotel's magician