Happy Thanksgiving!
“As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!!!” —WKRP in Cincinnati Station Manager, Arthur Carlson
Based on Reality
Oddly enough, this famous WKRP episode was loosely based on a real event! Back in 1946 (some sources say 1945), Yellville, Arkansas inaugurated the “Turkey Trot Festival” which included a wild turkey calling contest, a turkey target shoot, a Miss Drumsticks Pageant and oh yeah: a live turkey release from the roof of the courthouse.
After a few years, someone thought it might be fun to actually toss the poor gobblers out of a low-flying airplane for the event. This repeated for a number of years until 1989 when a national animal-rights protest cast the event in a bad light and the “National Enquirer” splashed a photo of the event across the nation forcing promoters to abandon the turkey drop.
You can view the entire classic WKRP episode HERE
Related articles
- “I Thought Turkeys Could Fly” – and Other 2011 Predictions (mediabullseye.com)
Filed under: Newsworthy
