Dutch is a 1991 road trip comedy-drama film starring Ed O'Neill and released in the summer after the end of Season 5 of Married... with Children.
On the show, it is so unpopular that no one is willing to own a copy of it, even when given out for free - according to Al Bundy.
History[]
Dutch Dooley is a working-class man who decides to help out his new girlfriend by picking up her son, Doyle, from boarding school for Thanksgiving. He soon learns that Doyle isn't as innocent as he thought and the two begin causing trouble for each other on the road trip home.
Background[]
In reality, Dutch is an actual film released in 1991, with Ed O'Neill portraying the titular character, Dutch Dooley. The film was a box office failure, making a US Box Office gross of $4,603,929 on a budget of $17,000,000, as well as receiving extremely poor critical reviews.
Despite the negative criticism upon its release at the box office, it has gained a small cult following over the years.
References on Married... with Children[]
Married... with Children made reference to the film's poor performance in Season 6's "England Show (Part 1)". During the flight from Chicago to England, the pilot comments over the speaker system that he is choking to death because of Al's foot odor and when Peg calls him out on it, he then comments "Oh, please. They show us the movie, 'Dutch' and they think I stink?"
Poster for "Dutch" shown in season 9's "Dial B for Virgin"
It is also because the film starred Ed O'Neill, that when any promotional material (such as the film's poster, or VHS cover) appeared on screen during Married... with Children was altered to at least obscure Ed O'Neill's face.
An example is season 9's Dial B for Virgin, when Peg and Al go to a video store and the poster for Dutch is shown with a sticker over Ed O'Neill's face that reads "Free Video". Peg picks ups one of the video cassettes, only to quickly put it back in disgust.
Trivia[]
- Ethan Embry who plays the son, Doyle and Ed O'Neill would work together again over a decade later in the ABC police drama series Dragnet.
- The film also starred Kathleen Freeman, who would later appear on MWC as the voice of Peggy's mom.
- The film also featured actor Christopher McDonald, who previously starred with Ed O'Neill in an 1985 episode of Hunter entitled "The Garbage Man". In that episode, O'Neill played a crooked parole officer out for vengeance while McDonald played a parolee who becomes the officer's intended target.
- Patrika Darbo, who played Ethel, the red headed woman who comments on Kelly playing the Indian in "Take My Wife, Please" appeared in the film as a waitress at a greasy spoon diner.
- Mickey Jones, who played gas station owner Parley Wayne Rockefeller in "Spring Break (Part 2)", appeared in the movie as a truck driver who accidentally crashes into the car that Doyle stole, causing Dutch to panic.