Greatest. Thanksgiving Episode. Ever
During the only season of the Fox comedy Normal, Ohio in the year 2000, there was a Thanksgiving episode in which John Goodman’s character says to his sister, “Let’s play Mom and Dad, I’ll call you a gutter slut and you can call me a Nancy Boy.” One of the time-honored Thanksgiving Day traditions is gathering around with your family and getting drunk enough to say things that you really mean. Normal, Ohio was cancelled after thirteen episodes and only seven were only aired.
Funny Thanksgiving television is actually very rare to find. Memorable funny Thanksgiving television actually exceedingly more rare. That is why it’s imperative this Thanksgiving to take a moment to honor the greatest funny Thanksgiving episode of all time. As a comedy, WKRP In Cincinnati was hit or miss. However, in the seventh episode of its first season, WKRP not only hit its stride but sprinted ahead with the episode “Turkeys Away.”
The episode premiered on October 30th, 1978. The plot centered around a failed radio promotion. The station owner, played by Gordon Jump, decided to drop live turkeys into a parking lot. Jump’s character Arthur Carlson had a misguided belief that turkeys could actually fly. The dying dive bombing turkeys are never shown, but the magic is showing the reaction to the carnage. Here it is in 30 glorious seconds:
From radio newsman Les Nessman reporting on the scene of people screaming and turkeys destroying cars to Carlson’s own immortal line, “As God is my witness, I honestly believed turkeys could fly.” In its own way, “Turkeys Away” is every bit a discussion of misguided faith than It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is. “Turkeys Away” is comedy that you will never forget watching. However, you might want to watch it at least twice, because there is a good possibility you will miss some of it due to the sound of your own howling laughter. In 1997, TV Guide ranked the 100 greatest single television episodes of all time. “Turkeys Away” ranked #40 on the prestigious list. Here is an extended segment :
