American Thanksgiving

[minstrel]

Just received in an email:

From the famous Thanksgiving day episode of the TV show "WKRP in Cincinnati" - this was the episode where the radio station manager, Mr. Carlson, had live turkeys dropped on downtown Cincinnati from a helicopter as a publicity stunt. Their news reporter, Les Nessman, was on the air live for the event.

Les: It's a helicopter, and it's coming this way. It's flying something behind it, I can't quite make it out, it's a large banner and it says, uh - Happy... Thaaaaanksss... giving!... From... W.... ... K... ... R... ... P!

Les: No parachutes yet. Can't be skydivers... I can't tell just yet what they are, but - Oh my gawd! Johnny, they're turkeys!! Johnny, can you get this? Oh, they're plunging to the earth right in front of our eyes! One just went through the windshield of a parked car! Oh, the humanity! The turkeys are hitting the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenberg tragedy has there been anything like this!

Johnny: Les? Are you there? Les isn't there. (composing himself) Thanks for that on-the-spot report, Les, and for those of you who just tuned in, the Pinedale Shopping Mall has just been bombed with live turkeys. Film at eleven.

Mr Carlson: (bursting through door) As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!

[rocky1]

Hands down my favorite episode of all time! I've seen it, I don't know how many times; and it stills brings tears to my eyes every time!!! Truly one of the greatest performances by a cast ever. It is a classic.

[redcircle]

Sorry.. little before my time.. I do remember switching the channel when the reruns came on.

[httpman]

Hi minstrel.

I'm from France, within Europe, and I don't know anything you're talking about.
Well, I speak a rough english, but it seems I've lost something in between ! What is that story about turkeys ? I mean, there is of course a joke behind but could you explain it with easy, understandable words, for those coming from outer spaces ?

Thanks !!

JP

[minstrel]

Well, I speak a rough english, but it seems I've lost something in between ! What is that story about turkeys ? I mean, there is of course a joke behind but could you explain it with easy, understandable words, for those coming from outer spaces?
It was an American television show about a well-meaning but not very bright radio station manager - since turkey dinners are traditional on the American Thanksgiving holiday, the station manager drops them out of a helicopter, thinking they will fly around the city as an advertising gimmick for his radio station. Then, as the turkeys begin hitting objects on the street below, he discovers that turkeys can't fly.

It's rather "black humor" (macabre humor) but it was a funny episode. And no turkeys were actually harmed in the filming of the TV show (or shown on TV either).

[httpman]

OK, now I understand.
Thanks. Turkeys were probably too fat to fly !

Anyway it's horrible thinking all them falling down... We eat turkeys mainly at christmas or new year day, here in France. But thinking they were living before we eat them... A long way.

Maybe - probably - we are living with a mask on our eyes, but today some sort of a 'green awareness' is managing our lives more and more each day. Most of us think that way when we take our car to go at work, when we use sprays for our hair, when we put things into our trashes - hey, we got 3 different trashes in each house or close to it : one for glasses, one for papers, cans and plastics, and a last one for the rest - and also when we look for a new job. Who could dare to work for a company polluting the world ? That's not worth the wages !

Minstrel, you're from Canada therefore I guess you share similar thoughts - even if Ottawa seems so far from Quebec, "la seule vraie région française du Canada - la meilleure, à mon sens" !

French is not yet died !!

JP

[ Well, I read my post back and think I could easily look like a "repressed" people, what of course I'm very far from - anyone reading my previous posts will agree. But it's not so easy to tell about green ideas in a foreign language !! ]

[mikmik]

Carlson said:
As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!

And of course, by 'turkeys', he meant 'quail'.

[httpman]

And of course, by 'turkeys', he meant 'quail'.

Quail ??