Video: Greatest Thanksgiving moment in sitcom history?
posted at 2:45 pm on November 23, 2011 by Ed Morrissey
Here’s a Thanksgiving palate cleanser for Hot Air readers, reaching back a few decades to a moment in sitcom history. When most people think of great Thanksgiving moments in sitcom history, this clip from WKRP in Cincinnati usually gets the most recognition. Take a look and see how well you think it holds up:
If that doesn’t quite do it for you, there’s always this scene from Cheers, which TV Land named as one of the top ten holiday moments in sitcom history. Kids … don’t try this at home:
Here’s hoping you have a fun — and blessed — Thanksgiving, with plenty of fun moments of your own.
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Funny stuff, Ed. It’s sad, I am old enough to remember both those episodes..Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Static21 on November 23, 2011 at 6:37 PM
Great memories Capt. Ed..Happy Thangsgiving to all..:):)
Dire Straits on November 23, 2011 at 6:43 PM
OMG!! I thought I was alone in my fetish for WKRP. I saw the above scene the first time when it aired and in subsequent airings when it went to syndication. It was my very favorite show and this was my very favorite of the favorites. I haven’t seen it in years, but even though I know what is going to happen, I still can’t stop laughing.
BetseyRoss on November 23, 2011 at 6:44 PM
Sadly I’m old enouth to have watched both of those as brand new episodes. The WKRP one will be talked about long after I’m gone! I agree BetseyRoss, I die laughing just thinking about that WKRP clip
Mini-14 on November 23, 2011 at 6:58 PM
sharrukin on November 23, 2011 at 4:08 PM
Thank you.
I’ve said that…version at many a holiday dinner. LoL
annoyinglittletwerp on November 23, 2011 at 7:01 PM
Great episode of WKRP. Everyone have a great THANKSGIVING!
xplodeit on November 23, 2011 at 7:03 PM
The co-writer of the Car 54 theme song, John Strauss, died earlier this year. He may have been one of the only ones still alive from that show’s creators and cast.
Del Dolemonte on November 23, 2011 at 7:04 PM
Thanks Ed
Can’t have Thanksgiving without Alice’s Restaurant and WKRP’s turkey drop.
smokinjoe on November 23, 2011 at 7:06 PM
You know, the two references to the Hindenburg tragedy could have come off as tasteless. It’s part of WKRP’s special magic that they work beautifully.
SagebrushPuppet on November 23, 2011 at 7:09 PM
WKRP had lots of winners, but this one stands among the best.
Thanks for that reminder Ed. Shared it with our 15 year-old son who hadn’t seen this before.
AZfederalist on November 23, 2011 at 7:09 PM
“Oooh! Ohh! Francis!”
I feel a little sad for the folks here who only have memories of “South Park”, “Married With Children”, etc. in the way of comedy classics.
whatcat on November 23, 2011 at 7:19 PM
Thank god for internet radio. Alice’s Restaurant — Thanksgiving Day at 8am, noon and 4pm!
mechkiller_k on November 23, 2011 at 7:27 PM
..although the “Oh, the humanity!” exclamation is a staple fixture in a lot of comedy shtick these days.
This episode is a great favorite, to be sure, but there were countless vignettes in WKRP that were endearing. Enamored of Hessman’s Dr Johnny Fever — the icon of the burned out hippie 60s music and drug subculture — I loved the 4th of July program where an Ohio Highway Patrol officer attempted to run one of those sobriety examples on Johnny and Venus by giving them on-air shots of Jack and then measuring there reaction times.
Predictably, Venus’ reactions got worse but, with each succeeding shot, Johnny’s got sharper — much to the frustration of the OPD officer.
Happy Thanksgiving All — and go light on the Jack!
(Go Niners!)
The War Planner on November 23, 2011 at 7:35 PM
I always thought the funniest part of the Cheers episode was the running gag about Frasier and the TV. He keeps moving to get a better view. Someone else always moves the screen away from him.
NCC on November 23, 2011 at 7:37 PM
That was awesome (from a Millennial)
For more recent classics try the Turkey vs. Fish or the Tofu Turkey episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond and the Thanksgiving episode of The King of Queens where they spend the entire time in the supermarket.
thebrokenrattle on November 23, 2011 at 7:48 PM
Actually, what with YouTube and other video sharing sites, you can catch it pretty much any time you want.
whatcat on November 23, 2011 at 7:54 PM
Once in awhile they would have Woody say something really intelligent which was unexpectedly funny. Such as the episode where Diane makes an artsy-schmartsy video for Woody to send back home to convince his hayseed family to let him stay in Boston. Woody said his family thought “it was too derivative of Goddard”.
whatcat on November 23, 2011 at 8:03 PM
Time heals all wounds, no matter how grievous at the moment. In the S.F. Bay Area, there has long been a small mom-and-pop chain of Mexican taquerias named after Pancho Villa, who was once a terrorist the equivalent of Osama bin Laden. Less than forty years after the Pearl Harbor attacks, there was a S.F. “new wave” band named Pearl Harbour & The Explosions. Less than thirty years after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, there was a S.F. punk band named the Dead Kennedys. Jerry Seinfeld parodied the JFK assassination’s Zapruder film in the classic sitcom’s episode “The Boyfriend,” with former Mets ballplayers Keith Hernandez & Roger McDowell guest-starring.
L.N. Smithee on November 23, 2011 at 8:05 PM
To nitpick, it was a parody of Stone’s “JFK”. “Back and to the left, back and to the left”.
whatcat on November 23, 2011 at 8:20 PM
It’s true, turkeys have wings but can’t fly
Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans!
Dollayo on November 23, 2011 at 8:43 PM
Oh, how I loved that show. That and Taxi were the last of good comedy on TV, in my book anyway.
Well, SNL had a season or so, but not so much.
petefrt on November 23, 2011 at 8:55 PM
Global warming.
petefrt on November 23, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Aloha! Hau’oli Lā Ho’omaika’i ia Kākou!
Happy Thanksgiving to all at Hot Air!
Kini on November 23, 2011 at 9:10 PM
Bailey was way hotter than Jennifer.
angryed on November 23, 2011 at 9:16 PM
I do not post here much,but I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
You are correct about that.
joeswampy on November 23, 2011 at 9:21 PM
The other great Thanksgiving show of that era was the Bob Newhart Show episode from 1975 when Emily goes off by herself for Thanksgiving and leaves Bob, Howard, Jerry and Mr. Carlin behind. Instead of cooking dinner, they end up getting drunk and ordering a bunch of Moo Goo Gai Pan. Genius.
Mr. D on November 23, 2011 at 9:21 PM
Bailey scored five peppers on the hotness scale. Much hotter than most of the nowadays bimbos.
Yep, forgot that one. Took me a while to warm up to Newhart, but I did, and miss him now.
petefrt on November 23, 2011 at 9:32 PM
Only partially true. Turkeys raised on farms for tomorrow can’t fly.
Wild Turkeys can fly but they are incapable of “sustained flight”, which means they can’t fly for long distances like other birds who yearly fly thousands of miles during their annual migrations.
I’ve seen Wild Turkeys fly as high as 40 or 50 feet and land on tree branches here in NH. But they are lean and mean, not Butterballs.
Del Dolemonte on November 23, 2011 at 9:37 PM
Ever done Turkey in an Imu?
Del Dolemonte on November 23, 2011 at 9:38 PM
It went the way of Spain.
Depressing, isn’t it.
petefrt on November 23, 2011 at 9:39 PM
What? Butterball turkeys can’t sustain flight? Oh the humanity!
petefrt on November 23, 2011 at 9:41 PM
I actually used to watch WKRP in Cincinnati … and saw this when it originally aired!
I always thought that Bailey was much cuter than the Loni Anderson character.
Oh, the humanity.
OhEssYouCowboys on November 23, 2011 at 2:56 PM
When Loni Anderson was interviewed about the show, she said her favorite part about the setting was that two beautiful and intelligent women were shown as good work-friends and not being catty to one another, as a typical idiot box show of that era would.
ebrown2 on November 23, 2011 at 9:42 PM
I swooned over Bailey. Loni left me
coldlukewarm.petefrt on November 23, 2011 at 9:46 PM
Mary Ann
Bailey
Wilma
and Velma!
PKO Strany on November 23, 2011 at 9:52 PM
Not sure about that one-many years after Scooby Doo I first saw Janet Reno and she looked exactly like Velma’s Older Self.
Del Dolemonte on November 23, 2011 at 10:03 PM
Boy, ain’t that the truth.
No more exciting sound in the woods to me, than a gobbler in springtime doin’ his ‘strut’.
: )
listens2glenn on November 23, 2011 at 10:06 PM
Back in 1999 me and a friend crashed a birthday party for Loni Anderson. We had no intention of doing it we just found ourselves at a party. No one even asked why we were there. Everyone just assumed we were friends of hers I guess.
The Notorious G.O.P on November 23, 2011 at 10:09 PM
Considering all the posts about which girl had more sex appeal, why didn’t the scriptwriters have Herb hitting on Bailey?
listens2glenn on November 23, 2011 at 10:19 PM
They’re also one of the smartest birds; they’re cautious, clever, have keen eyesight and if you’re downwind you’ll never hit him.
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all here! And thanks Ed, without this blog, my sanity (or lack of it) would no longer be in question! ;)
itsspideyman on November 23, 2011 at 10:26 PM
That wasn’t me, it was OhEssYouCowboys, but I agreed with the sentiment when I was watching it back then. Seeing the reruns, I was struck with how gorgeous Loni was, but Jan Smithers as Ms. Bailey Quarters always will have 1st place in my heart. :)
ebrown2 on November 23, 2011 at 10:29 PM
Yeah. I was in college back when those episodes first aired. I always though Bailey was absolutely gorgeous but was never enamored of her character’s politics. Reminded me too much of some of the leftist chicks at CU. But cute as could be
AZfederalist on November 23, 2011 at 10:40 PM
The 3rd Rock From The Sun Thanksgiving episode was better IMHO. (They played it here last month for our Thanksgiving.)Gobble, Gobble, Dick, Dick
andycanuck on November 23, 2011 at 10:47 PM
That was hilarious. Newhart talks about it here:
Bob Newhart on his Thanksgiving episode bit “Moo Goo Gai Pan”
whatcat on November 23, 2011 at 10:57 PM
Ah I loved Cheers, still do. I live for Carla’s insults. Like the one where Cliff asks her not to make fun of his ears or the fact that he lives at home any more, and she says “well gee, what am I supposed to make fun of” and Cliff suggests the fact that he’s notoriously untidy. To which Carla replies “Cliff. Your mother called. She said you left your earmuffs in the driveway and no one can get out.”
Sharke on November 23, 2011 at 11:12 PM
Thanks Ed and Happy Yjanksgiving.
That was approximately 30 years ago and disk jockeys still played records on turntables.
bw222 on November 23, 2011 at 11:18 PM
Without a doubt. I don’t see what’s attractive about a high maintenance gold digger. Ugh.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
Benaiah on November 23, 2011 at 11:42 PM
Btw, my favorite WKRP moment was when Carlson wandered into the studio while Fever was playing the Pink Floyd album Animals. Johnny’s deadpan, “I do” was classic. lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1enfo8zn3_g
Benaiah on November 23, 2011 at 11:46 PM
I had long forgotten about this, but I had a good laugh remembering a dear friend of mine, Jack Moulton.
There’s some backstory as to where the writers got the idea for this bit. Years ago KNFT AM 950 in Silver City, NM was owned by a wild and crazy guy by the name of Jack Moulton. Ever the offbeat promoter, Jack came up with the idea for a “turkey drop” back in the early 1970s (I believe) that captured the horrified imagination of animal lovers everywhere.
William Boyd Chisum, married to Jack’s step daughter, recounts the story in his autobiography, Chasing the Wind. To the best of my knowledge Jack is the originator of the “turkey drop” idea; others have flattered his creativity by copying the idea.
If any archivists want to dig deeper into this, research the newspapers in Bayard NM, Silver City NM, Deming NM and perhaps even Las Cruces, NM.
microfiction on November 23, 2011 at 11:58 PM
Herb was an idiot.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
trigon on November 24, 2011 at 12:37 AM
Thanks for the back story, I love a good story based in reality.
If you want to read about some real interesting personalities, check out the book The Big Rich by Bryan Burrough. It focuses on the top 4 Texas oil families in the 20th century and to call them colorful is an understatement. Burrough wrote the excellent Public Enemies as well.
Daemonocracy on November 24, 2011 at 1:16 AM
From the Wikipedia entry on Yellville, Arkansas -
“One of the longest traditions in Yellville is the annual Turkey Trot festival. Beginning in 1945 with the first turkey dropped from the roof of the Marion County Courthouse, the festival continues today. It is held every second weekend of October with the best-known attraction being live turkeys that are dropped from airplanes over the town square. October 2005 marked the 60th anniversary of this festival. The 1970s television show, WKRP in Cincinnati, parodied the turkey drop on one of their best-known episodes. Yellville and the Turkey Trot Festival were also included in the American supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer in 1989 with photographs of the festival and commentary on animal cruelty. Due to the bad press, the turkey drop ceased for a few years. It has since resumed.”
whatcat on November 24, 2011 at 2:26 AM
YouTube video, by way of addendum:
Turkey Trot 2010
whatcat on November 24, 2011 at 2:53 AM
And Turkeys can fly ….wild ones anyway I think domestic ones with what their bred for and as big as they are I’m not sure but as any turkey hunter can tell you wild birds can and do fly
Aggie95 on November 24, 2011 at 6:39 AM
“As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”
Truly, one of the greatest sitcom lines in history.
TiminPhx on November 24, 2011 at 6:46 AM
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Have a great day.
csdeven on November 24, 2011 at 7:00 AM
And as an aside, Gordon Jump was a devout member of the LDS church.
csdeven on November 24, 2011 at 7:02 AM
Cute – THis place needs a rimshot icon.
I loved the WKRP episode, and always thought Bailey Quarters was hot, as well.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, may you all truly be blessed.
Siddhartha Vicious on November 24, 2011 at 7:32 AM
Perhaps the greatest Thanksgiving turkey evah…
JetBoy on November 24, 2011 at 8:50 AM
The Thanksgiving episode of the Zooey Deschanel show New Girl was pretty funny. The whole thing about trying to defrost a turkey in a clothes dryer was really funny.
Pcoop on November 24, 2011 at 8:52 AM
Actually, the show’s writers addressed that very issue in a memorable episode, “Jennifer Falls in Love” (second season), where she falls in love with a man who is her male equivalent, namely blonde, beautiful, and a gold-digger.
Del Dolemonte on November 24, 2011 at 9:59 AM
Our neighborhood is overrun with turkeys. They don’t seem smart or wily, I am tempted to take one with a golf club or pruning shears. They stand within a foot of the car as you drive by them in the street, they could even be grabbed.
My family & I were driving and saw one attempt to fly over the neighbor’s home but could not clear the roof so it ran to the roof peak, jumped, and kept flying. Ungainly but very funny to watch.
roy_batty on November 24, 2011 at 10:01 AM
I once had a flock of Wild Turkeys fly over my head, it was so cool.
rob verdi on November 24, 2011 at 10:48 AM
by the way, wkrp was pretty dang funny.
rob verdi on November 24, 2011 at 10:48 AM
If you’ve ever gone turkey hunting, you know that turkeys can fly. I believe that farm raised turkeys have their wings clipped.
Vince on November 24, 2011 at 11:18 AM
Bailey was a cutie..:)
Dire Straits on November 24, 2011 at 11:33 AM
“And as an aside, Gordon Jump was a devout member of the LDS church.” — csdeven on November 24, 2011 at 7:02 a.m.
So do you think he’s a god?
According to chapter 47 of “Gospel Principles,” a Mormon study book, devout men in the LDS religion become gods (it says, “They will become gods”).
As the famous Mormon couplet puts it, “As man now is, God once was; as God now is, so man may be.”
I wonder if Gordon Jump sang that famous Mormon hymn, “Praise to the Man,” meaning Joseph Smith:
“Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation,
Kings shall extoll him and nations revere.
CHORUS: Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren,
Death cannot conquer the hero again.
Praise to his mem’ry, he died as a martyr,
Honored and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins,
Plead unto heav’n while earth lauds his fame.
Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.
Ever and ever the keys he will hold.
Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom,
Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.
Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven,
Earth must atone for the blood of that man.
Wake up the world for the conflict of justice.
Millions shall know ‘Brother Joseph’ again!”
I keep hearing people say that Mormonism is Christian. Since when do Christians believe that Joseph Smith holds “the keys” or that “Earth must atone for the blood of that man”? Or that Joseph Smith has an endless priesthood?
For a good overview of Mormon beliefs, visit http://www.carm.org, the web site of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.
KyMouse on November 24, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Read about the Wild Turkeys of NYC:
rob verdi on November 24, 2011 at 12:37 PM
okay, its Staten Island.
rob verdi on November 24, 2011 at 12:38 PM
On a political note – did anyone see the video of Palin talking
to a news reporter while a machine in the background whacked
off the turkeys’ heads? Or, at least I think that is what the
machine was doing. Perhaps someone has the link. It was
real and also hilarious.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Amjean on November 24, 2011 at 12:50 PM
Agreed. True beauty doesn’t come from a bottle, or a plastic surgeon.
Freelancer on November 24, 2011 at 1:46 PM
A great funny for a wonderful day! This show was one of my favorites! Thanks HA for posting this!
Rndguy on November 24, 2011 at 5:36 PM
There was a Far Side cartoon showing the first Thanksgiving with the caption (something like) “the first occasion when a child put pitted olives on each of his fingers.”
Too bad today’s sitcoms are so full of raunchy jokes, I don’t watch them anymore. The WKRP episode is made funnier when you know what’s coming. I’m surprised, but very happy, that they got away broadcasting that episode.
flataffect on November 24, 2011 at 5:36 PM
Like many of you, I saw this when 1st broadcast. I just happened to be an On Air Radio Guy at the time. Considering some of the stations I worked for, I can actually see this happening! Great stuff. Also, re: Jennifer vs Bailey: I have a 4 year old daughter named Bailey. Coincidence? Maybe not.
FishFearMe on November 24, 2011 at 7:54 PM
WKRP is my 2nd favorite sitcom of all time.
Yes, Bailey was far hotter than Jennifer.
It’s sad to see it so butchered (music-wise) in later reruns and on DVD – for us that watched the show when it was new, the music was one of the central characters in the show (it had to be since the show was about radio). Blame lawyers for the now-butchered music.
I have many favorite episodes, but one of my faves is when Jennifer had enough of Herb’s lecherous come-ons so she asks Johnny Fever if he can do something to make Herb stop. Johnny tells Herb “Our beautiful Jennifer Marlowe is the result of the most cunning sex change operation in medical history!”. Predictably, the rest of the episode Herb is seen trying to sneak a glimpse of her; to her amazement he darts away when she sees him looking at her!
WKRP trivia: Richard Sanders (Les Nessman) had an actual injury in the first episode, so they decided to leave the plastic bandage visible. In nearly all subsequent episodes, they had him wear a bandage somewhere visible as a joke. The frequent bandages were later attributed to injuries suffered from the huge vicious dog that he owned.
E-R
electric-rascal on November 24, 2011 at 10:20 PM
On a WKRP side note, one of my favorite episodes involves Johnny thinking the “Phone Police” are after him for some type of phone “infraction” committed in his past; an extra line or something. For you young bucks this was back in the era of one big “Ma Bell”, no cell phones, and Jobs and Wozniak were still in their garage hand building these “personal computing devices”.
Bubba Redneck on November 25, 2011 at 9:11 AM
He thought the Phone Police were after him because, in a fit of anger and frustration, he had destroyed a telephone by smashing it with a toolbox. I also recall there was something special about that toolbox.
backwoods conservative on November 25, 2011 at 12:25 PM
I wish they still made shows like those, instead of the swill that passes for TV “comedy” these days…..
Lonevoice on November 25, 2011 at 2:00 PM
YouTube video: Johnny Fever and the “Phone Police” – priceless!
Video setup: In the two-part episode “An Explosive Affair”, terrorists (“Black Monday”) have threatened to blow up WKRP, so they send Johnny & Venus to do the afternoon show from the safety of the transmitter shack, out in the country.
Johnny is trying to lay down a bet with his bookie on a very-long-shot horse called “Fever’s Break”, but cannot lay down his bet in time.
Later, as Les Nessman does a mock interview, Andy Travis realizes that the terror group has targeted the transmitter, so they send police & fire department to the transmitter site ASAP.
The horse that Johnny wanted to bet on actually wins, setting a new long-odds win record at the track. Johnny goes berserk and smashes the telephone into “remnants of psychedelic spaghetti” using a toolbox that holds the terrorist bomb!
The video pretty much picks it up from there…
E-R
electric-rascal on November 26, 2011 at 1:21 AM
It is with great pride that I am among a group of real people who enjoyed the greats as well.
Of course the number of friends I have who can remember the “Cheers” episode that Thanksgiving is a day to remember how there is nothing more essential than having a whole day together with your true best “Friends” to pay homage to each other in your own way.
But, even more remarkable it is to still have the same feelings towards those who want to share their goodwill with others despite the outcome.
Now it is even more telling, that I can remember vividly both episodes but I have fewer friends to share these episodes with. But, I think I will gain a few back by sharing with others.
Thanks
Hot Air
MSGTAS on November 26, 2011 at 8:54 AM
Thank you, Bailey Quarters, wherever you are…
Khun Joe on November 28, 2011 at 7:38 AM
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