By Michael Lyons
In 1997, when TV Guide compiled their list of the top 100 episodes of all time, there among the list that included “I Love Lucy,” “The Honeymooners,” “ER” and “Seinfeld” was an episode from an underrated sitcom that many had all but forgotten about: “WKRP in Cincinnati.”
The episode was from 1978, a Thanksgiving-themed episode (a rarity for TV Shows in the ‘70’s) dubbed “Turkeys Away.”
Those who have seen the episode have fallen in love with it, make watching it part of their Thanksgiving routine and can easily see why TV Guide includes it on their Top 100 list.
“Turkeys Away” is, quite simply, one of the most daring and consistently funny (even after multiple viewings) sitcom episodes ever produced. With Thanksgiving approaching and this fall marking the episode’s 40th anniversary, it’s time to talk some “Turkey” and look back at this hysterical moment from “WKRP in Cincinnati.”
As the sitcom’s title suggests, the show centered on a radio station in Cincinnati and one that was struggling. Travis (Gary Sandy) a new Station Manager, had come in and was making changes. As “Turkeys Away” opens, Arthur (Gordon Jump), the Station Manager is frustrated that with all the changes, he doesn’t have much to do.
Arthur a/k/a “The Big Guy,” comes up with a promotional idea, but only lets two other members of WKRP, newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) and sales manager Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), in on the secret. All “The Big Guy” tells the rest of his staff is that they need to be ready at the station for a Thanksgiving promotion that will be broadcast live via remote from a nearby mall.
**WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!**. DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN “TURKEYS AWAY”!!**
The next day, WKRP DJ Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and the rest of the team gather in the control booth and he turns the broadcast over to Les at the nearby shopping mall.
An earnest reporter, Les begins discussing all of the events going on, in painstakingly hysterical detail including the appearance of a helicopter with a “Happy Thanksgiving” banner...and the sudden appearance of things falling. Yup - live turkeys, which Arthur and Herb are tossing out of the helicopter. However, turkeys don’t have the gift of flight and begin plummeting to the earth.
While it all sounds incredibly morbid, it’s actually very innocent. All of the action with the helicopter and the turkeys happens off screen. We never see it, but instead just get Les’ first person account, which he reports on as if it’s the crash of The Hindenburg. He even shouts the iconic, “Oh, the humanity!”
The episode also cuts back to the shocked team listening in at the station. “For those of you just joining us,” states Dr. Johnny Fever, “the Pinedale Shopping Mall has just been bombed with live turkeys!”
As we see none of this on screen and just in our minds eye, it’s made all the more hysterical, as our imaginations run wild thanks to Les’ innocent live report.
The ingenious writing continues as disheveled Arthur, Herb and Les return to the station, detailing what happened, including a “counter attack” by the turkeys.
Written by WKRP Producer Bill Dial, “Turkeys Away” is a perfectly crafted, compact comic masterpiece of a TV sitcom episode. The story unfurls slowly, but the sharp, one liners don’t let up throughout. Even at the end of the show, as WKRP receptionist Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) takes a call from an animal rights organization. “Well, Mr. Kelli.” She states, “a lot of turkeys don’t make it through Thanksgiving.”
What makes this all even funnier is that Dial based the promotion in the episode on an actual radio promotion that occurred at an Atlanta station!
“Turkeys Away” was broadcast on October 30, 1978, just before “WKRP in Cincinnati” was being placed on hiatus, due to low ratings. However, it was the originality of this episode and viewer reaction to it (coupled with a devoted fan base) that helped bring “WKRP” back, where it became a hit and ran for four seasons.
Forty years later, the episode stands as the pinnacle of the series’ offerings and one that is discussed almost immediately in pop culture circles around Thanksgiving, particularly, Arthur’s final line of the show...
“As God is my witness...I thought turkeys could fly.”
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Sources:
IMDb
Mental Floss
Wikipedia
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