turkeys away

Yes, it's that time of year once again. It's Thanksgiving -- yay, food! With the times such as they are, I'll admit to being more thankful on a regular basis during this year than many years gone by. I have a job (a few jobs actually), a roof over my head, money for food and bills, good friends, family, a bionic knee so I can be a bit like The Six Million Dollar Man, and so much more.

But, since this is about television, I'm going to focus on what I'm thankful for in television and TV-related kind of things. We might share some items on the list, we might not. While the times might not be great for financial dealings, it's a wondrous time for television geeks like you and me. Or, maybe it's just me. So, exactly what am I thankful for? Read on.

There aren't as many classic Thanksgiving episodes of TV shows as there are classic Christmas episodes. But there are several we remember fondly, including this one. It's the "Turkeys Away" episode of WKRP in Cincinnati that originally aired on October 30, 1978. Carlson tries to come up with a special promotion for the station and, well, you'll see what happens.

[Watch episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati and other shows at SlashControl.]

I'm talking about the famous "Turkey Drop" scene from WKRP in Cincinnati, of course. The reason why it is the best is not what we actually saw, but what was implied by reporter Les Nessman. If anything, the way the scene played out hearkened back to the golden days of radio and the "theater of the mind".

In this episode, entitled "Turkeys Away" and originally broadcast back in October of 1978, Mr. Carlson believes that the station needs a Thanksgiving promotion. So, he decides to have turkeys dropped from a helicopter flying above a shopping mall. What he doesn't realize is that turkeys aren't the greatest fliers, especially while being dropped from 2000 feet in the air. What results is a disaster. Nothing worse to ruin your holiday than a 20 or 30 pound turkey crashing into your car windshield from several thousand feet up.