Great Turkey Drops in History
At brunch the other day, several people were reminiscing about one of the greatest publicity stunts that never happened - or did it? If you were of an age to watch WKRP in Cincinnati, you’ll remember the great “news” coverage of the turkey drop fiasco.
It's a toss up as to which are the best lines in the episode. There is newscaster Les Nessman’s (Richard Sanders) live coverage:
Oh, they're plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! ... The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenburg tragedy has there been anything like this!"
For visuals, though, nothing can match station manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) wandering dazed in a torn up suit, looking disheveled and sounding baffled:
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!!!"
There are lots of clips floating around cyberspace but I’d recommend http://radio.about.com/od/thanksgivingradio/qt/WKRP-Turkey-Drop-Video-Audio.htm which has audio and video options. If you have the time, watch the whole episode on their link to Hulu. C’mon, it’s been decades since you saw it the first time, and a lot of context gets lost if you cut to the chase.
In the trivia department, did you know this episode was not exclusively in the minds of stoned screenwriters? It’s loosely based on another brainstorm, the “Turkey Trot” festival that Yellville Arkansas. It lasted until some animal rights activists yelled at Yellville. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/16921.
It's a toss up as to which are the best lines in the episode. There is newscaster Les Nessman’s (Richard Sanders) live coverage:
Oh, they're plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! ... The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenburg tragedy has there been anything like this!"
For visuals, though, nothing can match station manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) wandering dazed in a torn up suit, looking disheveled and sounding baffled:
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!!!"
There are lots of clips floating around cyberspace but I’d recommend http://radio.about.com/od/thanksgivingradio/qt/WKRP-Turkey-Drop-Video-Audio.htm which has audio and video options. If you have the time, watch the whole episode on their link to Hulu. C’mon, it’s been decades since you saw it the first time, and a lot of context gets lost if you cut to the chase.
In the trivia department, did you know this episode was not exclusively in the minds of stoned screenwriters? It’s loosely based on another brainstorm, the “Turkey Trot” festival that Yellville Arkansas. It lasted until some animal rights activists yelled at Yellville. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/16921.